Who Is Anne Hutchinson's Argument Against Religion

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John Winthrop wrote in his journal that Anne Hutchinson claimed she received direct and divine revelations from God. Hutchinson taught and preached the doctrine of the Inner Light as she kept “two public lectures every week in her house” (117). Hutchinson believed she was in direct communication with God and did not need to obey the Church’s law. However, the Puritans came to consider that Hutchinson’s belief was against the word of the Bible and God as it demonstrated a Satanic and evil religious viewpoint. The Puritans “banished (Hutchinson) out of (their) jurisdictions as being a woman not fit for (their) society” (33) and judged her to be guilty of speaking untruthfully.
The Puritans believed that Hutchinson’s “untruthful” claim was satanic and against God because it went against the words and morals of the Bible. Winthrop asserts to Hutchinson …show more content…

The text Winthrop incorporates seems to support that in the Puritan’s belief, the Church goes above the law and everything concerning legal rights is carried out by the Church. Winthrop states that “the church, with one consent, cast (Hutchinson) out” (118). This text helps support why the Puritans believed that Hutchinson’s claim was against God and satanic. Because Hutchinson followed and preached the doctrine of the Inner light, which did not heed the law of the Church, the Puritans believed she was committing crime against the Church as well. The Puritans believed any religious beliefs that did not heed to the Church’s law is ultimately satanic and against God. After Hutchinson’s banishment from their society, the Puritans rejoiced “it was a happy day to the churches of Christ here, and to many poor souls, who had been seduced by (Hutchinson)” (119). This statement by the Puritans helps indicate that any wrong doing against the Church was considered