Monday, November 5, 2012

Puritan Literature: Tie It All Together

Beliefs, Values, & Principles

After reading the various pieces of Puritan literature, think about the strong religious beliefs as well as the principles and values that were important to the Puritans.  Discuss how the pieces beliefs, values and principles were similar or different.  Use specific passages from the book (parenthetical notation - MLA) that proves your ideas.  Then discuss if any of those beliefs, values, or principles are still important today.  Please use specific examples to prove your ideas.

34 comments:

  1. All the stories or poems were linked together in a way that they were very strict about what they can believe and what they can't believe. For example, the poems were happy and cheery with a positive view on what God thought of the people. The sermon on the other hand had the people believing that God was viewing them all as sinners and they would not make it to heaven. "The Crucible" also ties into this in a way that they were very strict about not lying, but that is what the girls were doing the whole time to get the people in trouble for being a witch.
    I feel that believing in God and being a good person morally has really declined in recent times. More people lie about things now days then they did in the past to get what they want. One thing that is kind of similar between present and past is that there a still a few people that are very religious and if you do not believe what they do then they can become very upset when your trying to deal with them.

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  2. Having a religion is very important in many peoples lives all over. Religion is the one thing that you can fall back on if something goes wrong. In the stories and poems that we have read, they all have talked about the Puritan way of religion. Some were bad but some were good. In the poems, most of them believe that you should not read or talk about anything but God. God is the master and you must follow him and his rules. If you do not believe or follow the footsteps of god you would basically be shunned. In the poems they explain what heaven is like and how you can get there. If you follow Gods ways and the Bible, you will more than likely get there. But Gd isn't afraid to send someone there either. He kind of threatens you if you sin. He will show you with just a snap of his fingers he can send you there, and this scares most people. In the other poems they talk about how everyone goes to heaven and I believe that this is what people should follow. In the Crucible they are very much the same with religion. You can not read anything if it is not religion based. If you do not do so, they will believe that you are in contact with the Devil and you will more than likely get hung. Back then, religion was very important to the people. It still is today but not as strongly as those people.

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  3. Religion is described by dictionary.com as scrupulously faithful. Everybody has different religious beliefs depending on how they were raised and where they were raised. In many of our stories and poems religion is used. In the poem "Upon the Burning of Our House," God is asked upon why he took one of his houses and made it be gone. In all of the stories God is mentioned. He is thought highly of and is believed to be the creator and ruler of everything that happens in the world. They think highly of him and respect him in all ways. Every aspect of God in our stories is important. All of them relate today with the belief that God created man and that he is watching over us no matter what happens.

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  4. The Puritans believe that God was the most important person in their life. They were very religious people, praying whenever they had the time to. Puritans also believed that education for all was very important as well. To them, marriage was a blessing from God. If someone was poor, they would still love them anyway because that is what they believed in. The bible was also very important to them. Supreme authority on Earth is what the Puritans believed the Bible was. Puritans valued their family like, community service, art, and literature. They did this because all of those connected to the Bible and God in some way. When the Puritans worked, they valued the work and self sacrifice. They believed that God helped them through and taught them to work so hard. In the story "Upon the Burning House," it states, "It was His own, it was not mine," (141). This quotation means that God took over and helped her through what was going on. The Puritans strongly believed in God, and no one else could have them through the tough times. God was their number one priority.
    Brooke Wooten 2nd Hour

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  5. Puritans have very strong beliefs.The poems and stories were very different. The poems had a more positive outlook than the stories. For example, Jonathan Edward's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," is almost completely negative. He preaches things like, "The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you"(157). In Anne Bradstreet's poem, "Upon the Burning of Our House," she is more positive by saying, "There's wealth enough, I need no more, Farewell, my pelf, farewell my store. The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above"(141). The two have very different emotions towards God.
    Puritans are very dedicated to their religion. My religion today isn't taken seriously by a lot of people and I don't have as many rules to follow as the Puritans do. In all of the poems and stories, including "The Crucible," religion is everything. I agree that God is important, but it shouldn't have been as strict as it was.

