Help me! What is the Puritan Philosophy?

Question

I know they had strict rules.........

Answer 1

That is an assumption that gets some bad press by shallow study. Puritans were English Protestants, as in protesting against the real or imaginary excesses and failings of the Roman Catholic church, particularly as practiced in England. They had number of fairly common characteristics, some of which are referred to as Puritan philosophy.

One of the characteristics involved work. Puritans derived this in the same way as Lutherans, of which Martin Luther was famous for saying that all labor and occupations were good if one did it in right standing before God--except prostitution. The Puritans had a distinctly longer list that was derived from an ethical reading of Scripture, which was the yardstick by which they tried to measure their lives. We have what is called a Puritan work ethic, which values labor over play, labor over money, labor over a lot of things, for even "gentlemen" were expected to get their hands dirty and work up a sweat now and then--leisurely pursuits have their place in moderation, but a life of such is sin.

Another characteristic, but was fairly shared by others in that day and age, was a social stratification. We understand classes economically today, as in the poor are in the lower class, rich in the upper class, and those of us between are the middle class. They were still infused with the notions of their England: nobility are the upper class, common folk were the lower class, and such cultured and capable people to be teachers and merchants, perhaps a few exsquitely-skilled artisans or people inheriting money were the middle class. The Puritans were autocratic in that sense, leaders were born, not made. But leaders that did not follow God or did not follow God correctly were to be suspect or rejected. God come first, but class distinctly comes along with it. Pastors of churches, therefore, were high in the local pecking order--spokesmen for God and bearing the yardstick of God's will for those under their authority.

Puritans valued a classical education and were party to the Enlightenment movement of social and cultural advancement, but usually keeping it solidly rooting or tied to Scriptural precedent. Most of what we call the Ivy League schools were originally Puritan founded or Puritan influenced. Students had a labor, that of study, and they were expected to rigorously pursue it. So Puritan colleges had a reputation, then, for being extremely strict, extremely rigorous, and extremely good. The prestige of places like Harvard and Yale had their source early in their existence.

In sum, I would say that if you boiled down the Puritan philosophy it would be a passage from the Bible, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" (for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest, Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Answer 2

Puritan Philosophy

Answer 3

The Puritan’s ethics were lead by self discipline in order to improve their spirituality. They imposed concrete belief in the Bible and lived by all measures of it. Maintaining your life based on the Bible sets valuable limits. Prior to following the Bible, the Puritans looked at laughter and pleasure distasteful and unacceptable behavior. Morality of religion and family played a huge factor in the life of the Puritans. All people practicing witchcraft were condemned by the Puritans. In Puritans pursued themselves to be more pure with God. In addition, the philosophy structured by the Puritans is the most desirable way to live by. Happiness was looked upon as unnecessary and intolerable of the Puritan lifestyle. In the Bible, Jesus expressed that if you laugh, it can cause continual damage to your soul

Answer 4

When the Puritans moved to the New World they created a new society based upon perfect adherence to the strict and intolerant Puritan philosophy. However, the moral center of their universe could not hold because the people themselves although normally English, were blends of their European ancestries and the folk culture of generations before them. Puritan philosophy was rooted in the search for spiritual perfection. Witchcraft was viewed by Puritans as evidence of the man's spiritual weakness. Therefore, Puritan philosophy, as later reflected in The Crucible, was the natural enemy of witchcraft.
A Puritan's first responsibility was to serve God. The Bible was a Puritan's road map toward that duty. While Puritans respected authority, they did not revere tradition or ritual. Their churches were plain and unadorned. Prayer and listening to sermons were constant companions to the righteous Puritan. The family was a homage to God. A man's gift to God was a happy, prayerful family centered within the church.

A Puritan considered it a kindness to his neighbor to keep an eye on the neighbor's behavior and to guide him when guidance was deemed necessary. Corruption in the community could easily spread into the church, and the good Puritan was ever-vigilant against scandal in either place. A personal scandal was a community matter, and a church concern as well. Sin was a heavy burden to the Puritans. No method existed in their faith for ridding oneself of sin. And because they believed that God could pluck them away from life and cast them into hell at any given time, sin and atonement were foremost in a Puritan's mind. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, atonement was a real puzzle for the Puritans. There was no hope for man other than perfect obedience to God's laws. Yet any clear-thinking Puritan knew in his heart that he was not a perfect person. So, then, how to atone? Good deeds were looked upon with suspicion by the clergy and other citizens. Quiet, desperate prayer seemed the only hope for one's soul. A wrathful God and man's shaky grip on salvation were most often the themes of sermons in Puritan worship services. Indeed, the Devil was on the mind of the Puritans as much as was God. Life in the New World was a harsh challenge with overwhelming obstacles rising up against them every day. Long, bitterly cold winters, rock-filled farmland, disease, and political unrest made it seem that the Puritans were engaged in a battle of epic proportions. No wonder they felt close to the Day of Reckoning; the day when sin's price and piety's reward would be paid. The Puritan legal system was Bible-based in theory, but it was unfair and biased toward the prosecution in practice. Wealthier and highly regarded citizens were sometimes given special considerations when they were accused of wrongdoing. They were sometimes placed on house arrest, which gave them time to escape to the colony of New York. Poorer Puritans would spend long periods of time in jail, waiting for trial. Their property would be seized, leaving their families destitute. Puritan prosecutors were almost without restriction as to what they could say to an accused person. Their practice allowed them to interrupt witnesses, redirect questions, badger, and even hit a witness. Spectral evidence was considered fair practice in Puritan courts. The Crucible makes use of this fact to build dramatic tension in the courtroom. When Abigail says that she saw the accused talking to the Devil, her statement was accepted as fact. Ministers were consultants to the courts, and were often !called upon to interpret responses to accusations of witchcraft.
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Puritans were members of a religious and social movement of the 1500's and 1600's. The movement began in England and spread to America where it greatly influenced social, political, and religious institutions. Such religious denominations as Congregationalism and Unitarianism developed from Puritan beliefs.

