Puritans and Humanists Essay Gordon B. Hickley, the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, asserts that “it is not enough just to be good. We must be good for something. We must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for our presence” (A Quote by Gordon B. Hinckley). Hickley uses anaphora to persuade his audience to better the world with their good works. The Puritans lived in America between the early 1600’s and the 1750’s, and believed that they must obtain God’s salvation was only attainable through God’s grace. In order to maintain God’s grace the Puritans completed good deeds and had faith in God. Humanists were logical thinkers who resided in America during the Age of Reason, between 1750 and 1800, and believed people made the world a better place through their actions. Today, people improve the world through the giving of financial aid and by following the lead of influential figures and organizations; however, some people do good deeds in fear of the consequences of not doing good deeds. …show more content…
For instance, the United States spent in excess of 4.7 billion dollars annually on humanitarian assistance (Global Humanitarian Assistance). Does the United States give humanitarian aid to improve the world through their actions? In order to answer this question one must know who the humanitarian aid benefits. Recipients of humanitarian aid are victims of humanitarian disasters, and the money given helps improve their health and safety. Furthermore, in, The Autobiography, by Benjamin Franklin, Franklin exemplifies the Humanists point of view when he provides bread to a famished mother and her starving child (Franklin 69). Benjamin Franklin lived from 1706 to 1790, and understood that the world is enriched when people completed selfless acts of good. Franklin displays his beliefs when he gives bread to the
Religion was very important to the Puritans in the 1600s. John Winthrop a member of the Puritans gentry, wrote to his wife the ‘I am verily persuaded God will bring some heavy affliction upon this land.” A year later he went and lead a group of a group of puritans to New England. By the 1630s another twenty thousand Puritans would come to America. When John became governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he told immigrants that will have to guide people toward this holy ideal or they were not welcomed.
In search of religious freedom a group of devout Christians sailed across the ocean only to come across a new land, radically different from the one they left behind. From the initial journey, to the formation of the colonies, and finally their complicated relationship with “non-believers” Puritans strongly held religious convictions has played a key role in all of this. The Puritans were a group of reformed Protestants seeking to reform the English Church. After the fall of the Roman Catholic Church, a new church was established “The English Anglican Church”. While most Puritans sought to reform the church others wanted nothing to do with it these Puritans would eventually be known as Separatists.
Evidence shows that the Puritans had politically influenced their colonies with their religious values. In the New World, a group of Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. There, the Puritans would create a government that would revolve around their covenant with God. On the way to the New World, John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, led a sermon, titled “A Model of Christian Charity”, about Puritan ideals (Winthrop). As well as determining Puritan ideals, the sermon urges colonists to unite as a “city on a hill” for others to look up to (Winthrop).
There have always been similarities in puritans and pilgrims; however there are also many differences .The puritans were more non separating Congregationalist and the pilgrims were separatists. The puritans settled in Salem and Boston and were well educated unlike the pilgrims who were not so educated. The puritans were more middle classed people and the pilgrims were poorer. The pilgrims settled in Plymouth and sailed on the mayflower.
Document I shows a Puritan testifying that he had "not lived an idle, lazie or dronish life," but rather he spent his time well to redeem himself in heaven. This distaste of laziness led to hard-working societies in New England. The Puritans did not believe that "worldly gain was not the end and designe of the people of New England" (Document J). John Higginson also explains in Document J that New England was a "plantation of Religion, not a Plantation of Trade. "
Pilgrims and puritans began a journey to a new land in search for religious freedom, and a fresh start to a brighter future. Both searched for a change to colonize their families, spread and develop their own beliefs of worship, and create a foundation to combine the wealth of opportunity and worship together without the strong influence of England. The geographical change would be the first challenge for the pilgrims and puritans. England held both parties until word of opportunity began to spread like wildfire.
