Were the Puritans Conservative?

Were the Puritans always afraid "someone, somewhere, was having fun" as is heard today? No. One Puritan pastor, for instance, instructed his followers to enjoy recreations " including sports like hunting, bowling, swimming and archery " "as liberties, with thankfulness to God that allows these liberties to refresh ourselves." Yes the Puritans lived in a different and far more difficult time, in many ways less frivolous than today. But it was always the generally held view that "the Christian gospel was good, merry glad and joyful tidings, that maketh a man's heart glad, and maketh him sing, and dance and leap for joy" as one Puritan noted.

So what about that dour black dress we're all familiar with? Actually, the Puritans dressed according to the fashions of their day. Black was formal wear for Sundays, but weekday wear was colorful and bright. Commentators from the period regularly describe Puritan preachers and community leaders as dressed in colorful, costly, even elaborate clothes.

Nor did the Puritans eschew "the world." One Puritan expressed the common sentiment that "this world and the things thereof are all good, and were all made of God, for the benefit of his creatures."