Jennifer Matus

U.S.: United Secularly?

“I cannot but take notice of the wonderful mercy of God to me in those afflictions, in sending me a Bible. One of the Indians that came from Medfield fight, had brought some plunder, came to me, and asked me, if I would have a Bible, he had got one in his basket. I was glad of it, and asked him, whether he thought the Indians would let me read? He answered, yes”. Mary Rowlandson wrote this in regards to receiving a Bible from the Indians. As Lori Arnold pointed out in her final from May 2010, Rowlandson showed her appreciation to God over the Indians. Religion and praise to God were prevalent in the literature read this semester. One of the objectives posed for the semester was, “Is America a religious nation peculiarly blessed by God or a secular state with religious people peculiarly devoted to materialist lifestyles?” As a devout Christian personally, I believe that America was blessed by God, but I would not consider the United States to be a religious nation. America is “a secular state with religious people peculiarly devoted to materialist lifestyles” which is proven through the texts: “The Great Duty of Family Religion” by George Whitefield, “Letters from an American Farmer” by Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur, and “Charlotte Temple” by Susanna Rowson.

          First I wanted to bring attention to “Letters from an American Farmer” by Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur from his “Letters III: What is an American?” In reading through his letter, it was interesting that he never mentions God or religion. I only find this to be ironic since many Europeans came to America in order to have freedom of worship, but this is no longer included in what “makes” America. I realize he is attempting to explain Americans heritage and how the country is considered to be a “melting pot” and it only iterates the private form religion is beginning to take. Crevecoeur states, “The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions.” I point out this quotation because it encourages Americans to turn away from their heritage and form new ideas or opinions…because they are in a new country? “He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners.”

Personally, I feel as if this is encouraging the new breed of Americans to question everything they were taught and popularity is found through being or thinking “out of the box”. His letter encourages the notion of secularity in a nation of “religious people…devoted to [a] materialist lifestyle”. He is describing a nation that is focused on working to achieve wealth, not a nation that is free to worship and please God freely. He introduced the idea of the “American Dream” to be working hard to achieve wealth in a free nation, “whose labours and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” While this is true, I still found it troubling that he left out God and/or religion. He speaks of the different origins of Europeans coming to America, many coming from religious backgrounds due to no separation in Church and state, while leaving out any other race. Since the Europeans come from a background of worshipping God, it still leaves me to question where the practice of worship is enforced in the new American. The only conclusion I came to, without further study at this time, is that the separation of Church and state influences not only political, education, and literature, but also lifestyles of the new Americans. His writing does not sway me from the argument of “religious people” in a secular nation, but demonstrates the amount of focus on the “materialist lifestyle” many were pursuing.

          Charlotte Temple from the story “Charlotte Temple” by Susanna Rowson is the religious example that exemplifies the effect when gone astray. Susanna Rowson wrote in the Preface of her novel that “the following tale should save one hapless fair one from the errors which ruined poor Charlotte, or rescue from impending misery the heart of one anxious parent.” The story of little Charlotte was a “what not to do” and I feel she wanted to prevent her audience from turning astray from their families. The story was very relatable, even three generations later can I still relate to what Charlotte went through. As I wrote in my second research post, Rowson’s novel was written during a time in which many people could relate to Charlotte in that they had come over to America and felt alone.

          The religious allusions in “Charlotte Temple” help my case. Even as Dr. White notes, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Temple is described alike the Garden of Eden, “you shall be queen of the dairy…while I look after my garden…your father shall…feel such real pleasure dilate his own heart.” This sets up the scene for Charlotte to be viewed as “fallen”. It was interesting to see Rowson take a moment before Charlotte’s birthday to put in her own note. “Her parent is Religion; her sisters, Patience and Hope…Merciful heaven! who would exchange the rapture of such a reflexion for all the gaudy tinsel which the world calls pleasure.” Rowson knew the importance of religion and to not waste life on the materialist lifestyle taking over the minds of new nation. In my research post I had found that women were remaining single to a later age and instead of parents’ finding a spouse for their child, women were taking their time searching for their “soul mate”. Rowson responds to the search for love by advising, “pray for fortitude to resist the impulse of inclination when it runs counter to the precepts of religion and virtue.” Simply, do not find love in someone that contradicts the morals and/or characteristics of religion and virtue. Rowson concludes the novel noting “a striking example that vice, however prosperous in the beginning, in the end leads only to misery and shame.” She is stating that a life of materialism will only lead to misery which is fitting for America of the time and thereafter. Rowson’s novel very much exemplifies the secular nation with religious people seeking a life of materialism.

          George Whitefield further proves the secular state of the great nation in his sermon at a camp meeting during the Second Great Awakening titled “The Great Duty of Family Religion”. He preaches of the decline in attendance to church and encourages the practice of worship in the home, in which he feels is also on the decline. He states “never more so than in the present age; since it is greatly to be feared, that out of those many households that call themselves Christians, there are but few that serve God in their respective families as they ought”. The emphasis on family religion is to teach obedience to the Lord to children. He states that children who are taught to be dutiful to God will naturally be dutiful to their parents. It is also the parents’ duty to instill these morals into their children in following their own duty to God. I found his sermon to be an excellent follow up to “Charlotte Temple”. He makes the same point that Susanna Rowson was trying to make by writing of an undutiful daughter to her own parents. If this is not enough to encourage a family’s path back to God then Whitefield reminds his audience that we will each go before God and be judged. The head of the household should desire to go before God in judgment and have been responsible for himself and his family’s salvations. Whitefield encouraged the people to strengthen their families’ religious foundation because of the increasing secularity in America.

          In conclusion, it is fair to say that through Crevecoeur’s “Letters from an American Farmer”, Rowson’s “Charlotte Temple”, and Whitefield’s “The Great Duty of Family Religion” America is a secular nation with religious people devoted to a materialist lifestyle. This is an issue that I find to still be ongoing in present times. Each of these pieces of literature influenced me through their reading to look at my own life and at what level I am performing at in my duty to God. With a little research, it would be fairly simple to find comparative literature written in the 21^st century.