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Keep The Holiday Fires Burning
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The Complete Story Of The Pilgrims
Part 1: Religious Dissent In England Nearly every schoolchild in America knows the basic story of the Pilgrims: that seeking religious freedom, they set sail from England in the Mayflower, arriving in what is now Massachusetts. And, that following a harsh first winter, they celebrated the following year's harvest with a feast of Thanksgiving. But any complete story of the Pilgrims actually must begin with the reign of Henry VIII, which lasted from 1509 - 1547. Although he may be most famous for his many wives, Henry's most lasting effect was the religious upheaval he created when, for political and personal reasons, he named himself the head of the Church of England, and independent of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. This change opened the door for a widespread Protestant movement in England. By the time his daughter, Elizabeth, took the throne, there was a great deal of disagreement over the official forms of worship and the methods of church government. While Elizabeth insisted that her people conform to the regulations of the Established Church, many were dissatisfied, and some were ready to suffer persecution rather than comply. The land still contained Roman Catholics who believed that the Pope was the true head of the Church. Others, on the contrary, wanted to free the Church of England from forms and symbolism, which they considered relics of Romanism and superstition. They were called Puritans because they wished to "purify the church by adopting simpler modes of worship. Still another group believed that the form of church government should be altered and that the creed and rituals should be prescribed -- not by the queen -- but by assemblies. These persons were known as Presbyterians, because they believed in the appointment of church dignitaries known as presbyters. All of these groups believed in a state church, but disagreed as to the government or as to forms of worship. There was, however, another sect of Puritans, who believed that a church as a local body of believers, and that local church had the right to elect its own ministers and govern its own affairs. These were called "Independents or "Separatists because they believed in the separation from the Established Church. During Elizabeth's reign, such dissenters were dealt with harshly. And things grew even worse under her successor, James. But unlike Elizabeth, James did not have the command of his people, and dissent grew worse. |