This paper explores the character and actions of Anne Hutchinson and links her exile from the Puritan community to the fact that she was an influential woman.
Abstract This paper explores the character and actions of Anne Hutchinson and links her exile from the Puritan community to the fact that she was an influential woman.
From the Paper "In the 1630?s, many people who called themselves Puritans began fleeing England. These people, like many others, were trying to escape the Protestant Reformation. They sought a safe place to freely peruse their beliefs, which they thought to be the only true path to salvation. Puritans formed their religious beliefs with the idea to purify the Church of England; an establishment they thought was far too similar to Catholicism. American Puritans saw it as their holy mission to show the world the true path to God. An important aspect of Puritanism was the fact that the whole community must enter into a Covent of Grace with God. As a result there was a huge pressure to conform thus individuality was harshly discouraged. This key idea was what got Anne Hutchinson in a lot of trouble. She first began as a highly respected woman, and in only a year became a feared heretic, sentenced to exile. Women were not typically feared in general, but a powerful women was a force to be reckoned with. Thus, Anne Hutchinson was a threat to not only the Massachusetts Bay colony, but also to the entire Puritanical community because she was an influential woman."
Abstract This paper looks at the English Puritans who objected to the sinfulness of life in England and the degeneration of the Church of England and began to emigrate to America at the start of the seventeenth century. It examines how the success of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other settlements was due in large part to the fact that the Puritan settlers agreed on principles that supported a life of hard work dedicated to the service of God. It examines how the settlers fared over the years with their common beliefs, carefully ordered civil society and devotion to hard work as simple farmers and also how their beliefs caused rifts such as the case of Anne Hutchinson who was accused of promoting the heresy of Antinomianism.
From the Paper "Like most Protestant sects the puritans were fond of finding justifications for their courses of action in Scriptural precedent or command. Thus they sought Biblical support for the general notion of worldly prudence in the management of one's affairs. And they did not have to look far to find quite precisely qualified support. In the Book of Proverbs, for instance, the faithful are admonished that "a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold" (quoted in Perry 300). These words do not, of course, preclude the pursuit of the latter half of each of these equations, but merely orders the faithful to maintain a sense of proportion regarding what is truly important. Other citations from the Bible offer even more unqualified support for business pursuits when they directly "affirm and proclaim the fact that diligence, self-control, and foresight conduce to power and riches" (Perry 300). Even more importantly, however, the notion of worldly prudence was assuredly theologically sound because it conformed completely to "that subordination of immediate to ulterior goods which is the central motif of the gospel" (Perry 300)."
Tags: christianity, massachusetts, bay, colony, god
A comparison of ethical dilemmas in "A Language Older Than Words" by Derrick Jensen and "From Christ to the World: Introductory Readings in Christian Ethics," edited by Wayne G. Boulton, Thomas D. Kennedy and Allen Verhey.
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts ethical dilemmas in two books - "A Language Older Than Words," written by Derrick Jensen and "From Christ to the World: Introductory Readings in Christian Ethics," edited by Wayne G. Boulton, Thomas D. Kennedy and Allen Verhey. It describes the concepts discussed in each work and then finally provides a personal critique discussing why arguments are important.
Table of Contents:
A Language Older Than Words: A Review
From Christ To The World: A Review
Personal Critique: Why Arguments Are Important
From the Paper "Fletcher also talks about this under his category "antinomianism": this is the approach which one takes when entering the "decision-making situation armed with no principles or maxims whatsoever, to say nothing of rules." And to carry the analogy along a bit more, with reference to Fletcher's philosophy, did Bush take the antinomianism approach in 2002, 2003, when putting forth the dishonest notion that Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons and for the safety of all Americans the U.S. military needed to crush him? Most interesting among his three features of Christian ethics is "situationism," which Fletcher places "between" legalism and antinomianism. This third maxim is used when the person is not making a decision based on a rock-solid Christian footing; i.e., the situation dictates whether it's a good idea to go ahead or not. According to "love's needs," Fletcher writes on page 208, the situationist follows "a moral law or violates it."
Abstract This paper discusses the trial of Anne Hutchinson in the United States in the seventeenth century. It describes the religious beliefs of Hutchinson and her position within the community in which she lived. The paper then discusses her background and the political and religious climate that led up to her prosecution. The paper finally looks at the ruling of the court.
From the Paper "The court voted to banish her from the community. Eventually Anne and most of her children would be killed by raiding Indians who had been provoked by other settlers. In some ways Hutchinson represented the ideas of individual consciousness, stemming from the Reformation. Anne was banished because she was seen as a threat to the family, state, law and hierarchy. She was not banished solely because she believed something different, but because what she believed dismantled everything that everyone else believed. Her freedom of thought was a threat to their way of life and ultimately, their freedom."
