Hey, it's Jasmine.
I was doing my Spanish homework and the story I was reading reminded me of what we talked about in English class a while ago. The story is called "The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths." It's about a Babylonian king who constructs an elaborate and complex labyrinth and an Arab king who uses the desert as his labyrinth. The story states that the Babylonian king's labyrnith causes an uproar because the ability to confuse can only be employed by God, not man. At the end, God triumphs over man when the Babylonian king dies in the desert (which is a labyrnith constructed by God, not humans).
This reminded me of our last unit on Puritans. In the poem, "Upon a Spider Catching a Fly," Edward Taylor writes, "Strive not above what strength hath got." This meant that humans didn't have the strength to fight what they were destined to be - human beings, not gods. Thus, the Babylonian king shouldn't have tried to act like God, controlling the fates of those who got lost in his labyrinth.
This concept also relates to the lightning rod, invented by Benjamin Franklin. Many people opposed the idea of the lightning rod because they believed that if lightning struck a house, it was an act of God. They believed that it was immoral to challenge God's will. Furthermore, in his speech, Patrick Henry stated, "There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us." Do you think that some of the colonists were inspired to fight because they thought God was on their side? Did the colonists feel obliged to fight back because it was (supposedly) God's will? I'm not sure how much God factored into the mood of the war, but I think the reassurance that He was on the colonists' side made them more optimistic. As long as God supported them, not the British, they were sure to win, since God's power was always stronger than man's.
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Hey, it's Erin. I was a little surprised at all the religious references I found in Patrick Henry's speech, but I suppose it was a powerful motivator to spurn people to action. I think that people always consider that God is on their side because they're right (or else why would they be fighting), you wouldn't want it they other way around - it might scare people. I think that the way they reasoned it was that God was on the side of liberty, as were they. After all, in the Declaration of Independence they talked about how God had endowed everyone with certain rights. There's a bit of that in the documents we got in history class. Obviously, to them, God's against tyranny, so he must be with us.
Thinking about what Jasmine said reminded me of something. Correct me if i'm wrong but I'm pretty sure a year or so back didn't the local law stop a football team from praying to God to win before a game? what do you guys think about this? I think that praying is a confidence booster, kindof like nationalism. The idea that there is something bigger than yourself, that you are part of something bigger. I think it gives a sort of confidence and feeling of security.
excuse me if this is a faux pa haha but in HARRY POTTER haha when harry pretends to give ron the lucky potion and then ron flies great because he believes he can't do wrong. I think this idea applies to implicating God's will in the revolution. In the same way, it makes the people feel confident like they have a safety net, like they can't do wrong because God's on their side...
Side story : I also heard a teacher tell a story about how in a graduation speech the valedictorian was not allowed to say "god bless you" so instead he pretended to sneeze so everyone said "god bless you" anyway.
oops that was Cristy :) about the HP
Hey, it's Jasmine.
Cristy, I think that if the football team was from a public school and didn't have the approval of all the players, they shouldn't have been allowed to pray as a team. I remember watching a news special about an atheist girl who felt left out every time she played in a basketball team. Her team would participate in a team praying session, and she had no choice but to stand awkwardly on the side.
I think praying is more of an individual choice. Praying shouldn't be forced upon anybody, but I do agree that it's a powerful motivating force. It definitely makes people feel a bit invincible. Praying or references to God back (as in Henry's speech) made people feel united by a common force (God). I definitely agree with Cristy on this one - people pray to God to feel more secure. The sense of optimism that comes from praying to God for help (or from statements that God is on a certain side) made the colonists fight with more passion because they felt like they had less to lose.
Jasmine, you bring up an interesting point. I know everyone so far has brought up little side-stories about how these sorts of events show up in everyday life, but I have one of my own. In French class, we are studying the 100 Years' War...needless to say it's SO FUN and EXCITING. But specifically, Joan of Arc (or Jeanne d'Arc) was taken by the Burgundians, who at the time, were allied with the British. After handing her to the British, she was , as we all know, burned at the stake. Part of the reason for this is obviously because she was dressed like a man, an act that was called 'sorcery' by her contemporaries. But another major reason for her execution was the fact that the British themselves believed that God was on their side. Joan had claimed that God had urged her to deliver France from the British; that could not have been true (at least to the British), since God was obviously on their side. In the end, it almost always turns out to be that God was on the side of the winner of the conflict. Does this little characteristic say something about human nature? I believe it does. Though I myself believe in God (but do not desire to turn this into a religious discussion), I feel that the only reason to invoke God for a war is to, as was suggested, stir up moral support and motivation to fight.
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