I agree that religion, when used correctly, is a phenomenal catalyst for incorporating moral and ethical principles into government. When religion is misused, it can create quite a tyrannical government. An example of this is the Middle Ages, where religion was used to instil fear into the governed. I will hypothesize that it is important that the religion was Protestant and not Catholic. I am very skeptical that democracy would have been the same result if the religion had been Catholicism instead of Puritan.
The Puritans mixed religion with politics They believed in both personal and collective autonomy within each village or settlement. Their faith was known as Congregationalism. That gave them local control over both religious and political matters. The well-known New England town meeting was testimony to their idea of self-government. They recognized no higher authority than the Bible, which was the basis of much of their antipathy to the hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic church.
As Calvinists the Puritans believed in divine sovereignty. They felt that God’s plan was to reform church and society to conform to John Calvin’s theological ideas. In their eyes the English government went directly against the divine plan of purity and social order by allowing and participating in such things as drunkenness, gambling, public swearing and Sabbath breaking. The Government also allowed celebrations based on pagan customs such as maypole dancing and celebrating Christmas and saints’ days. 2 1 Davidson, James West et al, U.S. A Narrative History, Volume One, (New York: McGraw Hill, 2012), p.65.
Zinn pays tribute to the founding fathers by stating how effective their intentions were to start the American Revolution. British Rule was pure tyranny, and under it, the wealthy prospered and the poverty-stricken citizens continued to be oppressed, financially. In order to make a change, one must act upon his or her belief for results. The founding fathers had made a statement for freedom over British rule, by first negotiating diplomatically, and eventually through tactical warfare. Skeptical of victory, the English colonists that chose to secede from the British-Empire, fought for the destiny of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Religious Beliefs: as far as the “united Christian nation” or so that’s how the leaders saw it. In my opinion religion was only used as a means to gain power hence the word “used”. B. Moral Beliefs: everyone should have free will, freedom of speech and so on, once America saw and fixed its own shortcomings as a nation, it then looked down on other nations that were not as pressured by the people to change. America
The Puritans thought that you should be well educated to be ready to defend God’s Word at any time and in any area. Puritans also thought that by being well educated, you are glorifying God because you are using the gifts which He has given you, while during the Enlightenment era they were focused on edifying man. The Puritans also disagreed with the Enlightenment because they were trying to focus on worldly things rather than furthering God’s kingdom. During the Enlightenment era they were discovering new ways to make man more comfortable which would lead to man’s happiness. All of these materialistic ideas controlled the Enlightenment eras
Under the idea of Devine Right of King, God appointed individuals to be the governor of the other beings. In such, the citizens should submit to the monarch as they would to God. The doctrine implies that any attempt to depose the king or to restrict his powers runs contrary to the will of God and may constitute a sacrilegious act as the doctrine implied that only God can judge a king unjust. However, the establishment of Magna Carta in 1215 between King John of England, his barons and Stephen Langton challenges this idea. Magna Carta limits the power of King in the church, stating “English Church shall be free and shall have her rights entire, and her liberties inviolate”, and gives the church members a degree of self-governing rights as they could elect their leaders.
(p. 160) The Puritans were well aware of the abuses of the Church of England and wished to “purify” it. Of the Puritans there were two basic mindsets: reform can come from within and we must separate, as the Church is too corrupt to be fixed. The Separatists of course came to America. What they created in America is of significant importance. First and foremost in my mind was the concept of equality.
The Puritans And Sex The Puritans were a group of 16th and 17th century English Protestants who thought that the Reformation had not gone far enough in its rejection of the Catholic Church. They wanted a simpler, purer kind of worship and advocated a strict form of religious discipline. They were intolerant of any form of sexual activity outside marriage, and yet warmly encouraged it in the marital bed. Puritans considered sexual intercourse was a human exigency and according to the Puritans religion, marriage was the only proper supply for it. In fact, the Puritans saw it as a man’s duty to provide pleasure for his wife, and they also considered it as a godly behavior.
Voltaire was a leader in the Enlightenment Era. He thought the established religion, Christianity, to be a total hypocrisy after witnessing the many wars and deaths in the name of religious tradition. A rational religion based on inate morality from the natural laws of God and reason was Voltaire's premise. Einstein furthered the cause from a reason to a science and presented facts and theories as his defense. This same reliance on the scientific community opened the door for the invention of the atomic bomb which led him to a higher moral dilemma.