The Puritans had been an influential order which was a component with the revolting Protestants prevalent within the 16th and 17th century. The movement started in the course of Queen Elizabeth I’s accession towards the throne. As a result of their conflicting principles using the orthodox Church of England, they had to emigrate to New England, the Netherlands, Ireland and Wales. The Puritans had been staunch believers with the Holy Bible and followed the doctrines as guidelines for leading a pious life. They had been powerful believers of Calvinism which loosely preaches that the consequences of our actions in this mortal globe decides the fate of our souls which could be subjected to either damnation or salvation. Their main principles relied on the suggestions of free-will and sanctity with the human soul. Puritans and Pilgrims share similar tenets advocated by John Calvin. Both the factions supported the notion of abolishing the orthodox Christian clergy and purely emphasizing and implementing the preachings from the Bible into their lives. Nonetheless, the Pilgrims started to develop a demarcated stance from the Puritan beliefs owing towards the their failure in purifying the Anglican Church.

Puritan Faith And Beliefs

The Puritan beliefs had been non-materialistic and overly concerned using the attainment of His Holy Grace. Their emphasis on nurturing one’s piety and ethics clearly portrayed their conviction on eternal damnation as an aftermath of one’s religious transgression. The Puritan beliefs are roughly based on the Doctrines of Grace written by the fellow theologians of James Arminius, who incidentally was a follower of Calvin’s function. These doctrines, also called ‘The Remonstrance’, could be elucidated as:

Total Depravity
Puritan beliefs or Puritanism revolves about the truth that man is created of two distinct entities – the tangible entity (body) as well as the intangible entity (soul). Adam and Eve committed a blasphemy by consuming the ‘Forbidden Fruit’ from the ‘Tree of Knowledge’ inside the ‘Garden of Eden’ for which they had been banished and lost their chastity. This event, called the Fall, culminated into the belief that man, owing to his defiled lineage, is inherently corrupted from his birth. It’s his duty to redeem his sins by accepting the Lord’s grace and sanctify his soul and body.

Unconditional Election
Unconditional Election sheds light on among the Puritan beliefs which has been stated within the Doctrines of Grace as His most wise and holy counsel, of His own, freely and unchangeably ordain some males to heaven and some males to hell by the nature of His great pleasure. It indicates that God has given the best to a handful of individuals to spread His word and thereafter, attain salvation. This doctrine was highly controversial amongst a great deal of theologians as a result of its biased nature and was among the reasons behind the rift in between the Pilgrim and Puritan beliefs and practices.

Limited/Particular Atonement
Limited Atonement signifies the reality that Jesus, suitably referred to as the Lamb of God, sacrificed his life for his ‘sheep’ or the chosen individuals and not for everyone. It was an act of redemption for the mortal sins to bring about reconciliation among God as well as the humans. The Scriptures state that Jesus sacrificed his life for ‘all men’ and that God loves ‘the complete world’ but here, it should be noted that He died for those righteous individuals who championed His trigger and hence, secured their salvation.

Irresistible Grace
The Puritan beliefs and values had been noted for their obsessive religious fixation to His Grace. Irresistible Grace advocates the truth that His Holy Spirit is sent to change one’s heart, and its divine energy can render alchemical wonders to one’s psyche. You can find two ways of enlightenment – external and internal. External enlightenment refers towards the preachings spread via the word of mouth, normally by way of gospels. Internal enlightenment could be the inward process of self-realization and healing by His Holy Spirit. If somehow 1 contradicts the feeling of His Grace and fails to embrace it into his/her life, then he/she might have to face damnation due to his/her contemptuous actions.

Preservation with the Saints
Most with the Puritan beliefs and values are loosely connected with every other. Apparently, this doctrine is closely related towards the idea of Unconditional Election. It states that salvation relies solely at God’s discretion, who has already decided to save those whom he wishes to, and it’s their inherited prerogative which cannot be altered. It should be noted that though the ‘chosen ones’ had been liable to commit grave sins, they would not be denied from attaining a location inside the heavens.

Puritans also believed that marriage was a sanctimonious ritual which resulted in partners entering into a lifetime bonding of adore, sacrifice and forgiveness. These Puritan beliefs about marriage are noticed to be prevalent in their culture till date. They had been the champions of public morality and cleansing the vices of society. Puritan faith and beliefs, their intellectual contributions, and theological writings have left an indelible impression on the face of our contemporary society.