Why my family left England, and how they helped to create the United States of America

I don't usually time-travel back to the 1630s in this blog, but today I'm thinking about those days, back when my family left England to be able to live with religious freedom. And along the way, they helped to create a country with the type of freedom of religion that, while often attacked, has held for over 200 years now.

If you remember the history of Christianity, you know that over the years it had become a tool that was used, and abused, by people in power. This was known as the "Divine Right of Kings", who could do anything, but it also extended to leaders of the Christian Church. To put it bluntly, the teachings of Jesus Christ had been hijacked, and many people, my family included protested against it, starting in the 1500s. That's where the word "Protestant" comes from: protest-ant.

And of course, if you protest against a system that can say, "Off with your head!", you're wise to leave. Many people in England in the 1630s moved to Holland, my family moved to a place called America. Yes, it was called America long before the United States was created.

Whether they called themselves "Puritans" or not, I really don't know. But I know that they called themselves Christians. And while they did use the cross a symbol, they were mostly about the fish. Speaking for myself, that's the symbol that I use. if you're not entirely clear on what that means, even if you grew up in America, as a Christian, that's not surprising. In spite of attempts to "purify" Christianity, and follow the words of Jesus, it again got lost in a quagmire of ceremony, and complexity, again used by people in power.

Personally, I was very lucky. The church that I attended as a kid had one of those "long-haired, hippy-type" youth ministers, who taught us out of the modern translation of the New Testament, and even let us listen to "Jesus Christ, Superstar". I never had to memorize things, as chants, I was taught in a plain way, which is what the Puritans were all about. They were plain speaking, plain dressing, plain acting. Their churches were plain. They had no desire for ceremony, and while they respected their church leaders, they did not consider them to be holier than anyone else in the church.

The message of comfort and forgiveness really clicked with me. I've never had any use for "fire and brimstone", or a vengeful God. And I've never had a head for logistics, like knowing how many candles to light, or what color, three weeks after a particular religious holiday. Or is it three-and-a-half weeks? So relax when you see me draw a fish. I'm happy to be a disciple, but that's all I am. 

When the United States of America was formed, it was created without the Divine Right of Kings. It was based on the will of the people, a concept that most of the world expected to fail: democracy. There was no official religion of the United States, in spite of the fact that over the years certain things seemed to seep in, such as writing "In God We Trust" on United States Currency. And the process of hijacking Christianity by the people who wanted power began again. Whenever some type of official force is created to push a particular religion, my first thought is that I never expected some kind of Spanish Inquisition!

So go in peace, and believe in whatever you want, according to the dictates of your own conscience. Welcome to the United States of America!