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  6. We all have our own religious beliefs and our own way of thinking how things should be. Some of us have similar beliefs while some of us have different beliefs but that's what makes us who we are.
    The Puritans were had very strong values when it comes to religion and just how they thought things should be. Some things they believe in is a strong religious belief. They think that the bible is the supreme authority, saying that it is a guide to their life. Another thing they praise in their life is love. One line from 'To My Dear and Loving Husband' by Anne Bradstreet is, "I prize thy love more than whole mines or gold or all the riches that the East doth hold"(139). She is saying that she values her husband more than anything in the world and she would do anything for him. An example from The Crucible is John Proctor knows he messed up by cheating on his wife with Abigail but he doesn't argue with Danforth when he tells John he will be hanged. He sticks to what he believed in and doesn't want his name to be bad to the church and if that means that he be killed, that's what he wants and that's what he does, which in my eyes is a good man, sticking to his word. I hope that someday I have a marriage that is like the puritans in the way that we love each other more than life itself and would do anything for each other.
    The puritans are good people in the way that they put other people before themselves and their love for their spouse is so strong. I believe that we are like the puritan people and wish that we could, in some parts, be more like the puritans.

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  7. In class we read many stories and poems. Most of them were very strong about religion.
    In most of the poems that we read they talked a lot about god. Everything they did was because of him. When we read the world on the turtles back, that was how the people loved god and did everything for him. They would bring offering to him, and when the women fell out of the sky she believed that god had chose her to make the earth.
    Their are even more poems we read but I feel that one poem was the best at describing what people would believe in.
    The one storie that we have read in class has really stuck out to me. Its called the Crucible.
    This storie/play really stuck out to me because I never did realize how much believed in their religion so much. I never new that back then that you could only read certain books that talked about god. How you could not do things unless it was with god. I notice that if you do something without god like things they believed that you had the devil in you. To me it was crazy how they thought and that they would not put any effort to go out and find proof to really even see if their was any real witch craft.
    So if you ever read any of these poems or stories just think to yourself and ask yourself what would you believe and how would you handle things back then?

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  8. Puritans believed very strongly in God. Nobody else was more important. To Puritans, God was everything. They went to church every Sunday and never disgraced the Bible. In Anne Bradstreet's poems, she thanked God everyday for the things and people that she had in her life. Even during the bad times, she knew that God was always there to bring her through and help her to see the light in things. In The Crucible, this was true also. They all believed in God. But, when Abigail and the other girls started lying about the Devil, they didn't realize that they would not be forgiven for that. The court only looked at the people who were being accused, because they thought that the girls were not lying. Because of Parris and Abigail, John Proctor stopped going to church, and he was accused of something that he never did. He lied, anyway, to save the ones he loved. This happens today all the time, with people dying for the ones they love, and they find peace with themselves, because they know that God will light the way for them and everything will be alright. God was a huge part in the Puritans lives. God should also be a huge part in our lives as well.

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  9. In Puritan Literature had many different views. The pieces all tied together with one subject but in different outlooks.
    In the poems that we read, they were praising God and They were using him and seeing him in good light. The Crucible brought God up, but at the same time it was more about the devil. It discussed the devil being more bad than putting God on a high pedistal. Happiness is spread throught the first few poems and they show goodness. The Sermon says that it is practically hopeless that you will go to heaven. It also shows hatred and fear of what will happen when you don't go to heaven. All of the pieces are talking about what they are allowed to believe and what they can't. Most of the pieces we read are telling you to believe in God, but the Sermon is telling us to believe in the Devil because there is no other way. The different views on religion after reading these pieces show that they don't have to be the same. Each person has a different view on the aspects of life, including what to believe in.

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  10. Breanna Recker
    Puritans were very extreme in their beliefs, they did not believe in dancing or in our mind set, having fun at all. They believed going to church was fun and they also believed in witches. Many Puritans believed in being good, honest people. Others said that was what they believed but acted differently. In this passage, “Mr. Putnam, I have here and accusation by Mr. Corey against you. He states that you coldly prompted your daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacobs that is now in jail” (214). Putnam is said to have told his daughter to cry witchery so that he is able to buy more land. This goes against all Puritan beliefs, Putnam is said to have lied and that is a sin. Many people in Salem goes against their Puritan beliefs by lying, dancing, committing adultery and not attending church. I believe that to some people in “The Crucible,” they regret and feel terrible for their sins, but others do not, they are greedy and will do anything they want to get it. Today I believe that some people in the world still have some of the values and beliefs that the Puritans had back then, just not as extreme. Today there are many people that believe lying is wrong but others can lie like there is no tomorrow. You can still find people living their lives based off of the Puritans and maybe even some as extreme as them, but those people are very rare.

