Puritan Beliefs
Puritan Beliefs Although we believe that “our little superstitious rituals and propiations” don’t affect us the Puritans believed that they affected “our daily lives” (Benét). Stephen Benét continues to tell the reader about Puritan superstitions. Many of those described, many people are not aware of. The Puritans were a God fearing people who believed, and lived their lives, according to the Bible. In fact, many members were often punished for going slightly, or largely, out of the rules or expressing their personal beliefs. In many pieces of Puritan literature their beliefs are evident. Some specific beliefs are original sin, the Bible is law, and predestination. One belief of the Puritans was original sin. The idea that man was born simple and must become good is evident in Anne Bradstreet’s writing. In “Upon the Burning of Our House” she calls her materialistic feeling a “dunghill” (Line 42). Bradstreet believed God burned her home to teach her she had sinned by being materialistic. She had been terribly sad about the things she lost in the fire. There are other examples of this belief in Puritan literature. The New England Primer relates to the original sin in its children’s alphabet. The rhyme for the letter “A” states “In Adams fall, I’ve sinned all” (Line 29). In Genesis, Adam committed the first sin of mankind. The Puritans believed that from that time that all people were born simple. The Puritan self-examination of their lies, to find any sort of sin, can be traced to that original sin of Adam. Another belief that the Puritans strongly believed in was the Bible is law. In the Massachusetts Bay Psalm Book a committee of Puritan ministers discuss the word of God verses the word of man. In Psalm 23, or the Psalm of David, it states that “Because thou are with me; thy rod and staff my comfort are” (Psalm 23). The Puritans believed that if they did good continually, that they would be blessed. And when they sinned or did wrong, they would