George W. Grisevich
Some people became Baptists because they found the Congregational system too formal, or lacking in warmth. Also contributing to Baptist growth in Connecticut, was the movement of Baptists from Rhode Island into the eastern and southeastern parts of the state. Rhode Island was the refuge founded by Roger Williams in 1636. There the Baptists welcomed other separatist groups. The relentless sweep of westward emigration brought with it numbers of Baptists from Providence to Westerly and Newport, then into Connecticut. Little is known about the formation of the first Baptist church in Connecticut. However, it seems definite that it was in existence in Groton as early as 1704.
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In May 1723, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a law inflicting punishment upon dissenters. For “forming themselves into separate companies in private houses,” a fine of twenty shillings was imposed. A person”not being a lawful or allowed minister of the gospel, [and presuming] . . . to profane the holy sacraments by administering or making shew of administering the” would incur a penalty of ten pounds for every offense or whipping not to exceed thirty stripes for each offense.
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(On the development of legislation bringing about equal treatment of religious sects in Connecticut, see Unit I in this volume). In spite of these threats, significant Baptist work developed in Connecticut throughout the 18th century. From the modest beginning at Groton in 1704, the second Baptist church in Connecticut was organized at New London in 1726. Three years later a group in Saybrook embraced Baptist sentiments and eventually a church was organized.
In 1731, some Congregationalists in Wallingford became convinced of the error of their former creed. They were baptized by immersion and became united with the Baptist church in New London. By 1760, eight or nine churches were in existence. The rise of Baptist sentiments followed the peak years of the Great Awakening. This revival reached its highest point in Connecticut during the years 1741-1743. Toward the end of the 18th century (1795) there were about 3,500 Baptists and forty ministers in sixty Baptist churches in Connecticut.
Many interesting stories illustrating the dedication of early Baptist believers have been preserved. J. Hammond Trumbull mentioned that a John Bolles (commonly called the Nathaniel of his day) walked some fifteen miles from Hartford to Suffield weekly to attend church. He and others formed the first church in Hartford in 1789, which met in a home.
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Later, on March 23, 1790, a church of sixteen members was constituted. Its growth made necessary the construction of its first meetinghouse in 1794. The records actually show that this church was “formed” in 1789 and “constituted” in 1790.
By the tine of the adoption of the Federal Constitution, the Baptists exerted themselves more openly in such citadels of Congregationalism as New London, New Haven, and Hartford. Their opposition to the prevailing system in Connecticut continued because the method of taxation forced them to support a ministry that was not of their choosing, civil laws favored the establishment of Congregationalism in spirit and letter, and civil power was used in the administration of church discipline. (See above Unit I)
Being independent and individualistic, the Baptists repeatedly reacted to the well-established interests, not because of animosity, but because their understanding of New Testament Christianity ran counter to what became known as the “Standing Order.”
From the point of view of all dissenters, full religious liberty was distant. As late as 1813, David Benedict wrote:
Some ministers here as well as in Massachusetts are supported from funds, pew rents, etc., but by far the greater part have their living by a direct tax according to the civil lists, which every human being within the parish bounds, whether Jew or Gentile, Infidel or Christian possessed of a rateable poll or taxable property is obliged to pay unless he gives a certificate of his different belief.
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When one considers the concessions and accommodations of the “Standing Order” regarding toleration during the entire 18th century, one might think that the dissenters would be satisfied with the accumulated adjustments. However, it appears that as the Baptists grew in number and influence, so did the petitions for fuller religious liberty. Such petitions were numerous, being presented yearly. Typical appeals were worded, “That for the future there be no religious establishment, and that all Christians of all denominations have full religious liberty.”
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The time finally arrived when sectarian and political influences, such as the Federal Constitution of 1789, the demands of religious groups, Jeffersonian democracy, and new political parties brought complete separation of church and state in Connecticut in 1818.
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The revised state Constitution read, in part:
No person shall, by law, be compelled to join or support, nor be classed with, or associated to, any congregation, church, or religious association . . . If any person shall choose to separate himself from the society or denomination of Christians to which he may belong, and shall leave a written notice thereof with the clerk of such society, he shall thereupon be no longer liable for any future expenses which may be incurred by said society.
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