Comparing Religion In Puritans And Modern-Day American Society
700 Words3 Pages
One month ago, I believed that religion was insignificant to the archaic civilizations back then. But after reading "Of Plymouth Plantation" and "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" I have new thoughts on just how crucial religion was to the Puritans and pilgrims. The Puritans used religion to create laws and form governments. To add on, Modern-American societies are more diverse than the Puritan societies of earlier times. Also, ministers and pastors were interpreted to the Puritans as "peacemakers" or as interpreters of the scripture. If a minister was found to be dishonest, they were either excommunicated or put to death. So just how important was religion to the puritans and pilgrims of the archaic age? The answer, in my opinion, is this: Religion was prime in Puritan society.
To the Puritans, Religion not only guided them each day of their life, it also made up governments and created their laws; religion became used often in court hearings, to determine whether the accused was guilty or innocent, whether they should live or die. Puritans attended church daily for long…show more content… Puritan society was very restrained; people could believe only in God and Scripture was the law. Unlike Puritan society, modern-day American society does not suppress religion; Americans can freely worship any religion they choose without persecution by a congregation. Americans today use religion as a means to keep happy spirits in times of great despondency, or to find answers to things that don't quite make sense, such as the creation of all things or surviving a fatal illness; the judicial systems of today rely on The Constitution rather than scripture to determine one's punishment. On the other hand, Puritan lifestyle is composed of using the scripture as a guide through your whole life. The common Puritan belief states: if you refuse to devote yourself to all of God's teachings, your soul will surely perish in