So when I first began to read Mather's book "Memorable Providence" was introduced and it stated that the book was to explain "A Faithful Account of Wonderful and Surprising Things." Now because this is written by Mather I assume he wrote that statement as well. I was in shock when reading it because it seems that Mather was almost excited by the whole situation. For a Reverend of the Puritans the word "Wonderful" seems like it would not be the first choice when describing the witch trials.
Now I understand that it is in traditional Puritan nature to think the world is out to get you but this whole witch thing seems like a bit much. And Mather seems to be making it worst. He says "Go tell mankind, that there are Devils and Witches." He wants to scare the crap out of everyone by telling them to be afraid of devils and witches as if to say that they are walking around town next to them. He is telling them that besides the fact that they need to pay attention to everything they do and say as it is but now they have to fear for their lives? I get the feeling that Mather wants to be the one the people go to and if they do not fear anything they have no need for him anymore.
When he describes the beginning the first person he introduces is John Goodman and his children as the afflicted. Mather even states right from the beginning that Goodman is "a sober and pious man." Goodman himself seems to never be effected by the witches. I just have to ask myself if they felt that the Devil was after the most pure of people then why was Goodman never effected? Obviously because his children were the ones "in charge" of the whole accusing.
Mather never questions the children but rather believes everything they tell him. In those days children never spoke unless spoken to first and they were often considered incompetent from my understanding, so why now are they taken seriously? First of all I think the children did what they did simply for the attention they received. They were treated with respect and looked to for advise which was a very uncommon thing back then. Secondly I think Mather believed them because he wanted something drastic to happen that would bring the people back to the church. The whole situation benefited both parties.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Mather's Scare Tactics
I want to start by apologizing if this post sounds like nothing more than a long rant. I had a hard time reading this work because my brain immediately went to conspiracy theory. I want to give the puritans the benefit of the doubt and say that there could have been witches and bewitchments but I can’t. I know that I can never know what happened and that my witch trial information is limited but this could have been an elaborate plan to scare people into remaining in the rigid puritan lifestyle. Mather wrote this piece as if everything was fact even though he acknowledges that he did not see all of it. On several occasions, he refers to an anonymous “credible witness”, which he feels is proof enough. Mather is so detailed yet at times he says things like “I can’t recall”, “I don’t remember”, or he cannot remember the day at which events happened.
The fact that this history was not written like a diary, a daily account, makes me wonder about what was going on. The puritans always wrote things down in detail, like the Anne Hutchinson trial for example. I think that Mather, being so influential, could have orchestrated this. Also Mather did talk about the Goodwin’s being a very religious family. I know this is all speculative but with all the younger people, the halfway church members we were talking about, I could see why they would want to use scare tactics. Mather goes into such depth about all of the awful things that happened to these children and the only thing that saves them is prayer. This is like when parents tell their kids that if they sit too close to the TV they will go blind, only in this case imaginary horses are involved.
When John Goodwin wrote his account of what went down, he inserted numerous biblical references and placed prayer and God as the only things that could help his children. Readers of these stories are supposed to take away that the devil is always lurking and that devotion to god will save you from him. Also, in regard to the suspected witches themselves, most of the women were thought of as strange for a long time. Mather, by drawing out the bewitchments for long after the “witches” died, he implies that suspected witches should be taken care of immediately, before they can do any harm.
In the final part of this selection, Deodat Lawson gives his account of what happened in Salem. On the second page (in-text 148), there is a footnote which describes Mather’s influences. The footnote contains a quote which reads “I cannot resist the impression upon reading it, that it was promoted by Cotton Mather and that he wrote the ‘Bookseller’s’ notice ‘to the Reader’.” Lawson was a key player in the Salem Witch Trials and I think that it is suspicious that Mather influenced him.
