Roger Williams Religious Beliefs

Rodger Williams was an Anglican priest who had puritan tendencies. He founded Rhode Island and believed that religion should not be imposed upon the citizens (Frohen 42). Williams wrote the parliament in England because he wanted them to allow free discussion in England

The second, a classic form of separatism, arose most spectacularly in the person of Roger Williams, who thought it necessary for the members of a congregation to "make a public declaration of their repentance for having communion with the churches of England, while they lived there." Thus it was sufficient in his eyes to have banished that Church's errors from Puritan congregations; it was even necessary to renounce the Church. Winthrop understood the danger of Williams's ideas, that they might/must lead one to keep withdrawing further and further from the world and burrowing deeper into oneself, in the ultimately mistaken belief that only one's own vision of God's truth is pure.

Adapting a Puritan lifestyle drastically affected Winthrop’s perspective on the world and his role in it. He knew that he could not completely disconnect himself from it “as monks and hermits do” (Morgan 6) so he had to adapt to the struggle of finding a balance of his role of worshiping God and “lending his hand to shape [the world]” (Morgan 14).

In the early 1600’s, John Winthrop grew up in a very wealthy family. He attended college at 15 and at 17 he was married. Winthrop loved his wife very much but at times he thought maybe too much (he remarried 3 times because his first 2 wives passed away). As a Puritan, Winthrop dedicated his life to God, but as he got older, England’s government made it harder and harder to be a Puritan, due to the fact that the king said outright he hated Puritans. Winthrop went on to study law and eventually became a common attorney in the court of wards; though Winthrop was happy to get this job, it kept him away from his family. After a short while in this position, Winthrop began to feel less and less important, as Puritans were the

One reason for the Colonial Americans’ growth in faith is the fact the era was abundant with religious figures who strove to lead people to God and created guidelines for them to live by. The people of Colonial America were blessed to abide in an “enchanted world of wonders.” These wonders were no doubt brought on by the hand of God, and the recognition of this fact caused new religious leaders to rise up and help people focus on living Godly lives despite the secular distractions that they were presented with. One Puritan leader, John Winthrop, stated, “That which the most in their Churches maintain as a truth in profession only, we must bring into familiar and constant practice, as in this duty of love we must love brotherly without dissimulation, we must love one another with a pure heart fervently we must bear one another’s burdens…” Winthrop not only wanted each individual person to maintain a stronger focus on faith in daily life, he also wanted them to use their faith to unite together, and his Model of Christian Charity showed the people how to accomplish that. Many people tried to abide by these teachings and pass them onto their children before they made their own way in the changing, confusing world because many parents feared their children would “Fall un’wares in Fowler’s snare.”

New England marks the beginnings of the Baptist struggle for “religious liberty.” Baptist names such as: Roger William, John Clark, and William Screven were significant figures that advanced the cause and displayed the trials and struggle of “religious liberty.” Roger William, (who was a

One early settler in Rhode Island was Roger Williams (a founder of Rhode Island) who was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was banished because he spoke out against the Court of Massachusetts. Williams had spoken out against the rule of the Court, he questioned the right of authorities to punish religious bickering, and the right to take away Indians land. Another founder was Anne Hutchinson, who was also banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, for religious reasons. Rhode Island officially became a state in 1790 on May 29.

Roger Williams, born in London in 1603, influenced the United States through his efforts to create religious freedom and through his establishment of Rhode Island. Before coming to America, Williams was able to receive an education at Pembroke College at Cambridge University, receiving various scholarships for his merit in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. At the time of his marriage to Mary Barnard in 1629, Williams had already been a name known throughout Europe for his ideals on religious acceptance. His religious tolerance sprung from his lifelong desire for a closer relationship with God. Although these strong beliefs caused many problems for him—including getting banished from places like Massachusetts—he never let them go. He let them fuel

Did the Puritans really come to America seeking religious freedom? How did they reconcile their own religious dissent from the Church of England with their persecution of dissenters like Hutchinson and Williams? Does their outlook make them hypocrites?

Roger Williams was an extreme Separatist who wanted his fellow clergymen to break from the Church of England, questioned the legality of the Bay Colony’s charter, denied the authority of civil government to regulate religious behavior, and was banished in 1635.

     First there is the colony or Rhode Island, which was started by a man, named Roger Williams in (1636). It did not become an official colony until (1644) when it then

Dependent upon the clemency of God, the Puritans use their faith to ensure success in a new, foreign land. Ultimately, Winthrop implies that if the colonists genuinely dedicate themselves to Christ, their lives will be improved, in that God will help them in their endeavors: "The end is to improve our lives to do more service to the Lord...that ourselves and posterity may be the better preserved from the common corruptions of this evil world, to serve the Lord and work out our salvation under the power and purity of His holy ordinances" (215). By using the phrase "corruption of this evil world," Winthrop suggests that the only way to attain a virtuous and upright character is through spirituality and trust in God, who can help His followers to lead moral, meaningful lives. Winthrop insinuates that the Puritans have an obligation to God; they must leave their native land and establish a community abroad where God's people can live freely, strengthening their spiritual lives. If this is accomplished, then God too will aid the Puritans and bring mercy upon them: "When God gives a special commission He looks to have it strictly observed in the every article. When he gave Saul a commission to destroy Amaleck, He indented with him upon certain articles, and because he failed in one of the least, and that upon a fair pretense, it lost him the kingdom which should have been his reward if he had observed his commission"

Thomas Hooker was born around July 5, 1586 in Leicestershire. He was probably born at either Marefield or Birstall. He became a well-known British/ American colonial minister and one of the creators of Hartford. He is sometimes referred to as the “father of American democracy”. While he studied at Cambridge, he became fascinated with Puritanism and joined a Puritan congregation. After leaving Cambridge, he went off to Essex, England and became a Puritan clergyman. He promoted rights for Puritan worshippers to be included in religious practices, but since the Puritans were considered to be criminals, the English authorities went after them. Hooker than fled from England to Holland, where he stayed until 1630. At this time, Puritan leaders like

In “Was Roger Williams Really a Baptist?” Louis F. Asher informs the reader of Williams many religious beliefs, which allows Asher to break down and explain the answer to the title. Asher simply stated the argument as the title “Was Roger Williams Really a Baptist?” which immediately told me what the article was going to be about. Asher then broke the article up in sections; he began with a brief history of Christianity in the 1600’s and continued with each section explaining a different reason of why Williams is not truly considered a Baptist. Asher states, “Therefore, if no evidence of membership is known, then Williams was not a Baptist” (1). To legitimately be considered Baptist Williams would have had to be a member and fellowship with

In “Was Roger Williams Really a Baptist?” Louis F. Asher informs the reader of Williams many religious beliefs, which allows Asher to break down and explain the answer to the title. Asher simply stated the argument as the title “Was Roger Williams Really a Baptist?” which immediately told me what the article was going to be about. Asher then broke the article up into sections; he began with a brief history of Christianity in the 1600’s and continued with each section explaining a different reason of why Williams is not truly considered a Baptist. Asher states, “Therefore, if no evidence of membership is known, then Williams was not a Baptist” (1). To legitimately be considered Baptist Williams would have had to be a member and fellowship with the