A Forever Changing Concept Of God Research Paper

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Pages: 6

A Forever Changing Concept of God
It’s interesting to know that there are thousands versions of a god-like figure for different religions, some of which try to describe the same god. With religion, anything is up for interpretation because it is past, hearsay knowledge. Depending on the society, there are certain aspects of a religion that are heightened more than others to enforce personal values. This was constantly seen throughout the colonization of America. Of course, the original sense of religion was adopted by the Church of England. However, God’s image continued to change as new experiences altered people’s schemes. Authors like Bradford, Edwards, and Emmerson each hold their own image of God based on personal experiences and the
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Not satisfied with reform of the Church England, Bradford and a few others became the “Separatists” in 1609, focusing on the idea that God is a direct relationship. Bradford discouraged anyone acting as a mediator between a person and God, adopted ideas from John Calvinist. After accidentally settling in Massachusetts in 1620, Bradford believed the God’s grace had led them to this holy land that was created just for them. This idea paved the myth of American exceptionalism which was the belief that the New World was exceptional and far more special than other nations. Bradford believed the land was prepared for his community and was provided to be fruitful in order for them to thrive. Bradford’s view of God was influenced by the fact that he genuinely believed his people were divinely picked to represent the new chosen people, much like the Israelites. He continually refers to the Old Testament and compares his shortcomings to illustrate the similarities. No matter the hardships, Bradford is still blessed to be chosen by God and continued praising that “He is good, and His mercies endure forever,” (134). Bradford described God as the sovereign lord that has blessed his people with everything they needed, thus giving the image that Bradford’s God is a giving and favorable …show more content…
Emerson believed that religion was a transcendental concept, one that was acquired with the use of noble doubt, which is the humanistic characteristic that determines what is real or not. For example, you believe a book to be true based on the fact that you can see it and touch the pages. However, that is all based on your own personal senses, thus not confirming the same results to someone else. This means your perception of the book differs from another’s, which is no indication that the book is actually real. Pretty crazy, right? Now, using this concept can also be applied to religion. Emerson claims that everything is phenomenal, meaning everything is perceptible by the senses through the same immediate experiences, which would mean God is also a personal gained knowledge. So, God is an acquired knowledge that becomes a part of you, rather than an outside divine source of power. Your perception if God is your own and there’s nothing that can change