Benjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreaus Religions Essay -- Frankli

Benjamin Franklin and henry David Thoreaus ReligionsBenjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreau are by no means ghostlike in both(prenominal) traditionalsense of the word. If, however, religious is taken to mean the belief in any sort of supreme being...that obliges ethical or moral shell out, then both Franklin and Thoreau fall into this category. Though the two are middlemanly opposite in their troopsner and social interaction, they are both held to a religious and personal standard. Their individual spiritual beliefs, ethical codes, and their quality of biographyshow that all of their actions and thoughts are held by themselves to a higher(prenominal) standard. two men have specific beliefs about the existence of God and mans place in the world. Franklin is a self-proscribed deist, unmatched who believes in God but non church, because of its nature. His attitude was that man runs the church, its the beliefs that are important, the praising and honoring of God on a daily basis, not the institution. Throughout the Autobiography, he mentions his prayers and the fact that he enjoyed going to non-formal sermons. He to a fault supported the church monetarily for the benefit of others. Thoreau did none of these things, but he was cool kill a highly spiritual individual. He did not proscribe to any particular religion but did hold the belief in one supreme being who created the universe. He believed that one should have a current experience with the world according to how it was made and that man was endowed with commons sense by the creator. He says that humans no longer camping area as for a night, but have settled d consume on earth and forgotten heaven( Thoreau 25). This is why he believed societ... ...reets of Philadelphia. This is consistent with his religious views. Thoreau on the other hand was anti-machine, almost anti-society. He said that in that respect are a thousand people hacking at the branches of evil to one who is stri king at the root (Thoreau 51). He believed society would be better off not through inventions but if every individual took it upon themselves to find their own true path. Though differing, these two views express the same idea steer humanity towards what is right. Regardless of their differences, Franklin and Thoreau are focused on a spiritual, humanist, non-shallow backwash of the world. Both dont just do things because it is the thing todo or out of fear, but because of their beliefs. They feel obliged to a higher conduct because of their religious views of the world, whether religious or not.