'I can affirm eternal providence, say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay And justify the ways of God to men.'(Book I, II. 25-26, p. 4)It would be strange for any reader not to see that John Milton's most famous work, Paradise Lost, is a deeply religious text, simply by glancing at its title; when reading the epic it is suggested that Milton felt convinced of his faith as a Protestant Christian considering the effort, time, and numerous references to the Bible found within it. However, whatever Milton's beliefs about religion, his famous words above also show that there was some sense of the “failure of religion” at the beginning of the long eighteenth century. Why does he need to 'justify the ways of God before men' (emphasis added)? If God's ways need to be justified, surely such justification is primarily a reaction to doubts and criticisms directed at God and religion. John Bunyan also begins his most famous work, The Pilgrim's Progress, by acknowledging that a sense of unease about religion was not uncommon. In an attempt to relate to the audience, Bunyan asks, “Would you read the riddles and their explanation, / Or would you drown in your contemplation?” (page 7). While both works are supportive of Christianity, both appear to respond to difficulties found within Christianity, and I will discuss this case with particular regard to the divisions within Christianity as well as the growing popularity of atheism with the rise of science . Both authors lived through the entire Civil War, from 1642 to 1651, caused in part by conflicting views on religion. As Pauline Gregg argues in King Charles I, there was "dissension within the Reformed Protestant religion itself", and Charles's marriage to Henrietta Maria, a Roman Catholic, in 1625 added to the tensions found within the Protestant government . As Nigel Yates also argues, "it was the policy of religious integration that was an important factor in bringing about the civil wars of the 1640s and the temporary abolition of the monarchy in Britain." Both authors had grown up in a country where "The established churches of the British Isles had never, since the Reformation, enjoyed a complete monopoly on religious belief and practice... From the early years of Protestant dissenting groups separated from the established churches which they considered insufficiently pure in their Protestantism. Clearly, "the failure of religion" could be seen as due to the lack of stability and unity within Christianity which had led to a nine-year civil war Milton seems having responded to this failure of religion by attempting to emphasize the similarities present in all denominations of Christianity. Moreover, Milton focuses above all on the Fall of Humanity, hence the title, which is a belief shared by all Christian confessions, and paraphrases. Genesis, a book familiar to all Christian denominations, in Book VII, II 243-534, starting with God's famous command 'Let there be light' (pp. 175-183). Milton's reflections on the "internal war" seem to reflect the civil war in Britain, with the "dismal war" being pointless when one considers the peace that would result if everyone worshiped God unanimously, just as, in Britain, if all worshiped as one. then a civil war could have been avoided (VI, 259, p. 149). Milton's emphasis on God's justice, with his "eternal providence," seemsrespond to the divisions of Christianity by suggesting that there is simply one God, who saved humanity from its "first disobedience" with the grace of Christ (I, I. 25, p. 4, I, I. 1, p. 3 ). Bunyan, on the other hand, responded to this particular failure of Christianity differently, in a more aggressive manner. Perhaps because Bunyan took a more aggressive stance, he was "arrested and convicted on ecclesiastical charges for refusing to hear the divine service and receive the sacrament." Noting Bunyan's attack on paganism and Catholicism, Bunyan notes that "two giants, the Pope and the Pagan, dwelt in ancient times, by whose power and tyranny the men whose bones, blood, ashes etc. lay there, they were cruelly put to death” (p. 65). Bunyan makes it clear that the denominations of Christianity are, in his view, very divided and, unlike Milton, his response to this particular failure of Christianity is to condemn the different denominations. , in order to emphasize the rightness of his Protestant beliefs, and the "traditional view that the Pope was the Antichrist". Not only was there contention between religious denominations, but there was a growing sense of skepticism towards the religion and a growing sense of right to question the justice of God. Meric Casaubon's work, The Originall Cause of Temporall Evils (1645), attempted to contrast the two ideas concerning the origins of evil according to which either God was envious nature, pushing him to let humanity fall, or that God is not omnipotent and could not prevent the fall. Both scenarios paint God in a very questionable light. Milton seems to defend the potential failures of religion in Paradise Lost; The Argument of Book V notes that «To make man inexcusable, God sends Raphael to warn him of his obedience, of his free state, of his close enemy» (V. p. 115). Adam and Eve are fully aware of the command not to eat the forbidden fruit, but they both commit the act regardless. Milton also makes it