Anne Hutchingson and Freeborn Garrettson - 1207 Words

In 1637, Anne Hutchinson stood trial before the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During her examination, she confessed that she had experienced an â€Å"immediate revelation† from God. She described hearing â€Å"the voice of his own spirit to my soul.† After discussion with authorities, John Winthrop concluded that â€Å"†¦this is the thing that hath been the root of all the mischief.† She was found guilty and banished from the colony. In 1775, Freeborn Garrettson had a similar mystical experience. â€Å"In the night I went to bed as usual, and slept till day break: just as I awoke, I was alarmed by an awful voice, ‘Awake, sinner, for you are not prepared to die.’ This was strongly impressed on my mind, as if it had been a human voice†¦show more content†¦When Garrettson had supernatural experiences like this, they served not only as significant moments for him, but also part of the material that he recorded â₠¬Å"for the good of others.† This new emphasis is connected to the shift in authority. People were no longer concerned solely with the opinions of the learned, and as such were free to value their own religious experiences as they saw fit. In such settings, people naturally turned away from common external influences, particularly in worship. The result was a renewed emphasis on individual experiences, such as those reported by Garrettson. Anne Hutchinson’s experience was scrutinized as part of her trial. Garrettson’s was accepted as a legitimate spiritual event. This contrast displays the influence of democracy through the increased acceptance of individual religious experiences. The third impact of democracy on American religion is a sense of grand ambition. The hope and optimism that were so central to democracy often resulted in dreams and aspirations of significant social change and progress. Methodists like Garrettson were particularly noteworthy i n their ambition. Though the Methodist system used a hierarchical system of governance, that system was intended to be a force for liberation. We see this grand ambition of liberation clearly in the life of Garrettson. Shortly