![]() ![]() He is all about success, money, civic pride, reputation, and contentment–not the afterlife. Overall, Franklin is rooted in the terrestrial world. He sees the merits in the morality promulgated by religious sects, but knows that one can accomplish the same sort of moral perfection from a secular perspective. Franklin values reason above faith, and is happy to laud a sect–the Dunkers–when they espouse that worldview. ![]() He had friends who were ministers but engaged in lively debates with them, always promoting the secular and the sublunary. He had no interest in destroying a man's faith but was keen on routing out hypocrisy or manipulation. He did not attend church but publicly supported freedom of worship for others. He says that no sect had a hold on him and that he was, if anything, a Deist. There is a common assumption that the Founding Fathers were avowedly Christian however, Franklin emphatically lays that to rest. What are Franklin's views on religion and why do they matter to his narrative? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |