Evans & Cheevers "Cruel Sufferings" Felltham's "Of Puritans" Discusses representations of spirituality, religion and religious difference.

REPRESENTATIONS OF SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCE In this brief essay I will examine Felltham's "Of Puritans", and Evans' and Chevers' Cruel Sufferings, and compare the representations of spirituality, religion and religious difference. I chose these texts because the authors have such completely different opinions and perspectives regarding the same religious and spiritual ideologies. Evans and Chevers are writing in the form of an autobiographical account of their imprisonment in Malta. Evan writes, "I told him …

…but they regard it as a privledge, not a hardship. The fact that they condemned others however, in their charitable act of wanting to "teach", may have lead to their persecution. Felltham believes that most of the persecution faced by Puritans is brought upon by themselves, because they exclude and insult those around them. Felltham has a positive attitude toward religion and suspects that those who judge to severely may be fanatical in their religion.