Puritan Influence Writing Assignment
Puritan beliefs continue to make a great
impact on the United States to this day,
evidence of which can be witnessed in
points ranging from fine to grand. In the
words of John Winthrop (an important
figure in establishing Massachusetts),
“‘This liberty is maintained and exercised
in a way of subjugation to authority; it is
the same kind of liberty wherewith Christ
has made us free’” (Smith 1). The
libertarian freedom which Winthrop
speaks of is almost without jurisdiction;
where unless reprehension is needed, the
government keeps out of the picture.
Disappointingly, nowadays our
government seems to become more and
more authoritarian. The article Puritan
Influences on Modern American Culture
and Thought by Nicole Smith mentions, “.
. . loving and nurturing, but also
something that has the potential to be
abused” (1), paraphrasing Winthrop’s
reasoning.
As mentioned before, we
seemingly become more and more
restrictive with the judicial system and
the US government in general. People
have, more and more, come to the idea
that a government’s responsibility is to
micromanage and closely observe the
actions of its citizens to make sure they
are in line. The same thinking helped
give power to dictators like Hitler, Pol Pot,
and the rest. The reason the Puritans
made their durative trip was to escape
the totalitarian regime of their former
King. All of this makes an impact on “the
idea of government and the meaning of
liberty” (Smith 1).
As a libertarian, I believe the role
of government is to intervene in cases of
utmost severity; and has no place in
marriage, the bedroom, or just about any
other facet of day-to-day life other than
to regulate and establish a slick system
of opportunity. Moreso, I happen to be
Christian . . . and while my practices may
not be devout; my philosophies thereof
are self-admittedly superb and
well-thought. In my own words; ‘I care less
for the system of things rather than the
reason for the system.’ Why uphold
education if it doesn’t educate; or
regulatory body that does not regulate?
I can think of many examples of broken
systems, and while I wouldn’t describe my
own church with those words; I rarely
defer to zealous practice.
Modern-day, multiple rituals are
continued due to the influences of the
Puritans. Clearly, Catholicism has
endured, and congregations still take
place to ponder the wisdom of
scriptures. While devoutness may have
died down, the fires of their belief are still
kindled and tended to to this day. This is
visible even in myself, I suppose; yet
unlike the Puritans, I obsess less over the
past and attempt to find God in the
present. Perhaps that is a similarity
between Winthrop and myself: a hint of
progressivism. Despite being a
Puritan-enthusiast, he “laid the
groundwork for . . . debate” (Smith 2),
stating “‘God requireth not an uniformity
of religion to be enacted and enforced in
any civil state’” (Smith 2). While the
Puritans believed in an absolute God,
Winthrop clearly digresses in his
application in government. As,
coincidentally, did the Founding Fathers.