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  11. Felicia S.
    2nd hr

    The puritans have very strong beliefs towards many ideas like family and religion. They strongly valued their families, and their community. One of their biggest beliefs was their religion. The bible was extremely valued to them all. They believed that people were not worthy of heaven unless they were able to prove their loyalty the god. They felt strongly about going to church as well. Anyone who did not go was looked down upon. They valued their marriage highly. Anyone who committed lechery was a sinner. Some of the stories did not show these values as much. The sermon discussed hell a lot, whereas the Puritans did not like preaching about hell. In “The Crucible” there was a lot of deceit and unloyalty. There were also those Puritans though that would not lie, and stayed loyal to their religion. In “The Crucible,” Proctor states, “Because I lie and sign myself to lies” (240). He didn’t feel right about lying, so he would not let them take his signature. The stories all have different sides to people that are not always the Puritan way, but the truth is that there are always people within a religion that may not follow their religion’s beliefs as much as others do.

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  12. In the stories, plays, and poems we have read in American Lit class, these have been the most religious stories I have read. There are many strong religious actions in all of the pieces we have read.The Puritans had many beliefs, things like humans beings are inherently evil and they have to try to overcome sin and the bible is the supreme authority on earth. Everything about the Puritans lives evolved around God and pleasing God. There are many differences and similarities to all the Puritan articles we read. In the poem "Upon the Burning House," there are many pieces in the poem that show Puritan beliefs. In the poem it says, "Thou hast an house on high erect, Framed by the mighty Architect, With glory richly furnished, Stands permanent though this be fled, It's purchased and paid for too, By Him who hath enough to do." (43-48) (pg141) This is a great piece because it shows that the Puritans believe so much in God. The lines say that the earth has been created by their God and everything on earth is beautiful and amazing, and everything is good about earth because it is a set up for heaven. These values and beliefs are important in my life today. I believe in God and I am a Roman Catholic. All the values of God and knowing the bible and believing that God created the earth. Today, however, Catholics are not as strict as the Puritans are. It is a good thing and a bad thing. The goods are that we have learned from the Salem Witch trials and treat people all fairly. The bad is that we are not the best Catholics in the world either because of the more easy going style of religion now. The Puritans believe in certain things that some people might find weird or different. It is all about your religion and how you were brought up in the world.

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  13. Haley Hillers
    2nd hour

    Puritans have specific beliefs, values, and principles. Some of their beliefs are completely different to today. One of the most important beliefs in the Puritan readings was religion. The Puritians definitely believed in God and looked to him for advice and expectations. All of the Puritan pieces revolved around God, but each had a little different opinion. In the piece, "To My Dear and Loving Husband," she states, "Thy love is such I can no way repay, The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. Then while we live, in love let's so persevere That when we live no more, we may live forever" (p.139). Anne credits God for giving her and her husband such great love. She also says that after they both die, they will live together in heaven. In "Upon the Burning of Our House," Anne states "Thou hast an house on high erect, framed by that mighty Architect" p.140 Anne believes that even though her house has burned down, God still gave her her family. Her family is safe and that's all that matters. She will someday join God and her family in heaven. In the sermon, "From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," the author has a different point of view. He believes that God has the power to send whoever he wants at any time, to hell. He talks more about the evil in God than the goodness. In "The Crucible," all the people of Salem look to God for comfort and guidance. They believe everything they say or do is looked upon by God. In all of the Puritan pieces, God is looked to as the greater power. Each story has a different opinion or belief about God and we have a different outlook today than they did back then.

