Turning your fate into a science

 Puritans believed that their fate was predetermined and there was nothing they could do about it.  As time moved on people wanted to acknowledge that their actions in life played a role in their fate.

 Rationalism is a philosophy, which means it is a way of thinking and an approach to life.  Rationalists believe that there is a plain, methodical, factual way to arrive at a conclusion.  They deal with issues of truth and validity.  There is only one Truth in life.  All human beings are equal and can strive to be perfect. Everyone can improve themselves.  They do not deny that God is powerful but they do not believe he is ALL powerful. Humans have control over their life.  A person’s goal in life was to improve themselves and make the world a better place.

 What is going on in society during different time periods is reflected in what is being written during the different time periods.  The Rationalists are attempting to establish that God exists based on rationality and reasoning instead of the Puritan beliefs that just believed he existed because someone told them He does.  Education is becoming valued, big buildings are being built, cities and libraries are also being built.  Centers of knowledge are starting to become physical places. They are no longer just churches.  Things that had been explained or credited to God and the Devil were beginning to be explained through Science.  Gravity  Physics  Illness

 Out of the idea of Rationalism came the movement of Deism which is an attempt to connect science and religion – to make them agree with each other.  Deism – Accepts the authority of human reason and reject miracles, the trinity, and the authority of the Bible.

 Accept the teachings of Christ but they don’t think he is Devine.  They did not believe that Jesus was God’s son because his conception would have been a miracle and they don’t believe in miracles.  They believe that a private relationship is MORE important than attendance at Public Services.  This way of thinking was confined to a small number of highly educated articulate individuals.  NOT everyone thought this way BUT some of their beliefs did reach the masses.

 His parents were Puritans  He kept all of his Puritan Faith BUT he adopted Deist values.  He had a personal relationship with God.  He believed that life should be dedicated to the pursuit of happiness which is achieved by getting along with others.  Puritans believed that life should be based on the pursuit of getting into Heaven. This was their definition of happiness.  Deism and Puritanism have two different definitions of happiness.  His thirteen virtues are based on Puritan teachings.

 What are our values?  Where do these values come from?  What role do we play in our fate?  What role do these things play in the Declaration of Independence, and our approach to government?