Puritanism/Rationalism Comparative Essay

The Puritans and the Rationalists have very different views on God. The Puritans believe they should live their life for God. As Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan minister puts it, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God.”(154). On the other hand a rationalist believes that God is very distant. They believe that they have there own free will. As Thomas Paine, a rationalist, said “My mind is my own church.”(Basic Tenets handout). The Rationalist believe that God is irrelevant to their life. They think highly of using their brain and being rational instead of being guided by the bible or church. The Puritans and the Rationalist also have very different views on government. The Puritans believed in a theocracy, meaning no separation of church and state. In a theocracy God has the upper hand. On the other side the rationalist believe that church and state should be separated. They would argue that God isn’t a person so how could he be head of the g...