Karla News

Benjamin Franklin: The Deist

“I desire with all Humility to acknowledge, that I owe the…Happiness of my past life to [God’s] kind Providence, which led me to the Means I us’d and gave them Success” (Franklin 539). Found in the beginning of Benjamin Franklin’s The Autobiography [Part One], this passage of gratitude for Franklin’s success and happiness does little to enlighten the reader of Franklin’s true attitude towards religion. Throughout his writings, Benjamin Franklin explains his Deist beliefs that separate God from Jesus and breaks down the complication of religion in the church.

When Franklin became a “thorough Deist” (Franklin 574), he rejected Christian doctrine as being easily refutable and reduced Jesus from God’s son to a mere man with morals that were “the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see” (Franklin to Stiles), as explained to Ezra Stiles in a letter dated 9 March 1790. As for others believing that Jesus is God’s Son, Franklin commented, “I see no harm…in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequences, as probably it has” (Franklin to Stiles). This illustrates that even though Franklin has developed his own beliefs, he is not quick to force them on anyone else, as was common at the time among churches.

His opinions of God the Father, however, were consistent with those of the church in that “there is one God who made all things…[and] governs the World by his Providence” (Franklin 600). Franklin had immense respect for the Creator, as one would expect from an intelligent man who shared God’s passion of innovatively creating new things. He often remarked that God “ought to be worshipped by Adoration, Prayer and Thanksgiving” (Franklin 600). Even though he did not stand for any Christian doctrine, Benjamin Franklin is still remembered as a godly, spiritual man because of his voiced opinions of the Creator.

See also  Five Top Career Choices for 2014 - 2019

To contrast Franklin’s high opinion of God, he viewed the church and modern religion in a much more negative light. Rather than follow the multitudes of rules set by a church, Franklin developed his own doctrine that consisted of the simple thought: “The most acceptable Service of God is doing Good to Man” (Franklin 600). Franklin told Joseph Huey in a letter that church is worthless because “sermon-reading or hearing, performing church ceremonies, or making long prayers, filled with flatteries or compliments, [is] despised even by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the deity” (Franklin to Huey). In other words, listening to long sermons and prayers of flattery in church does nothing to benefit anyone and is therefore a colossal waste of time. Instead, true followers of God should do “real good works, works of kindness, charity, mercy, and publick spirit” (Franklin to Huey), because the Bible says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).

Additionally, Franklin also told Huey, “When I am employed in serving others, I do not look upon myself as conferring favours, but as paying debt” (Franklin to Huey). According to Franklin, whenever a kindness is received, it should also be repaid. However, the only way to show “gratitude for those mercies from God, [is] by a readiness to help his other children and my brethren” (Franklin to Huey). With this simple logic born out of a reputable character, Franklin made a decision to always be a benefactor to the public, noting that “Truth, Sincerity and Integrity in Dealings between Man and Man, were of the utmost Importance to the Felicity of Life” (Franklin 575). Unlike most people, Benjamin Franklin understood the importance of virtue, for “God will certainly reward Virtue and punish Vice either here or hereafter” (Franklin 600).

See also  Top 15 First Day of School Books

Therefore, because of a few doubts he had as a young man, Benjamin Franklin developed his own ideas about religion and became a Deist, simplifying religion into a personal doctrine that he followed throughout his life. With God and good works on the forefront of his mind, Franklin cast off church attendance to create his own customized Deist religion, and it worked out quite well for him.