Jonathan+Edwards

Jonathan Edwards Though he was an individual with an unusually calm demeanor, Jonathan Edwards went out of character as far as his words to strike fear and guilt into the church of his day so they would return to the Puritan practices they had left behind. The government of today definitely uses the same negative feelings Edwards used to manipulate people into doing as they please. For example, they don't want to change how they use large amounts of natural resources in federal edifices, so in order to have enough for a longer time, they make everyone feel guilty on how much the environment is suffering so everyone will cut back and make up for the excessive consumption they bring about. Another example of this kind of manipulation happened after September 11th and how they deemed certain areas of the country safe or dangerous from terrorism to get people to move where they wanted them to. I don't believe Edwards went as extreme as the government goes, but traces of his ways of directing people where he wanted can be seen in today's American life.