Pilgrims and puritans

[KaphLamedh]

I just started to wonder were pilgrims presbyterians. I mean those who arrived USA by Mayflower. Puritans like Bunyan was baptist, but some were presbyterians. How many of you Americans are real descendants of the pilgrims?

 

[Claudiu]

Pilgrims and Puritans are not necessarily the same thing.

 

[Claudiu]

The Pilgrims were Puritans that migrated to the New World, but not all Puritans migrated to the New World.

 

[Deleted member 6112]

Most of the folks who came over on the mayflower were Congregationalists, rather than Presbyterians.

 

[Andrew P.C.]

Most of the folks who came over on the mayflower were Congregationalists, rather than Presbyterians.

Interesting. Do you think this has to do anything with the evolution of American Christianity and how church government is viewed today in America?

 

[Pilgrim]

This era (and region) wasn't my specialty. But it would appear that the Pilgrims (aka Pilgrim Fathers in the UK) were Congregationalists as seen with the Congregationalism they set up in New England. My understanding is that significant Presbyterian immigration came later and tended to be to Mid-Atlantic states like Pennsylvania, with many Scots-Irish of a Presbyterian background ending up in the South one way or another. Baptists in the USA (with regard to attaining much prominence) appear to have arisen with the First Great Awakening. Whitefield said something like "all my chickens have become ducks!"

See also the differences between the Congregationalists/Independents and the Presbyterians in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, including the English Civil War.

 

[jwithnell]

In 1648, New England congregationalists established the Cambridge Platform that closely mirrored the Westminster Confession with differences in polity and church/state relations. But the congregations did not seem to engage in the rule of 51 percent. Some churches used the offices of elder and deacon. It was not unusual for regional church leaders to meet together. The practice of circulating written sermons also led to doctrinal conformity and debate.

 

[Jesus is my friend]

This era (and region) wasn't my specialty. But it would appear that the Pilgrims (aka Pilgrim Fathers in the UK) were Congregationalists as seen with the Congregationalism they set up in New England. My understanding is that significant Presbyterian immigration came later and tended to be to Mid-Atlantic states like Pennsylvania, with many Scots-Irish of a Presbyterian background ending up in the South one way or another. Baptists in the USA (with regard to attaining much prominence) appear to have arisen with the First Great Awakening. Whitefield said something like "all my chickens have become ducks!"

See also the differences between the Congregationalists/Independents and the Presbyterians in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, including the English Civil War.

Roger Williams who was a Pilgrim was used of God to establish the first Baptist Church in America in Rhode Island after some doctrinal disagreements in the Bay colonies and also founded the now city of Providence,RI

Baptist History: Roger Williams

 

[Wayne]

Brownists!

 

[Miss Marple]

We learned in our home school history books that the Mayflower was inhabited by both "pilgrims" and "strangers." The "strangers" were perhaps not Christians, but those of a secular view who had secular reasons for migrating.

I am interested to know others' understanding, but that is what we have learned.

I have often considered that in the U.S. we are still made up of "pilgrims" and "strangers."

 

[CuriousNdenver]

There were also Reformed immigrants who settled in New Amsterdam, NY in the early 1600's. I believe they were part of the Dutch Reformed church. I have ancestors who were part of this early settlement. Interestingly, there were some French and Italian members of this church as well. I have done some genealogy research and it seems these families intermarried. This particular French family were Huguenots who fled France under persecution to the Netherlands. They must have connected with other like-minded believers there and as a group traveled from the Netherlands to England from which they sailed for NY.

I wish I had time to do more research on this; it is fascinating!

 

[KaphLamedh]

There were also Reformed immigrants who settled in New Amsterdam, NY in the early 1600's. I believe they were part of the Dutch Reformed church. I have ancestors who were part of this early settlement. Interestingly, there were some French and Italian members of this church as well. I have done some genealogy research and it seems these families intermarried. This particular French family were Huguenots who fled France under persecution to the Netherlands. They must have connected with other like-minded believers there and as a group traveled from the Netherlands to England from which they sailed for NY.

I wish I had time to do more research on this; it is fascinating!

Well, in Netherlands there are quite many reformed people.