The fact that this history was not written like a diary, a daily account, makes me wonder about what was going on. The puritans always wrote things down in detail, like the Anne Hutchinson trial for example. I think that Mather, being so influential, could have orchestrated this. Also Mather did talk about the Goodwin’s being a very religious family. I know this is all speculative but with all the younger people, the halfway church members we were talking about, I could see why they would want to use scare tactics. Mather goes into such depth about all of the awful things that happened to these children and the only thing that saves them is prayer. This is like when parents tell their kids that if they sit too close to the TV they will go blind, only in this case imaginary horses are involved.
When John Goodwin wrote his account of what went down, he inserted numerous biblical references and placed prayer and God as the only things that could help his children. Readers of these stories are supposed to take away that the devil is always lurking and that devotion to god will save you from him. Also, in regard to the suspected witches themselves, most of the women were thought of as strange for a long time. Mather, by drawing out the bewitchments for long after the “witches” died, he implies that suspected witches should be taken care of immediately, before they can do any harm.
In the final part of this selection, Deodat Lawson gives his account of what happened in Salem. On the second page (in-text 148), there is a footnote which describes Mather’s influences. The footnote contains a quote which reads “I cannot resist the impression upon reading it, that it was promoted by Cotton Mather and that he wrote the ‘Bookseller’s’ notice ‘to the Reader’.” Lawson was a key player in the Salem Witch Trials and I think that it is suspicious that Mather influenced him.
Witchcraft Among the Puritans
I'm reading a book titled The Witch of Blackbird Pond to help me with my research paper. In the book a young girl from Barbados is sent to live with her family in colonial Connecticut. While there her entire world is flipped upside down. She has to work, there is no smiling or fun allowed. The young girl, named Kit, gets into trouble for "acting" out a part of the Bible to a group of students she is teaching. Later in the story she meets a woman who the town believes to be a witch. This woman is differnet from the townspeople. People avoid her and speak ill of her, and they refuse to have their children go near her. Kit of course has befriended the "witch", they are two people in the town that do not belong.
As many of you have probably heard me say in class to me the Puritans are full of contradictions. They preach from the bible and yet they do not do nice things to people who are different from them. Maybe this is the future teacher in me, but to me this seems wrong. I understand that the puritans wanted to convert people to Christianity but to me the Puritans are very selfish. They aren't accepting of the differences, and the minute they do one thing out of line they think God is out to get them. Maybe I'm wrong but killing 19 people based on the idea of witchcraft doesn't seem to me to get them through the pearly gates. I understand that to them they were ridding the world of satan and evil, I get that, but at the same time murder is a sin.
A line in The Witch of Blackbird Pond states, "people are afraid of things they don't understand". The puritans didn't understand the other people living during that time. They never took the time to understand them, to them their way was the correct way of life. They were afraid, which is understandable, but at the same time I feel as if the puritans tell one group of people not to do a sinful deed whereas they can.
As many of you have probably heard me say in class to me the Puritans are full of contradictions. They preach from the bible and yet they do not do nice things to people who are different from them. Maybe this is the future teacher in me, but to me this seems wrong. I understand that the puritans wanted to convert people to Christianity but to me the Puritans are very selfish. They aren't accepting of the differences, and the minute they do one thing out of line they think God is out to get them. Maybe I'm wrong but killing 19 people based on the idea of witchcraft doesn't seem to me to get them through the pearly gates. I understand that to them they were ridding the world of satan and evil, I get that, but at the same time murder is a sin.
