A Closer Examination of Benjamin Franklin's Hierarchy of Divine Beings as Well as the Supreme Creator and the Justification of Their Continued Worship

One of the more interesting comments or assertions that Benjamin Franklin makes in some of his writings is his stance on religion and his own personal beliefs. These religious views that he holds are quite unique and maybe even controversial when you consider the strong position of the Christian church in his day and the way these ideals were sort of looked over by his fellow Americans. This is important to consider because contrary religious ideals held by some of his fellow philosophers ruined their careers and reputations while his own religious ideals were sort of tolerated without much comment. His assertion that there was what could be called a hierarchy of divine beings below that of the Supreme Creator that we should pray and worship too was very unique when the classic Christian values were being taught and put forth as the proper religion of the majority of the American people. His justification for this claim is well thought out and reasoned when you consider the influence that the natural world had on him and his desire to see parallels in nature and his fellow citizen's lives.

In the "First Principles" he states that he believes that Man is not the most perfect Being and that since there are many Degrees of Beings his Inferiors, there must naturally be many Degrees of Being superior