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Created By Emily Asbury and Katie Bogdanova

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Religion is a significant part of many people's lives. Today, there are about 4,000 different religions throughout the world, many of which survived thousand's of years. It is very hard to say exactly where and how religion originated, but we do know that between about 1500 BC and 563 BC many religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism had been created. Each faith has very unique practices and many people were drawn to a religion by their beliefs and how it relates to their own life. Religions provide a structure in a world full of unknown which helps people, now and thousands of years ago, feel like they have purpose in the world. Hinduism is known to be the oldest religion originating about 4,000 years ago and today it is still one of the largest religions. Puritanism, which is seen in The Scarlet Letter, was a very strict religion where many believed that they had an agreement with God to follow the Scriptures and to set an example for the people around them to follow God's words as well. This greatly affected the novel and had shaped the Puritan colony where the book was set in. Chapter 12 of The Scarlet Letter shows the symbolism of the scaffold which had been a crucial part to the Puritan religion. It connects all the characters and puts them into one scene which connects their personalities to their religion as well as their wrongdoings. The birth of religion was a crucial part to history and as we can see in this novel, it affected many people as well as how they acted.

This photo shows how there are religions all around the world and every single one is unique. Each one originated in a different place but has travelled across the world and all types of people no matter where they grew up, follow all types of religion. It is also much easier to learn about specific religions with today's technology and with diffusion as well.

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The Puritan religion was created in the sixteenth century. These people believed that The Church of England was too similar to the Roman Catholic Church. They wanted all ceremonies, traditions, values et cetera to be relinquished unless clearly stated in the Bible. They used the Bible as a word for word guide on how to live. They eventually migrated to New England, laying a foundation for the culture and society that flourished there in the “New World.”

This is an engraving from 1876, showing the Salem Witch Trials. The town of Salem Massachusetts went into complete hysteria, hanging and pressing to death men and women who seemed to be “witches.” The Puritans believed that the devil would take over the weakest souls in the town, so he could complete his work of evil.

To learn more about the Salem Witch Trials click here:
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials

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Religion has been such a foundation aspect of American values, morals and culture as a whole. Currently, The United States is trending towards less religion, a drastic change from even 30 years ago. The Atlantic provides insight into why so many Americans have lost their religion, "According to Christian Smith, a sociology and religion professor at the University of Notre Dame, America’s nonreligious lurch has mostly been the result of three historical events: the association of the Republican Party with the Christian right, the end of the Cold War, and 9/11.”  Smith goes on to explain how liberals with loose connections to Christianity lost their entire connection in the late 1980's as conservative politics were on the up rise. There are several other elements that added to this increase of those unaffiliated with religion, but politics definitely contributed.  Thus, through the years, America has shifted away from religion as a whole. It's unknown how this will affect a country where religion was so influential in it's value system...

This graph shows how rapidly America has lost its faith, as more and more people choose to not affiliate with a particular religion.

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Nowadays, there are still extreme religions, much like the Puritans in The Scarlet Letter. The Amish are one of many.  They are a branch of the Christian faith. They live in exclusive communities in areas of Pennsylvania. Within their small villages they do not permit the use of electricity, technology or other modern day inventions as they believe it deters from God and leads into a dangerous world of temptation. They exclude themselves from the rest of the society, not voting in politics, joining the military etc. They also have very harsh rules, much like the Puritans. Shunning is a way the Amish keep their tight knit community exclusive. If a member does not abide by the rules, the rest of the town ignores them, banishes and exiles them from the rest of the families. This is similar to Hester's scarlet letter, excluding her from society, forcing her to live on the outskirts of town. Britannica claims, “Men grow beards after they marry but are forbidden to have mustaches.” and “Amish women never cut their hair, which is worn in a bun, and they are not allowed to wear jewelry of any kind.” These are just a few  of the many rules the Amish have to live by. Thus, religion that is extreme is still prevalent in today's society and world, if one looks close enough.

This photo depicts an Amish man riding in a horse drawn carriage. The Amish do not use electricity or modern technology.

