Few people today understand how religious our ancestors were, in the 1690s, in order to be president of the new Harvard college, one had to be either a Presbyterian or a Congregationalist.
Yeah they had to be Calvinist.
But Harvard switched over to being Unitarian sometime in during the 18th century. By 1800, Harvard was solidly Unitarian.
Do you have any histories available for how that happened.
I know generally that Newton was an ardent supporter of Arianism. In the Anglo Saxon world Newton was considered to be something of a demigod. If the master said it was true then it had to be true. So it wouldn’t take too many scholars aping Newton in Boston fresh off the boat from London in to push Harvard into Unitarianism.
But there is another angle I’ve read recently. That is that the Massachusetts bay colony was actively involved in Cromwell’s wars—because his people were coreligionists.
That when Cromwell lost—the new masters considered the Massachusetts colony to be in bad odor. So there was an anything but attitude toward Calvinists.
I’ve just picked this up by bits and drabs. And some of it may not be entirely true.
Do you have anymore information on the change of Harvard from Calvinist to Unitarian.