Blog Six

Robert E. Lee wrote a lot of poems to his family during the late 1800's. In 1863, Robert E. Lee wrote a letter to his with after the Battle of Gettysburg (Lee).

In this letter, he wrote about the Battle of Gettysburg and the tragic events that happened. He wrote, " The consequences of war are horrid enough at best, surrounded by all the ameliorations of civilization and Christianity" (Lee). By this quote, I would think that Lee was against the war. I would be against something that brought horrible consequences and ruined the faith of my religion, but his job in the war made me believe otherwise. Throughout all of his writing, he referenced God and his faith. For example, "I trust that a merciful God, our only hope and refuge, will not desert us in this hour of need, and will deliver us by His almighty hand, that the whole world may recognise His power and all hearts be lifted up in adoration and praise of His unbounded loving-kindness" (Lee). He also talked about how we must do what he wants for us no matter what and he will protect and watch over us (Lee). Robert E. Lee seemed to be a man of great faith.

Emerson is not as much of a fan of Christianity as Lee seemed to be. He believed that Christianity deadened the soul while Lee believed it activated the soul (Alcott). Emerson was raised by a very religious family, but when he was older he denounced biblical miracles (Alcott). He dismissed miracles and focused on soul searching (Alcott).

Emerson and Lee were very different when it comes to the philosophy of religion, mainly Christianity.

Like Emerson, Thoreau also rejected Christianity. It is kind of ironic that he rejected religion because when he died he was very cheerful and happy (Alcott). Sam Staples said that "Never saw a man dying with so much pleasure and peace" (Alcott). He must have been very brave because even strong Christians are sometimes scared of death and the after life.

Lee, Robert E. "Robert E. Lee's Letter to His Wife." Civil War Trust: Saving America's Civil War Battlefields. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. .

Alcott, Amos Bronson. "Ralph Waldo Emerson (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)."Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 07 Feb. 2012. .