Protestantism in America

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 476.

The protestant heritage

TEXT 5 может – в supplementary reading?

· Before you read the text study the following vocabulary

To someone not familiar with the Protestant religion, the religious scene in the United States may be confusing. There are two main branches of the Christian faith in America – Roman Catholic and Protestant. The Protestant branch has many different branches or “denominations”. These denominations have completely separate church organizations and although there are many similarities, there are also significant differences in their religious teachings and beliefs. Some Protestant denominations forbid dancing, playing cards, and drinking alcoholic beverages, for example, while others do not.

What causes this religious diversity? Perhaps the major cause is the Protestant belief that the individual, not the organized church, should be the center of religious life. This idea was brought to America and firmly established by European Protestants, and it is one reason why no single church has become the center of religious life in the nation. Instead, the Protestant tradition has encouraged the development of numerous denominations which express the religious preferences of different individuals.

The Protestant branch of the Christian faith broke away from the Roman Catholic church in Europe in the sixteenth century because of important differences in religious beliefs. The Roman Catholic church was the center of religious life in European countries; the Catholic Pope and the priests played the role of parent to the people in spiritual matters. They told people what was right and wrong, and they granted them forgiveness for sins against God and the Christian faith.

The Protestants, on the other hand, insisted that all individuals must stand alone before God. If people sinned, they should seek their forgiveness directly from God rather than from a priest speaking in God's name. In place of the power and authority of priests, Protestants substituted what they called the "priesthood of all believers." This meant that every individual was solely responsible for his or her own relationship with God.

After the Protestants broke away from the Catholic church, there was much
bitterness and many Protestant denominations experienced religious persecution. The Catholic church did not recognize the right of the Protestants to have a
separate church. Some Protestant denominations were so unpopular that they
were persecuted by both Catholics and other Protestants. The result of such
persecution was that many Protestants were ready to leave their native countries
in order to have freedom to practice their particular religious beliefs. Consequently, among the early settlers who came to America in the 1600s, there were many Protestants seeking religious freedom.

This desire for religious freedom was one of the strongest reasons why many colonial settlers came to America. Generally speaking, the lack of any established national religion in America appealed strongly to European Protestants, whether or not they were being persecuted. As a result, although there were some Catholics, the vast majority of the settlers were Protestants and Protestantism became the dominant religious influence in the new land.

A large number of Protestant denominations were established in America. At first, some denominations hoped to force their views on others, but the colonies were simply too large for any one denomination to gain control over the others. The idea of separation of church and state became accepted. When the Constitution was written in 1789, the government was forbidden to establish a national church; no Protestant denomination was to be favoured over the others. The government and the church had to remain separate. Under these conditions, a great many different Protestant denominations developed and grew, with each denomination having a “live and let live” attitude toward the others. Diversity was accepted and strengthened.

Схема стр.41