Thursday, February 20, 2014

In what ways was New England Puritanism different from Anglicanism?

The Puritans believed the Anglican Church, led by the King
of England, had developed a hierarchy much like the Catholic Church they had separated
from originally.  So unlike Anglicanism, there were no Bishops and Archbishops, and no
dominating structure for the church in general.  Puritans wanted each congregation in
the various villages of Massachusetts to be self-sustaining and autonomous.  Puritans
feared extensive heirarchy would corrupt them as it had, in their view, the Catholic and
Anglican churches.


Puritans also believed in Calvinism
(teachings of John Calvin), that a person's fate in the afterlife had been
predetermined, and that only living as godly a life as possible would enable you to
receive the Grace of God and entry into the Kingdom of
Heaven.


Lastly, I would say there was much more extensive
social pressure and control among the small Puritan villages than there was in Anglican
dominated regions in Britain.  It was this fear of being ostracized or condemned by the
Puritan village that often defined their daily lives.

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