The predestination, "unconditional election” is a puritan belief

The Puritans were known for their 5 basic beliefs and values, which is what their religion is based on. Like most Christian groups, Puritans believe in the notion of sin- based on Adam and Eve- which they called “ Total Depravity”. Basically, they were saying that anyone and everyone has the opportunity to commit any sin. Similar to predestination, “ unconditional election” is a Puritan belief that God chooses who will go to heaven, and who will go to hell, with no exceptions.

“ Limited Atonement” was the concept that Jesus dies to atone for man’s sins, but Puritans believed that it did not save every man, only those who were selected. “ Irresistible Grace” was the confidence that once a person was chosen to be saved, they can’t resist God’s grace. This meant that a person could be called on internally (through the heart) and externally (through preaching the word of God). Lastly, the “ perseverance of the saints” meant that a chosen person will never ever abandon God’s path.  Predestination is the belief that God determines who will be saved ahead of time. Some people may find this unfair, but technically, no one deserves to be saved, since everyone has sinned and deserves to go to hell. This played an enormous role in Puritan society, since if you were “ chosen” you must choose God in return. Puritans thought that since they didn’t even deserve to be saved, they must devote their life to serving and following God.

This meant that every rule and law in Puritan society was based around God.  Puritans believed that education was absolutely necessary if they wanted to continue their path to heaven. They considered the inability to read was Satan’s manner of keeping people away the scriptures. So, in 1642, Massachusetts (Puritans), created a law that all children should learn to read. Puritan schools and Education was based solely around religion. When students were learning the alphabet, it was introduced through religious phrases. Additionally, the fear of sin, God’s punishment, and death were all stressed.

So essentially, children were raised to follow the strict conduct of Puritanism. While teaching the alphabet, Puritans would use the New England Primer, which introduced the alphabet using religious phrases. For example, “ A” was associated with “ Adam” from Adam and Eve. In addition to the alphabet, the New England Primer also implemented Puritan beliefs and values. So while children were learning to read and write, they were strained to learn religious values. While still in England, the Puritans were persecuted, ignored by the church, thrown in prison, etc. When they came over to New England, they set up laws to protect Puritans, not to persecute them. Puritan laws required members to attend church and pay taxes to the church, but the members were given the right to vote.

Laws were created to maintain high morals, such as the regulation of sexual practices of the colonists. Penalties included beating, imprinting, and even execution.