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Religion is an important for understanding democracy according to Tocqueville because it restrains excessive individualism. Tocqueville felt that the best way to counter individualism was through religion. Religion has taught people that there are more things in life besides money. Tocqueville wanted to pursue and renew the American knowledge of religion to contribution to independence. Tocqueville argues that modern democratic freedom industrialized as an outcome of Christianity’s impact of the European cultivation, and more predominantly as an effect of the Puritanism’s impact on the American cultivation. The relation of these two is not accidental. To have political freedom one needs an imperturbable ethical footing that solely religion can offer. A democracy adopts to logical and ethical behaviors that can be unfavorable to liberty. The American Christianity functions as a counteractive to these dangerous democratic predispositions.
In Democracy of America Tocqueville reminds us of somethings we tend to forget now is the liberty we value relies on religious fundamentals. Also, Christianity in today’s world doesn’t carry the public ethical authority that it once held in the 1830s. In America today the religion is more distinctive from America that Tocqueville knew. Tocqueville reminds us of something we have a habit of overlooking. That is the freedom we value relies upon religion footing. Christianity helped effect the republic we still have today. Tocqueville then stresses the upsurge from his time of fairness as both an impression and social component. Instead it is the characteristic, “In which direction we cast a glance, we perceive the same revolution continuing in all the Christians universe” and “No one can say; for we already lack terms for comparison: conditions are more equal among Christians in our day than they have ever been in any time or any country in the world.”[footnoteRef:1] Without these religious foundations today’s democracy could have not developed. Tocqueville talks about the historical growth of equality as both an idea and as a social element. Tocqueville teaching is to be prompted of how much of America has transformed since he observed it. [1: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tans. Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), pp. 6]
With the growth of equality, Tocqueville states this cause both Christianity’s impact on civilization’s foundation’s and by its logical influences. The first instinct of this began with the start of the Christian clergy into an aristocratic society. With this aristocratic society which officially had been separated between the few inherited rulers and many who followed. The clergy he states, “opens its rank to all, to poor and the rich, to the commoner and to the lord; equality begins to penetrate through the church to the heart of government, and he who would have vegetated as a serf in eternal slavery takes his place as a priest in the midst of nobles, and will often take a seat above kings.”[footnoteRef:2] Tocqueville contributes Christianity’s impacts on humanity’s creations and its logical impacts. Which initial occurred with the start of the Christian clergy into an aristocratic society. This had been divided between few inherited monarchs and the many who followed. [2: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tans. Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), pp. 4]
Tocqueville explains that Christianity is a religious fairness that purpose to humanity thoughts of a kind o partisan equality and logical impact as well. Tocqueville says, “Christianity, which has rendered all men equal before God, will not be loath to see all citizens equal before the law.”[footnoteRef:3] The Christianity influences in this statement might appear unessential to the contemporary human beings, but we impulsively have trust in equality before the law. We’re not likely to appreciate a region that progresses spirituality providing to the impression of fairness. [3: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tans. Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), pp. 11]
The English Puritanism influenced the birth of American republic we have. The vital groundwork laid by the Pilgrims is the American trail in independence. “America is the only country where one has been able to witness the natural and tranquil development of society, and where it has been possible to specify the influence exerted by the point of departure of the future states.[footnoteRef:4] America cultivated from a specific point of departure, a partisan and social state that circumstances all that come after. The northern settlements provided this point of parting from family a place they once called home. Tocqueville states that the reason for the move was, “New England’s principle spread at first to the neighboring states; later, they gradually won out in the most distant, and in the end, if I can express myself so, they penetrated the entire confederation.”[footnoteRef:5] Tocqueville feels American republic owes its birth to the inspirations of Christianity pf the English Puritanism. Tocqueville feels that the English Puritans laid the important groundwork for America’s trial in self-governance. [4: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tans. Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), pp. 28] [5: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tans. Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), pp. 33-32]
Religion was one of the main reasons for northern settlers’ movement to the “New World.” These people left behind a comfortable place to deal with the hardships of America wasteland. They made this detriment decisions because, “…they tore themselves away from the sweetness of their native country to obey a purely intellectual need; exposing themselves to the inevitable miseries of exile, they wanted to make ideas triumph.”[footnoteRef:6] This idea was their origin of creating Christianity. It also was a way for them to establish the Christian community. [6: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tans. Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), pp. 32]
Tocqueville believed that church and state needed to be separated people who only cared about material possessions would sacrifice their political freedom. They are willing to do this because if it has a slight interference with making a living or becoming uninterested towards their communities. People will only think of themselves and their families. Tocqueville called this individualism and to contest this you need religion. With religion it taught people things that are more important things in life besides money and other material things. This brought forth people to look up from their trivial ways of life they were living and aim for a higher goal. Although, Tocqueville was a big supporter of separations of Church and State. He’s also a strong supporter of practicing religion.
Tocqueville helps resolving the risk of religious extremism. Tocqueville feared that in a materialistic culture a small number of individuals would respond in antipathy against what they were seeing around them. This would create a religious fundamentalist and adapt life-threatening views. Tocqueville shows us that the right kind of religion is essential to humans succeeding within a republic. Tocqueville doesn’t feel like religion is over because of the uprising of a republic. Tocqueville hopes that religion could be the stepping stone for the preservation of a republic.
Over the years we as a nation have lost the ability to see the constructive contributions that region has offered us in forming and supporting the democracy we have today. We have overlooked that religion that still holds significance to our political life. We are reminded of this by the ongoing debates about the appropriate choice of religious freedom. With these debates still ongoing we treat religion privately instead of publicly. This then becomes a fear of how much liberty people should have in utilizing their religious beliefs. Although we debate on this subject it does little to refresh our memory on how religious conviction could attribute as a uniting communal power and a set of mutual vies that are vital to keeping our democratic ways of life.
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