For more information on the Amish: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/15/amish-ten-things-you-need-to-know/14111249/

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Fear is implemented into many different religions as a way to push followers to follow the rules of the religion. Many times rules in a religion can create fear especially for younger members starting to get involved in the religion since if they do not do exactly what the religion follows, they may be seen as a sinner. This connects to Dimmesdale's actions in The Scarlet Letter, since he did commit a sin and is terrified of his people finding out because he will be seen as a sinner. Religion is based on fear, since many people join to have other's company and to know there is a God standing with them. The fear of death is a very common fear upon all people and in the image below, there is an illustration of hell which pushes people to be afraid of death and what will happen to them. By being religious, you change your mindset to believe, in some religions, that if you follow the rules and do not commit any sins, you will not be sent to hell. For example in The Scarlet Letter, Puritans follow the strict rules written in The Scriptures and have many beliefs such as predestination. By following these rules, people living in the Puritan colony felt as if they were following God's rules and would be chosen by God to be rewarded. The fear that if they went against this religion and upset their God was horrifying and pushed them to continue their faith. Emotional and mental wellness is affected by this fear and shame since if you do commit a sin or do something against your religion, you may feel guilt for the rest of your life. There are many restrictions included in religions as well which can cause people to fear the smallest things and obsess over small sins they may have committed.

This illustration below creates a feeling of fear since it displays an image of what hell is thought to be. Many religions include strict rules and restrictions so that followers are able to live a happy life and not end up going to hell after their life. This image connects fear and shame to religion since fear is often implemented in religion to scare followers into following rules.

More about fear and shame in religion can be found here:
https://smalltownhumanist.org/reason-number-two-why-religion-is-toxic-and-harmful-breeds-traumatic-levels-of-fear-based-guilt-and-shame/

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Religion and overall a person's faith has many long term effects on their lives. The long term effects of religion is not spoken about very often but there are definitely parts of a religion that can change a person's whole life and their point of view. When looking at The Scarlet Letter, we see Arthur Dimmesdale literally beating himself up since he did something so wrong, especially since the religion he was living in would see his wrongdoing as absolutely terrible. This led to Dimmesdale's physical health, as well as mental health, to slowly deteriorate. There are many long term effects that Dimmesdale could also experience when he is older such as feeling shame and hating himself for what he had done. The religion he was brought up in believing, pushed himself to want to physically hurt himself since what he did was so wrong. There are many positive and negative effects that religion can cause, depending on the religion and the level of religiousness. In many cases, religion brings families together and helps someone realize their purpose in life, as well as gives them hope in a time of need. People brought into religion at a young age may continue their practices throughout their life and may pass it along to their future families as well. But religion can also cause many young adults to believe that they have to follow the rules of the religion and that could mean they have to hide their true selves. Many religions may suppress human sexuality which can affect a person's whole life and they may change themselves just because of their religion.

This image illustrates Dimmesdale, Hester and Pearl standing on the scaffold which Hester had stood on six years earlier, accepting the crowd's judgement of the sin she had committed. Dimmesdale had been beating himself and was very cruel to his physical and mental wellbeing which connects the long term affects to this image on the them on the scaffold. Them all meeting on the scaffold was a way for them to reflect on their sins and meet once again after a long period of time. The image connects chapter 12 to the deep effects of religion very well.

More Information about the effects of religion can be found at : https://www.heritage.org/civil-society/report/why-religion-matters-the-impact-religious-practice-social stability#:~:text=Religion%20and%20Social%20Breakdown,%2C%20and%20general%20self%2Desteem.

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The Scarlet Letter is set in a time period deeply rooted in religion. Puritan values can be seen throughout the novel. Every character is deeply affected by this religious society and the reader can feel it. Hester is shamed for adultery; she gets pushed to the edges of the town. Furthermore, Dimmesdale is basking in crippling shame. Both live in fear. Fear in God, fear in Satan and fear in themselves, and what they are capable of. Many people in today's society feel this way as a product of extreme religion, guilt and shunning is a prevalent aspect in radical modern day religions.  Hawthorne depicts human emotions so in such a raw and dynamic way that The Scarlet Letter will remain timeless for evermore due to fundamental elements of humanity being exposed.

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Ambrosino, Brandon. “How and Why Did Religion Evolve?” BBC Future, BBC, 18 Apr. 2019, www.bbc.com/future/article/20190418-how-and-why-did-religion-evolve.

Carlisle , Clare. “Is Religion Based on Fear? | Clare Carlisle.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 2 Dec. 2013, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2013/dec/02/bertrand-russell-philosopher-religion-fear-christian.

Gliatto, Matthew. “Positive and Negative Effects of Religion.” Medium, ILLUMINATION, 31 Oct. 2020, medium.com/illumination/positive-and-negative-effects-of-religion-7ec841feef07.

History.com Editors. “The Puritans.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/puritanism.

“Puritan New England: Massachusetts Bay (Article).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/colonial-america/colonial-north-america/a/puritan-new-england-massachusetts-bay.

Thompson, Derek. “Three Decades Ago, America Lost Its Religion. Why?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 7 Oct. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/atheism-fastest-growing-religion-us/598843/.

 “Amish.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Amish.