The Foundational Beliefs of America: Synthesis of Faith and Reason

In the seventeenth century, the voyagers from England sailed to the New World, America, seeking religious liberty and economic opportunity. The voyagers hoped to establish a Godly society in the New World after bearing no fruit in an attempt to reform the English society. The church of England had lost its Christian value and was persecuting the non-conformists (Catholics, Puritans, Quakers, etc.), and the economy of England was worsening. Thus, the Puritans attempted to settle their own plausible society and governmental structure based on the strict Christian dogma and thrive in the unexplored riches of the continent. Unfortunately, Jamestown, one of the first American colonies, resulted in extinction due to malnourishment and diseases. Yet after such an example, many colonies adopted the policy of power distribution and strict laws in order to rely on each other and survive, so the colonial congregation’s power grew to the point of disturbing the English government. In 1764, English Prime Minister Grenville enforced stricter regulation and revenue-raising measures. The policy evoked the spirit of independence and cohesion among the colonists, who were thriving apart from the mainland. 

Apart from the English government, the early colonists thrived in the governmental structure of a “civil body” under the rule of God rather than the form of “absolute superior government.” The colonists were not in a hierarchical class system but were considered equal under consented and documented laws. The two colonial covenants, The Mayflower Compact and The Salem Covenant emphasized “the consent of the freemen, the rule of law, and the grace of God,” which set up the foundational idea of a nation with the sovereignty of the civil body and their consented laws and devotion and cooperation of the believers (13). Applying such concepts, A Modell of Christian Charity, written by Governor John Winthrop, reinforced the importance of brotherly love and mercy between the believers and the zealous worship of God. Yet, at the same time, Winthrop abused his power as a governor, forcibly requiring morality and a Christian attitude from the colonists without written consent, as exhibited in the Speech to the General Court. Accordingly, some laws of the early colonies were oppressively religious and were ambiguous and impractical. The Laws of Virginia set by Sir Thomas Dale focused on the citizens’ diligent religious practices and indicated death for any violation of the set rituals. The Capital Lawes similarly enforced strict laws with death penalties to ensure harmony in Massachusetts. The two laws were set upon a reference from the Old Testament with severe punishment to unite and survive in the harsh conditions of the foreign land. On the other hand, the laws inscribed in the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania were a more practical set of laws and ensured the rights and religious freedom of the citizens. The document indicated detailed conditions of the crimes and the appropriate punishment, successfully preventing the insurrection within the colony. The early colonial laws, though differing in their practicality, secured the rights of the citizens through the written and consented documents and kept the religious foundation with the Bible-centered laws. However, the religious zeal that prevailed in the early colonial period started to diminish over time: William Byrd, a Virginia aristocrat in the 17th century, conveyed how the colonists suffered religious mediocrity and mundane life in The Secret Diary. 

Yet, in the eighteenth century, the Age of Reason arrived, and the Enlightenment and Great Awakening profoundly influenced the American colony to escape mediocrity and attain novel values. The Enlightenment, started by the European philosophers, was a movement that underscored human capabilities and the withdrawal of established irrationality. Universities and educational institutions were established in the colony upon the influence of the Enlightenment and raised young and intellectually developed colonists. In a similar sense, the Great Awakening, led by many prominent American theologians and pastors, re-ignited the religious zeal within the colony with the concept of “personal conversion:” The revivalists stirred the individual emotions of the people to lead them to a one-to-one conversion with God. This idea of personal conversion shed light on the foundational American idea of equating celebrity with authority. Previously, authority over people was “asserted” by aristocrats, religious leaders, and customs; however, as the individual conversion rose to popularity, authority became something to “earn” from the populace. Despite their differences in concepts, the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening engraved a significant idea into the colonists’ hearts: an escape, or liberty, from tyranny. The Enlightenment emphasized liberty from the tyrannical English government, and the Great Awakening emphasized freedom from the tyranny of sin and ritual-oriented religious practices, ultimately leading to American independence and the nation's founding. 

The colonial documents written in the Age of Reason centered around the similar yet contrasting ideas of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. In A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God, revivalist Edwards gave an anecdote about the conversion and the religious revival of the colony. The colonists, who manually believed in the religion and exercised religious practices with routined mediocrity, met God personally and changed to zealous believers in Christ. These stories of conversions reinforce the idea of personal conversion. Similarly, George Whitefield’s The Kingdom of God assured that the pure and personal love for God is over all controversies about rituals and denominations. Whitefield conveyed that the believers must be the true lovers of Christ, not confined to the form or rituals of the religion, and he claimed the salvation to be granted not by the work of men, but by God’s grace alone. Such Great Awakening ideas, incorporated with the notions of Enlightenment, became the religious base of the founding of America. Furthermore, the Enlightenment idea in America was spreading with the help of prominent figures like Benjamin Franklin, the friend of George Whitefield. He, as a successful businessman, implemented a new notion of the virtuousness of financial success. He openly mentioned various strategies for business success in his book Advice to a Young Tradesman, and his ideas such as “time is money” became the foundational idea of the American dream and prosperity. Yet, according to his Autobiography, Franklin strived to cultivate a virtuous life as well by exercising virtue strategically on a daily basis. Moreover, though he was a materialist and a deist himself, Franklin was open to discussing ideas and respecting intellectuals with different worldviews. For instance, in his book On George Whitefield, he esteemed George Whitefield for his ability as an orator and discussed ideas with the basis of absolutes. Thus, the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, though differing in their beliefs, could synthesize to create the foundational basis of America. 

The unreasonable and ritual-oriented religious zeal of the early colonial period and the notion of human reason from the Age of Reason appear to be the contraposition to each other. However, the two disparate aspects were synthesized to form the founding ideas of America. The Christian essence of the Puritans and their endeavor to establish the nation as the covenant of God influenced the founding idea of America as a Christian-based nation. Also, the governmental structure of the Puritans—the civil body and the distribution of power—shaped the republican democratic governmental form of America. The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening had a profound influence on American independence and the formation of the nation as well. Benjamin Franklin’s normalization and ideas about business and finance earned America the name of “the Land of Opportunity,” and the Enlightenment idea of escape from tyranny ignited American independence. As such, the accumulation of colonial ideas triggered the creation of the United States despite their differences. The synthesis of faith and reason alone built the nation of freedom and faith.