In the early years of exploration and colonization the two countries involved were Portugal and Spain, and both were Catholic. Catholic beliefs and procedures were equivalent to the secular concerns of the country. The Pope was considered as an equal leader with the monarchy, and many times directed the actions of the country. And at other times ‘vetoed’ the plans of the royal head of state. Later, when France became a colonizing country it also had a relationship with the Catholic Church similar to Portugal and Spain.
When England began it’s exploration under Henry VII, it too was Catholic. But, it wasn’t until Elizabeth I that England became interested in establishing colonies, and by that time the Church of England had broken from the Vatican and England was primarily a Protestant country. The other two colonizing Protestant countries were The Netherlands and the Danish/Norway Empire.
For those Protestant countries the Reformation dismissed any colonization authority contained in the Papal Bulls. Those countries had to find another source of authority for their endeavors. An official “rationale” for their actions. They needed something to reference that had ‘the power of a Pope’. So they turned to the Bible stories that were appropriate for their goals and ambitions.
The two most prominent groups who used Bible stories to rationalize and guide their actions were the Separatists (aka Pilgrims) and the Puritans. The pages listed below have some information about these early Protestant colonizers who adopted (and at times, adapted) the theological concepts found in the “Holy Scripture” to replace the directions and authority of a Pope.
As I discover new information about Religious Practices, additional pages will be included in the Colonization *Footnotes website and added to this Directory.