What is Puritanism and what did the Puritans believe?

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Answer: The Puritans were a widespread and diverse group of people who took a stand for
religious purity in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries in Europe. Their rise was directly related to
the increased knowledge that came to the common people in the Age of Enlightenment. As
people learned to read and write, and as the Bible became more accessible to commoners, many
began to read the Bible for themselves (a habit that was strongly discouraged in the established
church). The word Puritan was first coined in the 1560s as a derisive term for those who
advocated more purity in worship and doctrine. The Puritans, believed that the English
Reformation had not gone far enough and that the Church of England was still tolerating too
many practices that were associated with the Church of Rome (such as hierarchical leadership,
clerical vestments, and the various rituals of the church). Many Puritans advocated separation
from all other Christian groups, but most were non-separating and desired to bring cleansing
and change to the church from within. Holding a high view of Scripture, and deeming it as the
only true law of God, Puritans believed that each individual, as well as each congregation, was
directly responsible to God, rather than answering through a mediator such as a priest, bishop,
etc. Puritanism was a religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England in the
late sixteenth century. The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the
16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism was founded shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of
England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England. Puritans by
definition felt that the English Reformation had not gone far enough, and that the Church of
England was tolerant of practices which they associated with the Catholic Church. They
formed into and identified with various religious groups advocating greater "purity" of
worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group holiness. Puritan culture emphasized the
need for self-examination and the strict accounting for ones feelings as well as ones deeds. In
modern usage, the word puritan is often used to describe someone who has strict views on sexual
morality, disapproves of recreation, and wishes to impose these beliefs on others. However, the
puritans were interested to form a new English Church.

Originally, there was one Christian Church and that was what is called the Catholic Church

in 1534 Henry VIII "deposed" the pope and put himself at the head of the English church.

Protestantism in general had three main areas of contention with the Roman Catholic
church: doctrine (such as whether the communion wafer is the actual body of Christ or a
symbol), structure (the feudal organization of the church hierarchy), and the incorporation
of Pagan/indigenous religious practices into the Church, such as the honoring of saints who
were clearly Pagan deities. Puritanism arose in England in Elizabeth's reign as part of the
more radical trend in Protestantism. Puritanism arose in England during the reign of
Queen Mary (1553-1558), a Catholic, and sought a simplification of church ritual
and formalism in worship and a greater emphasis on personal reading of the Bible.
Puritans were Protestants who were particularly zealous in their desire to simplify the
church, wanting to make it more strictly Bible-based and give the individual a more direct
relationship with God.puritanism is an offshoot of protestanism.
The Puritans emphasized the importance of "purifying" the Anglican church, and
wanted to do away with worship of false idols, Communion-like rituals, and so on. he
Protestant movement was originally initiated by Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
All Puritans are Protestants, but not all Protestants are Puritans.
REFORMATION

a 16th-century movement for the reform of abuses in the Roman Church ending in
the establishment of the Reformed and Protestant Churches. The Protestant
Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural
upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs
that would define the continent in the modern era.
The English Reformation was a series of events in 16th century England by which
the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman
Catholic Church...The English Reformation started in the reign of Henry VIII.

At the start of the sixteenth century England was an entirely Christian country. There were no
other religious groups and everyone followed the version of Christianity that is called
Catholicism. The Catholic Church was led by the Pope who was based in Rome. All of the
religious services were carried out in Latin. Most people in England attended church regularly
and believed in Christianity. The Church was a central point in the community where people
came together for births, marriages and funerals. In many areas the church provided support to
the poor, access to basic medicine and guidance with problems. Many people could not read or
write and what they were told in Church they believed.However, for some people the Catholic
Church was considered old fashioned and out of date with what people wanted. Some thought
that the Church did things that were corrupt, that misled people and took advantage of their
belief in God.

Henry did not have a legitimate son or male heir to be king after he died. He did not
want to have a daughter to follow him. He believed that his wife, Catherine, was
now too old for any more children and he wanted to marry someone else.
In 1527 he asked the Pope for a divorce. At that time divorce was very rare and the
Catholic Church did not allow them except in the most unusual cases. To get a
divorce the Pope had to believe that there was a religious reason for it.
The Pope did not want to give Henry VIII a divorce from Catherine, despite lots of
pressure from England. Henry VIII was desperate to marry someone else. Some of
Henrys advisors were secretly Protestants and they convinced him to ignore the
Pope and that he had good reasons to divorce Catherine. They convinced him that if
he broke with the Catholic Church he would be more powerful and could make his
own decisions about marriage and about how the Church was run in England.
In 1529 the Reformation Parliament opened. It was not called that at the time but
its purpose was to help Henry VII to get the divorce that he wanted.
Henry used the Parliament to attack the Catholic Church in England, claiming it was
loyal to the Pope and not to the King of England. The Church was fined.
Many of the MPs in Parliament were loyal to the Catholic Church but they also did
not want to upset the king or lose any of their power. Other key members of the
Parliament were already Protestants and wanted the king to break England away
from the Popes control and to change the church to their beliefs.
The Pope did not want to give Henry his divorce and in the end Henry appointed his
own church leaders in England that would permit him to divorce and to marry
someone else. The new church leaders in England were Protestants and with them
and the support of Parliament Henry introduced a series of laws that changed the
Church in England.

King
King was the highest authority in the medieval feudal hierarchy and all the land in
the kingdom belonged to him which can be used by him as per his own wish. Kings
at that time were more concerned with wars, and with enhancing their kingdoms.
So, they needed soldiers for war. Hence, the kings preferred to sublet their lands to
the barrens & bishops in return of which they used to provide knights (soldiers) to
the king at the time of the war.
Noblemen
The category of people that immediately followed King in the hierarchy was of
noblemen of the king Barrens and Bishops.
Barrens were the wealthiest & powerful noblemen who received lands called as fiefs
directly from the king. They were responsible for adequate supply of soldiers and
fighters for the war.
The bishops were almost equal to the barrens as far as the power & privileges were
concerned. But they were related with the administration of churches, priests,
monasteries and convents. Taxes were also collected by bishops, which made them
extremely rich.
Lords
The lords or the knights were the people who used to get the subletted lands called
fiefs or manors from barrens. They were required to serve as soldiers for the kings
army. They also used to sublet their land to the peasants for rent or for farmed
products.
Peasants
These were the lowest level of people in the entire kingdom. These were the least
rich people and held least set of privileges. These were the people who actually
farmed the lands and were responsible for growing crops &providing food to
everyone. They used to get certain piece of land from lords in return of which these
served them, or they were offered a little of produced food material.