Robinson Ch 9 Free Religion and Theological Radicals

This chapter charts the dissenting view from the then-current desire for a more unified ecclesia of  Bellows described in the earlier chapter.  These radicals, of course, were by nature individualistic and therefore, split into two groups, one who accepted the influence of intuition, and one that did not.

The Intuition group was basically the Transecendalists, and a new voice emerges, one of Bartol - spirit takes all.

The second group was the Scientific school.  This group, I had previously not heard of, nor had I heard of its leader, Francis Ellingwood Abbott, who believed that science was going to replace all other forms of knowledge, so you'd better get ready.

I found this whole discussion to be lifeless and heady and probably a giant waste of a few decades.  I'm glad it happened as it forwarded the movement, but I feel bad for the people who wasted their religious lives during this period.

Interesting quotes:

Bartol:  "I spell my God with two 'o's and my devil without the 'd'"