"Freedom of Religion"

RESPONSES

  The first text I read for today's posting was the poem, Sunday Morning, by Wallace Stevens. My first time reading through this poem, it was difficult for me to understand. I read through it again, and some words I had to look up. My interpretation of the poem is a woman who decides to spend a Sunday at home rather than at church. As she sits on her porch eating her coffee and oranges she begins to think of religion. The line : "... The holy hush of ancient sacrifice." and "Encroachment of that old catastrophe." led me to believe this was a special Sunday, maybe Easter. She begins to think of this special day and the significance of Jesus's sacrifice. In the second stanza she begins to think of the true meaning of divinity and where it may lie: the earth or within herself, Divinity must live within herself." The poem then goes on to talk about Jesus and his time here on earth, and the significance of him passing away to us as Christians. I think that the line: "Death is the mother of beauty." means that death should be seen as more than a tragic experience. As Christians, death is the beginning of eternal life, and the author deems this eternal life in Heaven as "beautiful".

  The second text I read was, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. I had read this previously back in high school, so it was nice to see some familiarity in this passage. The first thing that always strikes me first as I read through Edward's sermon is his fierceness with his message. he tries to make it very clear that sin will not be tolerated by God: "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." Edwards reiterates this theme many times throughout his message, and I think it is a good theme. Edwards uses harshness, but also honesty in an effort to save his congregation from Hell. Another theme that Edwards uses to juxtapose the wrath of God is God's mercy: "Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment." Throughout the sermon, Edwards warns of the wrath of God and the eternal despair of Hell. I can only imagine the thoughts and overall mood in Edwards' church the Sunday he preached this. I am sure many were moved to get their lives right, but some others may have been in denial about their own sins and felt that Edwards went overboard in his approach to this sensitive topic.

  For today's reading, the last passage I read was, Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This story was hard for me to understand, but I do feel that I got the main theme. The story begins with the departure of Goodman Brown from his wife. To me it seems that Goodman Brown is on his way to do something evil: "Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose." He partakes on his journey with a fellow church goer. As they travel in the woods, Goodman Brown has second thoughts about his "mission" and attests to the good name his family has. However, he is shocked to discover the wrong doings of his father and grandfather from his companion: "I have been well acquainted with your family... to set fire to an Indian village, in King Phillip's war." Troubled by this news Goodman Brown continues on his journey and spots another church goer in the woods, this time an old lady. He is hesitant about letting her know of his presence. The story continues with Goodman Brown finally making up his mind that he will not continue on the journey, and he and his companion split up. While he is still in the woods, he notices more church members and is curious to see what their business is. He comes upon a sort of "baptism" and is surprised and upset to find his "angel" wife being baptized in sin: "My Faith is gone!". After witnessing this he becomes very critical of everyone in the church and in his village. He no longer believes there is good on earth, and spends the rest of his life with this view. This passage portrays even "good" people sinning, but it is not a damnation like the sermon of Jonathan Edwards. Both stories show the evils of men, but the authors present this in two different ways. Edwards's sermon is direct and stern, while Hawthorne's story makes the reader read between the lines. While these two stories detail the evils of men, the poem, Sunday Morning, shows the glory of God, and the death and rising of Jesus.

QUESTIONS

1. In the poem, Sunday Morning, does the main character feel as in touch with her spirituality at home, as if she would in church?
2. What was Goodman Brown's initial intent of traveling in the woods?

CONNECTIONS

• I think that the poem, Sunday Morning, best represents our society's views on religion today. Religion today is seen as more of a personal relationship, and we do not have to go to church to be able to have a relationship with God.
• I think that if Jonathan Edwards were alive today, he would still feel his message was relevant to the times (and I could agree). However, I'm not sure if he would have as welcome as a reception.