The Puritans were English Protestants who sought to purge the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices. They aimed to work on societal, moral, and religious policies and were distinguished by religious fanaticism, courage, perseverance, confidence in their exclusivity, asceticism, and prudence in economic matters. The representatives of puritanism believed that the Bible was a source of law; however, they discarded the traditional attributes and formalities of Christianity (Hennessy, 2012). Their principles were based on New Testament, and people with opposing religious views were forced to leave their grounds or accept Christianity.
Additionally, the Puritans believed that God already decided each person’s afterlife path – they would be sent either to heaven or hell. In their opinion, the devil was behind every crime, so a person needed to monitor their behavior to avoid falling into his clutches constantly (Hennessy, 2012). They created sermons dedicated to the devil to impose fear on those rejecting God (Hennessy, 2012). Even though the Puritans tried to purify the church, they continued promoting the devil and his punishments for the wrongdoings.
While the Puritans were concentrated on the devil as an omnipresent force, they neglected the central Christian principle related to causing harm to people. In addition, music, poetry, and some other art forms were forbidden as they were considered to bring destruction to people’s lives. The Puritans made people read the Bible as it was the only way to live a pious life. However, they still assumed ghosts, witches, and other supernatural creatures existed despite the firm belief in God. As a result, their inability to fully accept God and intention to convert everyone to Christianity hindered their moral development.
Reference
Hennessy, D. (Ed.). (2012). Cultures collide. Classics of American literature (pp. 2-56). Broward College.