What would the Puritans do if you didn believe what they believed?
Their interpretation of scriptures was a harsh one. In principle, they emphasised conversion and not repression. While repression was discouraged in principle, it is said that it was evident in their actions. God could forgive anything, but man could forgive only by seeing a change in behaviour. Actions spoke louder than words, so actions had to be constantly controlled. In Puritan communities, any deviations from the normal way of Puritan life met with strict disapproval and discipline. Since the church elders were also political leaders, any church infraction was also a social one, and there was no margin for error. Had the Puritans become established as the dominant religion, it would seem that their response to those who held different beliefs would be repression. The repression they had once suffered from members of the established Church of England taught them nothing.
