The puritans were much stricter

The puritans were much stricter

The puritans were much stricter, religiously, compared to the average modern Christian. A Massachusetts puritan farmer in 1640 would probably think of God as a wrathful angry god with absolute sovereignty. This belief would be brought upon him by the church and he would have believed this since childhood. The farmer would believe that his reason for existence is to obey the covenant that the Puritans had with God, and thus, if obeyed, God would grant him saving grace. He would need this saving grace because he was born with original sin and is naturally corrupt as a human.

His relationship with the church would be great, because he is required to attend church services. Also, the government is a theocracy, so participation and relationship with his government, that determines his living style, is also a relationship with his church. He would probably have little need for education, for his job is a farmer and his purpose is to serve God and obey their covenant. He is not set out to be an engineer or lawyer, just a master of his skill, farming.The Puritan role in the government would depend on if he was considered the elite; for only the elite could run the theocratic government, and a prerequisite is to be a church member, which was required by law.

The Puritan’s responsibility for improving society was not that great, because the church controlled the living quality and social status of the people, and the goal of a puritan to achieve accordance with their covenant and relinquish their moral corruption. Though, they do wish to “guard, warn, and reprove each other of their moral lapses. “, trying to procure that “city upon a hill”.