The perceptual experience of God and the world-or even the belief in God-differs from state to state, spiritual religious order to spiritual religious order, church to church, and even individual to individual. These differing ideas and sentiments have led to legion statements and struggles throughout history over which religious order is the “ right ” religious order to follow or which leader should keep power within a faith. Although the Puritans in focal point, John Winthrop, Michael Wigglesworth, John Dane, and Mary Rowlandson, ne’er come straight into contact with the freethinker Benjamin Franklin, it seems obvious that their sentiments would greatly differ on the topic of faith. The presence and supposed omnipotence of God breaks down into the cardinal differences of the group and the freethinker ; natural human nature, the belief in the hereafter, the relationship between world and God, the religion in the Bible, and the ability of adult male to better his ain life all bring about contrasting positions from the Puritans and Franklin while besides stressing how the corporate religion can determine a individual ‘s mentality on life.
The Puritans believed in the instructions of John Calvin, in which there is the Christian belief that any given adult male or adult female could be predestined to come in Heaven after his or her decease or that individual could be predestined to travel to Hell. One could be sent to Hell for non being baptized, ne’er reading the Bible-which automatically eliminates the mentally challenged and babes from acquiring into Heaven-and, of class, transgressing ( Wigglesworth, 4 ) . This construct stems from the belief that God is omniscient, and hence would already cognize who He will allow into Heaven and who will be sent to Hell. The Puritans base their full lives and mentalities on this idea procedure, and believe that one will retrieve life on Earth after being sent to whichever post-mortem finish they receive. Franklin, nevertheless, argues against this belief in his thesis. He argues that the psyche, which is undeniably indestructible by mortal agencies, can non move or believe without a organic structure, as the organic structure holds the encephalon, which is the cardinal control system of the psyche ( Franklin, 28-29 ) . Therefore, no memories could perchance be passed on to the hereafter. Further in his thesis, Franklin notes a cardinal difference between his positions on pleasance and hurting versus those of the Puritans. He argues that hurting and pleasance balance themselves out on Earth ( Franklin, 27 ) . His positions suggest that no after-life would be necessary, as God would non necessitate to honor a individual for his or her agonies on Earth. This creates radically different positions for the two parties. Rowlandson, for illustration, sees the agony that has been brought upon her as grounds of her redemption: “ I have learned to look beyond present and smaller problems, and to be quieted under them, as Moses said, Exod. Xiv. 13, Stand still, and see the redemption of the Lord ” ( Rowlandson, 20 ) . She lives every portion of her life in expectancy of being accepted in Heaven. Franklin lives his life in a changeless battle for moral flawlessness ; he tries to derive his signifier of redemption on Earth.
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In their several pieces of literature, both Wigglesworth and Rowlandson see God as a steering force who is ever present and ever directing marks of His presence. Wigglesworth exhibits this belief when he states that on Judgment Day that “ [ some work forces ] will conceal themselves in Caves and Delfs, / in topographic points belowground: / Some rashly spring into the Deep, / to scape by being drown ‘d ” ( Wigglesworth, 3 ) . In this sense, Wigglesworth is saying that there is no flight of God, His wrath, or His goodness. Rowlandson gives the underlying tone that God is steering her through meaningful Bibles of the Bible ; these Bibles assured her that His clemency would come ( Rowlandson, 17 ) . In both instances, God has complete control over what is go oning to His topics. Wigglesworth indicates that there is no concealing place-not even the grave-that flights from God ‘s vision. Rowlandson takes this impression farther when she seems pushed by some outside force to reading the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy until she comes to a transition that reassures God ‘s clemency for her ( Rowlandson, 17 ) . In her authorship, it is God who brings her to these Bibles.
