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PURITANISM. Relate to The Crucible. What is Puritanism?. It is the term used in the 16 th Century for the most extreme Protestants who wanted to purify the church by eliminating all aspects of Cathlolic influence. American Puritanism.
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PURITANISM Relate to The Crucible
What is Puritanism? • It is the term used in the 16th Century for the most extreme Protestants who wanted to purify the church by eliminating all aspects of Cathlolic influence
American Puritanism • The Pilgrims are considered amongst the first American Puritans. Within 10 years, even though there were colonies throughout the east, their stronghold became the New England area of the country
Puritan Beliefs • In addition to believing in the absolute sovereignty of God, the total depravity of man, the complete dependence of humans on the divine grace for salvation, they stressed the importance of the personal religious experience
What Does That Mean? • Everything that they do is based on a strict interpretation of the Bible, both in their public and personal lives
The 4 Puritan Convictions • 1. Personal salvation was entirely from God • 2. The Bible provided an indisputable guide to life • 3. The church should directly reflect the teachings of the scriptures • 4. Society was one unified whole
1.Personal Salvation was Entirely from God • You had no chance of going to heaven if you did not live your life entirely for God. This still did not assure one’s entrance into heaven, but it was a prerequisite.
2.The Bible was an indisputable guide to life • Puritans were to do only as the Bible commanded, and anything else is considered a breakdown of the religion. You were not a true Puritan if you did not follow the Bible word for word, and this would lead as a ticket to Hell.
3. The church should directly reflect the teachings of the scriptures • Not only individuals, but the church as a collective MUST do everything for the grace of God without exception, as the Puritans believed that they would go to Heaven or Hell as a collective. Therefore, everything in their lives must come straight from the Bible, and this is to be enforced and reinforced through the church itself
4. Society is one unified whole • Society would all go to Heaven and Hell collectively, so if you deviated from the Puritan beliefs, you could bring down the whole society. Therefore, Puritans weeded out those who were going to bring them down through ex-communication. Also, a single, coordinated set of authorities should govern life in a society.
Fun • This was not a concept the Puritans embraced. They believed that having fun was a sin because it was not directly related to the work of God. At times, there were some celebrations (for example when they would finish building a church), but drinking, dancing, gambling, etc. were seen as going against God’s will
Children • In the Puritan religion, children were to be seen and not heard. They did as they were told by their parents, including school and prayer without question. They were taught not to question any authority, and they were spanked and even whipped as punishment.
Women • Women obeyed their husbands without question, just as children obeyed their parents without question. They did the housework and work for the church while their husbands worked in the fields and in the community.
Sin Puritans did not have confession, so there was no way for them to absolve their sins. They had to keep them inside. This one aspect of the Puritan religion, as we will see in The Crucible, eventually leads to the downfall of their society.