Religious Freedom in the United States

When the puritans first settled in North America their intention was to escape religious confines. They sought to form their own nation where there would be religious freedom and a separation of church and state. However, unknowingly these refugees built a foundation that would later suppress foreign religion. Due to this historical Christian tie, a sense of public Protestantism has manifested in American culture. As a result Christianity dominates the religious realm in the United States while other “ethnic religions” are forced to either change their religion or adopt Christian beliefs. Still, these diverse minority groups struggle to keep their faiths alive in the United States.

            Public Protestantism became ingrained in American Culture during the 17^th century when the puritans settled and instilled certain ethos and priorities that held a prominent role in government¹.  As a result Protestantism found it’s way atop the social order. Christian influence did not slow down; by 1893 Christians attempted to further expand their supremacy at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The fair was purposely set up to make Christianity glow as the religion of the world, with all of the other religions left organized to appear primitive². The end result was actually quite the opposite for religious leaders such as Swami Vivekananda, shocked the public with beautiful speeches about their religion. However, Vivekananda was not successful in presenting his religion of Hinduism but rather he was successful in presenting a new form of export Hinduism that was better accepted by Americans.

            Religion that did not originate in United States often changes drastically upon entering American society. This change can be referred to as the difference between “ethnic religion” and “export religion”.  Ethnic religion is the religion practiced by the immigrant while export religion is the new Americanized form of that religion that often followed by the next generation. Religions are forced to change once they enter the United States so that they become “normal” and fit into a society dominated by Protestantism⁴. These religions are susceptible to racialization. Racialization is when we put a certain face on religion^3; it is apparent in the depiction of monks in the United States.

            In the United States there is an image that links all eastern monks together. Though these monks can be a part of completely different religious backgrounds they are tied together by the persona of Oriental Monk. The oriental monk is seen as a caregiver, a sort of nurturer⁵. Thus, here in the United States, religions like Hinduism and Buddhism have changed into lifestyles rather than religion. Americans have taken these religions and cultivated them into lifestyles rather than follow the original texts and foundation of the religion. Conservatives of the ethnic religions try to return to their roots but the most successful groups conform to the export tradition of the religion. Sadly, it seems that true religious freedom does not exist here in the United States.

            It is apparent that the United States is not truly a haven for those seeking religious freedom. Rather, diverse minority traditions are forced to conform in a Christianized society. Outsiders deem these groups as “different” and do not accept them unless they fulfill certain standards. As a result these ethnic religions have transformed into new export religions. Protestantism governs what religion is in America. Still, we find followers of ethnic religion doing whatever they can to keep their religions alive in the U.S.

¹Khyati Y. Joshi, “The Racialization of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism in the United States” (Massachusetts: Routledge, 2006), 215

²Richard Seager, The Midway Plaisance and the Magic of the White City, (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1995), 26.

³ Joshi 214

⁴ William Hutchinson, Pluralism in the United States, (Ann Harbor Michigan: Sheridan Books, 2003).

⁵Jane Iwamura, The Orient Monk in American Culture, (California: UC Press, 2000), 36.

Conservative Protestantism and Premillineal Dispensationalism

The United States is home to an array of modern religious interpretations. To exercise free religion is parallel to being American; it is ingrained in American identity. Even today we can look to American history and trace our own religious views. However, religion in America is not as simple as being Christian or not Christian. Rather, we find that within many denominations there lie a number of sects with their own distinct views. My grandmother is a part of the evangelical movement here in the United States. Her development as a Pentecostal Christian is a product of evangelicalism and the ideas that spread within the effort, ideas that support contraction, such as the contemporary theory of premillennial dispensationalism.

Evangelicalism, like other religious movements, acquired man new facets over the past two centuries. To evangelize is “to gospel the masses, to bring them the New Testament Word”¹. Evangelists seek to spread protestant ideas and convert those who do not follow New Testament; they exemplify the mission mind at work. Revivalism during the Second Great Awakening was a solid foundation for what evangelicalism is today. Leaders such as Charles Grandison Finney spread the gospel to a variety of social groups, including women and even African Americans. Finney moved away from the formal style of preaching that dominated his era to a more direct and personal style that called forward people of conviction². My Grandmother owns her own church and preaches at every sermon and on every Wednesday she preaches in a new environment just as Finney would have done. Also, she does mission work in Africa annually where she spreads the word God to those who have never heard the New Testament. She is the epitome of Evangelism, moreover, conservative evangelism.

            Religious contraction is present in conservative protestant communities. Contraction is the process of returning to the roots of ones religion. Within Protestantism, fundamentalist are the prevailing example of contraction. They focus on ideas such as the coming of Jesus, and being saved. Most importantly, these followers of contraction have an avid mission mind and seek to convert non-followers of the New Testament.³ Pentecostals also follow this strict adherence to the bible. They believe in the idea of “full gospel”: Jesus saves-John 3:16; heals-James 5:15, Baptizes with the holy spirit-Acts 2:4 and will return to receive all of those who are saved-Thessalonians 4:16-17.⁴ My grandmother strictly abides by each of these beliefs and even uses her own body as a vessel to heal those in her church. She does not follow liberal Protestantism; instead she contracted lives her life strictly by the bible.

Another idea that plays a prominent role in my grandmother’s religion is premillennial dispensationalism. Premillennial dispensationalism offers a way to interpret the bible in a futuristic manner. Still, it is considered conservative because it adheres to the book of revelations. Only instead of interpreting the book as an account of the past they use the book to interpret the future. John Nelson Darby first introduced the idea in the 19^th century. Dispensations are specific time periods concerning Christ and his return.⁵ According to premillennial dispensationalists, there will be a dark era where many religious leaders will abandon their beliefs. Efforts will be made to end the dark age but none will be capable of stopping the ultimate demise. There will be a rapture of the church but all who are not saved will remain on earth where an antichrist will rule. Eventually god will come and defeat Satan and save all who accept him as their lord.⁶ My grandmother was sure to make me watch the Left Behind movies when I was only a boy. These were movies about the rapture and are actually mentioned by Albanese in her book Religions and Religion. Gloria is a firm believer in the rapture and the prophecy of an anti Christ.

Gloria Murphy is much more than a protestant. We can further examine her religion by looking to the central ideas that define her religion. Most prevalent is her evangelical background. Nevertheless, her religion cannot be described as simply Evangelical. She is a conservative evangelical who practices contraction over expansion. Furthermore, she has her own personal belief in premillennial dispensationalism, an idea not followed by all evangelicals.

 ¹ Catherine Albanese, America, religions and religion, (Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co, 1992), 115.

² Hambrick Stowe, Charles G. Finney and the Spirit of American Evangelicalism, (Grand Rapids Michigan: W.B. Eardmans , 1996), 76.

³ Maltby Paul, Christian Fundamentalism and the Culture of Disenchantment , (Charlottesville : Virginia Press, 2013), 28.

⁴ Handbook of Pentecostal Christianity, (Dekalb: Northern Illinois Printing Press, 2012), 43.

⁵ Clarence Bass, Backgrounds to Dispensationalism, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Book House , 1960), 33.

⁶ Clarence Bass, Backgrounds to Dispensationalism, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Book House , 1960), 56.