Is there really a God? Most people question it at some point in their lives. Religion is all in belief; there are no facts or evidence, only faith. This faith in something non-substantial is created out of fear of the unknown. Religion, which supposedly is about God’s great love for his creations, is in fact created out of anxiety. Because there is no substantiality to God, people interpret who he is and what he is saying in many different ways. Organized religion has books that supposedly have the truth in them, but still many people, even the religious leaders, only go to these books when it is to their advantage. As much as people look to God for comfort, many only look to him them, when it is convenient. People love God because they fear the unknown, they fear a meaningless universe, they fear death, but when they are not fearful, they have no use for God.

Arthur Miller was one of the people who questioned religion when he wrote his play “The Crucible.” “The Crucible” is written about Puritan life in Salem, MA in the late 1500’s, which led to the Salem witch trials. The puritans believed in a life completely devoted to God. A life in which doing anything for yo

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s grandfather was a judge in the Salem witch trials and Hawthorne was always haunted by his family’s past. He felt as though his grandfather made a terrible mistake and sentenced many innocent people to death. He began writing the truths in religion as he saw them rather than what he was brought up to believe. In a short story of his titled “Young Goodman Brown”, the character is met by the devil in the woods. The character tells the devil that he cannot walk with him because he would not be able to look his minister in the eyes again if he did, but later when the devil brought him to his meeting, his minister was there cavorting with the devil (Hawthorne). Knowledge of this made him surly. He was trying to be good by preserving God in his life but knowledge that he was the only one in the town doing so made the rest of his days meaningless. When he heard his heathen minister preach the words meant nothing to him. In all senses he had lost his meaning of God though he never gave up his faith.

Hypocrisy has always gone hand in hand with religion. People misinterpret what God supposedly said, and only go to that when it is to their advantage. Some take advantage of his word. Others do not seem to know the difference between what god wants as far as fear and love. People have always looked to religion

Some topics in this essay:
Salem MA, Hawthorne Knowledge, Evil God, Isreal People, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, Goodman Brown”, Arthur Miller, “the crucible”, salem witch trials, god people, salem witch, god fear, god life, witch trials, fear unknown,