Today is my second day visiting New England! Winston is going to show me the New England religious customs. We woke up early once again, and began with prayers at the kitchen table before breakfast. After a quick cleaning of the small house, the whole family walked to the meetinghouse. It was a large building in the center of the town. We had a service in the meetinghouse; it was two hours long!
After the service, we had lunch back at home. Winston told me about the religion in New England. He said they were Puritans, who came to the New World to break away from the Church of England. They arrived in 1608, (Aunt Jane and Uncle Charles ventured as a young couple to a new life, on the Mayflower) eager for religious freedom as Puritans. He said that Puritans were Separatists, and they wanted a place to live in the New World where they could be completely separate from the Church Of England. My cousin tells me how devoted and committed the whole colony is to religion, full of daily prayers and complete loyalty to God.
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| A typical winters day; families are gathering in the meetinghouse for the daily service |
Back in Jamestown, we are very different in our religious customs. Most importantly, we are a part of the Church of England! Our church is governed from London, and it is not very influential; because the London Company is three thousand miles across the ocean.
We only go to church on Sundays, for just a two-hour service. That’s nothing compared to New England religious practices. Winston also told me that his community believes they have a covenant with God, an agreement to build a holy society that will be a model for humankind. Winston tells me his community considers their faith extremely important in their life, and I realize religion in the New World differs greatly depending on the region.
We only go to church on Sundays, for just a two-hour service. That’s nothing compared to New England religious practices. Winston also told me that his community believes they have a covenant with God, an agreement to build a holy society that will be a model for humankind. Winston tells me his community considers their faith extremely important in their life, and I realize religion in the New World differs greatly depending on the region.
The colonies in the New World are a patchwork of religiously diverse communities, and I think this is very interesting. I find this fascinating how the distinctive regions, with various religions, all make one cohesive unit with a rapidly increasing population.
This was a very imformative post! You made interesting points on the religion in the New World that made it enticing to read. I like how you explained your "loyalty to God" as opposed to the other point of "just a two-hour service". Nice work!
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