A line in The Witch of Blackbird Pond states, "people are afraid of things they don't understand". The puritans didn't understand the other people living during that time. They never took the time to understand them, to them their way was the correct way of life. They were afraid, which is understandable, but at the same time I feel as if the puritans tell one group of people not to do a sinful deed whereas they can.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
"More Prayin'
First, I want to apologize for getting this up late. It has been a hectic week for me, and I wasn’t able to get the .pdf printed, which slowed me down further… but anyway here goes…
As I read the lines written by Cotton Mather, I am struck by the ferocity and confidence in which he preaches for what he believes. The lines exhibited in this reading no doubt had to be read before the screenplay for “The Exorcist” or any other movie about exorcism was produced. The way the damned children were described was nothing short of all the horrific images that one saw in the movies (and for the most part people figure is clearly fake). But what is the solution to this “illness”; this “damnation: That cure is prayer. To quote Chris Rock:
""That's all we had when l was a kid: Robitussin. No matter what you got, Robitussin better handle it. –“Daddy, I got asthma.” –“Robitussin.” –“I got cancer.” –“Robitussin.” I broke my leg, Daddy poured Robitussin on it. “Yeah, boy, let that 'tussin get in there.” “Yeah, boy, let that 'tussin get on down to the bone. The 'tussin ought to straighten out the bone. It's good.” If you run out of 'tussin, put some water in the jar, shake it up, more 'tussin. “More 'tussin!” ""
Now I’m not implying that the puritans had Robitussin… but they did have prayer. Their entire medical and psychological field of study was based on the Bible and prayer. On .pdf document page 14 or in-text 102, Mather writes:
""Many superstitious proposals were made unto them, by persons that were I know not who, nor what, with Arguments fetch’t from I know not how much Necessity and Experience; but the distressed parents rejected all counsils, with a gracious Resolution, to oppose devils with no other weapons but Prayers and Tears,""
Now I do not claim to know a ton about the puritans beliefs on medicine, but it seems as though they are indeed waiting for God to heal their children if not medically then spiritually. It is this extreme faith that helps the puritans cope with these strange behaviors. It is also this faith that leads to the literal “witch-hunt” that surrounded Salem. Remember in this day and age there was no such thing as therapists or psychiatrists… only pastors. And there was only one cure… “Prayin’” and if you ran out of Prayin’… add some wine to it, shake it up, more prayin’. “More prayin!”
As I read the lines written by Cotton Mather, I am struck by the ferocity and confidence in which he preaches for what he believes. The lines exhibited in this reading no doubt had to be read before the screenplay for “The Exorcist” or any other movie about exorcism was produced. The way the damned children were described was nothing short of all the horrific images that one saw in the movies (and for the most part people figure is clearly fake). But what is the solution to this “illness”; this “damnation: That cure is prayer. To quote Chris Rock:
""That's all we had when l was a kid: Robitussin. No matter what you got, Robitussin better handle it. –“Daddy, I got asthma.” –“Robitussin.” –“I got cancer.” –“Robitussin.” I broke my leg, Daddy poured Robitussin on it. “Yeah, boy, let that 'tussin get in there.” “Yeah, boy, let that 'tussin get on down to the bone. The 'tussin ought to straighten out the bone. It's good.” If you run out of 'tussin, put some water in the jar, shake it up, more 'tussin. “More 'tussin!” ""
Now I’m not implying that the puritans had Robitussin… but they did have prayer. Their entire medical and psychological field of study was based on the Bible and prayer. On .pdf document page 14 or in-text 102, Mather writes:
""Many superstitious proposals were made unto them, by persons that were I know not who, nor what, with Arguments fetch’t from I know not how much Necessity and Experience; but the distressed parents rejected all counsils, with a gracious Resolution, to oppose devils with no other weapons but Prayers and Tears,""
Now I do not claim to know a ton about the puritans beliefs on medicine, but it seems as though they are indeed waiting for God to heal their children if not medically then spiritually. It is this extreme faith that helps the puritans cope with these strange behaviors. It is also this faith that leads to the literal “witch-hunt” that surrounded Salem. Remember in this day and age there was no such thing as therapists or psychiatrists… only pastors. And there was only one cure… “Prayin’” and if you ran out of Prayin’… add some wine to it, shake it up, more prayin’. “More prayin!”