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  14. The beliefs, values, and principles of the Puritans were something to behold. The lifestyle of the Puritans was very laid out for them and followed also.
    In the poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband" Anne Bradstreet lays out a big part of the Puritan life because of the what she says to her husband. She expresses herself in a way that makes you feel like they are meant to be forever. In "To My Dear and Loving Husband," she sates," If two were one, then surely we" (139). She is saying that they have grown into one because of their marriage, also that her husband is her life. The belief that a man and women should be married and be together forever is strong for the Puritans, we saw it in every poem or book we read. Like in the Crucible John had an affair with Abby and that would have ruined his good name throughout the town. It also hurt his good marriage with Elizabeth. In the poem "Upon the Burning of Our House" we see that family is a principle and very well a big part in their lifestyle. Family is where it began for the Puritans because their main focus of life was God and the bible preaches about family. Also this poem tells us that the material things in our lives aren't as important as God, that God gives us those material things as gifts. She describes it with this, "There's wealth enough, I need no more, farewell me pelf, farewell my store, the world no longer let me love, my hope and treasure lies above" (141).
    In the world we live in today religion isn't what it use to be, we don't looked down on if we miss church, we don't take it as seriously as they use to. It has eased over the years and I think it may be inpart of what happened in that time period like the witch hunts. We still have our values and beliefs but ours weren't as strong and persistant as the Puritans. It was a time period that was very knowledgeable for us and changed how our religion is today.

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  15. Puritans were really religious people. The only books the could read were books of the bible. Compared to todays religious standerds we would not survive the Puritan way of life. Today a lot of us go to church on Saturday night or Sunday morning. It is not that big of a deal if you skip few weeks out of the year. Some people don't even know how to read the bible.
    The religious standerds have change a lot over time. "When the devil comes to you does he ever come with another person" (188). If we heard that question today we would just look at them funny and walk away. Just like the trial. If would of had the same trial today that happened in Salem in 1692 their would be a totally different outcome, because we dont mix the government with church anymore. The judge would of looked at Abigal, laugh and tell her to leave. The people today don't believe in all of that witchcraft.
    The Puritans were kind of like us with religion, but way more strict. the believed in most of the same stuff as we do today but they do it in a different way. I just know that I wouldn't survive back then.

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  16. Emily Grant

    Dictionary.com describes Puritans as "a group member of English Protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church of England, a person of strong moral beliefs.
    Puritans strongly believe in a lot of things. They have a certain way of life. Puritans value family, life, community, service, art and literature. With all of theses values and beliefs it helps them work hard and be the best people they can be. The Bible is the supreme authority to them. They believe that humans must struggle to overcome their sinful nature. They way they look at God and being Holy is like we look at our cell phones. They always have to be attached to our hips, it becomes apart of us. It is our go to. What we feel comfortable with. God and religion is apart of their daily life. In "From Colony to Country," it states that "They pray all the time, and that their personal salvation depends solely on the grace of God, not the individual effort" (132-136). I believe that religion is still important today. Some people practice faith but others do not. Religion is a big part in some of our lives. We might not have all of the same beliefs that the Puritans did back then, but we share some of the values. In "To My Dear and Loving Husband," she states, "If ever two were one, then surely we" (139). That shows that love was a huge part of her life and her belief that love is needed. That love is still here today. Some people need love to survive, they count on their significant other to live and prosper. In "The Crucible", the importance of religion was strongly showed. Lying played a huge part, whether not to tell the truth or lie to be saved.
    People still follow the way of Puritans for the most part. We might not follow the beliefs and values as closely but they are still here.

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  17. People have their own opinions on whats right and whats wrong. Some people think the bible is always right. They also think that if people go against the bible they are with the devil. In my mind the Puritans were crazy. I think that because they believe everything is either really good or really bad and that god controls you and you have no say about it. "The Crucible" was about people who conjured with spirits and that was a big crime. They also thought dancing and reading books other then holy ones were bad. The stories in this unit were also like that as in the sermon from Jonathan Edwards the devil is always there waiting for you to make a mistake and as soon as you do he takes you in. This unit was all about people who makes mistakes and they were part of the devil. The puritans were all about the lord and everything they did was because of god.
    Today our peoples beliefs are very different. Even the catholic church is very different such as people going for a hour once a week instead of everyday for multiple hours. A lot of people have different beliefs and it's okay that you have different beliefs because god will accept all different kinds of people.

