The Modern Puritan

While Puritanism is no longer an active branch of Protestantism, a lot of the ideas and values stressed by Puritans are still stressed in the modern world. Ideas in their society include utter devotion to the Bible, strict views about what is and isn't allowed, and the belief that people are predestined to get into Heaven, but that one can reverse that fate. The Puritan group was tight, and outsiders were not necessarily welcome. Also, punishments for sin were very strict, and often involved public humiliation. While most groups of people don't fit this description exactly, one group I find comes very close. This group is the modern-day stereotypical hipster.

While in the basic premise, these two groups are as different as can be (Puritans stick to old beliefs and tend to never deviate from their traditions over time, while hipsters are constantly changing what the do based on current trends) the way they go about these can be very similar. First of all, utter devotion. Puritan belief, as written previously, is completely centered around the Bible, to the point in which you are accused of sin if you read anything else. Similarly, the stereotypical hipster is devoted completely to liking certain things, either trendy or obscure, and deviation from this, such as listening to "mainstream music" will get you placed under scrutiny. They also each had strict codes. While Puritans are strict about what things people are allowed to do and say, hipsters are strict about what is and isn't in fashion. They both lose respect for people when they deviate from these rules. While Puritans claim that the deviants are going to hell, the stereotypical hipster loses respect when a band or a trend becomes more popular, lamenting that they "liked it before it was cool."

This leads to what I believe is the biggest parallel between these two groups: judgement. Both groups are constantly judging their peers, whether about no longer being faithful to the church, or wearing something that is "so over." Their lives revolve around a certain aspect, and both groups are constantly making sure to keep other members in check. This can lead to hypocrisy in both cases, such as in the case of the Salem Witch Trials, which put many innocent people to death, in order to purge their society of sin, breaking the commandment "Thou shall not kill," or in the hipster paradox, which is "what happens when so many people like something that isn't popular that it becomes popular?" 

This is only one of the examples of puritan values being stressed in modern society. Other arguments could be made for extremists in many religions, anti-gay rights activists, or political parties. In all of these cases rigid codes are set in place, and members of these groups are under constant scrutiny. While the Puritans do not exist anymore, as a group, their practices are still making a mark on modern society.

A puritan woman

The modern puritan, as depicted in Portlandia