Most people think of the Puritans as simple people who have been passed by today's technological advances. To one it would also seem as if this quiet, tranquil group of people had hid from the rest of the world. Yet, the Puritans, go on about life living the same way as they had for many years, such as their forefathers did before. The basic ideas and ways of the Puritan life can be seen from their numerous writings; these writings can be a hidden pathway into the every day life of a puritan.
Jonathan Edwards was a shining example of the Puritan way of life. The spiritual leader, of many sermons across New England from 1731-1758, his sermons explain the ideal way the life of a Puritans should be, and how they should worshiped God. Most of his work was done at the First Christian Church in Northhampton, New Hampshire. His most popular work was the 16 sermons on "Charity and It's Fruits", in which he explains how love is the way into God's vision. In "Charity and It's Fruits," he says in order to truly worship him you must love him from your heart these ideas were preached in 1738, but were not published until 1851.
One of Edward's great lines was "That all the virtue that is saving, and that distinguishes true Christians from others, is summed up in Christian love." What many perceived that he meant was that the item that sets Christianity apart from other religions is the love that true Christians give to there savior. This was a strong belief by the Puritan people and was carried out on a large scale and shows in there way of everyday living. Unnecessary items were never needed to the Puritan people, they lived everyday based on there love for God.
In Edwards's sermons, he speaks of what heaven looks like. He says that there are none but lovely objects in heaven. The end goal of the Puritans was of course to make it into heaven. This was the greatest reward for all the hard work and time spent in praise to God.
It is clear that many Puritans aspirations were, indeed, fulfilled, yet some were not. ... Puritans were very intellectual beings. ... Reason played a huge part in Puritan opinions. ... Puritans wished to maintain order in their colony. ... Puritans became the mold of religious liberty. ...
It was what the Puritans believed in as well as the villagers of Salem. The Puritans were very dedicated to their religious beliefs, and to the Puritans witchcraft was considered both a sin and a crime. The main reason why the witch trials occurred was because the Puritans goal in life was to purify the organization of their church. ... Nevertheless, the Puritans seemed to be a religious cult that put fear into the people of Salem. The extent that the Puritans had gone for the sake of religion is unbelievable....
The Puritans wanted to pray to their own church. ... One of the beliefs of the Puritans was the devil, whom they feared. Witches and the devil's servants were always battling the Puritans. ... The Puritans didn't like the way the English created new taxes, and Puritans saw this as taking away their independence. ... This is a distinguishing mark of Puritan culture. ...
Puritan child rearing practices are very diverse from modern childhood. ... The Puritans were very much a community in every way. The Puritans fundamentally lived in the community, church, and family. ... It is very imperative to try to comprehend the way the Puritans lived their lives. ... The Puritan children were educated and they did have morals and values. ...
The Puritans traveled from England to America in the early 1600s. The Puritans that founded Salem, Massachusetts left England in 1608. ... The Puritans believed in preaching not rituals. ... Puritans lived in fear of an eternity in hell, the Puritans projection of a bad life here on Earth. ... Their behavior was not at all what you would think a Puritans behavior should be. ...
Passionate Puritan laymen received savage punishments. ... The Puritans were "non-separating Congregationalists." ... Their religious principles set them apart as Puritans. ... The Puritans were not a small group of people. ... Most of the Puritans settled in the New England area. ...
All people practicing witchcraft were condemned by the Puritans. In Puritans pursued themselves to be more pure with God. ... The Puritans believed that their duty in life was to praise God. ... The Puritans learned a broad amount of right from wrong. ... Witchcraft was unacceptable to the Puritan's beliefs. ...
The Puritans also held a strong social order. ... The roles were very similar to those of the Puritans. ... Education was also important in Puritan's life. ... The Puritans were also driven by capitalism. ... The Puritans also had an impact of Individualism. ...
