Puritanism Versus Deism Analysis

puritanism Versus Deism AnalysisThe ordinal century colonists totally respected the Bible. Both prudes and Deists believed in god. However, the way in which they perceived god in their aver lives differed. objet dart Puritans believed God to be all encompassing taking the inevitably evilness of man nature and saving them through his grace the Deist belief deems that humans are inherently near(a) and the decisions they make ultimately effect their stimulate passel. As shown in the writings of John Winthrop, Michael Wigglesworth, John Dane and bloody shame Rowlandson, Puritans believed in predestination and that God played an active role in their lives whereas, Deist Benjamin Franklin believed that God played an inactive role in their daily lives and their fate was consequently left up to their own decisions.Contradictory to the Deist belief, Puritans believe that God has already chosen a rails for them through predestination and they countenance no force to alter this path. As Wigglesworth discusses Gods grace for those he chooses to save he quotes a New England minister, Thomas Shepard, who believed your best duties are tainted, poisoned, and ming take with some sin, and therefore are most odious in the eyes of a holy God. Your good duties can not save you, yet your bad flora will damn you (Wigglesworth, 4). Wigglesworth, following Puritan ideals, believed that good deeds cannot get anyone into heaven (Wigglesworth, 4). Although God had mold the people who would go to Heaven and who would go to snake pit, it was impossible to know whether one was actually damned to Hell or not. This triggered the question of whether or not to do good things if one was already damned to Hell. As a Puritan ideal, everyone was to live demeanor by doing as much good as possible. While Deists determined their own fate and could change it establish upon decisions they make, Puritans accepted the fact that people were either chosen to be saved and go to Heaven or d amned to Hell. In Puritanism saved mothers, fathers, husbands and siblings will be satisfied with the damnation of their relations (Wigglesworth, 4). The Puritans were content in the fact that their God had chosen a path for them that they were not able to alter and accepted that even some of their family members will be damned to Hell.An distinct difference between Puritan and Deist beliefs is the purpose that God takes in ones life. The Puritans believe in an all encompassing God. All good and bad things are acts of God and are not of a persons doing. In this belief both good and bad things are seen in a positive way time of hardship are just as rewarding as time of benevolence. The majority of Mary Rowlandsons betimes life was lived in prosperity, everything in perfect harmony while others lived through many trials and afflictions, in sickness, weakness, poverty, losses, crosses, and mete outs of the sphere (Rowlandson, 8). During these times of bliss she sometimes wished t hat she would fuddle her own trials and tribulations so that she would know God was thinking of her. Then, as she had wished for, Mary Rowlandson went through times of hardship. When she was captured and imprisoned for years by the Indians, she ideal of these times as in force(p) to her. These struggles proved Rowlandson to believe when God calls a person to any thing, and through never so many difficulties, he is fully able to carry them through, and make them see and say they have been gainers thereby (Rowlandson, 8). or else of dreading times of adversity, Rowlandson saw them as a sense of caring. God cared enough to test her, using her times of struggling to bring her closer to him. In recollection of being captured by the Indians and her imprisonment, Rowlandson says, it is good for me that I have been afflicted (Rowlandson, 8). Without this vital event, she may have never begun to truly rely on God as she did throughout these times. The Puritans believed that good and bad events in their lives were taken by the providence of God or as his punishment (Dane, 9). Dane thinks of the intervention God takes in his life and speaks of how there were many wonderful, unspeakable, unsearchable mercies of a God that taketh care of us when we take no care of ourselves (Dane, 8). Dane viewed the event where he was stung by a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant as punishment from God because he did not regularly attend church on Sundays. Puritan belief is that everything is an act of God, meaning our actions are solely based on Gods decisions, not of our own cleverness to choose what is believed to be the best choice. If God chooses to save someone, he will save them because humans have no ability to save themselves.The Deist Franklins opinion of Gods role in ones life is quite antonymous of that of the Puritans. Deism beliefs are that of Gods inactive role with man. According to Franklin, God is the creator of man but he does not interfere with everyday decisions of hu mans. God grants man free will and the ability to change ones fate based upon his or her decisions. Deist Franklin believed that one works towards honorable perfection through virtuous acts. Consequently, he came up with thirteen virtues that at that time occurrd to him as necessary or desirable to achieve moral perfection (Franklin, 12). Where Puritans looked to the Bible as a work of God with specific examples of events that God created in polar peoples lives, the Deists believed the Bible to be mostly fables, a collection of stories created to teach lessons and help others achieve this moral morality (Franklin, 6). To them the Bible was used as a guideline of ideals that are morally acceptable and how the choices one made affected the outcome of his or her fact. Franklin attributed any bad or good event in his life to his own doing. He gauged his closeness to God based upon his degree of success. He believed that he had become no-hit because he had kept his lifestyle close t o that of the thirteen virtues. In Deist beliefs, God was not thought of as one who made the ultimate decisions for a person but more so led people in the direction in which was honorably acceptable.Deists believe that humans had the ability to change their own fate. They have free will to make their own decisions and every action and good and bad situation was of their own doing. The process of achieving moral perfection is represented through the idea of self-improvement. People have the ability to choose to better oneself by attempting to imitate that of God. Franklin stated that in an effort to better oneself one should incessantly be employd in something useful and cut off all unnecessary actions (Franklin, 13). With the creation of Franklins thirteen virtues(temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, probity and humility), Franklin had created his own path and as long as he strove to achieve these vi rtues, good would happen to him. Franklin, as well as most Deists, believed that one is taught right and wrong and then they are to make decisions based upon these ideals to ultimately decide his or her own fate. When Franklin speaks of his attempt at moral perfection he says that I knew what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other (Franklin, 12). In Deist Franklins belief of self-improvement it is unacceptable for one to be lethargic when one is unproductive he or she is not at his or her best. The lack of pauperism or desire to be improving oneself decreases their chances of going to Heaven.Rowlandson, Dane, Winthrop, Wigglesworth and Franklin use their first hand experiences to explain the Puritan and Deist beliefs of the 17th century. While the Puritans believed in predestination and every event that occurred in ones life was patently an act of God, the Deists believed in the ability for one to make his or her own decisions and decide his or her fate. God was involved in the everyday life of Puritans whereas, in Deism God is the creator not and universal in the everyday actions of man he teaches right from wrong but leaves the ultimate decision of ones actions up too him or herself.