The Importance (NOT IMPACT) of Puritan Religious Beliefs to Colonial American History

The United States government is designed in such a way that religious beliefs are not to interfere with federal policy . This does not mean that the United States is a country without religion or has a government that is intolerant of religion , but in fact , quite the opposite . The country has always been filled with citizens of many different faiths and belief systems , and the government is set up to protect the beliefs of each one of these citizens . The idea of separation of church and state ' can be a difficult concept to

define , and its many intricate nuances have created close examination and continuous debate . Today this concept is coming under heated attack from supporters and opponents of separation between church and state , from those that think the government interferes too much in the affairs of religion , to those that think the religious population holds too much influence on government policy . The clearest way to define the benefits or drawbacks of separation of church and state is to look at its history and the many current conflicts surrounding it . An early instance of the church and state intermingling can be seen in the Puritan colonists whose religious beliefs not only influenced each other through their work ethic and emphasis on family , but also influenced the entire founding of the United States by making the protection of religious belief one of the foundational ideals of the new country and progressivism and education one of its key tasks in achieving and maintain strength

While the Pilgrims established the Plymouth Colony with religion as its true drive , the formation of the Massachusetts Bay Company was originally established by Puritans and non-Puritans to make money from fishing and fur trading . However , as the persecution of Puritans increased in England , Puritan stockholders secretly bought out the rest of the shareholders for complete control of the company . The charter that formed the company never dictated where the headquarters should be located , so the Puritans decided to take the charter and create their headquarters in the New World . This allowed them to govern themselves with little interference from England . As the Puritans that traveled to the New World were highly prepared and adequately equipped , the colony was able to thrive . Because of the independence they enjoyed , they were also free to pursue a government established based on their religious beliefs . Because of conflict in England , which put Puritans in power briefly , the successful Puritans in Massachusetts flourished unabated and their communities grew by leaps and bounds . The Puritan Ethic created a strong more and ethical code that the Puritans lived by and helped set the religious , moral , and legal philosophies that would come to define the United States . The Puritan ethic stressed that those elected beforehand by God would achieve eternal salvation that those so elected for salvation could be recognized by how they lived on earth that they would shun idleness , extravagance , and vanity that they would avoid frivolous pastimes such as dancing card playing...