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  18. All of these stories and poems are very much linked together. They are linked in religion, beliefs, and ways of life. The Puritans believed that the Bible is the supreme authority, and in their community and hard work. They are much more conscious of God in their lives, today we often overlook the things that God may be doing in our lives, but they believed that everything that happened was an act of God's will. In many of the poems they discussed how God makes everything happen and how he will never take everything, only what is not needed in your life. This is shown very well in "Upon the Burning of Our House". She knows that God did not take everything from her, he left her what she needed to survive and nothing else. In "The Crucible", the citizens did not think the girls would lie, as they had sworn to God they were telling the truth, and in the minds of the Puritans their was no way they could lie after taking an oath like that. Today it is not uncommon to lie and swear on names, it is not as respected as it was in the times of the Salem Witch Trials. In "To My Dear and Loving Husband", it shows the belief of love in marriage that the Puritans have, yet in "The Crucible", some marriages were not so full of love. The Puritans have many different ideas and ways of life. Some of the ways are much different today, as we have changed, our word of mouth is no longer to be trusted. Some of the ways are the same though, in different religions such as Puritanism, these beliefs are still practiced and seen in our culture today, even though some parts of the religion have surely changed after happenings like the Salem Witch Trials. The stories are all linked though in the basics of the Puritan way of life and religion.

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  19. Puritan people were very conservative. Like in the crucible they did not allow sporting as they called it. Which to me translates to anything that creates laughter or fun. The puritans take their beliefs and faith to the extreme. For example in the play, "The Crucible" the children were afraid of being caught for having fun in the woods by dancing. When they do find out about it the adults are in utter shock that the children would do such things. To me, this is crazy. I think the kids should be allowed to have fun and thats what being a kid is all about having fun while you can. I think the Puritan way takes away a lot of their childhood. They saw the bible as the highest law around. It was by far the most important book, and that everything that was stated had to be true. I believe today a lot of the Puritan ways have disappeared. Some may still be around but they are not near as strict as they were with the Puritans. For example today the Catholic religion and many other religions still hold the bible as a very important book and I think we as a society still hold the bible to be a very valuable and important book. I don't think it is thought of as important as the Puritan's had in the past. Also another thing that I think has disappeared all together is the fact that you can't have any fun in the form of dancing and playing games. Today it is unheard of in the west of people not being allowed to dance or have fun because of their religion forcing that upon them. I think today a lot of our beliefs have become much less strict and more relaxed but there are still in some cases some extremists out there.

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  20. Puritan people are very religious people. They don't believe in dancing or or fun. Some believe that they were born evil. Some don't believe in using electricity.
    In the Crucible they didn't believe dancing or having fun. They said that every person should know their commandments. They thought that if you did not believe every word in the bible then you were working for the devil. To me I really think they were crazy in a way. Just because they didn't believe everything in the bible does not mean that they work for the Devil. Sometimes it just means that they think the world was created in a different way. Some times it just means they think of god giving his life some other way. Me I don't know my ten commandments and I dont go to church anymore. But that does not mean that I work for the devil or worship the devil, or that I don't believe in god. I believe in god and I know he is real. Thats all I really need to know. But the Puritans say you need to believe every work.
    If I lived back then I would be hung because they would think I was a worker of the devil. But the Puritans were very religious and believe in only one thing and if you didn't you would be hung. I still think that they are all crazy people in the end. People have different beliefs then other people. The Puritans don't believe in dancing or fun. They want everyone to go to church worship God and worship nothing else. If you did not believe in God then you were to be hung for working for the devil.

