Reading the article about the interview of Anne Hutchinson was actually pretty humorous, though I doubt the Puritans would have thought so. It was very striking how through the entire trial she never seemed to be fazed. She was always cool under pressure and seemed to have an answer for ever accusation she had to face. What I really noticed was how she was very consistent in her answers, and how she seemed to make a good argument to prove her innocence. She was obviously an intelligent woman, and used the bible to further her cause. Even with the arguments brought by the various men, many of them which seem to be set up to trap her and prove her guilt without offering a truly fair representation, are handled skillfully by Hutchinson. She argues quite well to have the men accusing her be put under oath, essentially saying they are lying about certain things they say. It is quite interesting that the men choose not to have the accusers go under oath, basically saying it is alright for them to lie, rather than admit that Hutchinson may have good points and may not be completely in the wrong. There is an explanation that the men weren't willing to take the oath because they realized they were not completely sure of what they had said, yet it was supposed to be sufficient to punish this woman. The hypocrisy does not seem to bother the counsel convening over the trial.
The main charges against her really were political rather than strictly religious. It is true that the two were closely tied together, but she seemed to go against the social mores of the time, rather than against strict religious teachings. As a society that felt gathering together to discuss the Bible and to study it, they should have been pleased that Hutchinson was spreading the word of God. Instead, they didn't agree with a woman being so popular or being in a position of burgeoning power. She seemed to be a threat to the normal way religion was done. Yet she seems to have met the tenets of a calling. She was gifted at what she did, preaching, she was filling a need of the community, and she was answering what she felt to be a calling from God. Of course in the proprietary minded society she was seen as a trouble maker, bringing women into her home and filling their minds with ideas the men were threatened by. Furthermore, she brought men and women at one time into her house, with allegations being made of sexual impropriety. This was obviously something that would be frowned on in the society.
What I felt was most telling in her works is the antinomian views she was said to voice. I think that this is something I noticed early on. If the people follow the ideas of TULIP, they should realize there is no real reason to work on being closer to God or on being good people. They are either saved or they are not. Now, I don't think she believed it completely in that manner, but I do think she realized there was a flaw in the logic of the traditional teaching. Yet at the same time she did think the Bible was worth studying, and I really don't think she was trying to be subversive to the society in which she lived. She was a person who threatened the society by being a strong and charismatic woman, not a meek one. This seems to be her real crime, and she was condemned before the trial ever started.
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I agree with your view on how the charges were political rather than being religious. I was thinking that it seemed to be more of a political ordeal than a religious one. As for her conduct on the stand I feel that Anne Hutchinson was developing a feminist power. Anne being the womyn that she was on the stand and with the other womyn of their society, she was a leader and a rather feminist one. I also think that with her conduct she showed the men of their society that maybe a womyn is not as meek and is underestimated in her intelligence. Anne, metaphorically speaking, was on the side of the fence that womyn were not allowed to be one, and that was intimidating to the men.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the men and the oath, I was really surprised and actually took this into consideration today's elements. Men that were in the courtroom and were accusing Anne were in the moment and were saying things that really had no weight on the whole ordeal, but it was just so the men could have something today. This has not really changed, from my point of view, in today's world. Womyn are the ones that are “supposed” to get lost in the moment, but I find that men will say something just to say something, and it will never be retracted, which makes me laugh. In the end I feel that this trial with Anne and these men really reflects on society today and how it really has not changed that much.
I agree with you both on the observation that this trial has more of a political feel than a religious one, though the two were intertwined for the Puritans. I also agree with you Erin, on your observation that the men of the court were accusing her of things that were not crucial to the trial at hand and were speaking to further the fact that they are “men” and maintain the power. I can see similarities in today’s society as well but it is not just a gender issue; I view it as a power issue- a “have vs. have-nots”. While I was reading I kept thinking of a modern court room or a political debate where lots of words and facts are tossed about yet no firm conclusion is ever reached, or if one is, the evidence presented can sometimes seem insufficient. This makes me believe that there are more Puritan-like aspects in our so-called modern society than we are willing to acknowledge.
ReplyDeleteI agree "She was a person who threatened the society by being a strong and charismatic woman, not a meek one.” Hutchinson believed that people could communicate directly with God without the help of ministers or the Bible. Anne Hutchinson showed such dedication and she reacted on faith of Christ. Women have a great role in church, some lead women ministries, prayer service, teachings and even speaking in a coed congregation. Some wonder why women should be allowed to do these things, while others wonder why they can’t. In the biblical times God used women to speak to his people. For example, when Jesus rose from the dead, there were women standing by his tomb. He gave these women a message to give to the men; these women spoke the word of the Lord. Also in the biblical times there were women who were ordained to be prophetess and spread God's word.
