In a puritans point of view this idea of doing the slightest thing wrong and you would no longer go to heaven in my opinion is absurd. This is what the minister Jonathan Edwards traveled around and preached to anyone who would listen. I think he used fear to control people, to make sure people didn’t sin and followed strictly to the religion he also believed in. If I was a puritan I would be scared out of my mind to do anything wrong. I wouldn’t be able to say I don’t want to be part of this religion anymore. You couldn’t do that when everyone you knew believes in those beliefs and follow them. You can’t be the one that goes against the mass because you think differently, unless it’s up to morals. At the time though most people didn’t have a choice of their religion, some towns would all be one religion and so you were part of it no matter what. So many believed out of fear of god’s wrath and others just because everyone around them was part of that religion.
Today these strict religions still exist today, an example is the Amish who follow strict beliefs. I think though using fear to make people believe in a religion is wrong. People should be part of a religion because they share those common beliefs not because they are told if they don’t believe in this, god will smite you. People should be part of a religion because they want to be not because they have to be, religion is a choice and always should be.
Hey there! I'm glad you're able to admit that you'd be one of those people scared believing in what Edwards said. i think it'd be hard not to believe in something that was instilled in you. You're also right that people being forced to believe in things is happening today, but you're wrong about how frequently it happens. It's not just the Amish in America. Almost everywhere, religion is passed on to the next generation and children lose the ability to think for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last statement. People should be able to choose in what they believe in.
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