Compare And Contrast Benjamin Franklin And Johnathan Edwards

Essay #5

Benjamin Franklin and Johnathan Edwards were both influential thinkers of their time in very different ways. Franklin was a scientific man, and when United States citizens think of him, they often think of his contribution to the discovery and use of electricity. Franklin used logic and reason in his everyday life, and these principles converted to his thoughts about Christianity and religion. Edwards, however, possessed strong religious beliefs, and he thought everyone’s lives should revolve around Christianity. Devotion to God’s word and solemn practice were the most important aspects one could strive for because they were the key into entering Heaven. The differing religious beliefs of Benjamin Franklin and Johnathan Edwards illustrated

the religious beliefs of America during the 1700s, and these differing beliefs would have led to interesting conversations.
Benjamin Franklin believed that God wanted people to be happy and content with their everyday lives.

Franklin stated, “I believe he is not offended when he sees his Children solace themselves in any manner of pleasant Exercises and innocent Delights, and I think no Pleasure innocent that is to man hurtful” (50). Franklin believed that everyday pleasures were a necessity in life, and God believed these pleasures were justified and innocent. Franklin believed people should both enjoy life and worship God. Johnathan Edwards, however, was much more strict with his beliefs. Edwards thought life should revolve around religion, and it was sinful to indulge in worldly pleasures. Edwards looked at those who lived leisurely with disdain, as shown when he stated:

…those things of which they were extremely fond, and in which they seemed to place the happiness of their lives, and which nothing before could induce them to forsake; as their frolicking, vain company-keeping, night-walking, their mirth and jollity, their impure language, and lewd songs. (52).

Edwards believed that this kind of lifestyle was impure and unrighteous, and he thought God would deem this behavior as unacceptable. He, therefore, felt it was everyone’s mission in life to serve God in the most solemn, reverent manner, and enabled his mission by becoming part of a movement called the Great Awakening to restore purity within society and

worship.
If Franklin and Edwards met, they would have engaged in interesting conversation and debate. Franklin would try to soften the strict views of Edwards by pitching him various ideas. He would have told Edwards life is too short to not indulge occasionally, and that God saw nothing wrong with innocent pleasures. He would tell Edwards to make the most of life and have a little fun. Edwards would rebuttal by stating that sin lied in pleasure, and it was wrong to do anything unrighteous in the eyes of God. He would say that Franklin needed to become more solemn and devout in his beliefs, and that worshipping God all day every day was the most important way one could pass his time.
Religion in 18th century colonial America was both central to the colonists everyday lives and diverse in their practice.

Religion played a key component in everyone’s lives, and most colonists thought about God frequently throughout the day. Colonists lived their lives according to what they believed as the will of God. With this being said, however, religion differed greatly regionally. In some parts of colonial America, such as Massachusetts, religion was strict. They read their gospel diligently, as shown when Edwards said, “We have a rule at hand, a sacred book that God himself has put into our hands, with clear and infallible marks…” (53) Along with reading the Bible, they worshipped and lived their everyday lives in a no-nonsense fashion. They believed solemn, stern worship was the way to enter Heaven. Those in other parts of the country, such as Philadelphia, had much more loose beliefs. People in these parts, such as Benjamin Franklin, expressed deistic ideas. For the Record states, “As he worked, Franklin also studied, and those studies led him to rebel against the religious orthodoxy of his parents and embrace deistic concepts of God, man, and nature” (48). The beliefs that Franklin possessed, along with many others of his time, display how analytical he truly was. Deistic ideas embrace the fact that there is a God, but He does not interfere with everyday life. Deists see God through logic and reason in nature, but they do not think He interacts with people

supernaturally. These ideas are constantly illustrated throughout Franklin’s article.
The conflicting beliefs of Benjamin Franklin and Johnathan Edwards would have led to interesting arguments if they ever got the chance to converse, and these conflicting beliefs give historians perspective on the religious values of the time. Benjamin Franklin believed that God created man, but He did not interact with man. Man could indulge in pleasures, and God would be happy with man. Edwards thought that the reverent, respectful worship of God was the only way to live life, and indulging in worldly pleasures was a crime against the Creator. If the men ever met, these differing views would have lead to intellectual argument on religion, and both men would have a lot to say on the subject matter. Both accounts of these influential men shed some light on the different pockets of religious beliefs in Colonial America, and we can see the effects the religious influence had on their society. Benjamin Franklin and Johnathan Edward’s ideas still remain impactful today in how we view Christianity and the diversity of other religions.