Puritanison
STATION 4: PURITAN
THEOLOGY & THEOCRACY
The Puritans were a group of English Protestants who thought the Church of England was
corrupt and too influenced by the Roman Catholic faith. They wanted to "purity" the Church of
England and return to a more simple faith. Like the Pilgrims, many of the Puritans chose to escape
ution by fleeing to America. (One primary difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans is
that the Pilgrims separated from the church, whereas the Puritans sought to purify it.) The Puritans
believed they were personally hand-chosen by God to start a new Puritan lifestyle in North America, as
part of a covenant, or agreement, to serve as a model community for the rest of the world
Puritans believed that humans were naturally sinful beings--so sinful, in fact, that they had
been born into sin. The Puritans believed in the religious theory of "predestination," which means that
God has already predetermined, or chosen, who is saved from the beginning. These "chosen ones"
were called "the elect." How an individual behaved and lived did not determine if he or she was
saved. (However, good behavior was often taken as "evidence that the individual might be saved, it
just was not a guarantee). The question of one's salvation was entirely in God's hands, and individuals
did not have an exact way to know if they were one of the "chosen" ones. So many Puritans lived in a
never-ending state of stress over their fate. Puritans simply had to have faith in God, adhere to the strict
Puritan code of ethics, and hope for salvation, knowing that it was up to their all-powerful God. This
strong belief in predestination is what theologically set them apart from other branches of Christianity.
Because of the Puritan covenant with God and the belief in predestination, conformity and
social order was necessary. There was no "separation of church and state" as we know it. Rather, the
Puritans in Massachusetts lived under a theocracy, a government in which God is viewed as the
supreme leader. Town authorities were essentially religious authorities, so people were not allowed to
question those in charge. To do so would have been like questioning the bible or God himself.
QUESTION: Imagine you were born into the Puritan faith. How would you feel about
predestination and theocracy? Explain your reaction to both.