Role of Religion in the American Civil War Essay

Role of Religion in the American Civil War - Essay Example As theis discussion stresses  there were theological differences between the industrial north and the rural south. The north, which was industrialized, embraced progressivism and more liberal enlightenment-inspiring ideas. The souths who were largely rural maintained the traditional orthodox doctrines that were aligned with the teachings of John Calvin. All the above were important aspects of the civil war. As stated by Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address they both read the same Bible and prayed to the same God. But the north embraced industrial growth very fast and they were very open to the ideas of scientific revolution and the European enlightenment creating a very different society and the belief system.  This paper discusses that  most of the religious leaders of the North received ministerial training in the Europe and Germany where they were deeply immersed in the new radical theology. While these leaders maintained the terminology from the Bible; they tried to redefine it by replacing the spiritual import of the words with a secular meaning. The Calvinists doctrines of human depravity and the sovereignty of God were viewed as the enemy of progress. Modernization ideas and advancement were usually pushed forward with the ideas of human perfectibility and self-sufficiency.it made many people start rejecting their old theological beliefs that were viewed as old fashioned, very irrelevant and enemies of progress.