Calvin wrote his beliefs and thoughts in a book called, “Institutes of the Christian Religion”. He wrote about his ideas on what he believed that people should keep in mind when learning about religion. Calvin's beliefs about salvation were new in his lifetime. He stated that people were born sinful and only a few people would be saved from sin after death. He also believed that God had already chosen who would be saved when they were born.
American colonies were founded by groups of people who differed greatly in peoples own reasons for leaving England. The Chesapeake region was colonized by those seeking economic opportunity whereas the New England region was colonized by those seeking either to escape religious persecution or establish religious freedom. One would hardly expect these two very different groups to establish ways of life that were exactly the same. Moreover, the different geographies of the colonies only made the path that the colonies took more diverse. By 1750, the New England and Chesapeake colonies exhibited pronounced economic, social and political diversity due to both the differing motives for colonization and the differing geographies of the regions.
Although the New England and Chesapeake regions were originally colonized by mainly English settlers, the two regions in time evolved into two distinct societies. By 1700, their religious practices, family relations, and political differences led them in two different directions. New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. In Document A, John Winthrop talks a lot about uniting together to basically please God, and spread his word. John Winthrop states that the Puritan goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which would represent a "pure" community, where Christianity could be pursued (Document A).
The Puritanism began with they Plymouth colonist of 1620. They believed in the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it, leading to their emigration to the Americas. Their values and ideas influenced the political, economic, and social developments of the American colonies. Their idea of a united and representative government is one of the important and basic elements of the U.S. government. They influenced the colonies socially with their emphasis on community and led to the desire for religious freedom.
Economically, the ideals of a community helping each other and not relying on the government- England- originated from the Puritans. This ideal that we can take care of ourselves will be the argument used by Thomas Jefferson as he and the Republicans fight for a state-centered government. Socially, emphasis on church, community, and education was another lasting influence of the Puritans. The political, social, and economic impact of the Puritans not only made them a beckon to the New World, but also led way to the American image. The Puritans mixed religion with politics They believed in both personal and collective autonomy within each village or settlement.
In America, all the states came together to create one unified group, but each colony, although originating from the same place “England”, carried different people with different reasons and goals. Going back to the root country of England, Puritans wanted to purify the Anglican Church because they believed that only a selected few who are truly devoted to the religion should be part of it. After being chased out of England by King James I they moved to Holland were they would be free to practice their religion. But out of fear that their children were becoming “Dutchified”, and forgetting their English roots, they approached the Virginia Company and set fourth to Virginia where they would begin to their own colony based on the Puritan belief. But instead of docking in Virginia they ended up landing in New England, and so it marked the beginning of Puritan settlement New England.
He spoke that all people should have the same rights to the religion that they choose, and that the government should have no control on whether you go to church or not. Williams believed that god did not love one group more than the other. In the letter he talks about being together in a community. “To prevent such mistakes, I shall at present only propose this case: There goes many a ship to sea, with many hundred souls in one ship, whose weal or
They decided to come to the new world after the Church of England separated from Catholicism in a decision made by King Henry VIII. Although the Church of England and Catholicism were no longer intertwined, they still felt they did not have the entire amount of religious freedom they desired. They decided that the best course of action would be to head to the new world so they could start a society in which they could practice their religious beliefs freely and without persecution. They were also joined by some quakers and catholics who had not joined the church of England, who also wanted freedom to practice their religious beliefs how they saw fit. Although they came to the new world to start a society based on living a religious life,having religious freedom, and being a
Protestant Christian Views of Death, Dying, and Afterlife Christianity was introduced to the Americas when it was first colonized by Europeans beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries. Even though Protestant’s sought a new life in America, what they were truly seeking to do is pursue eternal life through the following of Jesus because they were unable to freely seek this eternal life back in Europe due to the reformation and religious movements that were going on at the time. Today most Christian churches are Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, or Roman Catholic. Protestant Christianity has historically taught that everyone has only a single life on earth. After death, an eternal life awaits everyone either in Heaven or Hell.
He also argued that the structure of Puritanism is very closely related to the structure of a democracy. He explains that Puritan churches were formed with the consent of the people, instead of the consent of a leader figure at the top of a hierarchy like Catholicism. The idea of receiving consent of the people was diffused into the social contracts the Pilgrims used when they came to America. Receiving the “consent of the governed” was something unheard of at the time of America’s formation. The consent of the governed means that the government cannot do anything without obtaining permission from its people.