Puritanism as a Threat to Church and State 1558-1603

Puritanism as a Threat to Church and State 1558-1603

In order to answer the question, one must firstly ascertain what

actually constituted a Puritan. The name Puritan was actually a kind

of slur; it was a label to abuse those who were into the repression of

certain indulgences of the period. Such a term must therefore be

handled with care, Puritanism was not a unified movement, there were

different sects in amongst them who shared certain beliefs as the most

moderate of Puritans but also had a totally independent interpretation

of other issues. There were the Separatists, according to AGR Smith a

'tiny and unrepresentative minority' and the Presbyterians. In simple

terms Puritans were Protestants who believed the reformation hadn't

gone far enough. Russell called them 'hotter' Protestants. A hallmark

which put fear into the State was the anti-hierarchical beliefs held

by many Puritans.

In fact it makes sense to argue that Presbyterianism and Separatism,

in principle, posed a threat to the Elizabethan Church and State, due

to these anti-hierarchical beliefs. They sought to replace the

contemporary system of church and government. For Elizabeth Puritan

ideas were dangerous to 'kingly rule' and because of her strong

opposition to their ideas, their strive for reform became a greater

challenge.

However, because of the Queen's inordinate fear of the Separatist and

Presbyterian she used movements 'formidable powers' to suppress these

powers. She could have dissolved parliament when they stepped to far

near the line by trying to discuss the religious settlement, instead

she imprisoned 'hot heads' and just dismissed discussion. Accord...

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...iously.

When standing in the shoes of the Queen or one of the key Bishops,

Puritanism with all its faces including Separatism, Conformism,

Presbyterianism, could have posed a huge threat to the stability of

the Church and State which they had worked so hard to secure. However

when standing in the shoes of a provincial puritan the actions of the

crown to squash their actions would have probably seemed a hideous

over reaction. The only concrete fear they could have legitimately had

was the removal of the hierarchical system. As Russell states these

made up a tiny minority of the Protestant minority. Mad outbursts like

that of William Cattner(?) pretending to be the Messiah did not help

the Protestant cause but they can not really be claimed as threats to

the throne as the Queen got justice, the pretender lost his life.