What is the difference between Puritan and Protestant?

Answer 1

The equation of Puritans with Calvinists is understandable, but a bit off the mark. The term "Puritan" when referring to a Protestant movement, usually refers specifically to those ENGLISH Protestants who. They were, in fact, Calvinistic (that is, they were influenced by the views of Calvin and others from Geneva, and held his basic theological viewpoint). But that does not mean that all Calvinists were "Puritan" -- since not all were English!!

Rather, the "Puritans" (sometimes a term they themselves used, often a derisive label given by their opponents) were those who sought a more thorough Reformation within the Church of England from its earliest days, but esp. from the time of Elizabeth on. The problem was that the Church of England was a hybrid -- a compromise between Catholic and Protestant views. Since the Church was founded by the English monarch and nominally under the control of the monarchy, reforms could only go as far as the king or queen permitted. And there were powerful factions on both sides --those who wished to remain as close to the Catholic church in belief and practice, and those who sought to 'finish' the English Reformation. (Even today, there are "high church" or "Anglo-Catholic" Anglicans and a strong group of "Reformed", that is, Calvinistic Anglicans.)

Another mistake is to narrow or even equate "Puritan" with an opposition to style, ostentation, etc. This was certainly sometimes one practical concern of Puritans. But again, what DEFINES them is their theological views and esp. their view about the need to further purify the CHURCH's theological teachings and religious (worship) practices.

Note that there was much diversity among the Puritans. The largest divide was between those who wished to purify the church from WITHIN (virtually all the Puritans were of this sort at the start), and the "Separatists" who thought it necessary to form congregations independent from the Church of England (including the Baptist groups and the "Pilgrims" who emigrated to New England and established Congregational churches there).

Answer 2

Puritans believe essentially the same thing, but they had a stricter view of the way that a church should run, and they wanted further reforms during the Protestant Reformation. They also argued that things like the Sabbath and Sacrament had been 'defiled' by the Catholic Church, and even though the Protestant church did work on those things, they wanted them further...purified. Hence the name Puritan.

Calvinists are considered to be Puritans - The founder, John Calvin was a strong supporter in further purification of the Protestant Church, even after the reformation and Martin Luther.

Answer 3

Protestantism started in the 16th century when people started to 'protest' about the Catholic Church. The thing is that there wasn't just one group; some followed Calvin, some followed and then there was the Church of England, which though it had broken away from the Catholic Church still stayed very similar to it in many ways. Under Charles the 1st of England clothes styles and hair styles became very fancy; some people disapproved of the excess seen in these styles, mainly because of their religious views, and they were called Puritans. so all Puritans are protestant but not all Protestants are Puritans. It is a very strict form of protestantism that really comes from Calvinism.

Answer 4

protestant is a general term given to all catholic protestors who spun off from Pope. Puritan is a more specific variety of protestant.. there are hundreds of such spinoffs and subcults of Christ.

Answer 5

Humans always pride themselves to be a higher species because of their ability to think and make decisions. In my opinion, the ability to think is starting to get in the way of our lives. Because people think, and everyone think differently, quarrels and fights are started. Because people think, their school essays get discredited; students are not supposed to think, they are supposed to 'think' like people of the past who had written some books or some form of evidence and include those in the essays. Because people think, those who don't think have to conform to the ideas of the former. Because people think, they cannot come to a decision about some things and it will always be there, never-ending, never gonna be solved. Because people think. Too much in fact. Wouldn't it be good if everyone just do things without thinking too much? Go for it. On impulse. On instinct. Would that make things better? Look what has all the thinking done to us. Yes, we have the technology, the entertainment and everything else which people of the past did not have but we no longer have the simplicity in people. I'm not saying that people in the past did not think but they were smarter. They don't think so much. What's the point of thinking so much and still no conclusion and decision could be made? Doesn't that make you feel worse?

Bottomline: we think too much. Don't k. To whoever this is applicable to.