Connecticut
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Connecticut has a fabulously rich religious history. Puritans founded the state, the Great Awakening diversified the people's beliefs, and mass immigration brought a whole new population of religious adherents. The Puritan base remained strong in Connecticut throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, dominating the citizens' personal and political lives. The Puritan (Congregational) Church was Connecticut's established church until 1818. During that time, church attendance was mandatory. They believed that harmony in life was found through work, family, isolation, and purity. Needless to say, their religion shaped their everyday lives. During the 17th century, dissenters, such as the Quakers, faced discrimination and harsh punishment for not belonging to the established church. Quakers could be deported, whipped, and branded for their beliefs. The turn of the 18th century brought some relief to non-Puritans, but those who did not attend the established church had to pay extra fees.

The Great Awakening, a religious revival that swept through the colonies during the early 1700s, dramatically changed Connecticut's religious scene. During this time, new sects, such as the Baptists and Methodists, became popular. Itinerate preachers toured the area, giving outdoor sermons and holding revivals throughout New England. Between 1740 and 1820, the number of Baptist churches rose from four to seventy-three.(11) The Congregational Church, which was Connecticut's established church, split into two sects; the Old Lights and the New Lights. The New Lights were open to the religious changes brought by the Great Awakening; the Old Lights were traditional and skeptical of the new sects. The Old Lights, who controlled the Assembly, reacted to the revival by creating laws against the itinerant preachers. A law was passed that prohibited preachers to speak outside of their parish. The Old Lights gradually realized that the new sects were going to be permanent fixtures in their society, and that tolerance was necessary.

The religious scene changed again in Connecticut with the arrival of new immigrants. Irish immigrants, who were present in Connecticut in small numbers during the 18th century, received a huge population boom during the 1830s and 1840s, which dramatically increased the Roman Catholic presence in Connecticut. The Catholic population increased again with the influx of Italians at the turn of the 20th century. Lutheran, Jewish, and Christian Orthodox populations also grew during the 19th century, bringing a level of religious diversity never before seen in Connecticut.

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