As every child of New England (aka Norumbega) already knows, the Puritans were death on wheels to Catholics, Anglicans (especially Maypole Morris Dancers), Unitarians, Baptists, and the Plymouth Bretheren, (No Virginia, the Pilgrims were NOT Puritans, and were actually pretty snappy dressers) and whipped Quakers naked through the streets of Boston, in that order. But whenever they got their hands on a rabbi, and there were quite a few Sephardic Jews hanging around, they made him a professor, as every Harvard and even Yale man at the time had to know Hebrew to properly read the OT. Just notice the place names they gave their settlements, Bethel, New Canaan, Salem, New Salem, etc. etc. etc.
The Puritans=Congregationalists=hard-nosed Calvinist= Presbyterians made their religion the state religion of their colonies ... and states. Congregationalism was the OFFICIAL religion of Massachusetts until 1820! They begrudging allowed other sects after the Revolution, BUT Congregationalism was state-supported... with tax money.
Good people. Not, unfortunately, especially nice people, if you weren't on the team.
29 posted on
07/24/2010 7:52:24 PM PDT by
Kenny Bunk
(Think about this. The Party of Constitutional Restoration. Program, Plan, Leaders, Courage.)