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Puritans

Definition

Puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England from its "Catholic" practices, maintaining that the Church was only partially reformed.

Analogy

Imagine you're part of a book club but you don't like how it's run. You think there are too many unnecessary rules and rituals. So, you decide to start your own club where things are done according to your beliefs. That's what the Puritans did with religion.

Related terms

Protestant Reformation: The Protestant Reformation was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and led to establishment of Protestant churches.

Separatists: Separatists were radical Puritans who, in the late sixteenth century, advocated complete separation from the Church of England due to dissatisfaction with its practices and theology.

Mayflower Compact: The Mayflower Compact was an agreement reached by Pilgrims on board ship Mayflower in 1620 just before they landed at Plymouth Rock; it bound them into a civil body politic for purpose of establishing a government.