Introduction
The puritans came to New England so that they might get an opportunity to implement their religious activities of worship freely. Puritans felt that the Church of England maintained Catholic beliefs that were not corrupt. They felt that they would incorporate Indians into their faith so that they could live peacefully. This did not happen and the English settlers and the Indians failed to have a meaningful relationship.
Things escalated in the late seventeenth century and fighting broke out leading to the death of many people. The Puritans believed that they were God’s chosen people and therefore they had a covenant with him. According to John Winthrop, God made a heavenly covenant with the puritans, which represented Christian Charity. In this way, they felt that they were God’s light to the world for everyone to be saved. (Morgan, 10)
Puritans main beliefs
The Puritans believed that they had a special covenant with God and therefore if they followed his wishes no harm would befall them. Their leader John Winthrop felt that Puritans would serve God as perfect Christians to fulfill the covenant. This meant that they had staunch faith despite the trying conditions that they were facing. Their duty was to keep faith in God and turn, God would protect them from all harm.
They argued that since God had created them, he would see to their sustenance for them to achieve prosperity. Therefore, Puritans had to ensure they maintained God’s laws otherwise God would desert them. Puritans believed in having a steady society and shared obligations among all people regardless of their wealth or poverty. In this way, they condemned the disturbing social and economic transformations that were quickly changing the English community. They also fought to recreate a perfect society that was going down in England.
Puritans believed in the concept of destiny and God’s will for them. They felt that having faith in Jesus and sharing the sacraments did not guarantee salvation since nobody could choose salvation. To the Puritans, only God alone could give salvation. According to the Puritans, the Almighty God decided who would have abundant grace and receive salvation. They believed that once God chose someone, that particular person is blessed and saved but the blessing does not cause salvation.
Puritans believed they are bound by God’s covenant and they must carry out God’s mission on earth. They had very strong religious beliefs that included unwavering private religious experience and honest moral behavior. They argued that everyone should preserve Christianity since it is a means to human existence. In this way, all people should adhere to and follow the will of God for God to keep them from harm.
This society believed that the world needed unity in one faith because of the covenant of love that God had made with them. In this way, everyone was obligated to carry one another’s burdens so that God’s favor could be with them. They believed that once they disobeyed, God would leave their society and destruction would befall them. They lived in small godly societies where they shared everything in the belief that there cannot be individualism. They felt that nothing happened by chance but that everything came by Gods’ will. Their idea of a City upon a Hill would make them righteous people for others to see and believe. Those who did not believe in their faith in God were cast out of their city for punishment. It is this belief that led to the Salem Witch trials in the seventeen century.
Puritans established authority in their churches because the government did not control the church. They resolved as worshippers to be self-reliant having the required power to govern them. In this way, the authority would be vested in particular members of the church. The members who held power had to testify how God’s grace was with them for the church and members to be holy. The interconnecting covenant was made between the leaders to pledge their utmost service to God. They further felt that God was the final authority in political and religious activities in their society. They would work with intended obedience to the covenants they made and no one could leave their position without authority. They believed that God had given them the duty to serve the world by making laws for people to abide by.
Reason for Puritans downfall
The strong beliefs of the Puritans and their Calvinist religion led to their downfall. They craved for a perfect community and were determined to live a purposeful life in the way they felt God wanted. Their laws were strict and going against the law would lead to brutal punishment. For instance, many witches were executed in Salem by Puritans’ laws. Everyone was expected to participate in the church services even though the services were long and tedious.
People began to talk of freedom in that human beings were not destined to hell but rather that they are saved by good actions. For instance, Anne Hutchinson felt that leading a holy life did not mean one would be saved. She further argued that real salvation did not abide in the laws of man or God but that it was an individual choice. The puritans later banished her from their society and the “City of God”.
Puritans believed that spiritual conversion was mandatory for one to be a member of the church. The chosen ones were converted since in their faith God had ordained them. In this way, God showed them the right things to do which would lead them to heaven. Later on, they came up with Half-Way Covenant in which some people could be incomplete members since they were not chosen. This gave them a right to have a church membership even though they believed God did not choose them. In the end, those who converted and those who did not come to be members. This made the differences between the chosen and those who were not to dissipate from the society.
In this way, the authority that the church held deteriorated further bringing them closer to their end. This was mainly because of the complex laws and disagreements on the membership issue. Finally, those who felt challenged by the Puritan religion found their freedom. This was sealed by the rise of the Great Awakening that revived the religious doctrines leading to the end of Puritanism.
Conclusion
The Puritans had strong beliefs in their religious and political society that were supposed to be followed by everyone. Their laws were strict and many felt that they were oppressive. They did not have any tolerance for ungodly actions and their faith was only in God. They had complex systems of church rules that they felt had to be made to ensure holiness. Individuals had to share everything and restrain from accumulating material possessions since this was devilish. They did not allow major transformation to happen in the society thus causing conflicts with the other settlers in New England. However, their strong and complex beliefs led to their fall.
Works Cited
Morgan, Edmund. The Puritan Family: Religion and Domestic Relations in Seventeenth-Century New England. Harper & Row, 1966. 10-52. Print.