In addition to Protestant reformers who grew dissatisfied with how poorly the English Reformation ad ...
In addition to Protestant reformers who grew dissatisfied with how poorly the English Reformation addressed its major problems, nonconformist organizations emerged throughout England. While the Church of England broke away from Rome under the rule of King Henry VIII, numerous Protestant reformers claimed the Church of England still contained an excessive amount of Roman Catholic elements. In addition, they said that since most individuals did not commit themselves to scripture like they committed themselves to solving the country’s political issues, that many questions regarding governance, worship and the overall nature of the Church were left unaddressed. The first group of protesters who employed what would become known as nonconformity as a method of protest were Puritan reformers. Instead of separating themselves entirely from the National Church (Church of England), Puritan reformers sought to clean and purify it. Puritans said that there was no sufficient Biblical backing for various rituals and ceremonies that were utilized, among other things, the Book of Common Prayer and Episcopal Authority.[1] Eventually, many Puritan reformers came to lose faith in attempting to change the Church of England from within because monarchs, especially Queen Elizabeth I and those who succeeded her, repeatedly blocked attempts at reforming the church. This is when we see “Separatists” emerge. These are reformers who gave up on hoping to transform the Church of England from within. Separatists believed that the church can never be completely transformed and that only genuine Christians should establish their own churches. Separatist leaders such as Robert Browne believed that a church should be run according to scripture and consent rather than based upon governmental authority.[2] There were three fundamental areas identified by the groups of separatists. The first area was that instead of creating a separate area designated by the government for a church, a true Christian church should consist of only members who consider themselves to be Christians. Second, churches should be autonomous. Lastly, each member of a church should act as a priest. As time went on, additional forms of nonconformity began to develop. Early Baptists and Independents were examples of new types of nonconformity. Leaders such as John Smyth and others who represented independent and Baptist groups argued that someone cannot fully participate in church activities until he/she has been baptized after becoming a Christian.[3] Therefore, they believed that baptism performed by a corrupted church on children is useless. All of this created increasing conflicts between State and Church authorities for non-conforming church attendants who refused to abide by the laws and regulations established by traditional religions. Because of the lack of social restrictions, oppressive laws, and persecution, most Separatists migrated to Holland, where they were able to practice their faith more freely. However, conditions associated with living abroad caused some to seek out opportunities elsewhere. Some of these groups eventually followed John Robinson and traveled to America; in 1620, some of these groups took passage aboard the Mayflower. This voyage, along with concepts of individual religious freedoms and churches governed solely by the members, will ultimately lay the foundation for the development of early American religious identity. [1] Lecture 18, “Baptists, Independents and the Republic,” course materials [2] Lecture 18, “Baptists, Independents and the Republic,” course materials. [3] ³ Lecture 18, “Baptists, Independents and the Republic,” course materials.
