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On Fri, 21 Nov 1997, Thomas Izbicki wrote: > Does the decline of affiliation in 18th century really equal > deChristianization? Recent surveys of the "unchurched" often reveal > religious beiefs despite lack of affiliation and active practice. Might > this not have been the case in the 18th century, with much of the > populace slipping away from affiliation without necessarily being > dechristianized in a more general sense? > > tom izbicki Good points; sloppy language on my part. (There was a certain element of de-christianization, though, since there was strong trend toward Unitarianism in intellectual circles in the colonies and the early republic. That's what sparked the Second Great Awakening, e.g., at Yale. Dennis Martin %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%