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Puritans
This category is for questions about the group of people who strove to reform the Church of England in the 16th and 17th century. Lead by John Winthrop, they were one of the first English groups to settle North America and modern day New England.
1,568 Questions
How did western settlers get their land?
They went over to them demanded their thing and therfore they had to do what the had to do.
What were the main activities that took place in a Puritan meeting house?
Town Meetings and Church Services
Do Puritans believe that heaven and hell exist?
Yes. They believed this quite strongly and that individuals were predestined to go to Heaven or Hell, i.e. that their choices could not influence God's decision.
Why did the Pilgrams and the Puritans leave Europe for the Americas?
to be free and practice their own religion
What were the beliefs and characteristics of the the puritans?
Did an A level history module on these guys...
Basically there are two main strands of historical interpretation on these guys: the traditional view, and then the more revisionist view.
The Puritans arose as a movement after the Elizabethan Church Settlement of 1559, which established England as a Protestant nation after Queen Mary's Catholic restoration. However, it was very different to the Protestant Church of her younger brother Edward V. She followed more the lead of Luther, whilst her brother followed that of Calvin. Elizabeth, to appease her nation who was mostly catholic (the revisionists argue), established a Church with Protestant theology, but maintaining many of the Catholic rituals and traditions. In brief, it "looked Catholic, but sounded Protestant".
The Puritans were a (minority) group, that rebelled against this, seeking to be stricter like the times under Edward. Whilst the traditional argument was that this was a huge group of people, revisionist argue that they were but a small sect. Many of them illegally abstained from Anglican Church services, and instead formed isolated communities. They believed that they were the elect, chosen by God to enter heaven, and that all others not in their communities were the 'reprobate' (that is, those damned to hell), and as such, they wanted little to do with them.
Anything that wasn't strictly biblical they banned. Bright clothing was outlawed as worldish. Maypoles were cut down, as there routes were in pagan tradition. They had names for themselves like 'the Godly'.
Defining exactly what a Puritan was, is difficult (I remember having to write essays on it!), simply because there were many different types, from those who simply didn't like wearing Catholic vestments, to those who wanted to overhaul Elizabeth as head of the Church. At the beginning of Elizabeth's reign, the Puritan threat came from those protesting the vestments, and as that died away, it was replaced by the Puritan shadow Church, which rivalled the Anglican Church.
Indeed, the very term 'Puritan', was never actually used by Puritans to describe themselves. It was in fact an insult used for them by the rest of the Christian folk.
But in the words of a modern historian, a Puritan was a 'hotter Protestant'
How did Puritans live their life?
Boringly. God came first in their lives. Makeup, celebrating Christmas, football and lots of other fun things were banned. This is because their leader thought it distracted them from their devotion to Christ.
How did the puritans survive in America?
the puritans survived on mostly food and they grew cattle and just survived like we do today... just alittle different
^Dont take that answer it is not right. This person is an idiot. Seriously dude?
What did conversion mean for the puritans?
For the Puritans, conversion meant the experience of a profound spiritual transformation in which an individual's heart and mind were turned towards God. It involved a deep sense of conviction of sin, repentance, and a personal encounter with God's grace leading to a new life of faith and obedience. Conversion was seen as essential for salvation and membership in the church.
Did the puritans call themselves puritans?
The word "Puritan" was often used to characterize the Protestant group as extremists similar to the Cathari of France. They did not call themselves Puritans, but their intent was to "purify" the Christian religious practices.
Why were the puritans pessimistic?
The Puritans were fatalistic in that they believed in the doctrine of the elect (predestination).
Who were the puritans and where did t who were the puritans and where did they first settle?
The Puritans were English Protestants who were unhappy with the Church of England. They believed it had strayed too far from the Bible and was too close to the Catholic church in its rich decoration and its belief that a person could have a relationship with God only through a church and a priest, not directly. They believed in plain and simple houses, clothing and churches, not the rich decorations of the time. They were persecuted by the Church and by King James and so left England for America in order to worship as they believed.
The first Pilgrims in America went to Virginia in 1618, but most went to New England. The Pilgrims founded the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. Other Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony near present-day Boston in 1829 and the Connecticut Colony in 1636.
What did puritan houses look like?
The Puritan houses of the Colonies in America looked like wooden structures with a very steep roof. The steep roof was to keep water and snow from collecting on the roof. They were made from lumber cut into 2 by 4's and planks. The houses were usually painted a dark color like a dark gray or brown. They had few windows.
How did the puritan's beliefs clash with the transcendentalist's in The Scarlet Letter?
Because the transandentalists were humanists and believed that they could live life in a communist "type" community with themselves as God. The Puritans on the other hand lived there life for God and in a system where each house hold was dependent upon working in a capitalist type system. The Bible says,"If you don't work you don't eat." This was part of their philosophy as well. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne was not looking particularly favorably on the Puritan way of life in some respects, making it look cold and harsh. Hawthorne had been part of this transcendentalist's"communist" type society for only about a year. He quickly found out that even though he paid his part to be part of the society, not EVERYBODY there had the same intentions he had "to work hard for the good of the society."
