Calvin sought after to return to what he saw as an earlier version of Christianity, the way he thought it was practiced. He saw the early Church as more democratic and less hierarchical, and wanted to create a more democratic church. The Puritans of America were basically Calvinists. Calvin believed in predestination which is the idea that God knew before a person became alive whether that person was to go to heaven. The people that followed Calvin tended to have a strong sense of the work ethic. The Puritans thought that meant that they had to work hard to prove that they had been selected before birth to go to heaven. The Puritans are direct descendants of Calvin and the Puritans had a big influence on the culture of America.
