Franklin Believed That God Was Ultimately Good Religion Essay

It has non been uncommon for people to project their ain behaviours and feelings onto those whom they glorify. So, it should non be surprising that many civilizations and persons have based the general actions and beliefs of their Gods after themselves. This standard held true for the Puritan society and for one Benjamin Franklin in colonial America. Though Franklin and the Puritans had similar wonts for specifying the behaviour of their several versions of God, they held really different positions on the disposition of God, human nature, the hereafter, the way to redemption, and unfortunate fortunes as trials of God.

Benjamin Franklin believed that God was finally good and that He, hence, acted in a manner that as finally good ; meanwhile, the Puritans believed that God was finally good, but was eager to penalize the unworthy world. Franklin wrote in his booklet, A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain, that God “ is said to be all-wise, all-good, almighty ” and that “ if he is all-good, whatsoever He doth must be good ( Franklin, 26 ) . ” Therefore, because God is without any defect of immorality, he is unable to move in a manner that is evil or causes evil. This was Franklin ‘s Deist manner of utilizing logic to apologize the Puritan beliefs of God. Because he was raised in a Puritan place, but unable to get by with the abrasiveness of Puritans and their representation of God, Franklin used his ain methods to come to a different decision utilizing the same grounds ( Franklin 21, 22 ) . The Puritans themselves considered humanity to be wholly unworthy of God, and hence believed that because He was “ all-good ” punished those of lesser quality. They believed that He, in His wrath, punished them in a manner that would prove their religion and turn out His rule over them ( Winthrop, 1 ) .

Franklin believed that people were finally good ; nevertheless, the Puritans believed that they were finally evil. Franklin reasoned that because God was “ all-good ” and that everything He did was thereby good ; all He created must besides be good. This meant that human existences were basically good. He wrote, “ The Animal can make nil reverse to the Will of God, ” and because God is wholly good and can make nil which is otherwise, “ a Animal can make nil but what is good ( Franklin, 27 ) . ” These thoughts were shatteringly different from the Puritan impressions that humanity was needfully tainted by immoralities due to Original Sin. Shepard wrote, “ Your best responsibilities are tainted, poisoned, and mingled with some wickedness, and hence are most abominable in the eyes of a holy God. ” Because of this Original Sin, the Puritans reasoned that they were fit for no topographic point but snake pit, and that merely by God ‘s goodness and clemency would any be salvaged for Eden ( Wigglesworth, 4 ) .

Benjamin Franklin did non believe that idea of an hereafter was necessary, but that if an hereafter should be, so it would be of no effect to humanity. However, the Puritans believed that the hereafter was a definite and that it would be awful for the huge bulk of people. Franklin believed that there would non be a ground to hold an hereafter because hurting and pleasance were ever in balance throughout life. He writes in his booklet, “ Therefore the esthesis of Pleasure is equal, or in exact proportion to the Sensation of Pain. ” This meant that the hurting felt in desiring something, would be outweighed or equaled in the terminal by the pleasance received in achieving what was longed for. For illustration, if one should cognize nil except for hurting his full life that would be countered in his concluding minutes of being, with the alleviation that his agony would shortly be over. With this logical thinking, Franklin decided there would be no demand for an hereafter, and even if there was one, there would be “ no memory of earthly existenceaˆ¦ so it could do no difference to us ( Franklin, 27 ) . ” The Puritan beliefs were one time once more extensively different from those of Franklin. Puritan belief holds that all people were predestined to either an infinity of glorification in Eden, or destined to one of hurting and agony in snake pit. The great bulk of people, they thought, would run into their terminal in snake pit during the 2nd approach of Christ, or “ the Day of Doom. ” On this twenty-four hours, Wigglesworth wrote, “ Sepulchres unfastened ‘d are: / Dead Bodies all rise at his call ( Wigglesworth, 4 ) . ” This describes all people run intoing their hereafter on the same twenty-four hours as opposed to Franklin ‘s thought of run intoing peace at the terminal of one ‘s life. The Puritans most depict the penalties of snake pit and the saved persons joying at the damnation of their deserving dealingss ( Wigglesworth, 4 ) .

