Puritan Religious Belief & Culture

And you think you have it bad…

Who were the Puritans?Puritans were a branch of the Protestant church

Their movement began in the 16th and 17th centuries

Although they preferred to be called “the godly,” they were given the name “Puritans” for their struggle to reform or purify the Church of England

Two Types of Puritans:Separatists

Held irreconcilable differences with the Church of England; they thought the church was corrupt and that they must distance themselves from it

Were persecuted under various monarchies in England

First fled from England to Holland

Later, came to found the Plymouth Colony in America in 1620

Non-Separatists

Held less extreme views of the Church of England

Believed in church reform rather than an overthrow of the church

Came to America in 1630 and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Why did they come here in the first place?

In 1543, King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church to found the Church of England.

Protestant religious reformers didn’t think the new Anglican church was different enough from the Catholic Church

Puritans thought the Catholic Church was too opulent and focused on wealth and other worldly things; they wanted a church more focused on God.

Catholic Church

PuritanChurch

How are Puritan beliefs different from other Christians?

PREDESTINATION:

The belief that all features of salvation are determined by God’s sovereignty. Including those were to be

savedBelief in Jesus was not

enough!Participation in sacraments

was not enough!

JUSTIFICATION:

The gift of God’s grace to the elect those chosen for salvation.

SANCTIFICATION:

The behavior that resulted in an individual when they had been saved.Evidence of salvation, but

did not cause it!!!!

As a result of their belief in predestination, Puritans:Were always looking for signs

Scrutinized daily events

Thought there was always a reason for everything

Felt that God’s hand was in everything, no matter how insignificant

John CalvinBelieved that the downfall of

mankind was directly related to the corruption resulting from the fall of Adam and Eve.

Believed that God’s forgiveness is limited to a select group of followers (LIMITED ATONEMENT).

Believed that God’s forgiveness could neither be earned nor denied (IRRESTIBLE GRACE).

Felt that God’s chosen remain in a state of grace while on earth and are taken directly to heaven when dead

Tenets of Puritan PhilosophyThe Covenant of Works – God promised his progeny eternal life if they obeyed moral law.

After Adam broke this covenant, God made a new covenant with Abraham.

Puritans believed they were direct descendants of Abraham.

The Covenant of Grace – This requires an active faith and “softens” the doctrine of predestination.

God still chooses the elect but there is now a sort of “contract” or understanding. Punishment for sin is a proper response to disobedience.

The Covenant of Redemption – The pre-existence of the aforementioned covenant.

Christ bound God to accept him as man’s representative. If Christ paid the price for the redemption of believers, his followers would

be washed of their sins.

Puritan Laws & PunishmentsA person was fined, imprisoned, and whipped for non-attendance at church services!People were dealt with more harshly if they spoke against religion or denied the divine origin of any book from the Bible.

Shame was a primary form of punishment. Common punishments included:Stocks and pilloryBrandingPublic whipping

Puritan Laws & Punishments

Puritan Laws & PunishmentsWomen were not allowed to wear lace or have clothes that showed skin (but they didn’t necessarily wear all black).

Long hair worn by men, smoking in public, or showing P.D.A. was unacceptable!

Youths were not allowed to court one another in public and needed the consent of the girl’s parents to court at all.

Children were often found crying in fear they would go to hell and not be chosen as the elect.Crying was done privately as children were punished for

doing so in public.

Puritan Beliefs & Values:Puritans believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible

They believed in explicit readings of the Bible, as opposed to church doctrines

They did not believe in excess worship; they wanted no rituals, adornments, no stained glass, no cushioned pews, no singing, and no music

Puritan Beliefs & Values:They wanted to keep things simple so that they could concentrate on God

There is a constant struggle between the forces of God and Satan

God rewards the good and punishes the wicked

Education & Work Ethic: They believed in living a virtuous,

self-examined life They believed in strict discipline

and had a strong work ethic They felt that qualities that led to

economic success were virtuous They valued education and

founded Harvard in 1636 to train ministers

They wanted their children to get far away from the evils of England

Children were not allowed to play games; boys were taught to go hunting and fishing, while girls were taught how to run a household

Women were considered less capable intellectually, physically, theologically, and morally (Eve was the first sinner)

Literature for pleasure was highly censored