... over the rationalism and optimism of the Enlightenment. Puritan piety of the seventeenth century had eroded by the eighteenth century in the New World atmosphere of individualism, optimism, and enterprise. Salvation, instead of available to only a select few, was available to everyone. Most Congregationalist ministers in Massachusetts denounced the revivalists for permitting uneducated men to take it upon themselves to be preachers of the word of God and thus create confusion and errors and lead members away from their regular ... this time many new age religions were spawned. People no...

• Word Count: 768
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate