What Is Puritanism

The following sample essay on What Is Puritanism deals with a framework of research-based facts, approaches and arguments concerning this theme. To see the essay’s introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, read on.

In the New England settlements Puritanism was a normally practiced faith. Puritanism began as a subset of Protestantism in England, and finally developed into a belief of a more utmost God and voluntary entry to that God. After Puritanism was established Europe experienced a period called the Age of Enlightenment, where Deism made its first visual aspect in the universe of outstanding European faith.

Deism recognizes the being of God but, unlike Puritanism, does non believe that God is present in our lives. Deism and Puritanism were on opposite sides of the spiritual spectrum in the 18th century, yet Benjamin Franklin ‘s autobiography can be seen as a connexion between practising Deism and keeping Puritan values. Franklin was raised as a Puritan and therefor maintained Puritan values from childhood but besides converted to Deism and acquired a Deist ‘s mentality.

What Are Puritans Beliefs

A critical portion of Puritan faith was acknowledging the presence of God in mundane life. For Puritans faith was non merely something that you believed in, but it was a manner of life. In acknowledging faith as a manner of life Puritans accepted the intercession of God even in the most fiddling state of affairss. For illustration, in Mary Rowlandson ‘s narrative she describes a state of affairs where she had to traverse the river and is humiliated by the Indians express joying at her.

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Rowlandson says, “ but in my hurt the Lord gave me truth and goodness ” ( Rowlandson, 19 ) . Rowlandson believed that God really was present with her and allowed her to acquire through this state of affairs. John Dane ‘s life has many illustrations of this belief in the presence of God. When depicting an history of defying the progresss of a cocotte Dane credits God in giving him the power to decline her ; “ Here I took no notice of the goodness of God in keeping me, but instead ascribed it to myself ” ( Dane, 8 ) . At the clip of the incident Dane believed that he was able to defy the adult female on his ain agreement, but when he looks back on it he sees that God gave him the power to decline. Both Dane and Rowlandson recognize God ‘s changeless presence in their life therefore supplying an first-class position of how Puritans believed that God was ever with them.

Divine intercession was a construct that was really popular amongst Puritans and was further cogent evidence that God is present all the clip. Divine intercession was the direct engagement of God in state of affairss on Earth. Puritans believed in Godhead intercession and frequently taken events as Godhead intercession that would otherwise be seen as random or coincidental. Rowlandson and Dane both refer to occasions of Godhead intercession in their narrations and both believe that it greatly improved them as retainers of God. On two separate occasions Dane was stung by a WASP, and Dane considered both events to be godly intercession. In telling the first WASP biting Dane said, “ if God would hear me, this clip I would reform ” ( Dane, 9 ) . After non altering his ways Dane is once more annoyed by a WASP and from the 2nd sting he concludes, “ God had found me out ” ( Dane, 9 ) . Similar to Dane, Rowlandson besides interprets certain events as Godhead intercession. After Rowlandson was reunited with her household she described her gaining control as Godhead intercession because it has allowed her to see a much more barbarous universe so she of all time had before and to appreciate all that she had. She says, “ It is good for me that I have been afflicted. The Lord hath shewed me the amour propre of these outward things ” ( Rowlandson, 20 ) . Both histories display how of import Godhead intercession was for the Puritans and how it deeply changed their lives.

Puritan virtuousnesss are less utmost than their spiritual positions and really familiar to Americans today. Puritans stressed the importance of instruction, difficult work, and the rejection of material goods. In Puritanism reading the Bible is an indispensable portion of their faith. By being able to read the Bible and construe it each Puritan is able to take redemption. Without this accomplishment Puritans believed that people would non be able to make redemption. This led them to put accent on a good instruction. Hard work was another virtuousness that Puritans found of import. Puritans believed that they were the retainers of God and that God wanted them to work hard in order to be among the saved. Even though the Puritans believed in pre-destination, they were invariably looking for even the slightest hint as to whether or non they were among the saved. Not working hard could be interpreted as being lazy and one of the damned. The last Puritan virtuousness is the importance of rejecting material goods and doing make with what they already had. Rowlandson touches on this when she talks about amour propres saying that they are “ but a shadow, a blast, a bubble, and things of no continuation ; that we must trust on God himself ” ( Rowlandson, 20 ) . This rejection of material goods was an of import portion of Puritanism in that it allowed one to accept God and be happy with his presence without seeking more. Puritans acquired these virtuousnesss by reading the Bible and construing it. These three virtuousnesss allowed Puritans to go successful in the eyes of society.

