Puritan+Beliefs7

Puritanism- a movement for reform in the Church of England that had a profound influence on the social, political, ethical, and theological ideas of England and America. Beliefs- Puritans differentiated themselves from other Christians by their belief in predestination, the idea that one was destined for salvation or not as soon as they were born.

Puritans- believed in witches and their ability to harm others. They defined witchcraft as entering into a compact with the devil in exchange for certain powers to do evil. Witchcraft was considered a sin because it denied God’s superiority, and a crime because the witch could supposedly make the Devil appear in different shapes. When the Devil appeared in different shapes, it would commit cruel acts against others. Therefore, under the Puritan beliefs, in any case of witchcraft, it was important that the accused individual was investigated. If they were found to be guilty, they needed to be punished. Their punishment was death. Puritans suspected a that somebody was a Witch if they engaged in the sinful activities of Satan. Witchcraft was punishable by death in a Puritan community.

**1.** The Puritans were committed to the functional authority of the Scripture. For them it was the comprehensive manual for dealing with all problems of the heart.


 * 2.** The Puritans developed a sophisticated and sensitive system of diagnosis for personal problems, distinguishing a variety of physical, spiritual, temperamental, and demonic causes.


 * 3.** The Puritans developed a remarkable balance in their treatment because they were not invested in any one "personality theory" other than biblical teaching about the heart.


 * 4.** The Puritans were realistic about difficulties of the Christian life, especially conflicts with remaining, indwelling sin.


 * 5.** The Puritans looked not just at behavior but at underlying root motives and desires. Man is a worshiper; all problems grow out of "sinful imagination" or idol manufacturing.

**Religious Reformers-** John Wycliffe and John Calvin
 * 6.** The Puritans considered the essential spiritual remedy to be belief in the gospel, used in both repentance and the development of proper self-understanding.
 * Wycliffe was a famous professor of philosophy
 * Calvin was a leader of reform that lead us to Protestantism

WEBSITES: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/story/story.html [|www.dogpile.com] [|www.mb-soft.com] [|www.wsu.edu] [|www.buzzardblog.com]