This relationship, where any and all parts of life are under God ‘s control, is really contrasting to the relationship Franklin portions with God, which is to state that the relationship between world and God is superficial at most. One would believe after reading his thesis that Franklin did non believe any contact could be between adult male and God, but after his two friends incorrect him badly and without compunction, Franklin shifts his position towards seeking to happen a position of life where 1 does non trust on Christian instructions and ethical motives for counsel ( Franklin, 29 ) . Alternatively of endeavoring for a wages after decease, he strives for more practical, secular presentations of virtuousness and goodness. It is with this mentality that he constructs the way towards moral righteousness, and believes world should make the same.
Because of these beliefs of Franklin, he does non see the Bible as anything more than a book of fabrications that contain good ethical motives. His life is non centered around the Bible, like his Puritan upbringing sought to make, and so his mentality appears to be centered on a replacement of kinds for Biblical instructions. He devises a series of 13 virtuousnesss to populate by, and this shapes his life ‘s range. Much like the Puritans, though, Franklin realizes that flawlessness is unachievable. In this respect, the two parties, although in different signifiers, tend to hold ; both seek to populate in a manner that demonstrates their ethical motives and values. The Puritans, particularly Dane and Rowlandson, see the Bible as non merely the word of God, but besides as a kind of direction manual on how to populate their lives. Dane emphasizes this when he decides to open a Bible to a random page, believing the first poetry that he sees will be the message that God is directing him ( Dane, 11 ) . This contrasting position between the two exists in their belief in where power lies. Franklin believes that adult male has power over himself, and hence adult male has the power to alter and pull strings the Bible and its messages. Dane sees adult male as a marionette that is submissive to God ‘s will, where the Bible dictates the natural Torahs of the universe.
Their positions besides contrast on how worlds can better the universe they live in. Franklin believes that world should seek to better life on Earth, possibly even endeavoring to make a Utopian Heaven on Earth. He shows this by get downing a public library ( Franklin, 31 ) . In this sense, people can now give their ain clip to self-cultivation and survey, which, in an ideal universe, would take to a less nescient and more piquant population. The Puritans believe that adult male can better his ain universe but ne’er attain flawlessness. Mankind ‘s universe will ever be tainted by original wickedness, and as a consequence God will ever be penalizing it. Wigglesworth portrays this strongly in “ The Day of Doom ” by seting God ‘s power into the head. His image of Judgment Day paints a image full of dark imagination, mentioning topographic points such as caves and graves, objects such as fume and cryings, and adjectives such as lacerate and cold ( Wigglesworth, 3 ) . The fright of God ‘s retribution towards world is apparent in his work.
On the betterment of life itself, it can be said that Franklin takes on a more positive mentality than Wigglesworth and the Puritans. Franklin sees the possibilities for invention and public plants as a medium through which world should break itself and the universe. The Puritans do seek to break the universe, but finally feel that world will ever fall short. They feel as if nil can raise mankind up, while Franklin feels as though world is responsible for traveling itself upward.
Life as a whole is viewed really otherwise by Franklin and the Puritans. Franklin believes that adult male is of course good, that an hereafter could be where 1 has no memory of life on Earth, that God and adult male do non hold a really strong relationship, that the Bible is merely a book of fabrications and ethical motives, and that world is responsible for the betterment of life on Earth. This contrasts the positions of the Puritans, who believe that adult male is inherently tainted with original wickedness, that adult male is about ever sent into ageless damnation except for the little population of foreordained psyches that will make redemption, that God and adult male have a strong and changeless relationship as a loving male parent has to his boy, that the Bible is the Prime Minister usher to how one should populate, and that world can merely trust to better life in a Christian manner although adult male will fall short necessarily. All of these differences boil down on the simple belief in God and His omnipotence. Because Franklin believes Him to non be almighty, he feels that power falls with adult male, that adult male controls events on Earth. Conversely, because the Puritans believe God to be omniscient and almighty, they believe that God controls everything on Earth, and so adult male can merely watch as calamity and hazard befalls His people. In this sense, Franklin appears to be more independent in idea, and so is more ambitious in his impressions, while the Puritans are more inactive. All of these factors contribute to how these people carry out their lives ; Franklin lives for himself while the Puritans live for God.
