Part 3 of My Edited First Blog Post: Quotation

Original Post:
http://paradisetranslation1011.blogspot.com/2008/08/individual-post-historical.html
Edited Part 1 of Original Post:
http://paradisetranslation1011.blogspot.com/2008/11/edited-individual-post-1-historical.html
Edited Part 2 of Original Post:
http://paradisetranslation1011.blogspot.com/2008/12/part-2-of-my-edited-first-blog-post.html

And now, without further ado, Part 3:

It is not surprising to explore the possibility that Milton's faith was weakening as a result of the dreary events in his life. Milton might have even not believed in God. Maybe religion was never his thing...

Fall'n cherub, to be weak is miserable
Doing or suffering, but of this be sure:
To do aught good will never be our task
But ever to do ill our sole delight
As being the contrary to His high will
Whom we resist (1.157-62).

Milton wrote these lines, and if we continue with the notion that Milton was expressing himself in his poetry as a means of addressing what he wants to say, then these lines represent how much he did not like religion. Religion was obviously a powerful tool in England back then with the Anglican and Protestant churches in disarray. Now, could he have directed those words to the Anglican church? Many saw him as a heretic. Could he have seen the Anglican church's ways of good works in order to get to Heaven, something he could have referred to those lines 157-162? Included in that phrase, the word 'suffering' could be directed to to the Protestant church who believed that faith alone could get them to Heaven? "To do aught good will never be our task" -- could he have referred that to the Anglican church, who believed that good works and faith will get you into Heaven? Did he delight himself in doing ill will by opposing both churches? He most certainly must have, considering he went against them. In order to avoid being persecuted by both the Protestant and the Anglican church, is it possible he could have probably sided with the one whose ideas were less of a threat to him?

Just exploring possible theories... feel free to comment...

- Marjorie D.