Characteristics of Puritans and Rationalists – Flashcards
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Characteristics of Puritan Writing
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The Bible provided the model for the writing of the Puritans.
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Characteristics of Puritan Writing
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Diaries and histories were the most common forms of literary expression for the Puritans.
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Characteristics of Puritan Writing
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Puritans favored plain style of writing.
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The Rationalist World View
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Truth comes from reason, not emotion or religion
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The Rationalist World View
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God created the universe but does not interfere in its workings
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The Rationalist World View
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The world operates according to God's rules, and through reason people discover those rules.
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The Rationalist World View
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People are basically good.
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The Rationalist World View
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Since God wants people to be happy, they worship God best by helping others.
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Deism
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God made it possible for all people at all times to discover natural laws through their God-given power of reason.
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Puritan
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refers to Protestant groups that sought to purify the Church of England.
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Rationalism
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belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response
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What fears did the Puritan deal with on a daily basis?
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fear of disease, salvation, Native America attack
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Who were the first to be accused of witchcraft, during the Salem witch trials?
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the weak, outcastes, those who had belief systems differing from the dominate belief of the time
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What disease ran rampant after the colonists landed in the new world?
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smallpox
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The rationalist form a little after the Puritan rule. Why?
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Every movement is directly related to the time before. The illogical reasoning of some of the Puritan beliefs became readily evident in some cases (Salem Witch Trials). People began to look to other causes of certain happenings(illness, failing crops, etc.) than God. They began rationalize why certain things happened, which caused many to look into the sciences.
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Benefits of the Puritan Belief System
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industriousness, simplicity, self-reliance, temperance, building government and law
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Who discovered the cure for small pox?
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Cotton Mather
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Why can discovery and traveling to new lands be dangerous?
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Spread of illness, exploitation of resources,
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Why did the Puritans write so plainly?
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The Puritan lifestyle was very plain. They did not have time for entertainment, so it is fitting that their writing would not involve descriptive, imaginary tales. They were concerned with survive and the development of a new world. Their writing would be concerned with that which they were concerned with.
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How did the rationalists worldview differ from the Puritan views?
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The Puritans truth came from their religion. The truth of the rationalist came from reason and logic.
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Provide an example of a deist?
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Isaac Newton
