Oliver Cromwell and his religious beliefs

Oliver Cromwell and his Bible

In the time when Oliver Cromwell lived most people in this country were Christian (they believed in one God who had sent his son Jesus to teach us).

However, there were many different types of Christian. They were different in how they thought people should live and behave.

As an adult, Oliver Cromwell became a very religious person. He became what was known as a 'Puritan'. Puritans believed that church services should be very plain and simple. For example, they didn't think that music should be played in church and they thought churches should be plain inside. They thought that things like stained glass windows, statues and silver candlesticks were unesscessary and got in the way of knowing God properly.

Puritans thought that Christmas Day should be a day when people fasted (didn't eat) rather than having parties and eating too much. Oliver Cromwell and some of his Puritan friends who were Members of Parliament too, decided to make it a crime to celebrate Christmas and to do some other things that it had once been okay to do.

Can you find out what some of the other laws were that were made by the Puritans in Parliament?

Puritans also wore very simple clothing, with no frills, fur or feathers as was the fashion for most people living in Oliver Cromwell's time. They believed that simple clothing showed that you had a pure heart. People who weren't Puritans often used to make fun of them for the way they looked.

Can you find the names of any other Puritans who Oliver Cromwell would have known?

Britains monarch, King Charles the First, was rich and wore fancy clothes. He also liked church services with music and a lot of ceremony - he did not approve of the Puritans and they did not approve of him. This is one thing that led to a lot of arguments between the King and Parliament.