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  21. The puritans were strong in their beliefs, values, and lifestyle. No one could change their mind and they lived the lives they wanted to live. They knew what they wanted and no one could change that. They had their priorities and didn't let anything get in their way.
    The Puritans religious beliefs were major to them. They believed that god was the almighty. You could tell this through many of the stories that we read. This showed through in the sermen we read what was pretty much coming out as god rules over all and damn all none believers or sinners that they would go to hell. Upon the burning of my house she was very mature about her house burning because she just expressed that in the end god would take care of her in the almighty house, heaven. And she also believed god burnt down her house because he wanted to and he had every right to because everything he took away in the fire she had because of him.
    The Puritans really valued their families especially significant others. The women were to get married and take care of their husbands and that was their lifestyle. But this didn't mean that they were never in love. The women and men were very fond of each other. In to My Dear Husband she expresses her great love for her husband and that other people need to have the marriage that they have and that she wants to be with him even in the after life. In the Crucible the way John and Elizabeth act it's evident that they love each other. Elizabeth has stayed with John after the affair and John strives for Elizabeth to forget the affair and be happy with him.
    The way the puritans lived was way different from how we live now. Even though their are still die hard god lovers. The majority isn't that way anymore. Back then it was frowned upon to not go to church or praise god. Now a days it's typical in some areas. And even though you can still look around and find those amazing couples that love each other a lot. There is an over 50% divorce rate anymore. Our viewpoint on life has changed. People are becoming more and more lazy and vicious anymore. People don't want to get up and go to church or take the time to pray. And people don't know what a healthy relationship is anymore and they don't want to wait around for the right person or work for a good relationship.

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  22. Sense I am not a religious person I do not know much about religion, but I do know that the stories and poems we have read in this class have been quiet religious. Puritains had a very strong religious view. They believed that you were either good or bad and not a little bit of both. Today people believe you're born good and make bad decisions almost like the court system says you're innocent tell proven guilty. In "The Crucible" people were jailed and even hanged for suspicion of "witchery" weather they did or didn't do it. The fact that dancing was illegal was crazy in itself. Times have changed dramatically from the time of the story. Going to church only occurs once a week versus every day back then. Not to mention not believing is some what socially expectable now, and there is a variety of different types of religions now.

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  23. The beliefs, values, and principals of the Puritan way were all very bible orientated. Every thing that they did was to honor God. When it came to the bible, they took the teachings to an extreme. They all followed the basic rules that the bible layed out for they through the 10 commandments. They lived day to day honoring God and abiding by these rules. During church they discussed Hell, how God would love to throw you into hell for any little reason he had. God was always angry and hated man kind. They loved to use scare tactics to keep people living by their rules. In "Upon the Burning House," it states'"I blest his name that gave and took." I interpreted this as,What god gave to you he could take with out notice. In the Crusible, you get a whole other side to the Puritans. One that is not so "pure". They are mean and evil. Their are a few girls led by Abigail Williams who begin blaming witchcraft on their village and create chaos. No one is safe and only a few resisted them and would rather die then lie. When it comes to strict bible living, no one in my opinion is more strict.

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  24. As we read some pieces from Puritan literature, I started to get a feel of what life was like for the Puritans. Their entire lives revolved around God, whether or not what happened to them was good or bad, they still believed it was God's doings. They devoted their lives to Him and refrained from doing anything that would make them forget about him, like reading entertaining books or dancing. Everyone back in that time went to church, and it wasn't just for a sermon.
    People in the days of the Puritan thought that if you weren't with god and fully devoted to him, you would burn in the fiery pits of hell for all eternity, or thats how it went in The Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Nowadays, or at least in any church I went to, we believe that you won't burn in hell because he forgives your sins. Also, when the Puritans were more abundant, more people went to church. Now there is a large portion of America not going to church regularly.
    There still is some people with almost the same beliefs as the Puritans. I consider the Amish as a lot like the Puritans, except Amish have entertainment. Amish swing on huge awesome looking swings, jump on trampolines, while Puritans expunged all entertainment from their villages. The Amish do highly respect god and believe he is in everything they do even though they have some entertainment.
    I'm kind of glad there is few Puritans left in this world, or our lives would be living hell. I don't want anyone I know to go to jail for witchcraft! In my eyes, Puritans were prepared throw anyone in jail because apparently they can't trust anyone. Thank God for no Puritans. (How Ironic)

