Who were the Puritans?

• A. They supported the Catholic Church in England.
• B. They sought to purify the Church of England by removing Catholic practices.
• C. They advocated for independence from England.
• D. They wanted to join the Spanish Catholic Church.

Answer: (B)

Puritans were a reform-minded group within the Church of England who argued that the English church had not shed enough of its Catholic past. They believed many Catholic practices and the hierarchical structure remained in Anglican worship, so their goal was to purify the church by removing those elements and making worship and church governance more Protestant and simpler. They sought change from within the English church, not separation or alignment with Catholic powers. That’s why the idea of purifying the church by eliminating Catholic practices best captures who they were.