clear that God is omnipotent and omniscient; she knows that mankind will fall before her, for she 'foretells Satan's success in perverting mankind; he clears his own justice and wisdom from all imputation, having created man free and capable enough to resist his tempter', six books before this happens in Paradise Lost (p. 61). God notes that 'I made him righteous and upright, / Sufficient to stand, though free to fall', for 'Not free, what proof could they give sincere / Of true faithfulness, steadfast faith or love' (III, II. 98 -99, 103-104, p. However, Milton also points out that while humanity has fallen because God has given humanity free will, God also sacrifices his son, Jesus Christ, to offer salvation of himself by Christ is highlighted as the greatest sacrifice God can make, since Christ is his 'only pleasure!' and for humanity he "spares you / from my bosom and from my right hand, to save , / Losing thee for a while, all the lost race" (III, II. 276-280, p. 69). Milton's emphasis on the rightness of providing man with free will, and the dear sacrifice that God makes , both show God's undoubted benevolence as well as his omnipotence in being able to offer redemption despite man's "first disobedience" (I, I. 1, page 3). While Milton emphasizes God's benevolence, Bunyan seems to take a position expressing God's intolerance of evil. All the characters, of which there are several, whose names represent a sin, fall during the pilgrimage, such as Mr. Mony-love, Mr. By-ends, Mr. Hold-the-world and Mr. Save-all, that they all "fell into the pit", tempted by Demas, son of Judah (p. 108). God is just, in The Pilgrim's Progress, permittingonly the righteous, such as the Faithful, to enter Heaven, and one way Bunyan emphasizes God's omnipotence and righteousness is by using the one-dimensional names of the characters to show that God is undoubtedly righteous in rejecting Sloth, for example, or in never letting the atheist find Heaven, but rather lets him wander for twenty years in search of it (p. 135). It is clear that such characters are unworthy of the glory of God, and it is also clear that they will suffer dearly for their estrangement from God. Atheism was in fact another point of contention regarding the supposed failure of religion. Michel de Certeau underlines that «in France at the beginning of the 17th century, atheism became the focus of the issue, not only a whole literature, but also political measures, judicial sentences and social precautions against atheists... The "atheism" of which had never been spoken of a hundred years earlier, becomes a recognized fact." Gavin Hyman goes on to add that "at the beginning of modernity, minds in England and France begin to be afflicted and tormented by doubts, [and] the term 'atheism' is used here [in the 17th century] more in the way of an accusation, of an abusive term." Milton and Bunyan both take a similar position in response to the idea of ​​atheism. Halfway through Book I, Milton mentions the story of Eli, a priest whose profligate sons lay with women who gathered at the door of the tabernacle; «when the priest / becomes an atheist, as did the sons of Eli, who filled / the house of God with lust and violence» (I, II. 494-496, p. 20). Undoubtedly, this reflection on atheism is disapproving, and Milton echoes the doomed fate of the house of Eli for acts against God (1 Samuel 2-4), Milton seems to take a clear stand about the irreparable fates of atheists, just as Bunyan does. As mentioned above, Bunyan includes an atheist as one of his characters, who "fell into great laughter" at the idea of ​​Christian and Hopeful's pilgrimage (p. 135). The atheist's claim that he "has sought this city twenty years" echoes Ecclesiastes, chapter 10, verse 15, that "a fool's toil wearies him, for he knows not the way to the city." Bunyan portrays the atheist as ignorant, both because shortly thereafter Hopeful and Christian arrive at Mount Zion, and by referring to the Bible. As Christopher Hill said, “The Bible is Bunyan's lifeline, his defense against despair and atheism.” The 17th century was "a particularly rich time for reading and rereading the Bible... Private reading of the Bible was, after all, one of the cornerstones of the Reformation." Bunyan's response to atheism was therefore to reinforce what the Bible says about lack of faith and, considering that the vast majority of his readers would be familiar with the Bible, this would probably have been an effective way of emphasizing the importance of religion for the people. country, and to respond to the potential disinterest in Christianity by providing such messages through a story of battles, heroes and villains. Considering how important religion seemed, both authors responded to the idea of ​​the failure of religion by emphasizing the consequences of an irreligious life, in which God is abandoned, with frightening descriptions of Hell contrasted with the beauties of Heaven. Book I of Paradise Lost quickly moves on to describe Hell, with the rebellious angels "hurled headlong in flames from the ethereal sky / With horrible ruin and downward burning / To bottomless perdition, there to dwell / In adamantine chains and penal fire, / Who dared challenge the almighty to arms." In this fantastic description, Milton contrasts the "ethereal" Paradise with the "horrible ruin and.