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Biography:
Related both to the Puritan theologian John Cotton and son of the Boston minister Increase
Mather, Cotton Mather (1663-1728) was a product of an illustrious religious heritage. Cotton
joined his father as minister of Boston's Second Congregational Church in 1668, where he
stayed until his death.
Cotton was part of two different worlds - on the one hand, he came from a period of religious orthodoxy which he went to great lengths to uphold. But, on the other hand, he also saw the value and necessity of modern science and he lived in a time of growing religious and social diversity. Usually, his desire to support orthodoxy won out over everything else. This is why he supported the use of spectral evidence in the Salem Witchcraft Trials, even over the skeptical objections of his own father. This is also why he supported the establishment of Yale University, designed to further religious orthodoxy in response to the perceived lack of orthodoxy on the part of Harvard.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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