At least, I'm quite sure about this.
The first ones were, because they escaped the rel. persecution in England. Later, they werent, bc. all they knew was strict rel. code, discipline, and hard work.
Was the puritans beliefs about human nature?
Their puritans belief about human nature is that we are all corrupt and ooze sin. That nothing good comes from our bodies -- be it fecal matter, urine, saliva, whatever.
They built their new city with the Church being at the focal and geographic center. The more important you were, the closer to the center you lived. Trouble was and still is, the further from center you get, the more corrupt you are likely to become. In their case, the more difficult it was to make it to church at the appointed times. Life just sort of takes over. At some point, people generally say, "What's the use, it's too far away and I have other things that I must attend to." The further from center people get, the more difficult it is to control them.
Jamestown was settled to make a profit. Massachusetts was founded to ensure religious freedom for Puritans... and only puritans.
Do puritans view man as good or evil or somewhere in between?
do puritans view man as inherently good evil or somewhere in between ?
Why did the Puritans sign the Mayflower Compact?
The Mayflower Compact stated that the Puritans would follow the rules of the government. They didn't arrive where they originally intended so the rules of England did not apply.
The Compact was created to assure the half of the ship's passengers who were not Puritans that the government of the colony would be elected, not imposed on them.
What were the Puritan's beliefs?
Puritans believed many things.
· They believed in salvation - the fate of individual souls was predetermined by God.
· Salvation was a personal matter between God and the 'Elect'. Elects or Saints were the ones who were saved and the ones who weren't were 'wicked'.
· By reading The Bible the individual also entered a direct relationship with God.
· To become an Elect and have Gods salvation they do a Covenant of Grace, a contract that asks forgiveness of sins and for salvation.
· Elect Puritan has to follow Christ and practically devote their life to him.
· To do this they could go to Voluntary associations in congregations and churches.
Puritan beliefs were filled with paradoxes. The puritans rebelled against others in order to create the perfect World, a utopia that did not allow for rebellion. Their beliefs and goals created a tension filled paradoxical dilemma.
Man was not to sin, but he would sin anyway. Man was required to forgive, but evil was ever present. Man was a seeker of salvation, but was helpless against evil. He was to live in hopes of eternal salvation, but he may not have been predetermined by God for salvation.
John Calvin established their basic beliefs of original sin, predestination and the belief that Jesus Christ died for man's sins. Their belief of original sin is that Eve led Adam to sin, and that sin tainted all of mankind, and their concept predestination is that select individuals have been determined by God for salvation before their birth.
· In the Puritan discipline, dancing was acceptable, but sexual dancing was not.
· Drinking alcohol was also acceptable but becoming a drunkard was not.
· The Puritans believed very strongly in marriage and were opposed to illicit sexual activities.
· Adultery was punishable by death, and fornication was to be punished by whipping.
· They wanted to "purify" the Church of England and put an end to the hierarchy that led to corruption.
They believed that the church should follow the scriptures exactly. There was a dislike of the Pope's practice of selling diligences and the massive ornamentation of the Church.
The puritans were just normal people, they were not supermen. They were not monks; they did not shrink from life. The puritans were also neither prohibitionists, nor sexual prudes. They were very open minded for the time. They had the view that they had to live in the world, but not become worldly.
The Dilemma of Puritan living affected individual puritans differently. Some went about their daily lives living in uncertainty whether God had selected them for eternal salvation or condemned them to eternal damnation. Tensions must have been tough on those who worked hard for success but under the Puritan doctrine never daring to enjoy their wealth and success.
1. Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born sinful - concept of Original Sin.
2. Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a few are selected for salvation - concept of predestination.
3. Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone.
4. Irresistible Grace - God's grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God.
5. Perseverance of the "saints" - those elected by God have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. If anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in his life, he will be going against the will of God - something impossible in Puritanism.
In the relation of churches to civil power, Puritans believed that secular governors are accountable to God to protect and reward virtue, including "true religion", and to punish wrongdoers. They opposed the supremacy of the monarch in the church (Erastainism), and argued that the only head of the Church in heaven or earth is Christ.
The idea of personal Biblical interpretation, while central to Puritan beliefs was shared with Protestants in general. Puritans sought both individual and corporate conformity to the teaching of the Bible, with moral purity pursued both down to the smallest detail as well as ecclesiastical purity to the highest level. They believed that man existed for the glory of God; that his first concern in life was to do God's will and so to receive future happiness.
Like some of Reformed churches on the European continent, Puritan reforms were typified by a minimum of ritual and decoration and by an unambiguous emphasis on preaching. Calvinists generally believed that the worship in the church ought to be strictly regulated by what is commanded in the Bible (the regulative principle or worship), and condemned as idolatry many current practices, regardless of antiquity or widespread adoption among Christians, against opponents who defended tradition. Simplicity in worship led to the exclusion of vestments, images, candles, etc. They did not celebrate traditional holidays which they believed to be in violation of the regulative principle.
The devil was behind every misfortune and evil deed. The devil prey on the weak, and that there was such things as witches
