The Protestant Heritage: Self-Improvement

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 694.

Although many Protestant denominations exist in the united States today, all of them share a common Protestant heritage. This heritage has been a powerful force in shaping the values and beliefs of Americans. One of the most important values associated with the Protestant heritage of America is the value of self-improvement. Protestant Christianity, like Roman Catholic Christianity, often emphasizes the natural wickedness of human nature. But, as was stated before, Protestantism rejected the idea that acts of wickedness can be forgiven by a priest acting in God's name. individuals are therefore left alone before God to improve themselves or suffer eternal punishment by God for their wickedness. In this way, Protestantism encourages a strong and restless desire for self-improvement.

The need for self-improvement, once established, reaches far beyond self-improvement in the purely moral or religious sense. In the United States the belief in self-improvement can be seen in countless books which explain how people can be happier and more successful in life by improving everything from their vocabulary to their tennis game, or even their whole personality. Books of this type are often referred to as ‘self-help' books. They are the natural products of a Protestant culture in which people believe that ‘God helps those who help themselves”.

One of the most popular self-help books ever written in the United States was written by a Protestant minister, Norman Vincent Peale. As its title states, it stresses The Power of Positive Thinking. The key to self-improvement and success, said Peale, is self-confidence. Reading the Bible is like doing regular daily exercises; it can improve one's self-confidence and ensure personal success in life.