Another Puritan belief was the belief of the Devil and when people thought witches were working with the Devil, the citizens of Salem were terrified and supported the trials. Innocence meant nothing for those who were different you were singled out.
What did the Puritans in Salem believe?
Puritans were true believers in both God and the Devil. They believed that all humans were in a constant struggle between the powers of good and evil. 11. They believed that Satan would select the “weakest” individuals (women, children, and the elderly) to carry out his evil work.
What was Puritan society like in Salem?
Lives were stressful and fun was considered irreligious. Puritans attended church every Sunday morning for three hours, and they listened to sermons given by the town reverend that warned against evil. Long afternoon sermons were also held. Town members were required by law to attend church services.
How did Puritan beliefs affect the Salem witch trials?
The Puritans were desperate to get back on the path to righteousness that they started the witch trails in order to cleanse the town. They believed what they were doing was morally correct and it was their duty to God to rid of the witches that had possessed their community.
What are the 5 major beliefs of the Puritans?
Basic Puritan beliefs are summarized by the acronym T.U.L.I.P.: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints.
What did the Salem witches believe in?
Context & Origins of the Salem Witch Trials
Belief in the supernatural–and specifically in the devil’s practice of giving certain humans (witches) the power to harm others in return for their loyalty–had emerged in Europe as early as the 14th century, and was widespread in colonial New England.
What was the real reason for the Salem witch trials?
The Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority.
What religion were the Salem witches?
The religion in Salem is Calvinism. This religion has a strong belief in the power and authority of God, along with predestination. Predestination is the belief that once a person is born, God has already made his decision on where this person belongs in the afterlife.
How did Puritans feel about slavery?
In this regulative legislation, the Puritans recognized slavery as a legal status and defined that status as property. Although Connecticut made no offi- cial legal recognition of slavery, its legislators gradually restricted the civil liberties of its slaves in a manner similar to the example of Massachusetts.
Why did the Puritans burn witches?
Indeed, Puritans held the belief that men and women were equal in the eyes of God, but not in the eyes of the Devil. Women’s souls were seen as unprotected in their weak and vulnerable bodies. Several factors may explain why women were more likely to admit guilt of witchcraft than men.
Were the Salem witch trials Puritans?
Nearly to a person, they were Puritans. Having suffered for their faith, they had sailed to North America to worship “with more purity and less peril than they could do in the country where they were,” as a clergyman at the center of the crisis later explained.
What are 3 major values or rules of Puritanism?
Basic Tenets of Puritanism
- Judgmental God (rewards good/punishes evil)
- Predestination/Election (salvation or damnation was predetermined by God)
- Original Sin (humans are innately sinful, tainted by the sins of Adam & Eve; good can be accomplished only through hard work & self-discipline)
- Providence.
- God’s Grace.
What are the three basic Puritan beliefs in the crucible?
Puritan Beliefs
They valued self-reliance, industriousness, temperance and simplicity. They believed the Bible to be the literal word of God.
Who are the Puritans and what do they believe?
The Puritans were members of a religious reform movement known as Puritanism that arose within the Church of England in the late 16th century. They believed the Church of England was too similar to the Roman Catholic Church and should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in the Bible.
What did the Puritans believe about witchcraft?
Witches were thought to be able to harm people and therefore were feared greatly. The Puritans feared the Devil and God equally and “they believed the Devil was real, and had the intent to Page 2 C6-18 2 influence and harm” (Mills 16). People heard about and eye witnessed the fits the Afflicted girls were having.
What was the religious and social cause of the Salem Witch Trials?
According to Pestana, there are five major factors which contributed to the Salem Witch Trials: government instability, religious insecurity, a “desire to combat atheism,” fear of Native American attack, and the increasingly oppressive overseas authority of the English government.
What were the main fears and anxieties of Puritans?
The Puritans’ main fears and anxieties tended to revolve around Indian attacks, deadly illnesses, and failure.
Who finally ended the Salem Witch Trials?
Governor Sir William Phips
Today is October 12, 2017, and on this date, 325 years back, in 1692, Governor Sir William Phips issued a declaration effectively ending the Salem Witch Trials.
What were the rules of the Salem Witch Trials?
Courts relied on three kinds of evidence: 1) confession, 2) testimony of two eyewitnesses to acts of witchcraft, or 3) spectral evidence (when the afflicted girls were having their fits, they would interact with an unseen assailant – the apparition of the witch tormenting them).
What happened to Salem after the witch trials?
After the prisoners awaiting trial on charges of practicing witchcraft were granted amnesty (pardoned) in 1693, the accusers and judges showed hardly any remorse for executing twenty people and causing others to languish in jails.
Why did the Puritans believe in the supernatural?
“Puritans believed in ghosts, witches and demons because, to them, that proved that the supernatural existed. There was a lot of debate over this topic. How real are the powers of darkness?