Essay about puritanism - 1242 Words

The Puritans dream was to create a model society for the rest of the Christians.. Their goal was to make a society in every way connected to god. Every aspect of their lives, from political views and employment to recreation and dress, was taken into account in order to live a more pious life. But to really understand what the aspirations of the puritans were, we must first understand their beliefs. The Puritans believed that a man’s only purpose in life was â€Å"to glorify God on earth and, if he were especially fortunate, to continue the good work in Heaven.† For the puritans, to glorify god meant keeping him in mind at all times, working to the best of their ability at whatever job god had had set fate for them to do, and following a†¦show more content†¦The Puritans goal in New England was to create the perfect pure society where nobody sinned and God ruled completely. They attempted this by making laws about and regulating every aspect of life in the colo ny. To achieve this, the church needed to rule the colony. And if the church ruled the colony, only the real Puritans could be part of the church. They believed only a minority of the population pure enough to be a part of the church. In reality very few people were ever able to give enough evidence that they had completed their part. As a result, two-thirds of the population failed to qualify as church members. The Puritans enacted many laws to keep the non-Puritans living religious lives. They created an official whose only job was to check up on ten families daily to see if anything out of the ordinary was happening and to make sure everyone who was able went to church. Their idea was that everybody, even if they weren’t part of the church, should be very religious. Therefore they created their laws with principles based on the Old Testament. They dreamed of a society where everybody followed the laws and lived a peaceful, god-fearing existence. To make this dream realizab le, the Puritans created severe penalties for breaking the laws. These ranged from whipping and being thrown in the stocks for minor offenses, to banishment and death by hanging for serious ones. To be a good Puritan one had to work hard allShow MoreRelatedThe Existence Of Religion Of Puritanism1770 Words   |  8 Pageseighteenth centuries was home to the religion of Puritanism. Many writers of the period were Puritan and produced large quantities of religious poetry. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Puritan poetry was primarily written with the purpose of converting people to Puritanism, and used death as the primary device in motivating people to convert. Before addressing the primary topic of Puritan poetry and its primary purpose of converting people to Puritanism, it is prevalent to address some factorsRead MorePuritanism And Its Negative Portrayal Of The Body1641 Words   |  7 PagesPuritanism: Resisting The Body’s Temptations Puritanism has been a strong influence on American Literature and it still is to this day. Puritans have shaped our culture immensely with their art that represents their beliefs so clearly. One of the most fascinating things we have come to learn about the Puritans is the constant battle they faced each day. Puritans struggled to stay true to their religion due to everyday temptations. One of the biggest temptations would be The Body. We can identifyRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown: The Evils of Puritanism Essay1728 Words   |  7 PagesPuritanism dominated 17th century history and literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne born in 1804 was an American writer who sought to resolve his conflicts with Puritanism through his writing. Hawthorne wrote several stories showing the world the horrors of the Puritan faith and the isolation of individuals who failed to uphold the faith. For Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown illustrates the difference between Puritan teaching and practicing and reflects his ow n guilt about the mistreatment of men at theRead MoreDiffering Views Of Puritanism : Bradstreet Vs. Taylor2044 Words   |  9 PagesFedor 1 Differing Views of Puritanism: Bradstreet vs. Taylor When the Puritans came to America in the 1600s, they brought many aspects of their lives with them, including their beliefs in modesty, hard work, and religious devotion. Their strong values in religion were a constant part of their everyday life and were a big feature of their society. Even though they were urged to suppress their feelings and fully devote themselves to God, some Puritans had struggles with this, and used poetry toRead MoreHow Far Was James Successful in Dealing with the Problems Presented by Puritanism in 1611-1625?954 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout James’ reign, religion, especially Puritanism was kept respectably under control, however incurring minor ‘hiccups’ along the way. James was indifferent to religious prejudice and aimed to please both Catholics and protestants; introducing the Jacobean compromise. Before 1611 when Abbot succeeded Bancroft (previous archbishop), there were many glitches concerning the puritans including the Millen ary Petition, Hampton Court Conference and Bancroft’s Cannons which caused mild uproar amongRead MoreThe American Dream: Colonial Period2656 Words   |  11 PagesAmerica today. The writings from the Colonial Period helped lead a movement of the Puritan faith away from the Church of England. The writing of the American Puritanism was one of the most influential religious movements of the 1600s, spurred by the writings of authors like Jonathan Edwards and Mary Rowlandson. The writing of the American Puritanism movement were led by the movement of the puritan’s rebellion against the Church of England (Lawson). Works from the Colonial Literary period aided the developmentRead MoreThe On The Hands Of An Angry God1056 Words   |  5 Pages Edwards, a puritan preachers from the eighteenth century, uses his words as scare tactics to persuade the listener to repent. This would be considered similar to the hellfire and brimstone preachers of today. This is one of the lasting effects puritanism has left on America. Although the ideology of the puritans has lost its favor in society, and its hold is slowly loosening. This can be seen in politics, churches, and society as a whole. Edwards would not be pleased with this. The thought of himRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1026 Words   |  5 Pagesgave a discourse of his own views on how people act and how hypocrisy can be deadly. By writing The Scarlet Letter and integrating the symbols of Pearl, various settings, and the red A of Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale, Hawthorne shone a light on Puritanism as a judgmental, negative way of life and with excessive punishment for sin. Read More Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown - The Puritans and Love Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pagesnecessity, that is, they saw physical love (between a man and a woman, or sexuality and all it carries with it) as such. The emotional turmoil affecting Goodman Brown clearly expresses this. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The problem we find in this story, and in puritanism, is that it presents contrasting views of love. Attachment to earthly possessions, to other people in fact, is discouraged, because everything physical leads to temptation and damnation, and ultimately hell, while the road to salvation of the individualRead MoreForced to Choose Between Morals and Society in The Puritan Dilemma by Edmund S. Morgan600 Words   |  3 Pagesless risky than being associated with the church of the old world. In Morgans Puritan Dilemma, Puritans actually somewhat provided opportunity for the British population in the early American history. They established a purely religious society. Puritanism created both loyal supporters and critics. In most peoples opinions in the world now days, we may believe that puritans were evil brainwashing crazy people but I do have an open mind and I could somewhat agreement with the things they have done