Throughout history man’s view of the world has constantly evolved. During the formation of America this is made evident when the 17th century Puritan idealism is confronted with 18th century enlightenment thought. This collision of ideas would spark a change and a new age in America as she attempted to come to grips with social and religious change.
Puritans had long held to the belief that the world and its creation could be understood through strict interpretation of the Bible. Any outside theory or attempt to expound on what was written was blasphemous. They saw no need for scientific inference into the detail, but called on their faithfully to blindly accept the word as truth. With the enlightenment scientists sought to find reason and explain why things were created and how they worked together. They saw the universe as a neatly ordered system that begged to be discovered and explained. They refused to rely solely on faith as a reason for believing, but sought tangible evidence to justify a belief.
The very humanity of man was also called into question during this period. Puritan thinking of the time gave man’s existence no value without the “light of God”. They believed that no good may come from straying away from the strict constraints of Puritanical society. Deists saw man as innately good. Through Benjamin Franklin’s writings we can see the faith in the natural goodness of man. He credited this goodness to natural human behavior as opposed to a required deep spiritual relationship.
The Essay on Puritan Beliefs
... prosper by sinning. This situation is completely contrary to puritan belief. Puritans expect God to set his wrath on the selfish ... wrath. The prospering sinners become free from strict puritan laws and remain wealthy. Puritans begin their risky pursuit for religious freedom ( ... him. Basically, God caused the man to fall over-board because of his rejection of grace. Puritans perceive the event as a ...
Deist and Puritans also differed on their approach at proclaiming their ideas and spreading their views. Puritan missionaries forcibly would assault those with differing views. This brow beating caused resentment in those that failed to see the error of their sinful ways. Enlightened thought at the time sought to disperse their message in more passive and informative ways. They would share their knowledge through various publications and let the science and reason of their arguments draw converts to their side of the argument.
While these contrasting lines of thought would seem to be evidence of a nation on the brink of deterioration, they helped for a universal acceptance of differing philosophical beliefs. It would seem that in a battle of ideas the spread of knowledge and thought is increased allowing a hungry populace to form its own value system and hierarchy of beliefs. It is through the early battles of Puritan and enlightened thought that America would become a nation, not of one mind, but of many, strengthen by diversity as opposed to division.
