Within "The Triumph of Reformed Religion in America," Cotton Mather represents his Puritan roots and transition to more Enlightenment thinking. His essay centers on a minister named Eliot who tries to save the natives by learning their language (Mather 63). This way Eliot could teach them his religion. Although Mather's Christian views are supposed to be grounded in Calvinist values, it appears that his Enlightenment thinking changed the tone of his view of Christianity. It creates an almost idealistic story about a man with apparent divinity in a world full of depraved people. The mix of his religion and his thought creates a kind of hybrid religion with the love of goodness of Calvinist thought and the free will of Enlightenment thought. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Mather's negative description of Native people portrays a Calvinist point of view. Mather uses his description to emphasize not only the differences between their people, but also the key places where the natives do not abide by his religious principles. Mather first discusses the extent of their sins, emphasizing their depravity. He highlights the natives' relationship with beasts by saying that "their clothes are nothing but beast skin" in one place (60). He goes on to describe that they too are barely covered and elsewhere compares the way they row their ships to that of a dog (62). Mather describes Eliot as someone who learned the Indian language in part because they would never give up their bestial way of life to learn Eliot's language (63). This indicates that they are more closely related to beasts and therefore dehumanize them by practically representing them as animals. It also implies that they are so closely related to animals that they do not even recognize their depravity and therefore needed Eliot to guide them. One of the examples of their depravity he gives is by talking about their torture and cannibalism. Mather seems to reflect Calvin's values ​​here by implying that Indians are so far from God and so caught up in original sin that they cannot even see the need to know God or even realize their sinful nature. Mather also highlights the indolent nature of men which goes against Calvin's principles. Puritan work ethic. He describes their religion which is not only polytheistic but closely linked to nature where there are the Gods of the Sun and the Moon and even fire is given a sort of God (61-62). The fact that natives live in nature is also another example that goes against Calvinist values ​​as the Puritans valued the sense of community in cities. Furthermore, their distance from God is emphasized by the use of demons to help them in various aspects of their lives (62). Although Mather focuses on the ways in which Natives lack Calvin's values, his Enlightenment thinking shows how he seeks to understand Calvin's values. logic and learn from the natives. At one point, as she talks about the indolent nature of men, she considers how women doing the work might impact the ease of women giving birth (61). He also describes the various copper, iron, and lumber resources that the natives have access to but do not use (60-61). The extent to which Mather describes the Natives' failure to use these materials shows his desire to better understand the Natives and to formulate reasons for their lack of knowledge. He also seems to imply that part of their lack of knowledge comes from the fact that they do not know God. Furthermore, by broadly describing the abilities that Mather's people have and thatIndians do not have, it seems to go against Calvinist values ​​by describing a sense of pride. Mather describes how the Indians did not use metal weapons, the type of currency they used which was nothing more than trinkets, the way they prepared food, medicine and how they did not know what a ship was until the Europeans arrived (60- 61). With all these descriptions, he seems to claim that his people are far superior due to their advancements. At one point Mather even states, “They live in a country where we now have all the conveniences of human life” (60). This is another way to point out that natives are not fully human. Mather's portrayal of Eliot also departs from the traditional view of a Calvinist. Painting Eliot in such a bright light highlights the idea of ​​human perfectibility rather than depravity. Not once in the essay does he seem to focus on any flaws Eliot might be perceived to have. Instead, Mather turns Eliot into almost a form of messiah for the natives. Mather does this by comparing the Indians to the Israelites and stating that a deliverer will save them by coming to remove wickedness from them (62). While it can be argued that this refers to Jesus, Mather seems to imply that the liberator of these Indians is Eliot who is working hard to learn their language and help them. In this entire essay there appears to be no mention of predestination; Mather seems to suggest that a person can become good and choose to follow God. The fact that Eliot seems to choose to help the natives rather than be forced to do so is an example of this. Descriptions of Mather include descriptions of him as an honorable man worthy of Homer, humble and charitable (79-60). Even towards the end of Eliot's life Mather describes Eliot as having become “more heavenly, more savory, more divine” (65). Even though Eliot was ultimately an old man ready to die, Mather describes how his grace increased and despite his age he continued to work (65). This portrayal emphasizes the Puritan work ethic as even at a time in his life when he could have retreated, Eliot chose not to be idle. Another way Mather describes him is a “perfect and upright man” (65). This description completely denies any kind of original sin that, according to the Calvinist view, would hang over Eliot's head. Eliot also seems to have more free will. Mather practically implies that it was Eliot who decided to seek out the natives and not the will of God who did so by saying, "These were the miserable people whom our Eliot set out to teach and save!" (62). In this way Mather suggests that it is Eliot's own desire that drives him to want to help the natives; it is his choice rather than the act of a higher being. Eliot himself appears to have Calvinistic views given his humble nature, however, the fact that he sees the natives as stupid and senseless and wishes to teach them, reflects the pursuit of knowledge of the Enlightenment period. As he learns the Indian language, Eliot tries to compile it into a form that others can also read and learn from, providing a source of knowledge to others. Besides learning their language, the other thing Eliot tries to do before preaching is to civilize. the natives. He believed he could not convert them before civilizing them (62). This type of thinking seems to combine the Calvinist ideal of introspection and that of Enlightenment thinking. Becoming civilized is a way of becoming more self-aware, while the act of being civilized also involves acquiring knowledge. In this way, Mather is saying that to know God a person must have Eliot's knowledge and understanding, he also appears to have more free will. Mather pretty much implies that Eliot did it, 2007. 58-66