Today's Tongue Twister: All Pilgrims Are Puritans, But Not All Puritans are Pilgrims

"See, I'm right.  Pilgrims always have food!"~me

Pilgrims are a fresh pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and gravy with a hint of turkey dancing through the air.  Thanksgiving, the most gluttonous of all fall feast, is the only time I think of the Pilgrims.  I don't think of them as trailblazers or a highly religious people who desired freedom.  Instead, I think of green bean casseroles and dinner rolls.  I'm not alone in Pilgrim = food association.  In the supermarket, on TV and even my husband's Pilgrim candlesticks are holding food and smiling as though they have no care in the world.

Before I get carried away, I think it may be wise to define some terms.  Pilgrims and Puritans are often confused with one another, even by our nation's leaders.  According to the Pilgrim Hall Museum, both President George Bush (a descendant of a Mayflower passenger) and Ronald Regan confused the Puritans and Pilgrims by calling John Winthrop a Pilgrim (long pause for a hearty laugh). John Winthrop was the leader of the Puritans who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, while William Bradford was the leader of the Pilgrims.

John Winthrop, not to be confused with William Bradford.

Theologically speaking, the Puritans who came to America in 1630 and the Pilgrims in 1620 are very similar.  Unsatisfied with the Anglican church and feeling the Reformation didn't go far enough in England, both wanted to 'purify' the Anglican church with Calvinist ideals.  Calvinists, besides having a dour view on humanity, viewed the Bible not the church hierarchy as the ultimate authority.  Anglican bishops and priests were no better than their Catholic counterparts and the Puritans sought to rid the Church of England of the last vestiges of popery.

William Bradford, not to be confused with John Winthrop.

The Pilgrims who settled on Plymouth Rock, however, were more radical than their Puritan counterparts.  While rejecting the more radical teachings of the Separatist minster Robert Browne, the Pilgrims felt the Anglican church couldn't be purified.  Instead, they separated from the church of England and placed control of church matters into the congregation's hands.  The Puritans disapproved of the congregational model for churches, but eventually adopted this practice from the Pilgrims.

Like their Puritan counterparts, however, the Pilgrims enjoyed a good beer, liked sex and didn't celebrate Christmas (we all have our faults).  Oddly enough, the Pilgrims never gained the poor reputation the Puritans have.  Perhaps it was their small numbers, more tolerant attitudes toward the native populace or the inability of the American populace to differentiate between the two groups.

The Pilgrims cause, however, has been undoubtedly helped by the good press they received for starting the Thanksgiving tradition.  After all, what red blooded American doesn't like a good meal?  Who cares if the Pilgrims were a marginal group desiring religious freedom?  They're associated with green bean casseroles. What else matters?  My advice for anyone seeking redemption for a disenfranchised group is to hire a public relations firm and create a gluttonous holiday.  It's what the Pilgrims would do.

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