Which of the following was an important aspect of the First Great Awakening?

The First Great Awakening, which took place during the 1730s and 1740s, was a significant religious revival in the American colonies that emphasized personal faith and individual experience over established church doctrine and tradition. This movement encouraged people to seek a direct relationship with God, fostering emotional and personal expressions of faith through enthusiastic preaching and individual spiritual renewal.

The emphasis on personal experience meant that ordinary people were inspired to engage in religious practices and develop their own interpretations of faith, breaking away from the more rigid and formalized approaches characteristic of established churches at the time. This individualistic focus facilitated a democratization of religion, allowing people from various backgrounds to participate in spiritual communities and enhancing the role of laypeople in religious life.

In contrast, the other aspects mentioned in the choices represent more traditional or institutional perspectives on religion, such as strict adherence to established doctrines and the idea of state-sponsored religions, which were not central features of the First Great Awakening. The movement was more about personal connection and emotional experiences than about adherence to predestination, which itself is a theological concept primarily associated with Calvinism and did not define the revival's message.