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  25. In the older days where the Puritans thrived there were many simple thoughts that were vital to them and their everyday life. There was HONESTY like the court was trying so desperately to find in the Salem Witch Trails. Loyalty that made an honest woman lie to protect her husbands good name. Godly Favor that made the people believe whatever the children were saying not only because they were able to shake off the hands of the devil but also in Paris and John who was believed to be good and righteous men. Pride also plays a part in this story where John Proctor refuses to blacken his name in hopes of his boys becoming good men of God. Hope and Faith also play a part in the people sentenced or those that told their 'Truths' that they would get out of jail and live as free people again.
    In todays society you will not find these beliefs portrayed the same way. Honesty is really only half the truth and taking someone at their face value will lead you down a horrid path that you may not be able to get free from. In bulling cases, often the crowd around the major offender are as afraid of being bullied as you, only they managed to find a place for themselves on the main event floor. This can lead to drastic consequences and other things you never thought would happen.
    Loyalty is played on by the frequency that infidelity goes on even in the event of a marriage. Loyalty like the old saying goes, "A dog is man's best friend, because you will never have to listen for your words again.' - My grandpa.
    Today, there a lot of people who go to church, but not many are so God fearing as the olden days. You will find a white liar in the front row pew in any church. They don't hold his word to litteral truth and I bet they aren't concerned with what their souls look like right now until you ask them, unlike the puritans who's whole thought process is how to clean the tiny blemish on their soul.
    Pride takes on a while new meaning in this day and age. Children are disrespectful and spiteful to all ages and they find that the littlest things can hurt a pride and ego to horrid measures. There isn't a single person without some sense of pride inside them or there wouldn't be the bulling or the harassment or the judgment there is today. The olden pride was to set a good example, now its how to get a head of the leader.
    Hope and Faith have been tarnished by the circumstances of todays living. There isn't much hope left in todays life style other that work to survive and live to work. The smiles of belief and hope have turned to a scowl of bitterness and disgruntlement.
    I say the Puritans were crazy to take the bible so litteral, but they had the right idea so far as a few of their beliefs and what was acceptable.

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  26. Cody Lahr
    The Puritans were very hardcore religious people. They believed practically everything was related to their religion, which is why in "The Crucible," the courts used Proctor's not-so-strong religious practices against him.
    Religion is a big factor through all of the Puritan literature. "From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is a sermon by a Puritan preacher in the 1700's. Puritans based their life on the ten commandments. In "The Crucible," Elizabeth is asked, "Do you know your commandments, Elizabeth" (199). This shows that the ten commandments play a big part in these people lies, as when John is asked, he cannot remember them all, Hale reminds him how important religion is, by stating "Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small" (199). In "Upon the Burning of Our House" the author explains that everything is okay, and that God has this all planned. She states "And when i could no longer look, I blest his name that gave and took" (141). Even in the tragedy of her house burning down, she only thought about how it was God that gave her the house, and God took it away.
    These stories all have religion in common, and all show how the Puritans base their lives on their beliefs.

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  27. Religion was a huge part of the Puritan's lifestyle. Both of the readings showed this, they both were similar in the aspect of all sinners are condemned to hell and God sheds little mercy on a sinner. For example in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God ," he states, " The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood." This massage is very powerful and blunt, he is saying that God will cast you away into the pits of Hell with just one sin. In THE CRUCIBLE their pastor also preaches the same. God doesn't not forgive but lets go, he lets you fall into the fiery pits of Hell. All religions are different and change over time. I know that in my church today we are taught that God forgives and grants second chances if you keep working for him. Many similarities are still present, for example we sill believe in God, and follow the Commandments, and go to church , and pray. But like all things, time changes everything in big or small ways.

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  28. Rachel Becker
    8th hr Am lit

    Many people have different beliefs. They all have a right to believe what they choose. In the U.S we have freedom of religion, which lets us to believe what we want. In the Crucible they believe that if you are questioned you are guilty and will be hung unless you confess to witchcraft. To me this is crazy because if you confess you are guilty and should be hung, and if they don't have cold hard evidence that you are a part of witchcraft you should not hang. The people that are being questioned and brought in to the court see how it is not right that it is done this way. They do not think it is right that the will hang unless they confess. In "the Crucible" Proctor states, "Because it is my name! I cannot have another in my whole life" (240). Proctor wants to save his name because he confessed to being apart of witchcraft. He did so because he has a family and wants to live to help them get through life. They make him sign a paper confessing and it will be hung outside the church for everybody to see. He worked so hard to have a good life for him and his family. A few mistakes he make effected his life a lot. That one night with Abby hurt his relationship, put his wife in jail, and almost got him hung. Beliefs are a hard topic because we all have different ones. We all have opinions and sometimes they just don't match up.

