During the course of this book, the author discussed Puritans vs. Pilgrims. I'd like to go a step further. The Puritans never really left the Church of England. They were Separatists in the sense that they wanted to reform the Church of England and get rid of the Catholic Church rituals and statuary. Because they remained within the bounds of the Church of England, they did not have to 'give up' their homes to move (to Holland, as the Pilgrims did) for religious freedom.
The Pilgrims, on the other hand, protested against the Catholic Church and the Church of England. They moved to Holland because of their beliefs and were poorer people than the Puritans (who didn't need to move to a foreign land). Thus, by the time the Pilgrims left Holland, they had no choice but to sign letters of servitude (for 7 years) in order to earn the fare to America.
No matter how we slice it, leaving the known world for new, untried land was certainly a test of fortitude and grit. To move with so few resources was an act of bravery or ignorance, depending on your thoughts in hindsight. To make such overwhelming changes in one's life over one's religion is a testament to their faith in what they were doing and the power of their faith in God. When the reader thinks about it, how many of us would do what the Pilgrims did? Not many, I suspect.
I thought this would be a nice review of the Mayflower story. Instead, I found new things I didn't know (there were 27 ships called the Mayflower afloat at the time of 'our' Mayflower). I was delighted to see the names of all those who traveled on the Mayflower. Great reading.
The Pilgrims, on the other hand, protested against the Catholic Church and the Church of England. They moved to Holland because of their beliefs and were poorer people than the Puritans (who didn't need to move to a foreign land). Thus, by the time the Pilgrims left Holland, they had no choice but to sign letters of servitude (for 7 years) in order to earn the fare to America.
No matter how we slice it, leaving the known world for new, untried land was certainly a test of fortitude and grit. To move with so few resources was an act of bravery or ignorance, depending on your thoughts in hindsight. To make such overwhelming changes in one's life over one's religion is a testament to their faith in what they were doing and the power of their faith in God. When the reader thinks about it, how many of us would do what the Pilgrims did? Not many, I suspect.
I thought this would be a nice review of the Mayflower story. Instead, I found new things I didn't know (there were 27 ships called the Mayflower afloat at the time of 'our' Mayflower). I was delighted to see the names of all those who traveled on the Mayflower. Great reading.