Monday, April 13, 2009
Mary Rowland's life with the Indians
The preface in this excerpt from Mary Rowland was really saddening because we see how the Indians came to attack many English men and they raided certain houses. Mary Rowland was one of the many women who had her house raided by Indians and the killings that were performed by the Indians were described as being extremely gruesome. For example, one of the descriptions was, "...but they would not hearken to him but knockt him in head, and stript him naked, and split open his Bowels." (pg. 467) Not only this but Mary Rowland's home was also set on fire, and many people who lived in her home were gruesomely harmed, and caught off guard with no way for them to defend themselves. As she goes through her different "removes" and tells the tales of her journey with the Indians as a captive and slave, we see her try to obtain pity from the reader, and then instantly she changes her tune to feelings of optimism and uplifted spirits because she finds God in herself who gives her the strenghth to carry on from day to day in her miserable life with the Indians. We see this portrayed on pg. 470 when Rowland writes, "God was with me, in a wonderfull manner, carrying me along, and bearing up my spirit, that it did not quite fail." This clearly demonstrates how Rowland depended on God during her journey to get her through whatever she was going to endure. I thought it was interesting how the Indians were treating many of these English people so horribly but yet they too believed in God and had a Bible with them. It boggles my mind how people who follow the holy word of God could kill be such horrible people by killing others in cold blood. It also intrigued me how Mary Rowland was treated so horribly, yet she confided in the scriptures of the Bible to give her strength to keep her motivated to survive. Towards the end of the excerpt we see how Rowland felt that it was her destiny from God to be put through that horrible journey with the savage Indians and she claims that if God is willing to put a person through something like that, then he is more than willing to save them and keep them safe during their journey. She also feels that because she was rich and had everything that she could desire in her life, God took all of that away from her and left her almost near death in order for her to understand what it was like to have nothing. I thought this excerpt was extremely detailed and Rowland really did a good job on making the reader feel like you are actually with her on this journey and witnessing all of these sickening actions taking place.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Wigglesworth's tug of war
Since my classmates have already given you two great entries on Jonathan Edwards, I’ll talk about Michael Wigglesworth (does anyone else really enjoy saying his last name?).
In “The Diary of Michael Wigglesworth,” the author gives us a glimpse into his own form of the spiritual autobiography. The entries that this anthology gives the reader shows Wigglesworth’s internal back-and-forth struggle to please God. He struggles with pride, lust, and pride again as he pours out all of his fears about the eternal fate of his soul. One of the most interesting entries occurs on August 15, 1654, when Wigglesworth remarks that, “A mind distracted with a thousand vanitys Sabbath dayes and week days when I should be musing on the things of god,” (441). This sentence sums up the diary as a whole; in times of contemplation, Wigglesworth defines “time wasted” as “time not spent honoring God.” But Wigglesworth takes it one step further, and mentions that, in these times of waste, his lust/pride is so great that he can think of nothing else, he is “unable to read any thing to inform [him] about [his] distemper because of the prevailing or rising” of these sins. This entry is followed by one that shows a man much more at peace with his God, however (Spetember 15: “God will guide and provide.”). Again, I think this is done by the compilers of the anthology to show how extreme Wigglesworth’s back-and-forth struggle with finding peace in the eyes of God was. He fears these sinful desires because, as he mentions in “A Song of Emptiness,” man’s “gettings do augment his greediness,” (445). Indulging his desires will only lead to greater cravings - this is what every mortal man should fear.
Like many of the spiritual autobiographies we’ve read, Wigglesworth has his own personal struggle, but it seems like when he takes a step back and contemplates the fate of his soul, he accepts that the decision is completely out of his hands, and he leaves it up to God to make the choice whether it is good or bad. That’s not going to stop his “distracted mind” from fretting over his “carnal lusts,” but at certain times he takes comfort in the fact that some things are out of his hands. “A Song of Emptiness” has the perfect moral ending/warning for a soul that is tempted by worldly desires; “Thy best enjoyments are but Trash and Toyes: / Delight thy self in that which worthless is. / All things pass by except the love of God,” (447).
