wealth should replace the behavior for sanctity(圣洁，尊严)
They considered individual responsibility more important than blind obedience. Because of its stress on strict morality, the word Puritanism is often misused in a way that does not mean the same as historical Puritanism. People, for instance, improperly label rigid moral standard, prohibition of wine, opposition to innocent pleasure, and religious intolerance as puritanical.
?They had some different religious belliefs from the Catholic Clhurch. they believed that God was incomprehensible to man, and the power of God was all-knowing, yet hidden and hidden to man, while Cathohes believed that God could be roached through his representative on the earth----the Pope. Puritan salvationwas different from that of Catholics. Puritans were convinced that human beings were predetined by God before they were born. Some were God?s chosen people, others were predestined to be damned to hell. Therefore no good works could save anyone, and nobody knew if he or she was God's elect?
?But Catholics argued that a person could confess his or her sin, do good works and give money to the church and buy back his or her soul.
?Was there any evidence for Puritans to show that some peo!le were God's chosen people? Puritans believed that everyone had a calling which was given by God. The success of one's work or the prosperity in his calling was the sign of being God's elect.
?Therefore, everyone must work hard, spend little and invest for more ?business. Working hard and living a moral life were their ethics. How ?Could puritans find God's will and establish a direct contact with God? ?They concluded that the Bible was the authority of their doctrine. So
?every Pmitan must read the Bible in order to find God's will and search for one's individual contact with Ged. To be able to read the Bible and undersdand God' s will, education was essential for Puritans.
?The experience of the early immigrants also contributed to the distinction of American euhure. The immigrants sailed across the stormy Atlantic Ocean in small and poorly provided ships, risking their lives. Many of them left their families hehin because they did not have so much money to pay for the passage.
?When they arrived North America, they found half of the landmass was covered with dense forest, Everymhing was different from that in their home country and they had to struggle for survival in the wilderness. The early imnfigrants' experience of hard labor for survival contributed to the labor ethics of American people and strengthened their love of land and nature. Americans love to keep close to nature, glorify labor, and desire to have a piece of land
?Early Puritanism (in New England):
?As most of the Mayflower people were puritans, the early time of New England was widespread with Puritanism
?Before they came to the New World, they thought the Church of England was too catholic and wanted to purify the church, so they were called \the doctrine by John Calvin.
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