Author’s Note: This was my final essay for my college English class. My professor asked us to take two important figures from the Enlightenment era, with opposite worldviews, and write about the things they might have had in common. I chose theologian Johnathan Edwards and American Founding Father Thomas Paine. Comparing their beliefs — Christianity versus atheism — was a fun task!
“The Pursuit of Happiness” Defined by Jonathan Edwards and Thomas Paine
“The Pursuit of Happiness” is a familiar term to Americans who might recall its expression in the Declaration of Independence which states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). This revolutionary idea of happiness lies beyond the drafting of the Declaration, as it can be traced back though the works of many authors of the Enlightenment era. Among these, is Jonathan Edwards, a renowned theologian of the Great Awakening, and Thomas Paine, a political activist, and Founding Father. In their writings, they both reveal their insightful yet different ideas on the significance of happiness. Edwards’ “Personal Narrative” declares faith in the sovereignty and grace of God as ample fulfillment in life, whereas Paine in “The Age of Reason” argues men have a God-given right to choose their own beliefs, which he ultimately claims to be the only avenue to total freedom and happiness. Although Edwards’ Puritan beliefs and Paine’s Deistic views clash, their works do share an underlying theme common in Enlightenment thought, this being, that happiness is a priority in human life. Even though their ideas of what true contentment look like do not align, Edwards and Paine’s perspectives do reflect that finding fulfillment is both essential, and rewarding, to the human experience.
In “Personal Narrative” Edwards essentially defines happiness as giving oneself over to God’s sovereignty. Having been raised in a Puritan community in the early 18th century, the view Edwards developed toward achieving contentment in life reflects much of his upbringing. In Edwards’s account, he recalls coming to the faith at a young age, in which he says he was, “very much affected for many months, and concerned about the things of religion, and of my soul’s salvation…” (358). His early love for the gospel and prayer later fueled his second awakening later in his youth. This second spiritual awakening proved so incredibly pivotal to his faith that it overturned the many disconcertments he held regarding Puritan doctrine (Edwards 359). Author Andrea Tinnemeyer states that among these was Edwards’ struggle with the concept of Unconditional Election (2). The idea of only a few elect individuals gaining an entryway into heaven was something Edwards greatly wrestled with, and only after a long period of internal wrestling, was he able to come to peace with the issue (Tinnemeyer 2). This was expressed in Edwards’ narrative: “But I remember the time very well, when I seemed to be convinced, and fully satisfied, as to this sovereignty of God, and his justice in thus eternally disposing of men, according to his sovereign pleasure” (359). Thus, Edwards’ skepticism of Puritan doctrine was replaced by an inner sense of humility toward the extent of God’s sovereignty he realized in his life, which ultimately became his life pursuit thereafter: to pursue fulfillment in Christ’s promise.
Whereas Edwards’ “Personal Narrative” pertains to a Biblical context, Paine’s “The Age of Reason” argues happiness can only come from obtaining the personal right to adopt a belief according to one’s own convictions. In his writing Paine declares, “it is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself” (696). This view resides upon Paine’s background as a political activist during the American and French Revolutions. Authors Carol Berkin and Susan Claire Imbarrato credit Paine’s passionate belief in self-authenticity to his response to the atrocities he observed by both the governmental and religious institutions of his time (3). In this sense, Paine’s desire for Americans to “break free from the yoke of arbitrary rule” is based on a deep concern he held for human welfare (Berkin and Imbarrato 1). Particularly in concern to the idea of churches providing spiritual nurture and guidance to people, Paine was opposed. In “The Age of Reason” he proclaims, “Each of those churches accuses the other of unbelief; and, for my own part, I disbelieve them all” (Paine 697). Ultimately, Paine sees God’s greatness incapable of being revealed by means of a secondary source—namely by churches and prophets—and, thus, the only way true revelation can be experienced is by direct communication between God and man (697). In essence, Paine’s belief of happiness is based upon his hope that people, like him, will learn how to critically think and determine how they should live apart from the restrictions set in place by religious institutions.
To fully grasp the complexity of Edwards’ and Paine’s worldviews, the historical and philosophical context of their time must be considered. In her article “The Origins of the Pursuit of Happiness,” Carli N. Conklin traces the concept of happiness being an alienable right back to the philosophy of John Locke, who held a similar stance on human rights as those later stated in the Declaration of Independence (4). Conklin claims, “Locke’s work was widely popular among the Founders…” and, according to Locke’s philosophy, “life, liberty, and estate” were valued as essential (4-5). From this standpoint, Paine’s “The Age of Reason” makes more sense, as it is reflective of Locke’s philosophy toward human rights. What sets Paine’s philosophy apart from Locke’s, however, is the addition of “reason,” in substitution for blind faith which serves as a type of moral compass for people to follow. Paine, although respectful of other people’s callings, expresses his concern in “The Age of Reason” in how he observes people to be choosing their faith (696). To him, the thought of blindly following a faith, rather than relying on one’s own reasoning, was simply pure hypocrisy (Paine 696). He boldly proclaims, “When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime” (Paine 696). With this additional note, Paine’s perspective closely resembles that of Locke’s philosophy.
