They wanted to purify and cleanse both the Church and their own lives. Adultery was considered the ultimate sin, a moral violation of God's will and people who committed it could be put to death. to be born on a Sunday was interpreted as a great sin because it is the Sabbath day and would be called “child of the Devil” _puritan-rules- children.htmlhttp:// 8187_puritan-rules- children.html

They thought that God wanted them to work very hard and be very serious. Puritans did not have parties. They did not listen to music, or dance. They did not celebrate holidays, not even Christmas or Easter fter1500/religion/puritans. htm fter1500/religion/puritans. htm

Toys and games were not typical to Puritans. Children had to get their parents' permission to go out and play, since games were seen as a distraction. Activities were recommended as long as the activity was not ungodly, unreasonable, or unproductive. Games that required mental concentration were acceptable (lawn mowing). mhcexh/musprv/nend/purplay/pl ayidx.htm mhcexh/musprv/nend/purplay/pl ayidx.htm

Young boys were expected to take of outdoor tasks, such as hunting, also they learned craft skills, like carpentry. Girls worked inside of the house and helped their mother in chores and other household tasks such as cooking meals. Puritan children were taught not to publicly express emotion including fear, anger, and joy _puritan-rules- children.html _puritan-rules- children.html

Then the men wore their hair shaved. The women’s dresses were very plain and homespun and also had stiff starched white aprons. There was a time when any man who would wear his hair long; and if a woman wore any sort of jewelry, she was looked upon as a most wicked creature. ay.php?author=pratt&book=ahs1&st ory=dress ay.php?author=pratt&book=ahs1&st ory=dress

The Puritans had a strong belief in the supernatural and in the existence of Satan. They believed that the devil was loose in Massachusetts. Witchcraft was considered a sin because it denied God’s superiority, if they were found guilty, their punishment was death. ic/history/salmwtch/tsld017.htm ic/history/salmwtch/tsld017.htm