The Puritan’s goal of coming to the New World was not to create a new life, but to create the ideal model of living for the “corrupt” inhabitants of England. This was coined “The Errand”, the Puritans desire to establish a City Upon a Hill that others could look up to and imitate in order to receive God’s grace. The Puritans failed at building their City Upon a Hill (creating a perfect religious, economic, and political community), however the long-term effects of their efforts have influenced American moral politics throughout its history. The Puritans forever had the attitude of a community that had successfully established a City Upon a Hill. The Puritan lifestyle was heavily influenced not only by religion, but also inside of that, morality.
The ideas constructed by the Puritans were not simply a principal starting point for American culture because they were the first in the country, but because they offered distinct ways of thinking that are still deep-seated in our culture today. Although many of the ideas of Puritans have evolved or vanished over time, it is important to give credit to the Puritan writers and thinkers such as John Winthrop and John Cotton who offered ideas that were new at the time and that stayed with the American consciousness—culturally, socially, and politically. “John Winthrop's legacy can be seen primarily in the fields of government, commerce, and religion. It was religion that would most impact John's life; his religion would ultimately impact the
The Original Puritan vision of having of doing everything as a collective effort for the eyes of England, with almost no aspect of individualism, as seen with John Winthrop, morphed into the Puritans displaying “The Other” theme through King Phillip’s war and finding an enemy and try to define themselves, away from the church, and also there is change with the Nature theme and the Salem Witch Trials which shows the Puritan Dilemma and how it secularized the second and third generation Puritans. Firstly, the original Puritan Errand had little individualism and called for a collective effort for their society to be an example for England. In John Winthrop’s, A Model of Christian Charity, he explains how the Puritans’ original goal is to be a
Benjamin Franklin is known to be an “Archetypal American,” because of his beliefs on religion, self-improvement, hard work, and determination; but also his somewhat prideful spirit. Much of modern America is quite similar to Franklin in his actions throughout his lifetime. In his early years, Franklin’s father, Josiah, had a set plan for what he was supposed to do with his life, as a minister. Soon into his education, he found an interest in reading and writing, so he began pursuing a career in printing.
The Puritans in the 1600s had a very important influence in the development of the New England colonies through the 1660s their ideas, values; political, economic and social development would have a lasting effect on the region. The values of the Puritans were greatly rooted in the idea that man was evil and that God alone would save us. By creating this town upon the hill God will reward them for their efforts for trying to reform the Anglican Church. Politically the Puritans were a semi-theocracy that would only allow those who were part of the church to vote. Economically they brought a lasting effect based on their hard work ethic.
The American Enlightenment and the Great Awakening were two very important motivators that changed the colonial society in America through religious beliefs, educational values, and the right to live one’s life according to each individual’s preference. The Great Awakening and the American Enlightenment movements were two events in history that signaled a grand distinction to the teachings among religious believers. New beliefs of how a person should worship in order to be considered in “God’s good graces” soon became an enormous discussion among colonists across the land. “Men of the cloth,” such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were well respected and closely followed when preaching about the love of God and damnation.
Coming from the same domicile. Living amongst each other trying to decide how can they remain neighbors and still live comfortable. Unfortunately the Pilgrims and Puritans couldn’t come up with the solution to the problem. Having to deal with the same oppression together by King James and his followers should have brought them closer but instead the pilgrims and puritans had their old engender. Both wanted to seek freedom.
As a result, Benjamin Franklin is a wise man, in order to create trusts from the members of the congress, he utilizes his ethos by accepting his fallibilities and willing to do good for the constitution to be
Essentially, Puritans are expected to follow a strict set of religious and moral guidelines from which their actions and morality are derived. According to Hall’s A Reforming People, these moral expectations first introduced by the pilgrims were the driving force behind the power that the Puritan ministry had over society: “Ministers and laypeople looked first to congregations as the place where love, mutuality, and righteousness would flourish, and second to civil society. …Alongside love, mutuality, and righteousness they placed another set of values summed up in the word “equity.” Employed in a broad array of contexts, the concept of equity conveyed the colonists’ hopes for justice and fairness in their social world.”