Anne HutchinsonIn the 17th century, Massachusetts was strongly religious, with church and state closely intertwined. The Puritans arrived in New England in 1630 to escape England and the pressures of those who prevented them from pursuing their beliefs. They built Massachusetts not on the basis of ideas of religious freedom, but on the principle that they could finally decide which aspects of their faith were acceptable and which were not. Massachusetts law stated that anyone who worshiped a god other than the Lord God, practiced witchcraft, or committed blasphemy would be prescribed the death penalty. The mentality of the Massachusetts Puritans allowed no religious tolerance or minor differences between religious opinions. This school of thought was challenged by people such as Rodger Williams, who believed that all citizens should have the freedom to practice the religion of their choice without fear of reprisal from those of different belief systems. Another challenger to the Puritan system, Anne Hutchinson, daughter of a clergyman, attracted much attention in her efforts to build religious tolerance. Because of her gender and large following, Hutchinson was seen as a threat to the Puritan Church and its establishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay In 1634, Anne Hutchinson arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband, to follow their minister John Cotton, who had just being expelled from his pulpit. in England. Anne, like most Puritans, believed that salvation was not earned and that nothing could ever be done to obtain it. Rather, she believed that salvation was a direct gift from God, passed on to those chosen. As Cotton began giving sermons, Anne began hosting weekly meetings in her home for those who wanted to further discuss the sermons. As his views began to diverge from those of the colony's ministers, so did his own following. Originally, Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop said that Anne's meetings were "ordinary discussions...on the things of the Kingdom of God" and that as an individual she conducted herself "in the path of justice and goodness. to challenge the ministers of Massachusetts on the cause that salvation cannot be obtained through moral correction or church attendance, and believed that almost all the ministers of Massachusetts were guilty of false preaching for separating the "saints » of the damned. on things other than his inner state of grace. Hutchinson and his followers became known as "advocates of free grace" because they followed John Cotton who emphasized "the inevitability of God's will" or his "free grace." As Anne and free grace advocates continued to challenge the orthodox views of the colony's ministers, John Wilson, the minister of the First Church of Boston, responded negatively. In his diary, Governor John Winthrop wrote: "A Mrs. Hutchinson, a member of the Boston church, a woman of quick wit and daring, brought with her two dangerous errors: 1. That the person of the Saint The ghost lives a justified person. 2. That no sanctification can help us to prove our justification. » Beginning with a meeting of ministers in October 1636 and ending with the trial of Anne Hutchinson, the antinomian controversy lasted 17 months. While the controversy between the supporters of free pardon and the..