The Puritan Religion’s Influence on Children Essay

While the current child considers their life to be stressful and busy, the children of the Puritan religion had much more to be worried about, on top of all of their daily activities. The adults in the community looked down upon the children that represented the devil and his works. Children were born with the burden of Adam’s sin, and they must be broken from sinning. By the time that the children were five, they were put to work, to contribute to the family. Most children were small, and able to help with the weeding of plants and house work. After an early morning work session, most children would attend school. Schooling was very important to the Puritans because they believed that the devil would influence anyone you was easy†¦show more content†¦The constant fear would be held above all’s heads and cause the mentally weak, to go insane. Puritans belief that God was the main controller meant that he would punish anyone who would do anything that was sinfu l. They would not help anyone who had fallen sick or had a misfortune, because they saw it as God’s will. God was more powerful than anyone on Earth, and would punish the damn more than any physical pain could. Children were the most susceptible to sinful nature because they were seen as promiscuous (Discovery Education). In the Puritan Religion, all children were supposed to be looked down upon, and hold no power. They were supposed to be closer to the devil than any adult, as we could see during the Salem Witch Trials. Death by sin was also constant fear in the child’s mind, and the children were so afraid to sin, that they usually ended up sinning. Also, children lived with the fear of not experiencing God for their memberships to the church. In this time, to be a citizen, you had to be a member of the church. When the children of the elect were born, they were automatically given membership to the church, because they were for surely experience God. When some of th em did not, they lived inconstant fear of what was to to come of them and their future children. The constant fears and pressures of the Puritan child lead to problems within the community (Campbell). With the Bible as their main focus to their religion and their leader,Show MoreRelatedThe Crucible: John Proctor - True Hero876 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play the crucible, Arthur miller uses the character of John Proctor who, residing in hysteria-shaken Puritan Salem, rises beyond the hysteria and proves himself a true hero through his heroic virtues, challenging of authority and power, self-sacrifice and self-realisation. Proctor is the only individual willing to question the puritan belief system. He believes that no man should have control over the life of another. Only God has the power to judge and condemn. Therefore, choosing the moreRead MoreEssay on The Role of Religion in the Formation of America1962 Words   |  8 Pagesreligious haven for the Puritans. 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