Even with its high entertainment value, religion had a much more significant impact on colonial America: it was directly responsible for the Great Awakening. Arguably the most important movement leading up to the Revolutionary War, the Great Awakening fractured religion as the colonies knew it and set in motion a mentality of dissent that would ultimately culminate in conflict (Bonomi, 2003). Perhaps even more important than the dissenting mentality was the role to which it elevated the church. With a new rebellious attitude ever present, the churches used their influence and propagated revolutionary political positions to their members (Bonomi). Religion shaped colonial America in a way that no other factor could have. Under the Cope of Heaven offers the reader a chance to fully understand this often misunderstood concept