Dually, Locke’s ideas of alienable rights were a new, exciting concept for Christians living during the Enlightenment, and would have proved an especially intriguing idea to Jonathan Edwards. Traces of Edwards’s fascination with this concept are evident in “Personal Narrative” as Edwards does say, “I very often think with sweetness and longings and pantings of the soul, of being a little child, taking hold of Christ, to be led by him through the wilderness of this world” (365). This ultimately shows that Edwards did believe happiness was essential, but true enrichment in life could only be obtained through Christ alone. This, however, is often overlooked by modern scholars because of the increasing perception that Puritan theology is outdated. In his essay “The Biblical World of Jonathan Edwards” writer Douglas A. Sweeney claims it was in the wake of mainstream American ideals that Edwards’ perspective on life fulfillment and purpose has lost its relevancy (2). The contented complacency Edwards revealed to have found in Christ has become non-important to modern day culture, which has shifted away from gospel-oriented living. Americans still do value happiness today, but more akin to Paine’s definition of it.
Ultimately, even though Edwards and Paine disagree on how happiness is achieved in life, their works do make a clear point in that achieving it is both possible and important. Their answers as to what pathway to take is indicative of their backgrounds and religious convictions, but there is an underlying consensus between the two men that happiness is a worthwhile pursuit, which is a positive and uplifting take-away given the difficult times within they lived. For Edwards, he held high hopes in the possible “advancement of Christ’s kingdom in the world” (363). In turn, Paine passionately desired for people to obtain freedom, and to shake off the “adulterous connection of church and state…” (696). Both Edwards’ and Paine’s answers of what happiness constitutes had major consequences in shaping what has become the system of modern American government, which still can be observed to hold traces of both Christian and 18th century revolutionary influence within its core. There is, however, a particularly great difference between the world of today and Edwards and Paine’s time, being, ideals of happiness have changed. Whereas Paine’s beliefs were once considered to be radical, they are now embraced more than ever today. Edwards is now considered less compelling than he was during his time, as Puritan theology has lost its sway within mainstream culture. In a sense, Paine’s and Edwards’s worldviews have been swapped, especially as values of social acceptance and self-authenticity in the United States have grown in popularity. Many Puritan values, such as honesty, hard work, and self-control, are still upheld today, but in the grand scheme of things, society has moved on to embrace the values of “The Age of Reason,” leaving religion behind in the dust.
In a sense, the worlds of Edwards and Paine are not too dissimilar from today’s, as they both tap into a fundamental importance that is often missed in the discussion of the meaning of happiness. Every person is entitled to happiness, even though it might look different for some than for others. What modern readers can derive from Edwards’ “Personal Narrative” is that many can, and still do, find joy in following their faith. Edwards’ vivid testimony opens a small window into what faith looks like. The same remains true for Paine’s “The Age of Reason” in which he sheds light on what it means to be truly authentic. To be true to oneself, regardless of societal norms, is an important message that should resonate with readers today. Regardless of one’s religious background, ethnicity, or culture, the works of Edwards and Paine leave readers with a bottom-line truth: happiness is of the upmost importance.
Works Cited
Berkin, Carol, and Susan Clair Imbarrato. “Paine, Thomas.” Encyclopedia of American Literature, Third Edition, Facts On File, 2013. Bloom’s Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=114111&itemid=WE54&articleId=28246.
Conklin, Carli N. “The Origins of the Pursuit of Happiness.” Washington University Jurisprudence Review, 2015, openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1123&context=law_jurisprudence.
Edwards, Jonathan. “Personal Narrative.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Beginnings to 1820, 9th ed., edited by Levine, Norton, 2017, pp.358-368.
Jefferson, Thomas. “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 2020, http://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript. Accessed 17 Sept. 2020.
Paine, Thomas. “The Age of Reason.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Beginnings to 1820, 9th ed.,edited by Levine, Norton, 2017, pp. 695–702.
Sweeney, Douglas A. “The Biblical World of Jonathan Edwards.” Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 270, 2018. Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link-gale-com.proxy189.nclive.org/apps/doc/H1420124196/LitRC?u=nclivewtcc&sid=LitRC&xid=d5da1864.
Tinnemeyer, Andrea. “Edwards, Jonathan.” Student’s Encyclopedia of Great American Writers, Volume 1, Facts On File, 2010. Bloom’s Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=114111&itemid=WE54&articleId=476187.