by Seth Highwind

Created on: October 24, 2006   Last Updated: August 22, 2010

Puritanism

What is Puritanism? What is so different and so crazy about the Puritan Christians of the early American colonies that has shaped parts of our American Government and Justice System? We all have heard the story of the mass hysteria that was brought about in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. We all know that the puritans can be, and were, easily manipulated into believing that someone is in sin, no matter whom they hear it from.

The Puritan Religion finds its roots in the Protestant church in England. But after the Protestant Reformation, the puritans began seeking Separation from the Church of England. The term Puritan is not used by them, but more used as a term to insult the puritans, who prefer to be called "the Godly." Other terms of insult include Recusants, Precise men, and Precessions (in this article, we will use the term Puritan.)

Puritanism seems to stem from the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, which by most Protestants, seemed to endorse and condone Popery( I.E. Catholic Church). Even though reformations in Europe were mainly focused on theology. The England Reformation placed the church in the control and authority of the monarchy, or the kingship of England. This obviously did not sit well with early puritans, for they believed that the holy scriptures does not sanction the setting up of Bishops, Cardinals, and a pope.

The beliefs of Puritanism are very unorthodox compared to most other branches of Christianity. The Puritans believe that if everyone searched the holy scriptures long enough that they would all agree. The Puritan's are originally Calvinist in a theological perspective and Stress the idea of Predestination, which is the belief that everyone's destiny is predetermined before they are born and God has already planned out everyone's life.

The aim of the Puritans was to purify the church of its imperfections, hence their name. But because of disagreements between many of the puritan leaders, the Puritan church was separate. The main body, Presbyterians and the separatists are the two main factions of the Puritan church. The presbyterians see a central church run government, where as the Separatists believe that the church is an Autonomous congregation of believers who can arrive at their own conclusions of religion and oppose a central church run government. The other two branches of Puritanism are Independents, and congregationalists.

The puritan religion contributed a lot to the American Government and Justice system that we have today. They brought about Virtues that we hold dear to ourselves to day, such as Self-Reliance. Also much of the economic success in America is attributed to the puritan Ideas. But also, they taught us all a valuable lesson in the months May-October of 1692. In the small town of Salem, Massachusetts the Salem Witch Trials took place. The innocent were found guilty on the word of just three naive, misguided young women. Spectral evidence, which is really just someone claiming to have seen a person's spirit visit them, or harm them.

Puritanism, just like any other Religious movement or sect, did have its misconceptions, and did have its dark time. But it is because of this slightly skewed view of Christianity, and the horrific acts that took place in Salem, that have shaped our economy and justice system in America.

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