The Pilgrims of Plimoth Plantation believed in the Christian faith as it was presented in the Calvinist Geneva Bible. They found no mention in this Bible of doctrines of the Church of England in their Book of Common Prayer, or the hierarchy of priests, deacons, bishops, and liturgical rituals. If the official Church/State had respected their Biblical version of Christianity, they would gladly have stayed within the Church fold, but the Church forbade any “gatherings” outside prescribed Church services and imprisoned or executed “heretics” who did not follow Church teachings. These restrictions forced “separatists,” like the Pilgrims, to practice their Biblical faith in secret or to try to leave the country, which was also illegal.
These Pilgrims established the concept of separation of church and state in America. As other European settlers arrived bringing their versions of Christianity with them, they were free to practice their faiths without persecution. This heritage prevails in modern America which allows other religions unknown to American colonists. Some clashes occur today, e.g. the controversy over the building of a mosque in New York City near the Trade Center site. This issue will probably be settled on legal grounds rather than by any restriction of Islamic religious practice.
New Pilgrim Histories Published
Another definitive history by Nick Bunker, Making Haste from Babylon, was published in 2010. Had either Bangs’ Strangers, or Bunker’s Babylon been available before my One Candle’s Light was published in late 2009, I would have had a wealth of new historical fact to draw upon. Instead I used the personal accounts of William Bradford in his Of Plymouth Plantation, Edward Winslow in Good Newes from New England, and Phineas Pratt’s account of his escape from Wessagussett, all contemporary versions of the Pilgrims’ story.