Puritans believed that it was necessary to be in a covenant relationship with God in order to be redeemed from one’s sinful condition, that God had chosen to reveal salvation through preaching, and that the Holy Spirit was the energizing instrument of salvation.

Basic Tenets of Puritanism

• Judgmental God (rewards good/punishes evil)
• Predestination/Election (salvation or damnation was predetermined by God)
• Original Sin (humans are innately sinful, tainted by the sins of Adam & Eve; good can be accomplished only through hard work & self-discipline)
• Providence.
• God’s Grace.

The Puritans believed that the God ruled everything including who was worthy of salvation. The Puritans believed that the Church of England still have the Catholic influence. The Puritans did not want to break away from the Church of England, but they wanted to reformed it. (It did not work out).

The Puritans were an industrious people, and virtually everything within the house was made by hand – including clothes. The men and boys took charge of farming, fixing things around the house, and caring for livestock. The women made soap, cooked, gardened, and took care of the house.

To be fair, the Puritans did have some fun. They allowed hunting, fishing and archery, and they held athletic contests (never on Sunday though). They drank beer, wine and liquor, but not to excess.

Puritans, like most 17th-century Christians, believed that female subordination in earthly matters was God’s will, but they also believed that male and female souls were equal before God.

The ideal Puritan woman was what has sometimes been called a “helpmeet” or a “goodwife.” Women were expected to marry and serve as a godly mother to the children that were born into their households. Women were generally expected not to play a public role in Puritan communities but rather to maintain the household.

Those who are not destined to be saved, according to the Puritans, would suffer eternal damnation in Hell after death or after God’s judgment on Doomsday, whichever came first.

At the same time, the Puritans regarded death as God’s punishment for human sinfulness and on their deathbeds many New Englanders trembled with fear that they might suffer eternal damnation in Hell. From their earliest upbringing, Puritans were taught to fear death.

The Puritans were members of a religious reform movement known as Puritanism that arose within the Church of England in the late 16th century. They believed the Church of England was too similar to the Roman Catholic Church and should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in the Bible.

The Puritan emphasis on education led to an American school system whereby everyone is taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. Finally, many Americans have adopted the Puritan ethics of honesty, responsibility, hard work, and self-control.

Puritans were English Protestants who were committed to “purifying” the Church of England by eliminating all aspects of Catholicism from religious practices. English Puritans founded the colony of Plymouth to practice their own brand of Protestantism without interference.

The Puritans were seeking freedom, but they didn’t understand the idea of toleration. They came to America to find religious freedom—but only for themselves. They had little tolerance or even respect for the Pequot Indians, who lived in nearby Connecticut and Rhode Island. They called them heathens.

The church was the most important building in these early Connecticut communities. Although the Puritans came to America seeking the right to worship as they wished, there was no religious liberty in Puritan Connecticut.