Puritan Life In Massachusetts Bay Colony

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The Plymouth Colony heard rumors that things in England were not good. Under Charles I, things were even worse for the religious nonconformists or "Puritans." They hoped to purify the Church of England but the king was adamantly against it. From 1630 to 1640 a large number Puritans sailed for a new life in Massachusetts. They wanted the freedom to practice their religion in peace and without fear of retribution. They wanted to build a Christian community where the citizens would be governed and live by the laws laid out in the Bible. They expected their Massachusetts Bay Colony to be an example to the rest of the world on how to live right. John Winthrop proclaimed: "We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us." The Puritans were seeking freedom for themselves, but they didn't grasp the concept of acceptance. They came to America to find religious freedom but only for likeminded people. They …show more content…

Those who did would be siding with the devil. It was strongly believed that they followed the only true religion and in doing so should be able to force everyone to worship as the Puritans did. However, some didn't believe forcing others to believe as they did was the right path. They thought that punishment or killing in the name of Christianity was in fact siding with the devil. They respected the beliefs of others, including those who were native to this land. One Reverend, Roger Williams argued that church members should pay for their church and not take expenses out of the general tax fund. He started preaching that land belonging to the Indians shouldn’t be taken from them by force but rather in an equitable manner. He said, “It is against the testimony of Christ Jesus for the civil state to impose upon the souls of the people a religion. Jesus never called for the sword of steel to help the sword of

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