toldailytopic: The Plymouth Colony Pilgrims: good guys or bad guys?

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for November 22nd, 2011 09:14 AM

toldailytopic: The Plymouth Colony Pilgrims: good guys or bad guys?

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[Nick M]

Good guys.

 

[Sherman]

The pilgrims are definitely good guys. Reasons:
1. They signed the Mayflower compact before disembarking on December 11th 1620 - an agreement to enact just and equal laws for the general good of the colony. It was the first form of self government in the New world
2. After arriving in Massachusetts in late November they were ill prepared for the harsh winters and nearly half the settlers died before Spring. Yet they still persevered in their prayers to God. Assisted by helpful Indians they had a bountiful harvest the following Summer. Grateful, the Pilgrims declared a three day feast starting in December 13th 1621 to thank God for His bounty and to celebrate with their Indian friends. This was the first three day Thanksgiving Festival. Other Feasts of shorter duration had been held as early as 1607 in Virginia.

Source material

 

[rocketman]

Did they eat cranberry sauce? That is the question...:chuckle:

 

[Sherman]

Good Guys..They didn't put that vile high fructose corn syrup in their cranberry sauce. :chuckle:

 

[steko]

Good guys.

 

[Nathon Detroit]

If you lived back then... would you have taken the extreme risk to travel to the "New World"?

 

[some other dude]

They had already fled their ancestral homes in England to seek refuge in Holland, but found Dutch culture to be a corrupting influence on their children. After that, what's a little boat ride?

 

[rocketman]

If you lived back then... would you have taken the extreme risk to travel to the "New World"?

To escape the religious and political tyranny of liberalism, oops I mean the King, yes.

 

[aCultureWarrior]

What's not to love about a group of people that risked their lives to bring Christianity to a pagan land?

 

[TomO]

lain: i think Pilgrim is a pretty cool guy. eh eats turkeys and doesn’t afraid of anything.

 

[MrRadish]

As usual, neither good guys nor bad guys, just guys (and, of course, gals).

Predominantly positive elements included greater equality in some fields between men and women than in Europe at the time, a strong sense of morality, an elected Governor, and a functional system of communal production as opposed to one based on free market principles.

Predominantly negative elements included discriminatory attitudes toward women, other races, and members of other Christian sects, the use of slavery, the extensive use of corporal and in some cases capital punishment, an expansionist attitude toward Native Americans, dangerous superstitions about witchcraft, and the quasi-Puritanical brand of Christian fundamentalism that was their legacy in America.

It's always simplistic to view people as 'good guys' and 'bad guys' whether it's on an individual or social level, and can lead to very dangerous thinking. Sane people always have some reason to be doing what they're doing, even if some of those things are horrible, and it's far more productive to look at the external factors which have led to those actions rather than wasting time making the meaningless distinction between 'goodies' and 'baddies'.

 

[Frank Ernest]

If you lived back then... would you have taken the extreme risk to travel to the "New World"?

Yes. I would have been 400 years younger. :jolly:

 

[The Berean]

What's not to love about a group of people that risked their lives to bring Christianity to a pagan land?

Was one of their goals to evangelize the "pagans"? I wasn't aware that Puritans were much into evangelizing. :idunno:

 

[smitty1931]

Article on the Sunday Times

Article on the Sunday Times

Excellent article in the newspaper concerning the Pilgrims and the people who came over on the Mayflower. Your library probably gets the Times.

 

[faramir77]

Pilgrim Good. They my Sires, and me love them, be they fact or fiction.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.

 

[Psalmist]

toldailytopic: The Plymouth Colony Pilgrims: good guys or bad guys?​

Good guys.

I watched a docudrama that the History Channel had, "The Untold Story Of The Mayflower," really interesting.​

 

[kmoney]

As usual, neither good guys nor bad guys, just guys (and, of course, gals).

Predominantly positive elements included greater equality in some fields between men and women than in Europe at the time, a strong sense of morality, an elected Governor, and a functional system of communal production as opposed to one based on free market principles.

Predominantly negative elements included discriminatory attitudes toward women, other races, and members of other Christian sects, the use of slavery, the extensive use of corporal and in some cases capital punishment, an expansionist attitude toward Native Americans, dangerous superstitions about witchcraft, and the quasi-Puritanical brand of Christian fundamentalism that was their legacy in America.

It's always simplistic to view people as 'good guys' and 'bad guys' whether it's on an individual or social level, and can lead to very dangerous thinking. Sane people always have some reason to be doing what they're doing, even if some of those things are horrible, and it's far more productive to look at the external factors which have led to those actions rather than wasting time making the meaningless distinction between 'goodies' and 'baddies'.

This is close to my view, more or less. :think:

 

[Ktoyou]

What possible relationship would I have with pilgrims?

 

[some other dude]