ReplyDeleteI admire her dedication. She used the Bible and the men’s own words skillfully to defend herself. She also mentioned that holding meeting in the home to discuss religion was a common Puritan practice. I remember when my Pastor first starting preaching, the services was held in his basement, “no matter where we are at, if people are in agreement with one another, God will minister to his people”, that’s what the Pastor will tell us. She mentioned that God spoke directly to her and the he can only be her judge. Anne Hutchinson demonstrates the type of soldiers God wants on his side.
I think the most hilarious part of the whole trial is the fact that religous zealots are calling out other religous zealots. It reminds me of church groups today. I have a friend who is a pentecostal (The same as the movie we watched in class), and much like the little girl in the movie he constantly criticizes the Pope and the catholic church. They are religous "fanatics", but not the same kind. The men in this group are probably less concerned with the role a woman is playing and more concerned that a woman doesn't agree with their traditional beliefs... I mean how dare she? How dare anyone? Anne's trial should not have been called a trial at all, and I'm sure the consensus in this forum is that it was more of a bashing and a conviction than a trial. Now I myself would consider myself a christian, but I would not base all my political idealogy (sp?) or my laws solely on the bible. THere are some things in it, that would probably not work well as strict law. In my opinion a lot of what's in the bible was meant to be rules for life and not law. I guess I'm rambling... but what I'm trying to say is that this courtroom was definitely biased before she started to testify. Can a truly religious state or a theocracy exist if outsiders or free-thinking is allowed? Food for thought.
ReplyDeleteJustin, I see where you are coming from with the Calvinism idea of TULIP. What I think is going on with the Puritans is they are trying to follow too many different ideas of believing. Yes, they are either saved or not but don't forget that Ann thought she was touched by God. This means that she was probably not preaching in order to get in his good graces, as she already thought she was. Instead she was preaching because she truly did love God and felt she was helping him through her work. If we look at Shepard's view of salvation it is Knowledge, Conviction, Faith/Combat, then True,Imperfect Assurance. Ann had the knowledge, felt the conviction that it was true, had her faith and most likily combated doubts by preaching, and in conclusion felt assured that she would be saved. It was her belief that she was already saved that most likely allowed her to keep her cool in court.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Curtrina that the men in charge of this society were afraid of her. The whole fight came about because she wanted to put some of the power back in the hands of the towns people. It should'nt be up to a few people to tell you if you are saved or not. To the Puritans, being a member of the church meant everything to them. And because the people in power wanted to make sure that they stayed that way, they took it away from them. I also agree that Hutchinson is one of the most well spoken and argumentively gifted Puritans that we have encountered yet. She knew the beleifs and ideoligies of the people to well to be confused or tricked.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the accusations made against Anne Hutchinson were obviously more political then religious. Men during this time felt so much more superior to women. I thought Anne's defense was strong, dedicated and made women look stronger then most would think. She outwitted these men by her strong beliefs. I would also like to comment on Pat's response dealing with the Bible being more of a guide for life then law. I think that the Puritans misused the Bible and are taking it to a level it was not intended for. The trial that was held had nothing to do with Anne's devotion to God. She was segregated because of her gender and the "traditional" views about a woman's role. Another great point made was to incorporate TULIP. If the Puritans based their lives around the 5 points of Calvinism then the trial should have never taken place. Anne knew that God had saved her, she did not have to convince anyone other then herself. She knew that you were either saved or not saved.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Anne seems like an intelligent person. She comes off much smarter than Winthrop in the conversations. He is petty and she is honest. I also agree that the puritans misused the bible. They took from the bible what would help them in their cause and advance themselves personally. I dont understand how the Puritans could justify religous persecution after all they had been through. They persecuted Anne for believing in a more traditional literal interpritation. They did to her the same thing that had been done to them.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that Hutchinson was so "cool under pressure" speaks to her belief that she was right in the eyes of God. These men may have power over her body, but the "Lord Jesus hath power over [her] body and soul." This small, comforting fact allows her to be honest with herself and these men. She doesn't fear censure or banishment because these things do not affect her soul, so she can answer their questions without having to worry about the outcome of their decisions. The trial is dragged out so much because these men are hoping the she will crack, they want to break her. This seems unusually cruel, especially considering that Hutchinson was pregnant and forced to stand up for the whole trial. But in these men's eyes, this dangerous religious zealout derserves no pity or special treatment; ideally, these men probably want to banish Hutchinson without a trial and just be done with her. If she realized this is not is impossible to tell, but she stood tall in the face of their cruelty and dished out as much as she took.
ReplyDeleteAnne is clearly taking a risk and a big one. It was an extreme move for a woman to take a stand like she did. However, even through the criticism of the Puritan community, she stayed true to her beliefs. Her acts were courageous and can be seen as an important event in religious freedom and woman's rights. Not only was she battling the strong Puritan religious stand she was also battling the sexism found in their community. Therefore, proving her to be a courageous and exceptional woman.
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