1. RATIONALISM

2. Beliefs…Puritans and after… ◦ Puritans believed that their fate was predetermined, which means they felt no matter what they did, or how they acted, it was not going to change. ◦ People began to believe and wanted to believe their actions had an impact on their future.

3. Rationalism  Rationalists believe that there is a basic, logical, accurate way to arrive at a conclusion.  They deal with issues of truth and legitimacy.  The belief there is only one Truth in life.  All human beings are equal and can strive to be perfect.  Everyone can improve themselves.  They believe God is indeed powerful, but they do not believe He is ALL powerful.  They believe humans have control over their lives.  A person’s goal in life was to improve themselves and the world around them.

4. During this time..  The Rationalists are attempting to establish God’s existetnce based on rationality and reasoning instead of the Puritan beliefs.  Rather than saying, “He exists because people say so,” they wanted to offer actual proof.  Education is becoming more important and industry and architecture are booming.  Information was coming from establishments built for education and not just what was established/discussed in chuch.  Ideas were beginning to be credited with science instead of religion.  Rather than say the devil causes illness/death, Rationalists searched for more scientific answers.

5. Rationalism to Deism ◦ Deism – Accepts the authority of human reason and rejects miracles, the trinity, and the authority of the Bible. ◦ People wanted science and religion to connect and coexist. ◦ Deism and Puritanism have two different definitions of happiness.

6. Deism beliefs…  Accept the teachings of Christ but they don’t think he is Divine.  The birth of Christ was believed to be a miracle and since deists don’t believe in miracles, they did not believe he was divine. They do not believe he was the Son of God.  They believe that a personal relationship with God and religion is more important than attending services ritually.  Believed by a small number of highly educated & articulate individuals.

7. Benjamin Franklin  His parents were Puritans  He kept all of his Puritan Faith BUT he adopted Deist values.  He had a personal relationship with God.  He believed that life should be dedicated to the pursuit of happiness which is achieved by getting along with others.  Puritans believed that life should be based on the pursuit of getting into Heaven. This was their definition of happiness.  His thirteen virtues are based on Puritan teachings.