Entry E: Jonathan Edwards

http://www.piney.com/JonEdwSinHands.html

"That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall...It implies, that they were always exposed to sudden unexpected destruction. As he that walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he falls at once without warning...The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion...It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand."

Reflection
The main point of this selection is that sinners are threatened by “the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites.” I don’t particularly believe this statement because God doesn’t seek vengeance on people, he only expects them to seek forgiveness. I also believe the statement “they were always exposed to sudden unexpected destruction,” is false because God doesn’t just randomly cause destruction on people. If someone is going to get punished, then they will know it is coming because they will have done wrong. When reading this poem I was taken aback at some of the statements made because I don’t personally believe them, although I do respect the opinions of others. I was stunned that someone would believe that they were constantly living on edge, waiting for the moment when God will strike. This selection is similar to my life in that there really are people that live this way and believe these statements. I respect these people’s opinions, although I'm not quite sure I understand why they feel this way.

Dear Diary,
I just read the most appalling selection! It was written by Jonathan Edwards and entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” One of the comments he made was “the devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion.” Can you believe that? As a Puritan I do believe everything is in the hands of God, but I don’t believe he would hand our souls over to the devil. I personally don’t know of anyone who thinks like Jonathan Edwards, but Mama says that there really are people like that! Can you imagine? I shudder at the thought!
On the other hand, it might be interesting to meet someone like him. I’ll definitely write back if I do.

EXTENSION: political cartoon re: religious freedom in USA.

In today’s society, people feel free to say whatever they want, yet when it comes to religious freedoms, people are restricted to express their beliefs. In the cartoon, a little boy is telling his father that he got in trouble at school for saying “Merry Christmas” when he should have said “Happy Holidays.” This is an example of censorship because according to the first amendment, the little boy should be able to express his feelings as long as they are not offensive to anyone, which they aren’t. The boy in the cartoon goes on to tell his dad that he told off his teacher when she said he couldn’t say “Merry Christmas,” but she didn’t care what he said because of “freedom of expression.” This is unjust because the boy shouldn’t be able to tell of his teacher and he should be able to say “Merry Christmas,” yet he is able to disrespect his teacher and he is unable to say a simple phrase that relates to religion. Overall, when it comes to what is considered “acceptable” conversation, everyone has a different opinion; especially when the conversation involves religion because some people are more conservative than others.

Essential Question

Due to the intolerance of different beliefs, how does the American dream serve to unite difference by affording each person to become "American?"

The American dream is a tool used by average people who want to have something to live up to in order to feel successful. The Puritans use their belief in God to give themselves something to measure their lives against because they overall believe if they put their lives in the hands of God, their lives will be worthwhile. This shows that the Puritans, wanting to become “American,” feel that they need to unite and put their full faith in God, if they want their new lives to be successful. Once a person feels they are becoming distant with the path to righteousness, they feel they must change their ways so they can reunite with the majority of the population. If someone is different than what is to be expected of them, they become estranged from others until the differences are eliminated. Puritans have a strong intolerance for differences in their community so when a newfound “American” is straying from their religious path, the person will be alienated from society until they have overcome the difference because this is the only way Puritans know how to unite against differences.