Psychology of Religion in America

Abstract

When America was first discovered it was a new world and offered the opportunity of a new beginning in the history of man. This Utopian con cept of a new world has continued to shape the course of American history. Early colonists were infected with the fever of freedom to cast off old tra ditions and create a new society, to do as they pleased and become what ever they might desire. This fever has affected religious developments with the excitement of mass revivals, the ecstasy of intensely vivid experiences, and the proliferation of new religious sects and denominations. The prospect of new life through religious awakening has so captivated the imagination of the American people that church congregations continue to grow and re ligious devotion is a vital interest. Another manifestation of this Utopian motif is the development of mo dern science. The fever to discover and create a new world has risen to a crescendo of scientific theories and experiments, inventions and technolo gies which have changed the whole frame of human life. These scientific achievements have encouraged a kind of unlimited optimism to believe that man by his own genius can know everything and do everything. In this respect, scientific faith has become a religious cult offering to free man from the toils of his mortal bondage and save him from every doubt and distress. With such claims by quite different methods and presuppositions, it is inevitable that science and religion will meet, whether as rivals or allies, and consider how to come to terms with each other.