preview

The Influence Of The Puritans

Decent Essays

Just how “pure” were the Puritans? The Puritan era in the United States during the early 1600’s proved to be a controversial time period. As settlers to the new land were escaping the grasp of the British monarchy, they brought with them new religious, cultural, and fundamental ideals. Among these ideals is a rather peculiar belief. Would you believe that the Puritans were against celebrating Christmas? Yes, it seems odd for such a “pure” Christian society to oppose the celebration of their Savior’s birth; they even banned it! Accordingly, the fact that the Puritans were opposed to the Christmas holiday is absurd. First and foremost, the Puritans viewed Christmas as a holiday that was observed with more revelry than piety and in that regard was not proper in the eyes of the Lord. It was -in their eyes- a commercial celebration rather than that of actually celebrating the birth of Jesus. However, the bottom line is that even on a materialistic note, the holiday provoked Christ-like behavior. Even if people became distant from the actual intention of Christmas (the birth of Christ, that is), it was …show more content…

Once they had officially cancelled Christmas in 1647, they further imposed unnecessary retributions on any person who dared to celebrate Christmas in the slightest. “Not only were traditional expressions of merriment strictly forbidden, but shops were also ordered to stay open, churches were shut down, and ministers arrested for preaching on Christmas day” (Schnepper). A man named Blue Richard Culmer is notoriously known for busting the stain glass windows of a church for celebrating. Is it necessary to reiterate the fact that it was a CHURCH? This is wrong on all levels. People faced prison sentences, fines, and extreme harassment for celebrating. This was all completed at the notion of simply enjoying Christmas. The excessive penalties were clearly

Get Access