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Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

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Jonathan Edwards wrote the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” with the purpose of persuading people to seek salvation by producing horror in the possibility of going to hell when he should have tried to inspire his congregation to try and get to heaven instead. He transmitted his message in an intense manner which consequently caused terror on the people that attended the church in which he preached. His pathos appeal on the sermon intended people to fear what awaits in hell if they are not born again. The author emphasized in the descriptions of the torments of hell and the punishments that the people who go there have to go through. He could have approached this topic by referring to the good things that are in heaven and the blessings that will come to your life once you accept God as your savior.
Edwards portrays God as a powerful being that despises humans, which moreover supports his intentions of terrorizing people to make them accept God into their lives. Contrary to what he says, God is affectionate, compassionate and forgiving according to the Psalms book. The “Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” Psalms 145: 8. …show more content…

The sermon implies that God thinks of humans as abominable individuals and compares us with insects, spiders, snakes, and other animals typically seen as unwanted. Edward describes humans as being “abominable” to God’s eyes. This contradicts completely what is stated on the book of Genesis, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1: 27. God would not see humans as ugly creatures if he created us to his image and resemblance. Edward should have transmitted a different message about the way he sees us so people would want to be saved by a loving and forgiving God rather than fearing the punishments of a sadist, evil being that thinks of them as something

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