From “One Nation Over God” by Wes Crawford
If Europe in the 1600s was a theological battlefield, then colonial America looked like a chaotic but oddly charming religious flea market. Picture rows of booths; one selling Quaker silence, another hawking Baptist baptism by immersion, another giving away tracts with names like Why Your Infant Baptism Doesn’t Count. If someone showed up with a new creed or a new, radical interpretation on the book of Revelation, the general response wasn’t “Burn them!” but rather, “Well, there’s some land down the road. Go start a church there.” And many did. It wasn’t quite a religious utopia, but compared to Europe, it was.
Many who made the transatlantic voyage came because they were tired. Tired of persecution. Tired of wars. And, quite possibly tired of watching their neighbors being burned at the stake every time their theology differed from the established faith of the nation. Some came across the Atlantic fleeing religious violence: others were looking for a fresh start. I guess it’s possible that a few were just looking to avoid paying tithes to a church they no longer liked.
Once in America, something unexpected happened: They began to leave each other alone. Not entirely, of course, but compared to the fiery conflicts that had become commonplace in Europe, the American colonies looked like a group project where everyone actually agreed to do their part without getting in each other’s way. Each colony took on its own religious personality.
- Massachusetts welcomed the first settlers, the Puritans. They were buttoned up, deeply devout, suspicious of dancing, and ready to excommunicate you for skipping Sunday worship or smiling too broadly during communion.
- Maryland initially began as a Catholic haven, but that plan backfired quickly. Protestants moved in and instigated a theological coup.
- Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams, a rebellious Baptist who believed in complete religious freedom and the separation of church and state. This colony hosted dissenters, mystics, and probably a few spiritual charismatics before it was cool.
- Pennsylvania, under Willam Penn, was known as the “all are welcome” state. It became home to Quakers, Mennonites, Lutherans, and just about any group that knew how to churn butter and avoid conflict.
Thanks to the continent’s sheer size, people could spread out. If you didn’t like how your neighbor interpreted Leviticus, you could move five miles west, set up a new settlement, and start over with your own rules. This breathing room helped settlers avoid the constant conflict that had plagued Europe. Unlike in their former home, consensus was not a prerequisite for survival.