A lot of people upon looking at the views of the Puritans might consider them guillible or misguided, but it's sort of like the fantasies our parents feed us when we're little kids and we eat them up right up. The God, Jonathan Edwards depicts in his sermon is very remiscent of the boogeyman, the sandman or that one lady who kidnaps kids in a giant bag. They are used to keep people in line (while using fear as their entrance), people don't want to find out what happens if they're wrong.
Except, in this case, it's a whole group of people who believe these teachings without questions. Their beliefs are primitive, in that they use religion to explain everything, a healthy person might be blessed by God while the sick or dying might be of the Devil or punished by God. We may sit here and call them old-fashioned idiots but in various communities back then (and some today) clergy are looked upon as community leaders and their word is unquestionable.
McCarthy-
ReplyDeleteI think you mention a great point about looking at it from our perspective. It may seem old-fashioned or idiotic to us, but it is what that community knew back then to be true. Hey, at one time people knew that the world was flat. There is likely something that we think to be true that future generations will label us stupid for thinking so.
OMG I find so many people who have a similar view on the sermon: Edwards uses fear to control/keep others in line. I like how you linked the sermon to other urban legends like the Sandman or the boogeyman. I think it's important to relate things in the past to things in the present.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true! I think that those sermons that Edwards gave are like the legends parents tell their kids too. But this is way more powerful because it's like a life or death situation for them, and they don't know whether it's true or not, but they don't want to find out either.
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