In Benjamin Franklin ‘s autobiography he listed 13 virtuousnesss that he believed will take to moral flawlessness. There are a few of Franklin ‘s ethical motives that are really brooding of a Puritan mentality: frugalness, industry, and humbleness. Franklin described frugalness as to “ do no disbursal but to make good to others or yourself ; i.e. , waste nil ” ( Franklin, 33 ) . Similar to the Puritans, Franklin valued frugalness and frowned upon blowing money on stuff goods. However, unlike the Puritans, Franklin believed practicing frugalness would better one ‘s sense of being instead than reenforce one ‘s devotedness to God. Franklin ‘s following virtuousness, industry, is purely Puritan-he values his clip and believes that it is of import for others to make the same. This is one virtuousness that both Franklin and the Puritans portion. Franklin ‘s last virtuousness that mirrors the Puritan mentality is humbleness. In Puritan faith being disdainful is frequently considered a negative feature because it may do one to believe that he no longer demands nor should be faithful to God. Franklin did non pattern humbleness for the same ground that Puritans did but it should be acknowledged that he valued and practiced the same virtuousness. Through these virtuousnesss Franklin is able to do a connexion between Puritan ideas and Deist ideas. Deists believe that God exists but is absent from mundane life while Puritans believe that God is present in mundane life. He believes in God ‘s absence and does non include him in his virtuousnesss, yet he patterns virtues similar to those valued by Puritans.

While the Franklin ‘s virtuousnesss themselves reflect a Puritan mentality his grounds behind them are by and large Deist. In his autobiography, when depicting his effort at moral flawlessness, Franklin says, “ I was surprised to see myself so much Fuller of mistakes aˆ¦but I had the satisfaction of seeing them diminish ” ( Franklin, 34 ) . The 2nd half of this quotation mark exemplifies how Franklin wanted to seek to obtain moral flawlessness for himself. The idea of deriving something merely for oneself was an illustration of Franklin ‘s Deist mentality. This construct varies greatly from the Puritan construct of virtuousnesss. The Puritans ‘ nonsubjective when endeavoring for moral flawlessness was to delight God, while Franklin ‘s aim was to delight himself. Franklin ‘s nonsubjective reflects his Deist positions. Deists believed that God was non present in human interaction ; this belief would take Franklin to seek to accomplish moral flawlessness for himself instead than for God.

Franklin ‘s Deism resulted in him holding a immensely different life style from those of the Puritans in New England. Franklin embraced new scientific developments in his clip where many Puritans would most likely cull scientific theory because they would believe it to be false. Franklin besides believed in a much nicer God so the Puritans believed in. In his extremist booklet Franklin describes God as being, “ all-wise, all-good, all powerful ” ( Franklin, 26 ) . Deists engaged in a thought procedures really similar to philosophers. They besides believed that God wanted them to obtain this cognition in scientific discipline and the humanistic disciplines, Franklin provides grounds for this in his autobiography when he says, “ Conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought it right and necessary to beg his aid for obtaining it ” ( Franklin, 34 ) . While both faiths valued cognition, the Deists believed in obtaining it for themselves and analyzing all subjects, and Puritans believed in holding it to understand God and to hold the agencies to analyze the Bible in deepness.

Franklin ‘s manner of linking Deism and Puritanism reflects people ‘s ability to alter their spiritual orientation but still keep influences from what they originally practiced. This comingling of thoughts and ethical motives allows certain values to go incorporate into a civilization as a whole. Franklin ‘s virtuousnesss are an illustration of this occurrence, his thought procedures resembled one of a Deist but his ethical motives reflected his Puritan upbringing.

Puritanism and Deism were wholly different faiths that had opposite thoughts sing the relationship that God has with world. Puritans believed in an angry strict God that was ever present with them while Deist believed in a God that did non hold a relationship with worlds. By looking at Puritan Hagiographas and Franklin ‘s Deist Hagiographas, the differences between the two faiths are really evident. However, similarities in both virtuousnesss and ethical motives can besides be seen between the two groups. The articles show that from a purely spiritual point of view Puritanism and Deism were complete antonyms but were really similar in the ethical motives and virtuousnesss that they valued.