Characteristics of the Puritans

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Characteristics of the Puritans
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Religious Beliefs

• Believed in the followings of John Calvin
• Original Sin Man is born corrupt because of
  Eves sin
• Limited Atonement Jesus only died for the
  elect, not for everyone
• Gods grace could save us but only a select few
• Elect the select few that were saved
• Predestination The rest were
• predestined to damnation

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The Trick

• Nobody knows who the elect are so all Puritans
  had to strive for spiritual growth by examining
  their souls and consciences and understand the
  world around them to be closer to God

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Other Beliefs

• God is everywhere in and in everything
• Came to the New World to purify their religion
• They were on a divine mission they were the
  city upon the hillarticulated by John Winthrop
  in his sermon called Abella Covenant in 1630
• " ... for we must consider that we shall be as a
  city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon
  us ..."

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• Believed a Spartan (simple) existence led them
  closer to God
• Denied free will (because they
• believed in predestination)

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Other Beliefs

• Were not somber
• Wore colored clothes
• Had games like horse racing
• and ninepin bowling
• Had celebrations, partook of strong waters
• Not opposed to pleasure but saw its regulation as
  part of a well-ordered society

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Other Beliefs

• Were intolerant of other religions
• Saw narrow-mindedness as a source of strength
• Believed in hard work
• Because they expected little of life, they were
  rarely disappointed
• World filled with evil
• World was a work house,
• not a play house

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Other Beliefs

• Believed in religious hierarchy
  (Godclergycongregation)
• Emphasis on moral behavior
• Danger of wilderness and nature
• Looked UP to God, not OUT in the world
• Faith was their rock. Human intellect was valued.

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Other Beliefs

• Promoted education and reading
• Must be able to read in order to read the Bible
• Against anything the Bible is against,
  technology, democracy, pride, sleeping during
  sermons, divorce
• Created first college, first bookstore, first
  newspaper

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Characteristics of Puritan sermons

• Purpose was to voice community concerns
• AND examine Biblical content
• Pastors injected emotions into sermons and
  related them to lives and behaviors of the
  congregation.

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Forces That Harmed Puritanism

• Presence of leaders of dissent (like Anne
  Hutchinson and Roger Williams)
• Presence of the frontier and concepts like
  self-reliance and individualism
• Beliefs suffered from a lack of flexibility

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Summary

• Puritanism was a comforting religion in that it
  places God in charge and eliminates all worldly
  vanities.
• Whatever its drawbacks, the church was the
  central unifying force.