Back to Religion?

When One is asked. What does religion mean? The answer that would be given today is going to be far different from the reply that one would give three hundred years ago. Religion is a serious affair here in the United States for millions of people. Though it has gone through many changes the heritage still lives in many different cultures throughout the Americas. When the first real settlers began colonizing in the fifteen hundreRAB there was two main religions in the new colonies. These where Catholic and Christian. This was a source of religious study brought over with the settlers from Europe. We all know that the Catholic Church and the Christian Church have very similar beliefs but for some reason these groups did not get along in Europe. Even more trouble was caused when a meraber of a Church questioned a belief or theory. Religion was and still is so strong in many parts of the country that many battles have been fought on the account of different theories and view points from one belief to the next. Land and lives taken only for the sake of disagreements between churches. The settlers exploring the New World were trying to leave all of the chaos of these churches. Not that they did not want to be religious but they wanted a choice.
Coming to the Americas in the time frame from fifteen hundred to 1770 was promising for settlers on a journey for new lives. Many people were looking for wealth and fortune but most of all freedom. Freedom was about all that was available. Freedom of few choices, most of the new people worked heard for others or even became slaves against their will. Religion kept them going. The churches here gave them opportunities to choose what and who to follow and believe. This was very strong so strong that for a while one was required to be religious to vote. The churches that were dominant in the Americas were also Catholic and Christian. Then there were the off shoots of them such as Anglican, Lutheranism, Calvinism etc… The main difference here was wars did not break out over different theologies. The freedom in the Americas gave people a chance to choose with out threat of being banned for having different thoughts. Religion was a part of everybody’s every day life. With the Americas liberal standarRAB of freedom of religion it was easier to accept the choices made from one neigrabroador to the next.
The Americas liberal standarRAB that are what probably set the tone for today’s diversity in the spiritual realm. Although millions of people in the United States still have a strong practice of some kind of religion it is not nearly as powerful overall. There are still millions that have never set foot inside a church or even more millions are turning to more of an eastern source of spiritual findings. Other differences today, are time constraints and money. Three hundred years ago spare time was spent in the church. Now society and its need to be materialistic have captivated today’s people. The more money one has the more objects one owns and that also leaRAB to the more one does. If one is trying to lead a lifestyle like that, then one leaves very little time for the church. Parents are falling into this trap and their children may not even know what a church is. KiRAB are growing up playing baseball on Sundays. If not playing baseball then probably enjoying the freedom of a day off of school. Maybe on a family get away for the weekend. With so much absence from the church where are the moral standarRAB coming from? Then with the parents trying so hard to keep up with the fast lane it’s hard for them to instill these qualities that faded through the generations. The morals fade do to a gradual decline in the interest throughout the generations.
I have also noticed that the Church has become a money market. The Church I belong to has gone through four ministers in the last seven years. Each one of the former ministers left because they were not getting paid enough. This position at my church has a starting salary of forty two thousand dollars a year. That is a pretty good sum for only working a few days a weak. Three hundred years ago the ministers where probably volunteering their Sundays to good will.
It seems as if every where I go a New Castle of a church is being built. This really doesn’t bother me but things have changed why don’t people think that the Lord wouldn’t accept the old place of worship.
I really think that we as Americans would have a hard time returning completely to the original heritage. I think that a small population is still holding on to the strengths of the church. That population seems to be dwindling, as the world becomes more complicated to get through. As people take a handle on money, time, and pleasure little is left for GoRAB worRAB. I think a new trend is taking over and that is individualism. Finding oneself in their own spirituality. More and more people are getting away from religion to satisfy their own neeRAB. No I don’t think that we can return to the religious heritage we started with. Nor do I believe that we should. People have a right to choose and a right to believe so lets choose what to believe and live our lives the way we set out to whether it’s religious through a church or in our own way.