Basic Tenets of Puritanism
- Judgmental God (rewards good/punishes evil)
- Predestination/Election (salvation or damnation was predetermined by God)
- Original Sin (humans are innately sinful, tainted by the sins of Adam & Eve; good can be accomplished only through hard work & self-discipline)
- Providence.
- God’s Grace.
What are the main beliefs of Puritans?
Puritans believed that it was necessary to be in a covenant relationship with God in order to be redeemed from one’s sinful condition, that God had chosen to reveal salvation through preaching, and that the Holy Spirit was the energizing instrument of salvation.
What were 3 Puritan beliefs?
Basic Puritan beliefs are summarized by the acronym T.U.L.I.P.: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints.
What are the basic Puritan beliefs and how did they contribute to the eventual development of American democracy?
The American concept of limited government stems from the Puritan community. Puritans believed that no single person or group of people should be trusted to run the government. The Puritan emphasis on education led to an American school system whereby everyone is taught reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Did the Puritans believe in Jesus?
Puritans believed that belief in Jesus and participation in the sacraments could not alone effect one’s salvation; one cannot choose salvation, for that is the privilege of God alone.
What did the Puritans believe about sin?
Puritans, a subsect of Christianity, shared the normative belief that everyone was born with Original Sin — the first sin in humanity committed by Adam and Eve. However, they held a much stricter view of it in that they believed that Original Sin colored everything — people’s thoughts, feelings and actions.
What is the Puritan ethic?
The Puritan work ethic is more commonly referred to as the Protestant work ethic. It has both theological and sociological meaning. Theologically, it refers to the view that hard work is a signifier of one’s election (salvation) and that diligence in one’s work is pleasing to God.
What were the social and political values of Puritanism?
the Puritans as a political entity largely disappeared, but Puritan attitudes and ethics continued to exert an influence on American society. They made a virtue of qualities that made for economic success—self-reliance, frugality, industry, and energy—and through them influenced modern social and economic life.
What religion are Puritans?
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant.
Did Puritans believe in democracy?
The Puritan practice of allowing all adult male members of the community and church to vote for their magistrates and clergy made the polities of New England among the most, if not the most, democratic in the world.
What were Puritans not allowed to do?
Seven months after they outlawed gaming, the Massachusetts Puritans decided to punish adultery with death (though the death penalty was rare). They banned fancy clothing, living with Indians and smoking in public. Missing Sunday services would land you in the stocks. Celebrating Christmas would cost you five shillings.
What Bible did the Puritans use?
The Geneva Bible was the Bible of William Shakespeare, John Bunyan, and Oliver Cromwell. This is the version that Pilgrims and Puritans brought with them to America.
Do Puritans believe in free will?
Puritanism started in the sixteenth century as a movement to reform the Church of England. Puritanism accepted the interpretations of John Calvin (1509-64) on the nature of man, free will and predestination, and other basic concepts.
How did Puritans view adultery?
Based on Puritan value-that was sexual purity, Adultery was much prohibited. Because of that reason, Hester was punished according to their law. She had to attach a piece of cloth written with scarlet letter A in her bosom forever.
What is the original sin of the Puritans?
Original Sin.
Because Adam sinned, every human is born sinful. This concept of Original Sin has no exceptions; in Michael Wigglesworth’s poem “The Day of Doom,” even babies who died at birth were condemned to hell (if that fate had been predestined for them).
What was the Puritan lifestyle like?
The Puritans were an industrious people, and virtually everything within the house was made by hand – including clothes. The men and boys took charge of farming, fixing things around the house, and caring for livestock. The women made soap, cooked, gardened, and took care of the house.
What were the Puritans trying to purify?
Puritans tried to purify the established Church of England
By the mid-sixteenth century, some reformers thought that Protestant denominations had not gone far enough in “purifying” the church and taking it back to its New Testament roots. Puritans were among those intent on purifying the established Church of England.
What does being a Puritan mean?
1 capitalized : a member of a 16th and 17th century Protestant group in England and New England opposing formal customs of the Church of England. 2 : a person who practices, preaches, or follows a stricter moral code than most people.
How did the Puritans treat other religious groups?
preached that it was wrong to practice any religion other than Puritanism. Those who did would be helping the devil. They believed they followed the only true religion so everyone should be forced to worship as they did. “[Tolerance is] liberty … to tell lies in the name of the Lord,” said John Cotton.
How did the Puritans feel about freedom of religion?
The Puritans came to Massachusetts seeking religious freedom, but their concept of religious freedom was not at all the same as ours. They meant religious freedom for themselves that was the right to worship, to establish churches as they saw fit, which they were unable to do in England.
Why are the Puritans important?
The Puritans in America laid the foundation for the religious, social, and political order of New England colonial life. Puritanism in Colonial America helped shape American culture, politics, religion, society, and history well into the 19th century.
