“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God” – Corrie ten Boom. Christian or not, these words have a sort of calming tone that allows someone to feel at ease that someone or something is always watching over them. However, if we question the very existence of this supernatural being, we can only speculate on why God lets so many terrible things happen in the world. In order to logically make sense of this questionable dilemma, there have been many people over the years of mankind who have tried to explain “God’s ways to man”. Some of these people include Alexander Pope and John Milton, each of which have very different attitudes of going about this problem. Although these great writers of the 17th and 18th Century have some …show more content…
Quite frankly, Milton views evil as reality and must be accepted, whereas Pope regards evil as a mere misunderstanding. Milton believed that evil was a tangible insidious dominion of reality that exists through the existence of Satan and is of direct offense of God’s natural order. Milton believes that it is so serious and significant that if mankind were to give in to this evil nature and not repent, eternal damnation awaits him. In order to stray away from the temptations of evil, mankind must arm himself with weapons of prayer, glorification, worship, etc. of God and his plan. Pope, on the other hand, explains that everything in the universe has been created by God and that universe is perfect. Human beings mistakenly think that evil exists due to limitations of their understanding of the universe. Pope believes that lack of morality exists, but this lack of morality is only relative to the perception of mankind. Pope explains that if humanity could see the whole picture of the universe that God has created, they would realize that suffering and misery contributes to love and the greater good in the vast reaches of the universe: “But Heav’n great view is One, and that the Whole” (E2. VI. 237). Therefore, Pope refutes the existence of evil as it has been traditionally understood, and this misconception can even dampen the progress of humanity in one day making paradise on Earth. The final major difference between the two works is how God operates. In Paradise Lost, Milton explains a God that creates everything, orders everything, keeps a close eye on things, and intervenes when something does not follow his plan. In An Essay on Man, God creates everything, orders everything, and then stands back and watches the world unfold until man creates a truly harmonious and perfect