During the eighteenth century, many Europeans decided to leave their home country of England to travel to this new, unknown, and mysterious land called the New World. One of the key reasons so many decided to leave their home country was to escape from the religious persecution and mistreatment they received from the Church of England. Not everyone agreed on religion, or what was considered the most acceptable form of religion. Thomas Paine and Jonathan Edwards are two individuals who believed in the same God, but had two very different perspectives on the purpose and the practice of religion.
Jonathan Edwards is considered to be one of the most well-known preachers of the Great Awakening period, which was considered to be a “spirit of …show more content…
He was a deist, which means he believed in God but he did not believe in Christ. Paine combined religion with science. He believed that there were scientific answers for all that the Bible and Christians believed. In his writing, “The Age of Reason”, he renounces the stories of the Bible and compares them to “heathen mythology” (pg. 655). He felt that the “Christian theory is little else than the idolatry of the ancient mythologist” (pg.656) He also believed that Christian churches were a “human invention set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit” (pg.654). Paine believed the Christians “system of faith was a religious denial of God”, and that “believers were atheist” (pg.656). Pain believed in God, but that God could only be understood through human reason and common sense hence the title of his writing “The Age of Reason”. Jonathan Edwards and Thomas Paine both believed in God, but had very extreme views on religion. Edwards became sort of a fanatic, although his intentions were in the right place his writings and sermons were scare tactics to incite the fear of God in his congregation. While Paine on the other hand, believed in God, but believed that God and science were intertwined and had to work together. He believed that there were scientific explanations for what has been taught to Christians for
Jonathan Edwards is considered to be one of the most well-known preachers of the Great Awakening period, which was considered to be a “spirit of …show more content…
He was a deist, which means he believed in God but he did not believe in Christ. Paine combined religion with science. He believed that there were scientific answers for all that the Bible and Christians believed. In his writing, “The Age of Reason”, he renounces the stories of the Bible and compares them to “heathen mythology” (pg. 655). He felt that the “Christian theory is little else than the idolatry of the ancient mythologist” (pg.656) He also believed that Christian churches were a “human invention set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit” (pg.654). Paine believed the Christians “system of faith was a religious denial of God”, and that “believers were atheist” (pg.656). Pain believed in God, but that God could only be understood through human reason and common sense hence the title of his writing “The Age of Reason”. Jonathan Edwards and Thomas Paine both believed in God, but had very extreme views on religion. Edwards became sort of a fanatic, although his intentions were in the right place his writings and sermons were scare tactics to incite the fear of God in his congregation. While Paine on the other hand, believed in God, but believed that God and science were intertwined and had to work together. He believed that there were scientific explanations for what has been taught to Christians for