The Puritans as mentioned had migrated from England to the American subcontinent in order to form a purist form of Christianity in Tudor Stuart England. This meant the people should fully commit themselves to God (CHRIST) by experiencing the method of conversion. The main emphasis was to develop personal piety by the reading of Bible and religious practices. Though the main emphasis was laid on personal piety, the most characteristically puritan polity was Congregationalism. This was also the main substance influencing America.
One colonial ideal that is still present in today’s nation is the idea of helping others in need. Our country was built on the belief that helping others was the way of life. (Document A) During the 1620s, in the colonies, the Puritans who settled in the colonies believed that good deeds were needed to find salvation. They also believed that “belief in Jesus and participation in the sacraments could not alone effect one's salvation,” therefore many were quick to help others in need. (Campbell) This ideal continued to occur through the 1880s, after the Civil War.
Furthermore, Religion also played a part on unifying the people. What better ways to unite the people other than by letting them interact with one another? The people who lived in the colonies share a similar religion to the others who also lived there, by sharing the same religion people got along better with one another opposed to people who do not share the same beliefs. For instance in Plymouth, all the people were puritans which means that they all practice and shared the same beliefs, which led them to understand each other. This did not only happen for the puritans but all the communities who shared the same religion.
The establishment of the New Nation would soon be known as America. Many thought that becoming an American did not mean having to be a certain national or ethnic background. However, the Europeans were the dominant race and made all the rules. The first stage of change to the new America was the adoption of the English language. “The English language was the fundamental underpinning of the cultural legacy that was bestowed on American society.
James P. Byrd took a chance of trying to answer the question when he wrote Sacred Scripture, Sacred War; which is a monograph that explores how American colonists used biblical texts to justify the Revolution and inspired those who fought in it. The bible was the most read and respected book in the colonies as well as in the new nation, and Byrd as well as many others observe that biblical authority was more important than any other source in endowing the Revolution with meaning. The author of this book James P. Byrd is an Assistant Professor of American Religious Studies, an Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research Graduate Department of Religion, and a Fellow in the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture, at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville Tennessee. He has obtained many credentials, graduating from Gardner-Webb University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts in Historical Studies, from Duke University with a Master of Divinity in theological studies in 1991, and graduating from Vanderbilt first in 1997 with a Master of Arts in American History, then again in 1999, with a Ph.D. in Philosophy. Byrd offers an “analysis of how American revolutionaries choose defended their patriotic convictions of war through scripture” felt by the Christianity Today Review, 2013.
It was in fact the main reason for many people coming to the new world. Many people came to the new world just for religious freedom. An example of these people is the Puritans who practised Puritanism, a religious reform movement that arose in the church of England. Puritans were not the only ones to use their newfound religious freedom to their advantage. Lord Baltimore of England founded the colony of Maryland.
The Puritans were a widespread and diverse group of people who took a stand for religious purity in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries in Europe. Their rise was directly related to the increased knowledge that came to the common people in the Age of Enlightenment. As people learned to read and write, and as the Bible became more accessible to commoners, many began to read the Bible for themselves. Some Puritans were connected with Anabaptist groups in continental Europe, but the majorities were connected with the Church of England. The word Puritan was first coined in the 1560s as a derisive term for those who advocated more purity in worship and doctrine.
The people believed in the necessity of education and a trained and educated ministry. The use the New England Primer and hornbook was used in public education and in Dame schools. They founded Harvard College in 1636 and Yale College to ensure the adequate supply of ministers (Doc E). The Puritan life was to work and pray at all times because idleness was sin (Doc I). Although the Puritans were strong in their faith, respected and feared God, kept the Sabbath Holy, and exercised their freedom of religion, not all people believed
All things were made by HIM and without HIM was not anything made that was made.” (KJV) That statement alone proves the fact that the “Christianity religion” existed before time began. Christianity is a religion based on the life, teachings and example of Jesus Christ. This paper will display the influences of the Christianity religion and the impact it had on developing societies from the time of Jesus Christ birth until after His death and modern day societies. I will use several sources to contribute to the research relating to this work. “One of the strongest of the influences exerted by the Christian religion was the bond which it created among people of different races.
I will discuss how Christianity greatly impacted colonialism by birthing, nurturing, and eventually dissolving it. There are a many ways in which religion impacted colonialism. We have to understand that even before colonialism and Christopher Columbus the church and the state were already in a symbiotic relationship. In reality the Church had more power than the state. It can even be argued that the state didn’t exist outside the church.