An article from a progressive publication has reinterpreted the Thanksgiving holiday, describing the Pilgrims and Puritans as a “radical Protestant doomsday group” whose “cult-like” beliefs supposedly laid the groundwork for modern American culture. The piece suggests that the holiday is an ideal time for Americans to confront the country’s radical beginnings.
In an article titled “The Pilgrims Were Doomsday Worshipers,” the author argues that the Plymouth colonists didn’t flee religious persecutions; instead, they arrived on the Mayflower with the intention of establishing a theocracy in America, aiming to pursue a patriarchal rule in anticipation of Jesus’s return.
The author contends that “The Pilgrims and Puritans were a highly controlled, radical Protestant doomsday group,” pointing out that were they alive today, many would categorize them as a cult.
Describing them as “hot Protestants” with apocalyptic beliefs, she references early ministers like John Cotton and Increase Mather, asserting that their view of an impending apocalypse influenced their desire to “erase everything that didn’t align with their decreasing notion of justice,” shaping their societal and political mindset.
She argues that the colonists were not proponents of religious freedom, suggesting that they had already enjoyed such liberties in the Netherlands. Instead, they came to America to shield their children from a liberal atmosphere and to exert control over dissenters and cultural narratives.
She depicts early New England as tightly regulated, where community expectations and divine threats dictated “behavior, thought, and information intake.” She shares shocking instances of punishments for minor infractions, like gossip or missing church services.
Citing an anonymous academic who noted that subsequent generations of Puritans experienced “melancholy, nervous breakdowns, and suicides,” she argues that such pressures weighed heavily on children.
She suggests that it wasn’t until the 1800s that the Pilgrims and Puritans were glorified as foundational figures in American history, potentially to create a narrative that distanced the nation from its ties to the slave trade, and the Thanksgiving story was adopted to fulfill that need.
Her intention is to portray a more accurate depiction of the Pilgrims, as discussed in her recent book on American “cults,” arguing that their worldview continues to influence elements of political discourse and the criminal justice system. “Their radical apocalyptic ideas never vanished; they became part of American culture,” she asserts.
Additionally, she claims Americans have inherited traits such as “stubborn anti-intellectualism,” an “obsession with self-examination,” and a desire for “strong leaders to save us from crises,” which she believes contribute to the country’s high incarceration rate.
“This heritage has also resulted in a nation rife with fraudsters and cult leaders,” she states, attributing the current “division and extremism” to this legacy.
Summarizing, she notes that many Americans ponder, “How did we get here?” addressing this question with the pointed remark, “My answer is the Mayflower and the Arabella.”
She extends her argument to critique broader American culture, asserting that while “cult thinking” exists globally, it is particularly prevalent in the U.S. due to ideological inheritances from the Pilgrims and Puritans, the Great Awakenings disrupting church hierarchies, and the First Amendment which she argues protects a number of scammers in exchange for religious freedom.
“People in distress, like bankrupt Americans, often turn to cult-like ideologies,” she claims. “We’ve historically been and will likely continue to be easily swayed.”
Montel argues for extensive government support systems to provide “health care, housing, food, and social security for every American,” warning against a flirtation with authoritarianism and extremist movements threatening the country.
She concludes by suggesting that Thanksgiving should not be just a day of celebration but a time for political reflection. “We must come together,” she urges. “Now is the moment to reckon with the roots of this nation’s extremist elements. Their effects persist, and we all share this journey. There’s no going back.”
The outlet has historically published similar articles about Thanksgiving, previously exploring whether the holiday should be “abolished” or “decolonized,” including suggestions for Americans to “give back their land.”