In “The Diary of Michael Wigglesworth,” the author gives us a glimpse into his own form of the spiritual autobiography. The entries that this anthology gives the reader shows Wigglesworth’s internal back-and-forth struggle to please God. He struggles with pride, lust, and pride again as he pours out all of his fears about the eternal fate of his soul. One of the most interesting entries occurs on August 15, 1654, when Wigglesworth remarks that, “A mind distracted with a thousand vanitys Sabbath dayes and week days when I should be musing on the things of god,” (441). This sentence sums up the diary as a whole; in times of contemplation, Wigglesworth defines “time wasted” as “time not spent honoring God.” But Wigglesworth takes it one step further, and mentions that, in these times of waste, his lust/pride is so great that he can think of nothing else, he is “unable to read any thing to inform [him] about [his] distemper because of the prevailing or rising” of these sins. This entry is followed by one that shows a man much more at peace with his God, however (Spetember 15: “God will guide and provide.”). Again, I think this is done by the compilers of the anthology to show how extreme Wigglesworth’s back-and-forth struggle with finding peace in the eyes of God was. He fears these sinful desires because, as he mentions in “A Song of Emptiness,” man’s “gettings do augment his greediness,” (445). Indulging his desires will only lead to greater cravings - this is what every mortal man should fear.
Like many of the spiritual autobiographies we’ve read, Wigglesworth has his own personal struggle, but it seems like when he takes a step back and contemplates the fate of his soul, he accepts that the decision is completely out of his hands, and he leaves it up to God to make the choice whether it is good or bad. That’s not going to stop his “distracted mind” from fretting over his “carnal lusts,” but at certain times he takes comfort in the fact that some things are out of his hands. “A Song of Emptiness” has the perfect moral ending/warning for a soul that is tempted by worldly desires; “Thy best enjoyments are but Trash and Toyes: / Delight thy self in that which worthless is. / All things pass by except the love of God,” (447).
Saturday, April 4, 2009
sinners in the hands of an angry God
Most Christians probably haven’t heard a sermon like this one. Some congregations are probably pampered by the “God love you no matter what” sermons. The title alone “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” shows that God has had enough. This revival sermon was meant for the Puritans. It was meant for the restoration of the church itself to build a strong and prosperous relationship with God after a period of decline.
Johnathan Edwards definitely showed no fear in offending his listeners because he had no doubt in what he was saying. The Bible says that the truth cuts like a sword. “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:11-12) It’s hard for many of us to hear the truth. I believe there were a lot of people sitting in that congregation with hardened hearts; they were probably offended to hear the truth.
His message is straight forward and his tone is easily identified. He preaches that we are all born in sin and need repentance and if you don’t turn away from sin, you will be cast into hell and live in eternal damnation. Edwards show no mercy for these people, he makes it clear that his misson is to put fear into the saints, and make them see that God is no joke. “There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it." (691) This indicates how powerful God is and why we should fear him.
Edwards ends the sermon with, "Therefore let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come." He indirectly gives a sense of hope to those currently out of Christ. I think he believed his imagery and message of his sermon would awaken the congregation. For instance, “uncovered men walk over the pit of hell on rotten covering, and there are innumerable plaves in the covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen.” (693) This indicated that we shouldn’t take Christ lightly, because we are “playing with fire”. We will never know the day that Christ will come back for us, so it’s best if we are prepared now. Edwards underlying point, is that God has given people a chance to be delivered from their sins.
Johnathan Edwards definitely showed no fear in offending his listeners because he had no doubt in what he was saying. The Bible says that the truth cuts like a sword. “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:11-12) It’s hard for many of us to hear the truth. I believe there were a lot of people sitting in that congregation with hardened hearts; they were probably offended to hear the truth.
His message is straight forward and his tone is easily identified. He preaches that we are all born in sin and need repentance and if you don’t turn away from sin, you will be cast into hell and live in eternal damnation. Edwards show no mercy for these people, he makes it clear that his misson is to put fear into the saints, and make them see that God is no joke. “There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it." (691) This indicates how powerful God is and why we should fear him.
Edwards ends the sermon with, "Therefore let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come." He indirectly gives a sense of hope to those currently out of Christ. I think he believed his imagery and message of his sermon would awaken the congregation. For instance, “uncovered men walk over the pit of hell on rotten covering, and there are innumerable plaves in the covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen.” (693) This indicated that we shouldn’t take Christ lightly, because we are “playing with fire”. We will never know the day that Christ will come back for us, so it’s best if we are prepared now. Edwards underlying point, is that God has given people a chance to be delivered from their sins.
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