When Benjamin Franklin Once Interfered With God’s Will
Religious and political bodies backlashed him harshly.
It is nothing new for those skilled in science to believe they have divine powers. Similarly, Benjamin Franklin took a shot at playing God with his futuristic invention. It is common knowledge that Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America.
However, that is not the only thing he has created. His proclivity for inventing things is a lesser-known fact about him, from his signature bifocals to musical instruments and then to delving more profoundly into the realms of science, Franklin has some pretty impressive inventions under his belt. One might say Benjamin Franklin invented a colorful variety of ingenious inventions.
However, his most famous invention might be the ‘Franklin Rod,’ which is a testament to the fact that Franklin was obsessed with electricity. Ken Burns brings this out in his recently released documentary about Benjamin Franklin.
He clearly outlines how Franklin’s pursuit of demystifying electricity led him to make some quite shocking discoveries, pun intended!
Ben Franklin Electrocuted a Turkey!
Franklin had quite a successful printing business. However, in 1747 at the age of 41, he retired. Now, as we all know, retirement is a new chapter of boredom for those who do not have creative minds. Franklin utilized his free time and started experimenting with electricity.
So, from devising a basic battery all on his own to electrifying a turkey and noting that its eat was uncommonly more tender than a turkey slaughtered the traditional way, Franklin did some pretty absurd things in his life! But eccentricity is the mark of a genius so let’s forge on!
Franklin’s Groundbreaking Electricity Theory
Franklin is considered to be the first person to envision electricity as being similar to a liquid, carrying both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ charges.
Although, this was a little off the mark and a bit wrong at its core, this theory led scientists to reach a better understanding of electricity. The fact that electricity is the accumulation of charges from elsewhere was given to us by franklin! It was the first theory to think of electricity in such a light.
Franklin’s motivation behind these shocking theories was that he did not want electricity to be trapped merely in the realm of parlor tricks and circus acts, as it was in those days.
He wanted everyone to know more about it. One could even say that Franklin had an electrifying obsession with electricity as biographer Walter Isaacman recounts in Franklin’s documentary as well.
He recounts how Benjamin Franklin once joked that the electric shocks he received during his various studies and experiments were enough to make a grown man humble. But this did not just become the stuff of jokes.
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In fact, the repeated shocks Franklin received led him to make another realization. Someone needs to tell him that it does not do well to get electrocuted to get good ideas! Anyways, to each to their own, so if his brain kick-started every time he received a shock, who are you to judge?
Jokes apart though, Franklin’s experience with getting electrocuted made him realize that those shocks were eerily similar to lightning! Now, at that time lightning was considered to be an act of divine retribution, a sign from god! But then Franklin came along and shocked the world!
He literally went yeah:
God is cool but Lightning is not Him being angry, It is in fact electricity!
Kite Flying Debunking Myths about God
Franklin wanted to build a ‘sentry’ on the top of the highest structure in his hometown; Philadelphia. Manned by one experimenter who would have a metal rod in their hand to siphon off the electric charge from a lightning strike.
However, construction was taking a lot of time so he came up with the next best (i would say worst) thing. He conducted an experiment with his son, William in secret.
Basically, Franklin and William waited for a thunderstorm. Then, they flew a kite attached to a hemp twine. On one end of this kite was attached a small metal key. Shockingly, as the storm drew in, the strands of the kite’s twine did stand on end!
The key would even give off mild sparks at first. Then, as the storm picked up, the key started giving off stronger sparks! Three cheers for Franklin! As expected, this elated Franklin.
Now, he could support his hypothesis that lightning was not an act of wrath by God, but rather, electricity at magnificent play!
Debunked Myths About God to Help God?
At that time, buildings that were most prone to lightning strikes were, ironically, churches! Since they used to be the tallest structure in the area.
So, Franklin after proving that lightning was not God being angry, decided to protect the churches against lightning strikes. His solution for this was the lightning rod.
Most people hailed this invention as a lifesaver since many bell ringers of churches had lost their lives to lightning strikes.
However, as always, some backward messed up clerics who feel threatened by scientific advances objected and said that Franklin was interfering with God’s work. Yeah, as if God really wanted to strike people with lightning in his free time.
Weigh in With Your Thoughts
So, basically, the lightning rod was a metal rod attached to the top of buildings. It would help absorb the impact of lightning strikes so that the building or its inhabitants could not be harmed.
Benjamin had been held in the wrong religious enlightenment in the past. With the aforementioned reasonableness, where do you see Franklin going against God? In fact, he is working for God since he is practically saving lives out there!
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