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Biography:
John Cotton (1584-1652) was a leading minister in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and
his ideas were an important factor in the development of Puritan social and religious
beliefs.
Cotton was strongly Calvinistic, denying that people's actions would have any influence whatsoever on whether or not they might be saved. His sermons on this were part of the cause of the colony's antinomian controversy. Although he was a mentor to Anne Hutchinson, he abandoned his support for her when the pressure from other ministers got too strong.
Cotton also lead the movement to banish Roger Williams, a reformer who argued that religious issues should not be enforced or decided upon by civil authorities. According to Cotton, social stability and structure were dependent upon absolute obedience to religious doctrines while diversity in religious views only lead to strife and factionalism.
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