Christmas has at times been the subject of controversy and attacks from various sources. A Puritan-led controversy began during the English Interregnum, when England was ruled by a Puritan Parliament.[166] Puritans sought to remove the remaining pagan elements of Christmas. During this brief period, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas entirely, considering it "a popish festival with no biblical justification", and a time of wasteful and immoral behavior.[167] In Colonial America, the Puritans outlawed celebration of Christmas in 1659.[168]