Question

Some historians argue that the changes brought by industrialization caused americans to become a more secular people. to what extent do you agree or disagree, and why? use evidence from this chap­ ter to make your case.

Answer 1

I agree and disagree with this statement. I agree to a certain extent because through industrialization and the advancements of science, people began to change their religious beliefs. The discovery that the earth was more than millions of years old and the knowledge of a wide, open space beyond this solar system led people to become less religious in terms of accepting the Bible as scientific fact. I disagree because the science and modern methods of doing things didn't displace religion in Americans, but rather allowed them to develop new ways of combining their religions with their scientific beliefs. The arriving immigrants that were going to be urban industrial workers came from different cultures, with different faiths. This led to an increase in the number of different kinds of religious organizations. In addition, religious groups like the Protestants made it their goal to prevent Americans from becoming secular and instead wanted to renew religion among those that were non-religious by creating The Salvation Army and preaching to the poor. Another group known as the Fundamentalists communicated their religious ideals to the public used revival meetings, a practice created during the Great Awakenings, periods of great religious revival. During industrialization religion didn't fade, it increased because people were given a way to adapt their beliefs to modern life.