Puritanism

The Puritanism was a religious movement of the protestant Christianity that originated within the Anglicanism in the 16th century.  The movement  was founded by John Calvin after the enthronement of Elizabeth 1 of England in 1558.

The movement is one of the numerous groups that claim to restorationalism to the apostolic assembly of Yahoshea Meshiyach. It has been a means by which millions of adherent seek for the Yahosheanism which is the approved way by Yahoshea Meshiyach and his apostles.

Origin of the Sect

As an activist Christian movement within church of England, the body sought for an improved English Reformation that will tackle some of the pagan practices that the English church practiced along with the Roman Catholic church.

Based on this concept, the puritans sought for alliance with other religious groups within the church of England that aim at greater purity in worship and doctrine with inclusion to work of piety.

Puritanism were Calvinists because it adopted the Reformed theology but equally took some measures from the radical peitism of Zwingli in Zurich.

Some puritans remained within the Anglican communion and pressing for future reforms.  Such class of puritans were called the “Non Separating Puritans” while those that were not comfortable by the level of reforms in Anglicanism separated and distanced themselves from the Anglican and were called the “Separatists”. Although they advocated for total separation from the Church of England but had no particular church title.  The “Pilgrim” leaders of the Mayflower were taken as the separatists while the emigration to New England in 1629 that was led by John Winthrop were referred as non separating puritans.

Source of the Name

After the English Restoration in 1660, the separatist puritans became known as “Dissenters” and the Uniformity Act of 1662 forced all puritan clergy to vacate from the Church of England and they became identified as the non-conformist ministers.

History hold that about 2,400 puritan clergy abandoned the church of England during the “Great Ejection” of 1662 and the term “Dissetent” became directly pointed to the clergy that disagree with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

Around 1660 and 1670s, the separatists established their own churches and the government declared the Cloredon Code that aimed at humiliating their schismatic movements.

Arguments of freedom to establish churches by puritans raged to the Metal Glorious Revolution of 1689 that gave rise to the Toleration Act which guaranteed freedom or licensing of dissenting ministers and their congregations.

During 18th century, the term “Dissenters” were replaced by the “Non conformists”.

The name – “Puritans” came into existence by 1560s as abusing or derogatory name for people that disagreed with the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559.  the puritans did not use the name for themselves rather they saw themselves as members of the Anglican church but preferred to call themselves as “the Godly”.

Some of the derogatory names given to the Puritans were the “precious men” or “precisians”.

Beliefs and Practices

Some of the reasons of the movement was the idea of personal Biblical interpretation as held by other protestant reformers. The puritans sought for a more strict moral purity that touches every detail and those of the ecclesiastical practices that run along the dictates of the Bible.

The movement had no standard church polity.  The Calvinists thought of the 17th century were absorbed by some puritan movements. Some agreed with the existence of church hierarchy with bishops, others were interested on Presbyterian polity and majority were identified with the early congregationalism.

The diversity of the puritans over church polity made the movement to appear confusing and has no proper definition of its real course in the Christian tradition.  For example, the separating Congregationalists view the Divine Right of Kings as heretic while there are Royalist Presbyterians that allow for allegiance in the English political struggle. 

While both movement differs on their political view or approach, they are still filled of many adherents that claim to Puritanism.

What this prove is that Puritanism was never aimed at development of a denomination in Christianity but is a term that is used to represent a non-pleasure – seeking adherents in the Christian tradition.

It is used to characterize the protestant extremists that is similar to Catchers of France.  Their religious practices became acceptable in Netherlands, New England, Ireland and Wales and with passage of time became incorporated into the lay society and educational system.

The movement showed its disagreement with Episcopalism. As they were resisted from carrying out major reforms in the church by the bishops through the convocation of the Synod of Dort, majority of the puritans adopted the Sabbatarianism and were influenced by the millenialism in 17th century.

Policies and Challenges

Politically, the puritans aligned with the Scottish Presbyterian to stand against the Royal Prerogative. After the First English Civil War in 1642 – 1646, it became a political force in England but after the Restoration in 1660 and the subsequent 1662 Uniformity Act, it lost its grip of power.

The puritans started their disagreement with English Royalty right from the era of Elizabeth I over her religious settlement.  The Lambert Articles that was a Calvinist mark within the Church of England failed to receive the desired royal approval.

This was followed by the Petition that served as  the Puritan Manifesto of 1603 during the reign of James I which sought for reform in the Anglican church, King James I took side with the Anglican Bishops as against the position of the puritans.