Franklin believed that the way to a good life was through ego betterment, though he did non clearly believe in an hereafter ; nevertheless, the Puritans believed in the predestination of all people to either heaven or hell. Franklin thought that he could achieve moral flawlessness in his life by exerting a list of 13 virtuousnesss in all his day-to-day activities. He became cognizant that “ I had undertaken a undertaking of more trouble than I imagined. While… guarding against one mistake, I was frequently surprised by another ( Franklin, 32 ) . ” After this, Franklin undertook one virtuousness a twenty-four hours. Because Franklin did non purely believe in an hereafter, he did non entertain ideas that his behaviour would gain him redemption with God, he did this merely because “ I wish ‘d to populate without perpetrating any mistake at any clip ( Franklin, 32 ) . ” Franklin clearly believed that good workss could gain him some benefit in his mortal life, if non his hereafter. The Puritans believed that their actions in their mortal lives had dramatic consequence on their afterlives up to a point. Those who were predestined to hell could non better their standings with God and therefore achieve entryway to heaven, but those predestined to heaven could give up their topographic points in there through wicked workss. Shepard reinforced this impression by authorship, “ your good responsibilities can non salvage you, yet your bad plants will curse you. ” Since the Puritans believed their God was a vindictive God, it is easy to understand how they could ne’er increase their repute with Him, no affair how earnest their attempts, but could really easy damage their standings of redemption. Therefore, the Puritan way to the hereafter was a strenuous one for those who believed they were predestined for redemption, but really simple for those non anticipating to be saved.

Benjamin Franklin rationalized that unfortunate occurrences were non trials of God, but experiences which were finally good ; whereas Puritans believed that these happenings were tests set by God to prove their religion in Him. Franklin ‘s booklet declared that because God is almighty, nil can withstand His consent, and because He is all-good, evil can non be because He would ne’er accept to it ( Franklin, 26 ) . This was an of import statement because it meant that God does non allow evil actions to go on as trials of religion as the Puritans believed. To halt any such statements such as “ God permits evil Actions to be done for wise Ends and Purposes, ” Franklin argued the ground for that happening would get the better of itself because “ wise terminals and intents ” would finally be good, and hence the action itself must be good ( Franklin, 27 ) . The Puritans were convinced that God permitted evil actions and people to blight the saved people in order to prove their religion in Him. Mary Rowlandson, with her house set on fire by Native Americans wrote, “ The Lord hereby would do us the more to admit his manus, and to see that our aid is ever in him. ” In this manner, the Puritans besides rationalized unfortunate fortunes as Acts of the Apostless of God, but they interpreted them as grounds to swear in God more, or accepted them as due penalty for wickedness. The Puritans even reveled in these fortunes, because it reaffirmed God ‘s presence in their lives ( Rowlandson, 14, 15 ) .

The Puritans and Franklin both created a personality for God that emulated their ain dispositions and ideals. The terrible Puritans had an styptic, vindictive God, while Franklin entertained a more logical, good-natured God. Because both fitted their God to their life styles and peculiar beliefs, each came to their ain decisions sing the basic disposition of God, human nature, the hereafter, the way to redemption and unfortunate fortunes as trials of God all utilizing the same grounds found in the Bible. Franklin decided that God was good, and merely allowed good things to be ; hence, world was finally good, and there need be no way to redemption. He reasoned that there could be no evil Acts of the Apostless of God, if God could non perpetrate immorality, so they were non trials of religion in God. The Puritans concluded that because world was finally evil due to Original Sin, an finally good God should penalize them for their workss along an backbreaking way to redemption, all the while proving their religion with evil actions. Each exhibited strong statements based in the same grounds, even though their judgements were really different, and each presented a concluding decision which finally reflected themselves.