Puritan Beliefs Essay

The name “Puritan” originally was an affront given to the group of people who desired to “purify” the Church of England by traditional Anglicans. The Puritans criticized the Church of England and did not agree with their beliefs and practices. At first, the Puritans did not wish to separate from the church they only desired to transform it. After their failed attempts of trying to recruit the assistance of the archbishop and writing a letter to Parliament, they decided their only option was to leave the church (Campbell). The beliefs of the Puritans differed from that of the Anglicans. The Puritans believed in predestination. Essentially this means that one cannot become saved on their own, it is strictly God’s choice to give them salvation or not. They also believed that even if God has chosen to give you salvation you still must obey by the “tradition of divine law” (Koernig). Another belief of the Puritans that differed from the church was their belief that not everyone should be a member of the church. “A true church, they believed, consisted not of everyone but of the elect” (Campbell). Eventually, the Church of England began to religiously persecute the Puritans. The …show more content…
They headed to Holland and stayed there for 12 years (Atkins). King James I did not agree with their religious beliefs so he forced them to flee England. Life in Holland was not what they expected. “The Dutch government, pressured by King James I, was harassing the religious refugees” (Siebold). A Puritan who was instrumental in getting the puritan movement started, William Bradford, decided that the puritans need a new beginning and he thought the best place for this would be the New World. The Puritans then headed back to England in order to get the permissions necessary to head over to the New World. Bradford persuaded the King to give them legal permission (Siebold). The Puritan’s journey towards the new world had just