moral value

[Unregistered]

I totally agree with what you have to say concerning Dimmesdale's guilt and how he should confess his sins to Jesus to be freed. "For if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."-1 John 1:9 However, I strongly disagree with what you say about the Puritans. Hawthorn displays the Puritans as judgemental, gossiping, and unloving, however the opposite is true. The Puritains were a group of people that loved the Lord with all their hearts. They were saved by the grace of God and fled their mother country in order to have the freedom to live their lives in devout worship of God. These godly people spent hours in prayer and Bible study and did not at all see themselves as worthy of the saving grace of God. We must be careful not to take into consideration only Hawthorns opinion of the Puritans (he was not even a Christian) We must also look at how the Puritans really were by examining their diaries and prayer books. I encourage you to look for a Puritain book of prayers, you will see that the Puritans were very serious about their relationship with the Lord. Although the Puritans had some very strict rules and laws for their community, it was only to encourage that we follow the Lord. All laws were meant so that the people could bring glory to God in their day-to-day lives. The punishments for these sins were severe because they wanted to get across how important it is to follow God in all we do. Of course the Puritains were not perfect and they didn't claim to be. There probably were some that were a little crazy and were extreme and excessive in their punishments, but we need to remember that there are people like that in every religion and denomination. People will always find a way to exagerate other peoples faults, as was the case with the Puritans. We must be careful not to only look at a bias view and base our judgements on that.

[Stacy]

I think that Nathaniel Hawthorne made some very good points it The Scarlet Letter. Take Dimmesdale, his sin ate at him till he was physically and mentally sick. If he would have confessed it, he would have been free. "the truth will set you free" it ironic that it took him to his dying moment to confess. this book shows that we as sinners need God's grace and forgiveness. "we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". when we confess our sins to God, we dont have to live under the guilt and weight of it like Dimmesdale did cuz Jesus took the weight of it. <br>the Puritans were legalistic, living a life of "holiness" on the outside, but on the inside it was gossip and adultery and witchcraft. that is not the way Christianity is supposed to be. we dont have to work our way into Heaven. it is a gift. Hester and Dimmesdale and Chillingworth could have all been free if they would have surrendered to God. Hester suffered under the townspeople sentence. Chillingworth gave himself over as Satan's tool. and Dimmesdale, he was tormented be Satan. the same happens today especially the two latter( adultery is pretty accepted now). but Jesus offers a freedom from bondage. "whom the Son sets free is free indeed". He offers eternal life and a joy unspeakeable. i think maybe Dimmesdale got right before he died. the book seems to suggest it. will you get right now? ask Jesus into your heart now. if you have any questions, email me at: [email protected]