Puritan beliefs developed from the teachings of religious reformers, such as John Wycliffe and John Calvin. Wycliffe was a famous professor of philosophy at Oxford University during the 1300's. Calvin was a leader of the Reformation, the religious movement of the 1500's that gave rise to Protestantism.

The Puritans considered the Bible as the true law of God that provided guidelines for church government. They wished to shape the Church of England to meet their ideals. They called for a less priestly church that emphasized preaching. Puritans believed that all Christian churches should be organized through councils called presbyteries or church courts rather than under bishops, as in the Church of England. Some Puritans believed that each congregation was a complete church in itself and should have total control of its own affairs.

The Puritans emphasized Bible reading, prayer, and preaching in worship services. They simplified the ritual of the sacraments. They also wanted more personal and fewer prescribed prayers. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue.

The term Puritan was first used in the late 1500's to identify a party within the Church of England, the national church. The party sought to make further changes in the church than had been brought about by Protestant reforms during the reigns of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, and Queen Elizabeth I. Defenders of these reforms called the party members Puritans because of their proposals to "purify" the church.

As early as the 1520's, English Protestant leaders had demanded reforms along the lines that were later called Puritan. In the 1520's and 1530's, William Tyndale published pamphlets and English translations of the Old Testament and New Testament designed to encourage such reforms. Hugh Latimer, who became an important Protestant bishop, also had raised such protests to purify the church.

Many English Christians agreed with the demands of Tyndale and Latimer that the church and the government be operated according to the Bible. These Christians believed that the Bible governed all human affairs. John Wycliffe had taught this doctrine at Oxford in the 1300's. Under King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I, these teachings received support from English clergymen who followed Calvin's doctrine that the New Testament described how the church should be run.

During the 1600's, the Puritans increasingly opposed the political and religious policies of the Stuart rulers, King James I and his son, King Charles I. In 1604, James I called the Hampton Court Conference to settle disagreements within the Church of England. However, James refused to bring about the reforms the Puritans sought, except for a new translation of the Bible, now called the King James Version.

The Puritans gained in strength in Parliament, and repeatedly introduced legislation against the Crown's policies. In 1642, civil war broke out between the Crown forces, called Royalists or Cavaliers, and the Puritans, called Roundheads. They received this name because they cut their hair short. This English Civil War is also called the Puritan Revolution.

The Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell, won a series of victories and took control of the government in 1649. The Puritans closed theaters and passed other unpopular measures. Their political power ended after Cromwell died in 1658. In 1660, the Stuart dynasty returned to the throne.

Political aspects of the Puritan movement lived on in the policies of the Whig Party in England. Puritan religious ideals were revived in the rise of the Methodist Church in the 1700's.

During the 1600's, some Puritan groups believed that reform of the Church of England was impossible and departed to settle in North America. They founded settlements in Virginia and along the New England coast, especially in Massachusetts Bay Colony and Connecticut.

The Puritans shaped religion, social life, and government in North America to their ideals. Their strong belief in education led them to establish Harvard and Yale as colleges and to require a system of grammar schools in the colonies. The Puritans organized their government according to the teachings that they found in the Bible and on the basis of their English experience.

Late in the 1500's, some Puritans separated from the Church of England and set up their own congregations. Such groups were called Separatists. A group of English Separatists first went to Holland and then founded Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts in 1620. This group of Puritans is better known as Pilgrims. Some Separatists moved to Rhode Island and became Baptists. Others joined the Massachusetts Bay Puritans and became Congregationalists. Thus, while the Puritan movement in England died down, it influenced Protestant denominations in England and America.

Puritan influence also shaped political and social institutions in England and the American Colonies. In England, the Puritan Revolution led to a greater emphasis on limited or constitutional monarchy, in which a constitution, legislature, or both limit the power of a ruler. The Puritans' belief in government by contract from the governed influenced the development of American democratic principles.

Over time, the term puritan has broadened to mean a strictness in morals or religious matters. The term is commonly applied to cultural traits found in the literature of and social attitudes shared by, the New England Colonies. Such traits include an emphasis on education and the glorification of hard work.

The word puritan has also been used to describe reforming attitudes and activities that were not part of the culture of the Puritans. For example, prohibition, the forbidding of the sale or manufacture of alcoholic beverages, and temperance, the avoidance of alcohol, are often called puritan movements. However, the Puritans did not disapprove of the use of alcohol. The term puritan has also come to describe moral attitudes and values that characterize modern movements for rapid social change that require discipline and hard work.
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