"Religion"

From Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, I’d like to explore the value of religion and curiosity as a part of the declaration of rights from the convention of May 1776 as applied to our current system.

If the ability to exercise religion as a free and natural right is protected, one should not be labeled heretical if their beliefs contradict that of the majority. Jefferson mentions several acts of the Virginia assembly of 1659, 1662, and 1693, which condemned parents refusing to have their children baptized. Later in 1705, “if a person brought up in the Christian religion denies the being of God, or the Trinity, or asserts there are more Gods than one, or denies the Christian religion to be true, or the scriptures to be of divine authority, he is punishable on the first offense by incapacity to hold any office or employment ecclesiastical, civil, or military; on the second by disability to sue, to take any gift or legacy, to be guardian, executor, or administrator, and by three years imprisonment, without bail.” This seems shocking to me that prior to the declaration of rights in May 1776, the refusal to follow the legislative ruling on religion would result in the above punishment.

Naturally, I’m comparing my own current understanding of the separation between church and state to that of Jefferson’s time period. Often, we are limited by comparing current knowledge and understanding of the times to literature from a different historical perspective. Yet, much of Jefferson’s commentary on the need for free enquiry and curiosity is warranted from his own historical understanding of the Roman government and the introduction to Christianity or later from the area of reformation to purge the corruptions of Christianity. Therefore, we should be able to apply the need for such ‘deviant’ curiosity from Jefferson’s time to better our own society. He admits that “it does [him] no injury for [his] neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god.”

To permit the ability of free thinkers to explore will purge our current system of corruption, not just within the church, but also within structures of oppression that perpetuate inequity in our society. Uniformity of opinion is not desirable, but the ability to think for oneself to challenge the current perceptions will free our minds and protect the free and natural rights granted by the convention of May 1776.

A Divine and Supernatural Light, Immediately Imparted to the Soul by the Spirit of God, Shown to be Both Scriptual and Rational Doctrine

I would like to explore the philosophical implications of this work, a sermon by Jonathan Edwards. It was strongly suggested throughout the text that those who are blessed are the objects of God's distinguishing love. Since God is the natural author of all things, he therefore maintains the right to reveal himself, by means of divine light, to humans. This divine light is not necessarily reserved men of great statue or literacy in society:

"...[F]or if this knowledge were dependent on natural causes or means, how came it to pass that they, a company of poor fishermen, illiterate men, and persons of low education, attained to the knowledge of truth; while the Pharisees, men of vastly higher advantages, and greater knowledge and sagacity in other matters, remained in ignorance?"

Those whose minds are full with "spiritual pollution" cannot perceive the divine excellency of God's light because their human capabilities and senses are blocked. Just as through human faculties we are able to perceive the light of the sun and other sensory input, God must reveal himself to us through our human senses. But, this divine light is not obtained by natural means. God is above nature in that he created it. In creating nature, God has the ability to choose any human creature able to receive his spiritual wisdom and grace. In doing this, Edwards suggesting that God bestows his knowledge on whom he will, leaving others in the dark. This elitist form of selection prevents all of God's human creations from receiving the light which “effectually influences the inclination, and changes the nature of the soul.”

Introduction

This is my first public blog! I'm excited to be enrolled in English 122 and hope that it'll be a great semester. As an introduction, I'm a senior psychology major and am currently seeking to find an answer to a very popular question: "What are you doing next year?" (Hence the photograph of me looking through a telescope in Quebec City, Canada.) I spent the last few weeks traveling the region of New England with friends (through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Canada). I've discovered that you can travel to far away places, but never know the comforts of your own backyard (or in this case, North America). I would like to re-discover America, starting with the literature of authors, poets, journalists, and scientists from the early Puritan years, throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th century. My hope is that through their works and their interpretation of the places I now call home, I will better understand my roots. I'm an energetic spirit and want to make the most out of each day. I enjoy photography, cooking with Rachel Ray, traveling the world, the outdoors, working for social justice, and being with friends. "Be the change you want to see in the world" (Mahatma Gandhi).