The puritans argued against the Catholic summation in the church of England that included in the Book of Common Prayer, use of non-secular vestments (cap and gown) during worship, the sign of cross during baptism and kneeling to receive the Holy Communion.

When the Westminister standards were adopted by the Church of Scotland in 1645 and Church of England by 1660, this put in place a set of doctrinal practices which is called the Westminster  Confession of faith.

The Westminster Divines became divided over church polity and such made them to split into factions supporting episcopacy, Presbyterianism, congregationalism and Erastianism.

The Church of England at that period operated a Presbyterian polity though not as a national Presbyterian adopted by the Church of Scotland.

Contributions and Exploits

The puritans were calling on the English church to adopt a theocratic form in what they term as the “Godly Rule”.

The puritans left to the New England and supported to establish Massachusetts Bay Colony and other settlements.  This movement  was called the “Great Migration” that produced the English speaking population in America that increased to millions of descendants.

The puritans spread to Plymouth colony and other colonies along the Connecticut river.  The movement controlled those areas and enforced its religious thoughts and idealism.

The Puritan’s cultures that included deep belief of existence of demonism, exorcism, possession and witchcraft was noted in the province of Massachusetts Bay in the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693.

The Puritans equally contributed effectively to the broader context of European Reformed belief on Millenialism and interpretation of the biblical prophesies.

Another important contribution of the puritans into Christendom is based on its view over family life.  The puritans view marriage as a fundamental human relationship that is meant for procreation, love and salvation.  It view marriage as not only based between husband and wife but also between spouses and Yahweh.

Men in the puritan family culture heads family direction on prayers while the female position is much centred on submission and humility to their husband.

Mothers in turn are shouldered with the responsibilities of rearing their children in high moral values as puritans.

Another area of contribution by the puritans to Europe and civilization is based on education or literacy.  Education to children was made compulsory for parents at the Massachusetts and such was incorporated in the code of the colony which posted that children without proper education would grow into barbarism.

The ambition of the puritan leaders at the Massachusetts Bay colony was to build a city on a hill based on sound moral education of youths and such helped to established the Harvard College where improved education enhanced to teaching of subjects as Latin, Greek and Hebrew languages for boys who were meant for higher pursuits.

The puritans placed much restrictions against carnal pleasures.  For example, the Plymouth Colony puritans of New England banned Christmas celebration and such was outlawed in Boston from 1659.

The puritans also banned festivities on Saturday nights and many secular entertainments as gambling, maypoles and drama on moral grounds.  Some of this restrictions were lifted by English approved governors who sued for more societal freedom and libralism.

The puritans publicly punished drunkenness and sexual relation outside marriage. The body was not against consumption of alcohol but forbid drunkenness and toasting with wine that it view as a carnal culture.

The puritans were important culturally as a group of colonial pioneers in America.  The body equally contributed strongly towards a firm foundation for American democracy.  They were known for their acts of piety and discipline.

Conclusion

Puritanism played some vital role towards reformation of Christianity in terms to moral and disciplinary value that it achieved within Anglicanism and other related Christian cultures.

It can be viewed as a concept but not denominational or congregational. The puritan concept is available in Anglicanism, Episcopalism, congregationalism, Presbyterianism etc.

Puritanism equally played some economic, social and political roles towards western civilization but did not base its protest against fundamental errors of the Catholic Church.  Although, some puritans adopted Sabbath rest and worship but they played no good role of restoration of the sacred name of the creator as Yahweh and Yahoshea Meshiyach for the saviour of mankind.

As puritans were not led by the appointed comforter as promised by Yahoshea Meshiyach, they base their belief upon the biblical presentations that have been corrupted by translators or editors.

Puritan's hold to the accuracy of the Bible closed the eyes of its adherents over errors of the book that were effected by the truth twisters.  The body equally became political and adopted the Quakers as their strong religious and political enemies.

Puritan’s persecuted the Quakers that migrated into the Massachusetts colony and such habit equally disqualified them from acting as true constitutionalists to Yahosheanism.  Yahosheanism was a peaceful religion that did not persecute any person or body rather were persecuted by the Roman and Hebrew authorities.

As puritans were unable to restore all values of the Yahosheanism, it is therefore a wrong path towards the early apostolic assembly and the millions of people that lived as puritans or sought for Yahoshea Meshiyach through such movement were deceived by the founders or leaders of the movement.

May Yahweh bless your ears as you act justifiable to this submission.