What similarities are there between the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening
|
The awakening of minds has been in the limelight for ages. The majority of the European and American colonies have practised this. Awakening mind made them realise that they had the potential to rule and lead themselves. Show
Table of Contents 1
Not only politically but religiously too. The revolutions that took place changed their mindsets on a particular surviving society and their mother country. The movements that took place enlightened the citizens of Europe and America. They realised that they can survive themselves without depending upon their countries. Although the Great awakening and enlightenment seem similar, there are differences between them as well. In this article, we will discuss the major differences between the two terms, enlightenment and great awakening. Enlightenment vs Great AwakeningEnlightenment is associated with political, economic, cultural rights, mostly in North America and Europe. Whereas, Great Awakening came into existence in American colonies at the beginning of the mid-seventeenth century, giving people religious freedoms. Enlightenment’s main target was to replace superstitions and blind faith with the power of science and reasoning. However, the latter focused on new religious views. Enlightenment is a type of revolution which is concerned with social, political, economic and cultural characteristics. This movement began in the 17th and 18th centuries. The rebels, movements and revolutions of Enlightenment took place in North American and some parts of Europe as well. At the concerned places, the citizens acquired political freedoms. The key figures associated with this revolution are Issac Newton and John Locke. Great Awakening is mainly, solely and only concerned with religious views. The revolution of the Great Awakening began for the first time between the 1730s and 1740s. Great Awakening occurred in colonies of the USA, or America. Its main target was the emergence of new religious views. The citizens of Europe acquired religious freedoms due to the Great Awakening. The key figures associated with the Great Awakening are Jonathan Edwards, Gilbert & William Tennent, the Wesley Brothers and George Whitefield. Comparison TableParameters of ComparisonEnlightenmentGreat AwakeningNatureEnlightenment is a social, political, cultural movement.Great Awakening is a purely religious movement.Period of OccurrenceEnlightenment occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries.Between the 1730s and 1740s.Place of occurrenceNorth American and EuropeGreat Awakening occurred in the colonies of America.What is targeted?It targeted replacing blind faith and superstitions with science and reasoning.It targeted new emerging religious views.Major consequenceThe citizens acquired political freedoms in high number.The citizens acquired religious freedoms.Key figuresJohn Locke, Issac NewtonJonathan Edwards, George WhitefieldWhat is Enlightenment?Enlightenment is sometimes also referred to as the Age of Reason. In the eighteenth century, cultural and intellectual movements began and then the application of science and reasoning took over blind faith and superstitions. The people who initiated Enlightenment are Voltaire, John Locke and Isaac Newton, who gave the Law of Gravity. These were the people who gave more emphasis on the origin of various processes in mankind and not the existing knowledge. Their new ideas were generally based on openness, investigation and religious tolerance, which happened across Europe and North America. With the emerge of Western civilization, the era of Enlightenment began. The majority of people saw it as a glimpse of light to sway away from the era of darkness. The Enlightenment was based on various ideas. Some of the ideas are Cosmopolitanism, Progressivism, Empiricism and Rationalism. What is Great Awakening?Great Awakening was the type of religious revolution. It was started in Europe and basically in England in the late 1720s. This movement was later spread to different colonies of America during the 1730s. Over three consecutive decades, Gilbert and William Tennent, the father and son duo, led the revolution in the affected colonies. Not all the ministers of America were swept by the age of reasoning. The Yale minister, Jonathan Edwards, never emphasised converting the Church of England. He was more concerned for the citizens of New England getting involved with the pursuit of wealth, wordy matters and the religious principles and teachings of John Calvin. It was believed that with the help of good deeds, a pure soul can be saved. This kind of things sparked the emergence of the Great Awakening. The era of the emergence of the Great Awakening led to the creation of new institutions. Such as churches and Princeton University. Some people decided to follow the new era, whereas some people refused this concept. Thus, the separation between Americans occurred. How was the Enlightenment related to the Great Awakening?First Great Awakening
In the 1700s, a European philosophical movement known as the Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, was making its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized a scientific and logical view of the world, while downplaying religion.
What is the connection between the Enlightenment and revolutions?Summary: Enlightenment ideals of rationalism and intellectual and religious freedom pervaded the American colonial religious landscape, and these values were instrumental in the American Revolution and the creation of a nation without an established religion.
How did the Second Great Awakening differ from the Enlightenment?The Second Great Awakening, in particular, rejected the Enlightenment influences on the founding of the United States. Worshippers rejected rationalism and deism, the worship of a distant and uninvolved God. For evangelicals, God was directly involved with each per- son's life and with society as a whole.
What are the 2 characteristics of Enlightenment?The central doctrines of the Enlightenment were individual liberty and religious tolerance, in opposition to an absolute monarchy and the fixed dogmas of the Church. The principles of sociability and utility also played an important role in circulating knowledge useful to the improvement of society at large.
|
