Question

Would a mainstream Puritan in Massachusetts Bay approve of drinking alcohol

Answer 1

Answer:

They would approve but only in certain circumstances.

While Puritans were deeply religious and conservative, very influenced by the teachings of Swiss pastor John Calvin, they approved of drinking alcohol in certain contexts.

For example, the Puritans who travelled on the Mayflower drank a lot of beer, because they did not have any safe sources of drinking water. Beer was safer to drink, and they turned to it. But they did not do so in other for recreational reasons.