Differences Between Puritanism And Franklins Deist Views Religion Essay

Differences Between Puritanism And Franklins deistic Views Religion moveIn the mid to late seventeenth century, smart England settlers were attempting to break away(p) from Britain and begin a new society. They wanted to reinvent their own culture, rein themselves, and begin what they hoped would unmatched day become a prosperous nation. peerless thing they wanted to defy the liberty of practicing was religion, and having the choice of which particular religions they wished to follow. Puritanism and deism were two different religions that were practiced in 17th century New England, and the differences between them sometimes were grounds for confrontations and conflict. The Puritan stand stratum depicted in the works of John Winthrop, Michael Wigglesworth, John Dane, and Mary Rowlandson, and the Deist views of Benjamin Franklin differed in how they viewed their respective theologys, the way in which He created compassionate beings, the view of liveliness after death, and h ow theology interacted in their everyday lives, duration also retentivity the similar tactile sensation that God created everything in the universe with a purpose.The prime(prenominal) difference between Puritanism and Franklins Deist views gouge be analyzed by means of their various views on how God created each individual human being. Puritans held the belief that all humans were inherently evil, so to speak, and that no one was worthwhile of eternal repurchase from God. This view can also be called headmaster sin, and the single way that Puritans could begin to fathom being rewarded through salvation was by living for the glory of God and serving Him in everything they do. In a word, Puritans held the belief that humans were non created equal, and certain individuals were destined for heaven, while another(prenominal)s were not to be as fortunate. On the other hand, Deists were strong bankrs in the concept that every individual was created equal. In Benjamin Franklin s piece entitle A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain he writes, If He is powerful, there can be nothing either live or acting in the Universe against or without his Consent and what He consents to must be good, because He is good therefore Evil doth not exist (Franklin, 26). This statement shows Franklins view of our Creator, which is the belief that no evil existed in the macrocosm, so humans were not created with the notion that they be unworthy and slimy of Gods grace. Franklin goes on to say, And therefore every Creature must be every bit esteemd by the Creator (Franklin, 27). jibe to Deists, their God was not a biased God, and every human was created equal, with no one having a better opportunity to make it to heaven than others.The Puritan and Deist views on afterlife are also an area where these two religions are not in sync with one another. Puritans believed in the concept of predestination, sum that it was determined whether one was differen ce to spend afterlife in heaven or conflagration at the time of their creation. In Day of Doom, Michael Wigglesworth, a minister in mammy during the 17th century, explains how there give come a day when savior returns to earth to judge who will be destined for heaven or doomed to hell. He writes that Christ explains to those who are being sent to hell deserve their eternal punishment, despite the fact that it was a foregone death due to the fact that it had been predetermined. He also explains that in order to agree the offer of Gods salvation, one must be able to comprehend the meaning of such an offer. This sheds certain members of society at an obvious advantage everywhere others. For example, a middle-aged white male who has had some degree of discipline would sure as shooting behave a greater understanding of the give-and-take than a new born baby would. A baby lacks the mental readiness to understand simple terms such as Mommy and Daddy, so attempting to gain an un derstanding of something as complex and powerful as the Bible would be far outside the realm of possibility. Due to this fact, babies fall into the course of study of those who are predestined to hell, an assumption that is sickening to think about. Deism is ground on the grounds that the concept of afterlife does not exist. This view is mainly based on another belief that the Deist Franklin holds, which is chafe and amusement are alship canal in perfect balance with each other throughout ones life. Every pleasure someone experiences will be followed by a pain of the same magnitude, and vice versa. Since there is no possibility of experiencing an excess of either pain or pleasure, then an afterlife would have no effect on a person because they would not be able to experience the immense joys of heaven or the pain and abject that is to be experienced in hell.Another difference among these two religions is the ways in how they view God interacting in everyday life. Both religio ns have stances on the role God plays in each persons life, however, they are quite different. On the Puritan side, their stands the belief that God interrogatorys individuals through trials and tribulations. By doing this, Puritans believe that God is showing that he loves them and cares for them. In a piece entitle A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson writes, Affliction I wanted, and Affliction I had, full measure, (I thought) pressed down and running everywhere that I see when God calls a person to any thing, and through never so many difficulties, yet he is to the full able to carry them through, and make them see and say they have been gainers thereby (Rowlandson, 20). Rowlandson experienced many hardships in her life, such as enduring a raid by a group of Indians, and even having to deal with the deaths of her children. However, Rowlandson knew that this was only happening because her tough love God was only testing her capaci ty to cope with these tragic events. She believes if she puts all her trust in God, then she will have the strength to overcome these obstacles and be a stronger person by it. On the other side of the spectrum, Deists believe that no evil actions can be done by God, and that because of this, God will not test humans by making them suffer through pain and sorrow. An all-powerful God is also an all-good God, and whatever is done by Him must be good. Franklin writes, For whatever an infinitely good God hath wise Ends in scathe to be, must be good, is thereby made good, and cannot be otherwise (Franklin, 26-27). According to Franklin, it is not possible for God to put one through pain and suffering, because these are evil things, and whatever God does must be good. This point relates back to the pain versus pleasure concept. Since pain and pleasure are unceasingly in balance throughout ones life, there is no way that one would suffer through these so called trials and tribulations tha t the Puritans believe in. The excess of pain that is surely to result from this is something that the Deists simply do not believe in.One of the fewer similarities between Puritanism and Franklins Deism was the belief they shared in that God created the world and universe, and that everything that He put on this earth was here for a reason. Puritans believed that God created the universe, and he held a more than active role in the day-by-day lives of humans. Franklin also believed God indeed created the universe and everything it encompasses, but God was more distant from his creatures and that He did not intervene with peoples lives. Both Puritans and Deists also believed God had a reason for creating everything and everyone that is on this earth. They learned not to question the actions of God, because they knew Him to be an all-powerful and all-knowing God.Puritanism and Deism were two of the main religions practiced in 17th century New England, yet they clearly had their dif ferences in beliefs in how God interacted with His world. The Puritan views captured by the works of Winthrop, Wigglesworth, Dane, and Rowlandson emphasized a nonindulgent following of the Bible and serving Him in everything you do. On the other hand, Franklins Deist belief was that God was more distant from the goings on of the everyday lives of human beings. He held a more loosely interpreted understanding of the Bible, yet still believed that as humans, you were still dependent upon God. One belief that was parking area to Puritanism and Deism was that God had an intended purpose behind everything he put on earth, and followers of both of these religions learned not to question His actions. The granting immunity to practice religion was one of the principles this country was founded on, and the practice of Puritanism and Deism during 17th century New England was an influential period that eventually helped lead to declaring liberty from Great Britain.