Puritanism through its strict principles destroyed itself.
Puritanism bore within itself the seeds of it's own destruction. The seventeenth century in American history witnessed the arrival of a devout religious group known as the Puritans to the New England area. In the early to mid 1600's, Puritanism presented the most consistent development of Calvinist theology. But Puritanism was more than a systematic theology book with the stipulations of the Reformed faith. However, by the end of the seventeenth century things would begin to fall apart for the Puritans. The theological decline of the Puritanism occurred for two reasons: their elaborate and strict theological doctrines and their compromising efforts to liberalize membership requirements.
The elaborate and strict theological doctrines of Puritanism led to it's eventually decline.The early Puritans wanted a "city upon a hill" that would serve as an example to all other Christians. They wanted to build a perfect society. They believed God wanted people to lead a serious, purposeful life. Punishments were severe in colonial New England. The Puritan laws were strict, and lawbreakers were punished in cruel ways. Many crimes carried the penalty of death. One such crime was Witchcraft. In 1691 and 1691 a number of men and women were hanged in the Salem Witch Trails in Salem, Massachusetts. This hysteria was ended in 1693 when the governor prohibited any more trails, after his won wife was accused. The witch trails showed the weakness of the Puritan church by executing innocent people.
The church was the center of Puritan life. The law required everybody to attend church services. The sermons were long and given in the morning and afternoon. Besides that, the churches had no heat and benches were uncomfortable. Churchgoers thought sermons were tedious and over erudite. Liberal ideas started to emerge and worshipers said humans were not predestined to damnation in hell but might save themselves through good works. Anne Hutchinson claimed that a holy life was no sure sign of salvation and that the truly saved need not bother to obey the law of either God or man. Some churches even said spiritual conversion was not necessary for church membership.
The decline of the Puritanism also occurred because of compromising efforts to liberalize membership requirements. Membership had always been limited to the elect who underwent a conversion. The elect were those God had chosen for salvation. A conversion is an intense, identifiable personal experience in which God revealed to the elect their heavenly destiny. In the seventeenth century there was a decline of conversions. A new formula for church membership was designed called the Half-Way Covenant in 1662. The Half-Way Covenant offered partially membership to those not converted. As time went on all people converted or not could have membership, and the distinction between the "elect" and other members of society disappeared. This made the power of the church decline even more.
Puritanism bore within itself the seeds of it's own destruction through its strict regulations and controversy in church membership. Liberal ideas challenged old-time religion. Eventually a religious revival known as the Great Awakening took place, which sealed the end of Puritanism.
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