Unquestioning Faith

Unquestioning Faith

                People have many different beliefs and religions anywhere you go. Some people believe in God or several Gods, some people are unsure of what to believe in and some people are convinced there is no God. In Wieland, or The Transformation, by Charles Brockden Brown, Wieland had an unquestioning faith in his religion and he believed it was his duty to serve God and this lead to his downfall. This also leads to the dispute, is it wrong to have faith in something and never question it? Wieland was wrong when he believed God told him to murder. It was actually Carwin that he was hearing but if he had spent more time thinking about what the voice was telling him to do and if he tried to make a judgement for himself wether it was right or wrong, he may not have murdered his own family.

            Wieland interprets the voices he hears as his duty. He says, “Undone! No; my duty is known, and I thank God that my cowardice is now vanquished, and I have power to fulfill it” (Brown, 165). He doesn’t question his “duty” for one second. He hears a voice and takes it as an obligation without ever considering ignoring it. Wieland is a puppet to his belief. He even praises God for giving him the courage to commit the murder, instead of looking within himself for the courage.

            Wieland murders his wife. The woman that he loves and has sworn an oath to. Yet after he murders her, he is happy that he made the sacrifice. He says, “To that I have sacrificed, O my God! Thy last and best gift, my wife!” (166). I think most people in Wieland’s situation would not kill their own wife because God told them to. Even if a person believes in God and they truly believe God is ordering them to kill someone, I think most people would decide that their wife is more important than their faith. This is an instance that proves that an unquestioning faith is wrong. If Wieland had questioned his beliefs, he may not have gone through with it.

            Wieland’s devotion to his beliefs causes him to be unhappy. He says, “Dissatisfaction has insinuated itself into all my thoughts. My purposes have been pure to me, my wishes indefatigable” (159). Wieland would probably be happier if he did not allow his faith to take over his life. If he had balance, he would probably not be so miserable and he would still have his family. This shows again that it is bad to have an unquestioning faith in something because it can consume you and become all that you care for.

            By looking at Wieland and his actions, I think that it is wrong to have an unquestioning faith. I don’t have anything against religion or people who are religious but I think that it is necessary for people to think for themselves. An exaggerated example of this in real life would be Charles Manson, and his followers. Manson was able to convince people to go around and commit murders and his followers had an unquestioning faith in him. This faith led these people to make some bad decisions. If people do not question their decisions or consider alternatives, then they are not really living their own life and many of their actions will probably be irrational just like Wieland killing his own wife.