It should be no surprise that when it comes to American religion and the effects that

it's had on its many followers, that can also be described in the same way, extreme.

Our first real taste of American religious mania came from a faith that had been imported

to this country and yet made an impact on American history that still being felt today.

The Puritans arrived in America in 1620, having fled England because of persecution.

They in turn came to America so that they could start persecuting others.

Anyone that didn't agree with them was worthy of being purified, which is where they earned

their self-righteous title.

The Puritans who settled in New England ruled their communities through faith.

There was no separation between their church and the state.

Their faith in the new God influenced all community decisions.

If their strict standards were relaxed at left room for the devil to slip inside.

The devil was the enemy.

They always had to be vigilant against him.

He could claim the souls of anyone at any time.

While the village of Salem, Massachusetts was settled in 1626, within four years the

Puritans dominated every aspect of its existence.

Life there was brutal.

Hard work and prayer took up most of everyone's time.

They feared hunger, disease, and Native Americans and knew the wrath of the new God was punishment

for anything that went wrong, whether it was bad weather or an epidemic.

The Puritans had a deep-seated terror of the unknown, and of what lurked in the thick

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