Although Benjamin Franklin and John Winthrop both lived in the colonies on the coast of America, Winthrop and Franklin existed in extremely different worlds based on their ideas and values. Both men had ideas that were similar and built off of each other’s ideas, but the main focus of their values were vastly different. Winthrop and Franklin can be considered as leaders in their time in the colonies and lead their people to entirely different directions when it came to religion, social values and morals. Unquestionably, some parallels exist between the Deist philosophy Franklin developed and the Puritan philosophy he was taught growing up. Despite these similarities, the two philosophies are on nearly opposite sides of the spectrum in the way they explain the universe's unknown, most notably in the different ways they view God, which directly influences their outlook on the world and on human nature. Both believed strongly in living a righteous life, yet Franklin and the Winthrop were driven by immensely different forces to live with moral integrity.
Winthrop’s’ sermon A Model of Christian Charity represented the Puritans' outlook on society, and also served as a guide and a list of expectations for…show more content… While Benjamin Franklin's was definitely influenced by Puritanism growing up his attitude greatly differed from that of the Puritans in his view of God's nature, which straightforwardly affected the way he viewed the world, human nature, and his motivation to live righteously. The Puritans viewed people as naturally evil, clarified everything as a part of God's plan, and followed a moral code to avoid damnation, while inversely Franklin saw people as good, explained the world with logic and reason, and lived honorably for practical benefits, rather than eternal
