During the mid nineteenth- women made up the majority of those attending church in every state and denomination, regardless of their formal affiliation. Women provided substantial financial support, either by giving of their own money or by forming groups that raised funds. In many denominations they gave of their labor as well. Finally, women provided the model for all the faithful. They supposedly felt or intuited their faith, rather than coming to it from study and intellectual effort, which in turn made it easier for them to empathize with people and to help them with their troubles.
The Civil War changed many things, but not the gendered view of religion. In comparison to men, women were considered more religious, receptive to emotional experience, and pure. Women did not sully themselves in the competitive, even cutthroat, world of business. They were also more virtuous. Women were supposed to be.....
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