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  29. There were many aspects to the Puritain ways. Thefreedictionary.com says that the Puritains were a member of a group of English Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries advocated strict religious discipline along with simplification of the ceremonies and creeds of the Church of England. Religion was one of the main ones.
    Puritains believed that they must worship God and you always follow what the bible says. In "The Crucible", they were not allowed to dance because they were having fun. Puritains raised their children to be who they were supposed to be and by what the bible says. Puritains also cherished life , nature, and family. In "To My Dear and Loving Husband" Anne Bradstreet says "My love is such that rivers cannot quench" (139). This shows her love for her husband and she is also tying it in with nature. In "The Crucible," however, they don't show as much love for their spouses, yes they care about them but there doesn't seem to be an unconditional love between them. For example John Proctor committed adultery. Some of the Puritain values that are still important today are religion, family, and love. Art and literature seem to be fading from society today. Religion is still important but also doesn't to seem to be as important as some people believe it should.
    Puritains had their beliefs and they were very strong beliefs. Today some of them are still important but not as important as they were to the Puritain society.

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  30. Jared Coyle
    The Puritans were very strict on being religious. The bible was to be the only book you should be reading. If that gives you any idea.
    The Puritans believed in God and no other God. They were so strict that you couldn't even dance. The puritans set out to America to try and perify the Christian church. In the case of The Crucible the puritans believed in witches and didn't believe in anything that was fun was okay. They believed that church was intertaning not anything else. They believe that everything that they do God is watching and that you will go to hell for sinning. In "The Crucible," Abigail states, "Sometimes I wake and find myself standing in the open doorway and not a stitch on my body! I always hear her laughing in my sleep. I hear her singing he Barbados songs and tempting me" (187). I think that in some ways the puritans way of life is still around. People still think that if you sin you will then go to Hell. We still believe in one God and only one. But then again the puritans went to church every Sunday. Unlike now we can skip church and not get questioned for it. We believe that everyone will go to Heaven because God will accept all of us just the way we are.

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  32. In the script "The Crucible" the puritains were really religious. They only focused on god nothing really mattered to them because they thought god always new what to say. The puritains believed that religion always came first. They all kind of fit together because they all have strong beliefs about something. The devil also plays a role in this. In other words Witch craft. Witch craft to them weas working with the devil. Abby says. "witch craft is like working with the devil!" She said that in the movie when she was in court spazing out cause of she was pretending to have spirits chase after her. religion is very important today. People still follow religion heavily and still do somethings they did back then just to keep tradition.

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  33. Emilee Muller
    8th Hour
    11/5/12

    Puritan beliefs are very different from how most people’s beliefs are today. Puritans had different values and principals than us as well. These poems and stories really shined the light on this concept. You can really see that the Puritans were much different than us.
    I have noticed numerous things that differ between the Puritans and modern day people. God is a major part in this. Puritans lived, ate, and breathed God. Everything they did, they based it on God and their religion. They did everything for God. All of their things belonged to God in their eyes also, like in the poem “Upon the Burning of Our House,” the girl says, “It was His own, it was not mine” (141). She is talking about when her house burnt down, it was God’s stuff that was lost, not hers. When she got upset she realized that she was being selfish because it wasn’t hers. She went on to say that “Thou hast an house oh high erect, Framed by that mighty Architect” (141), meaning that God had a house for her in heaven and she didn’t need to worry. These all show that God was a major part in their lives unlike our lives today. You see a lot of religions, but most of the time people don’t truly dedicate their life to God and religion like they did back then.
    Unlike the Puritans, we see divorce all over. It’s normal to us, but it wasn’t to them. When they got married it was like God was combining them. In “To My Dear and Loving Husband” she says, “If two were one, then surely we” (139). She is saying that God made them one person. What belongs to her, belongs to him. They will love each other forever and nothing will separate them.
    During the Crucible they believed heavily in God also. They would rather be hanged than lie to God and go to Hell.

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