Doctrine 1
Benjamin Franklin brought enlightenment in America and was a critic of enlightenment for his sanguinity of technological invasion of nature. He did not believe in the foreseeable arch of intellectual or moral growth. He was uncertain of the crucial objective of the progression of enlightenment. Franklin had a number of vicious and enlightenment things to talk of the hazardous influence of organized ecclesiastical power and priests. In the mid seventeenth century, Franklin considered the Philadelphia religious politics. He also supported the good job of preacher Samuel Hemphill in his challenge with the Presbyterian Synod (Franklin and Leonard 45). To protect the Hemphill from the charges of Synod of heterodoxy, Benjamin published three notes on the observations of the schedules against Hemphill, a dialogue between two Presbyterians and a letter to his friend in a country.
Doctrine 2
In the pieces, Benjamin said in one of his most widely read theology of founders a lot about the Presbyterian neighbors doctrines. He said that the doctrine of original sin was ridiculous. He argued that the original sin was meant to frighten those who could not think in the society and to inspire these people with terror. The sin was also meant to satisfy the selfish endeavors of the propagators and inventors.
Doctrine 3
He also argued that the subjecting one person to punishment for the guilt of another person was also hideous and turned God into a cruel, unjust and arbitrary being. Frank also argued that the doctrines of explanation by salvation and faith by means of satisfaction and merits of Christ proved to be antinomian. He added that they consisted of the wicked doctrines that had ever been introduced. He differentiated faith, morality and virtue form organized religion (Franklin and Leonard 46). However, he felt that if religion had grown weaker, virtue and morality amongst people in the society would reduce.
Part 2
The conditions that Olaudah Equiano had undergone during the slave trade journey were unsanitary and crowded. Equiano says, “I had got such salutation in my nostril and I had a stench smell such that I became sick that I could hardly eat” (Equiano and Shelly 76). This means that the condition in which they were being transported was so filthy that they got sick. In fact, several slaves died during this journey because of the unhealthy sanitary conditions. Olaudah also says that they were forced to sleep on the wooden floors, and this wore away their elbows and their bare foot skins. The place was so crowded that the slaves did not even have space to move around. The place was almost suffocating the slaves and several slaves suffocated because of lack of enough oxygen.
Olaudah also said that they were treated worse than a burden and beasts. They suffered several numbers of dignities and physical horrors. Several slaves were severely flogged. This was done to punish the slaves not eating when they had been permitted to eat. He says, “When I refused to eat, of the slave masters held me by my hands and tied my feet and flogged me.” This shows the reader how the slaves were treated like animals and with lack of respect. Phillis Wheatley’s experience with the white people was different from that of Olaudah because she was much privileged. She had talents, and she was taught English by her white master Wheatley. She did not suffer like Olaudah. She learnt new things, especially about the existence of God. She wrote a poem, and in the poem, she said, “It was mercy that made me come from the land of pagans and brought me to the land where God exists” This statement proves that her white master had taught her that God existed and that she had to believe in God.
The former slaves spoke their minds and they were not afraid to tell the white people how brutal they had been to the slaves. They spoke with a lot of bitterness to the white man. In fact, they continued to hate the white man even after the abolition of slave trade. Since the black man had not forgotten the harsh treatment that they had received from their masters, they believed that all white people were bad. The words of the black man were quite provocative to the white man. The presence of a black man in a scene of white men was then respected because of their nasty history.
Works Cited
Equiano, Olaudah, and Shelly Eversley. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah
Equiano, Or, Gustavus Vassa, the African. New York: Modern Library, 2004. Internet
resource.
Franklin, Benjamin, and Leonard W. Labaree. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New
Haven: Yale University Press, 1964. Print.
