The Rationalists

Jasmine Mapp
02-24-09
1st period


The Rationalists
Rationalists believed that everything could be explained through science while Puritans believed that those things should be left up to God and that whoever should do so was disrespecting God. Just like in evolution. Some people think that God created the earth but scientist believed in the Big Bang theory. So my guess is that the Puritans believed that God made everything and that the Rationalists believed that it was made through science.
In the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin he said that “men should be taught as if you taught them not, and things unknown propos’d as thing forgot”. I think that this is the true thought of a Rationalist. The reason why I think that is because everything that they don’t know about the have to get an answer for and they won’t take that it was all because of God.
1. Never judge a book by its cover.
2. You can’t always make everyone happy all the time.
3. Don’t speak until spoken to(in other words don’t speak to anyone first)
4. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
5. If you are not going to say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
6. Never let your eyes tell what your mouth doesn’t want people to know.
7. Love yourself before you try to love others
8. We all live to die, so live as you please and as God intended.
9. Do onto others as you would want them to do onto you.
10. Even when you are lonely you are never alone.
11. Smiling is contagious so spread it around.
12. Never say never
13. You can do anything if you try.
I think that this is a good start to become the person that you have always dreamed of. If I did this every day for a month I think it would stick to me for the rest of my life. I don’t think that anyone could be perfect but you could be close to it if you continue to do this. But it seems really hard if you are already so use to doing something else. Its like your smoking your bad habits but you want to get on the right track and its just so hard to stop smoking.

The Puritans

Jasmine Mapp
02-23-09
1st period


The Puritans Belief
The Puritans believed in total depravity or original sin because of Adam and eve. They believed that everyone was born a sinner. They also believed God saved only a certain few and Jesus didn’t die for all, everyone else was going to hell. They believed there was no way to earn Gods grace. It was up to saint’s like Jonathan Edwards to interpret the word of God the way they chose. Sinners in the hands of an angry God, was the best known sermons of Edwards. They say people got so scared they fainted when they heard it. They also believed that there is nothing between you and hell but Gods hands and when he gets angry enough he will let you go and you will fall into the fiery pits of hell.
I think that Sinners in the hands o f an angry God was just a way to scare people into doing the right thing. I seriously doubt that God has already picked the ones of use who are going to heaven and the ones who are going to hell. I mean some people have to go thru life altering things to become in the likeness of God and just because they slip up one time doesn’t mean that they are going to hell for there one mistake.
I don’t think that God is a caring and understanding God. I think that he knows that people make mistakes, but they try to do better for him and only him. The way that Edwards betrays him in the sermon is as a mean man who is only keeps us over the fire for his own amusement. It makes me feel like he is just roasting us over his fire until he gets tired of us and just lets us go. And I don’t think he is like that at all.
In the text On the Mayflower, when they got off of the boat they laid on the ground and thanked God for getting them there safely. But when they saw that where they came was nothing but trees, lands, and any houses or roads they prayed to God to help them get started. They asked their selves what could hold them back. Nothing but Gods grace of course. They think that since God got them there that they were going to help them get started.
In this text I think that it had nothing to do with the Sermon that Edwards read, because if it did then they wouldn’t even want to go out to the see because they would think that, that might be a perfect time for God to let them fall into hell because they are all sinners. Now that might not be true but if it were me then I wouldn’t take my chances. It just doesn’t seem to add up with me.

Limited Atonement – Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone. Irresistible Grace – God’s grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God. Sinners in the hands of an angry God also says that only a certain few are chosen to go into heaven and everyone else is going to hell and that you cannot earn Gods grace.

Total Depravity – through Adam and Eve’s fall, every person is born sinful – concept of Original sin. Sinners in the hands of an angry God also tells us that we are born with sin because of Adam and Eve.