The Relevance of the Pilgrims’ Story for Modern Americans

by | Apr 17, 2011 | Geneva Bible, Separation of chuch and state

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.

Welcome to the Pilgrims’ Post and One Candle’s Light

by | Feb 21, 2011 | Author's Research, Author's Welcome, English Reformation, Jeremy Bangs, Leiden, Pilgrim Monuments

Fay’s First Blog

I welcome all readers interested in the American Pilgrims and their determined quest for freedom from government thought control.

My book, One Candle’s Light, (Oaktara, 2009) is a historical novel beginning with William Brewster’s coming-of–age around 1578 in rural England and continuing through the community’s home at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts in 1622.

I made three trips to England to research the Pilgrims’ individual stories and the gathering of their community. At key sites in England American groups have erected monuments to memorialize these Englishmen and their determined effort to seek freedom instead of power. Some of the buildings the Pilgrims used are still standing, notably Scrooby Manor and Babworth Church. The English are famous for preserving sturdy buildings and their historical significance.

From the point of view of Americans, the most significant contribution the Pilgrims made to American history was that they were part of the English Reformation of the Christian church which swept Europe and England in the 16th Century. The Pilgrims therefore became known as the “Pilgrim Fathers” celebrated at Plimoth Plantation as the first permanent family settlement in America.

For readers interested in authentic details of the Pilgrims’ quest I recommend Jeremy Bangs’ definitive work, Strangers and Pilgrims: Traveler and Sojourners, published in 2009. It is an exhaustive history and bibliography of the Pilgrims’ story.

Fay Alexander, author – One Candle’s Light