Puritans vs. Rationalists: God’s Authority
Although both the Puritans and Age of Reason literature demonstrate their views on
the source and nature of authority, they significantly differ from one another. The Puritans
believed that God had absolute authority over them, and was present in their lives at all
times. In contrast, Rationalists believed that God gave them their essentials/abilities at the
beginning and that afterward they would be able to depend on themselves. To Start,
Puritans believed that God was in charge of them and that he was the reason why they
were successful in their daily lives. For example, in “of Plymouth Plantation”, the author
states, “Arrived in good Harbor they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of their
Heaven who had brought them over...” (Prentice Hall Literature 51). This Puritan text
depicts how much the Puritans really depended on God because it shows that they did not
think that anyone else could have been the reason for their safe arrival, the only person
responsible was God, this is why he was the only one that they thanked and appreciated.
Furthermore, Puritans believed that God had the power to bring anyone together, including
the group of people that was aboard the Mayflower in 1720. Specifically, in “The Mayflower
Compact”, the author puts forth, “...in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and
combine ourselves together into a civil body politic…”(Bradford). In this very important
Puritan text, one can see that the Puritans really had to have God present at all times
because he was the one that made everything possible. On the contrary, Rationalistic
beliefs were entirely different. To begin with, Rationalists believed that they were born with
equal rights as everyone else and that God had given these to them. Particularly, in "The
Declaration of Independence," the author discloses, “We hold these truths to be selfevident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights…” (Thomas Jefferson). In this important Rationalist text, one can see that
Rationalists were independent and that they believed that God looked at all humans as
equals, He was not dehumanizing to them. In addition, Rationalists believed that the God
created them in a way that they could maintain themselves. To demonstrate, in “from Poor
Richard’s Almanack,” the author puts forth, “God helps them that help themselves”
(Benjamin Franklin). The text shows that the Rationalists believed that that God had given
them the abilities to do their own things and that they did not have to rely on Him when they
wanted to do something. In conclusion, while Puritans viewed themselves as minorities
when compared to God and as if they were looked down upon by him, the rationalists
believed differently. The Rationalists believed that they were gifted by God and that God’s
intention was to make them self-reliant, his job was to help them start off, and then each
individual was responsible for one’s own life.