Franklin autobiography religion

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was born into a family of devout Puritans and was raised in the Protestant tradition. He was baptized in the Old South Church of Boston.

However, throughout his life, he increasingly distanced himself from Christianity and developed a more rationalistic and deistic perspective. In his later years, he became interested in alternative religious philosophies, such as those of Confucianism and Taoism.

Deism and Providence

In his autobiography, he classified himself as a deist.

Benjamin franklin autobiography religion

Deism is a belief in God based on reason and observation rather than revelation or faith. Deists believe in a supreme being who created the universe and then stepped back, allowing it to run according to natural laws. Most deists reject the idea of a personal God who intervenes in human affairs.

They abide by natural theology (or physico-theology), which is the belief that one can gain knowledge of God through observing and experiencing nature.

He published “Articles of