Although the Puritans and the freethinker Benjamin Franklin portion the belief in one God, their beliefs about the nature of this God are drastically different. A The Puritans view God as wroth, punishing, and of all time proving their servitude to him.A On the other manus, Franklin believes God to be a good God.A Differing beliefs about the nature of God are non the lone contrasting thoughts between freethinkers and Puritans ; they besides have opposing positions of human nature.A Franklin positions worlds to be innately good, while the Puritans such as Wigglesworth, Winthrop, Dane, and Rowlandson believe worlds to be faulty. These differing thoughts about the features of God and human nature drastically affect the manner in which they interact with God.A These alternate interactions reveal that God is more present in each of the Puritan ‘s every twenty-four hours lives than he is in the life of Benjamin Franklin.A
A A A A A A A A A A A Puritans hold the belief that they are retainers of God and Franklin believes that worlds are merely a creative activity of God, which influences the prevalence of God ‘s interaction in their lives.A In John Winthrop ‘s address to the Massachusetts legislative assembly, he speaks of a autonomy that can be obtained merely by entry to authority.A He compares this entry to authorization to entry to God: “ it is the same sort of autonomy wherewith Christ hath made us free. ” ( Winthrop, 1 ) .A This shows the common thought amongst Puritans that they are topics of God.A Franklin did non believe that he owed his life to God.A He thinks of worship as a responsibility that he did non hold clip to pattern ( Franklin, 24 ) .A A After reading Franklin ‘s booklet, it can be assumed that he saw God as a Godhead that left worlds entirely for the remainder of their days.A Mary Rowlandson says “ our aid is ever in him. ” ( Rowlandson, 14 ) .A Benjamin Franklin would differ that our aid is within ourselves.A These alternate positions about entry to God causes him to be more present in the lives of those who think it is their responsibility to function him than he is in the life of Franklin, who does non believe that this is the intent of life.
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A A A A A A A A A A A Franklin ‘s belief in self-reformation shows that he does non see God as the force behind his actions.A Puritans do n’t believe in betterment, because they believe that they are merely capable of making incorrect, and see everything as Acts of the Apostless of God.A This does non intend that God is wholly absent in Franklin ‘s life ; he merely plays a bigger function in the lives of the puritans.A Franklin believes in betterment in which worlds control their actions, and sees “ God to be the fountain of wisdom. ” ( Franklin 34 ) .A Franklin ‘s thought of going a absolutely moral individual would look bizarre to Puritans who believe that God controls all of their actions.A Not merely does he command their actions, he besides tests their servitude to him.A Every action in the Hagiographas of Dane and Rowlandson are traced back to God.A When Dane is faced with a job, he sees his restraint as the “ goodness of God in keeping me. ” ( Dane, 8 ) .A After Dane skips church he gets stung by a wasp.A Franklin would construe this as a random event, but Dane sees it as a penalty from God ( Dane, 4 ) .A Like Dane, Mary Rowlandson encounters legion marks from God.A For illustration, when Rowlandson is contemplating self-destruction, she states: “ I have thought since of the fantastic goodness of God to me, in continuing me so in the usage of my ain ground and senses in that hard-pressed clip, that I did non utilize wicked and violent agencies to stop my ain suffering life. ” ( Rowlandson, 16 ) .A In both histories restraint is seen as God ‘s clemency, adversities are thought of as trials from God, and everything else is in some manner thought of a mark from God.A Puritans believe that everything is in the custodies of God, whereas Franklin believes that worlds control their ain actions.A Franklin compiles a list of 13 virtuousnesss to be cognizant of to better his moral.A A He does non see God as the commanding force behind these virtuousnesss, but believes that the person controls them.A Advancement can besides be noted when Franklin “ had form ‘d most of my clever familiarity in to a nine of common betterment, which we called the JUNTO. ” ( Franklin 30 ) .A A Both Franklin and the Puritans recognize their faults.A The difference is that Franklin tries to better his mistakes whereas the Puritans see it as a portion of their human individuality and delay for God to do a move for them.A In the latter instance, God is more existing.
A A A A A A A A A A A The prevalence of God in the lives of Puritans and the freethinker can be traced back to the alternate positions of beliefs in the Bible and afterlife.A Franklin writes, “ after doubting by bends of several points, as I found them disputed in the different books I read, I began to doubt the Revelation itself. ” ( Franklin, 26 ) A He felt as if the Bible was non in fact the book of God, which led to his going a deist.A On the other manus, the Puritans non merely believed in the Bible, but besides took safety in its words.A For illustration, Mary Rowlandson praises God for “ conveying to my manus so many comfy and suited Bibles in my hurt. ” ( Rowlandson, 18 ) .A Dane besides used the Bible in the same manner: “ I hurriedly took up the Bible and told my male parent if where I opened the Bible there I met with anything either to promote or deter that should settle me. “ A In both histories, the Bible is used as a beginning of counsel between adult male and God.A Judgment twenty-four hours is besides mentioned in the Bible, every bit good as Wigglesworth ‘s Day of Doom.A The Puritans believed that there would be a twenty-four hours when God came back to this Earth to judge its dwellers and take those that were predestined for redemption ( Wigglesworth, 3 ) . These beliefs cause Puritans to hold God vibrating over their heads.A Franklin ‘s incredulity in the Bible and afterlife contribute to the deficiency of God ‘s presence in his thoughts.A He is non scared in the manner that the Puritans are, and hence does non hold the idea of judgement hanging over his caput.
A A A A A A A A A A A The influence of God can besides be observed in the differences in diplomatic dealingss of Puritans and Benjamin Franklin.A Winthrop uses God as a tool to guarantee his reelection.A For illustration, he opens his address by stating, “ It is yourselves who have called us to this office, and, being called by you, we have our authorization from God. ” ( Winthrop, 1 ) .A Throughout his address he mentions God to convert the people that by voting for him they are being loyal to God.A In bend, the people repeatedly reelect him.A Franklin, nevertheless, uses his diplomatic dealingss for the good of the people.A On page 42 and 43 Franklin makes no note of God, but is more concerned with the wellbeing and integrity of the colonies.A Once once more, God is present in the lives of the Puritans and non Franklin’s.A
A A A A A A A A A A A Opposing positions have a important impact on the happening of God in the every-day lives of Puritans and Benjamin Franklin.A The Puritans feel that it is their responsibility to function their God and ever have the thought of judgement looming over their heads.A Franklin sees God as his Godhead and believes that he himself is in control of his life.A Franklin does non necessitate to be invariably reminded of God ; he sees God as the module of his wisdom that he uses to win in life.A The Puritans can non acquire God off of their heads because of their beliefs of human nature and interaction with their wroth God.A The really intent of the Hagiographas reflects the presence of God in each of the writer ‘s lives.A Franklin writes to demo people how to go successful and work towards going a absolutely moral person.A Winthrop ‘s address demonstrates the entry to authorization in comparing to entry to God.A Wigglesworth ‘s Day of Doom scares people of the powers of God.A Rowlandson and Dane both write to demo the clemency of God.A In each of the Puritan ‘s instances, God is more present than he is in the Hagiographas of Benjamin Franklin.
