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Robinson Crusoe’s spiritual journey is not an easy one. Throughout the novel we see Crusoe embark, not only on a voyage into the sea but also on a spiritual excursion. In this composition, I will be tracing the religious experiences of Robinson, from his first realization that he was lost, to the time of his sharing with another the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In his early life, Robinson Crusoe’s spirituality is pretty much nonexistent. He took comfort in material things such as wealth and possessions. Moreover, when his father tried to give him, “serious and excellent counsel against what he foresaw was his design,” he refused to listen. Crusoe turned from his father and set off into the world with his own plans, working to gain earthly wealth and glory. Each voyage resulted in him learning something new, however, his travels were often met with storms and struggles. At this stage in Crusoe’s spiritual life, he tended to call upon God selfishly when his life was in danger. He would say that he had realized his wrong and then promised to turn from them, but when all was said and done, he would turn again to the sinful life of seeking earthly lusts.
Then, in the clearest indication of God’s displeasure, Crusoe wound up the sole survivor of a shipwreck and was washed up on an island when undertaking an illicit voyage to import African slaves. He saw this as the worst punishment ever given. Nothing worse had happened to anyone in the whole world. His life had ended right then and there on the beach where he lay. He completely glazed over the fact that miraculously, he was alive and liberated from the fate of all the others that had been on that ship. He had thought that he knew all there was to living, and without what he thought was necessary for living; he was ‘dead’. After a few months on the island, the weakness of Crusoe’s crumbling spiritual life is brought to life when he encounters the miracle of the growing barley. Although he cried and gave thanks to God, when he found a rational explanation, he again began to deny the providence of God. However, God used this trial of Crusoe to strengthen his spiritual life and faith.
Nine months after being stranded, Crusoe fell grievously ill. He felt as though he was about to die, but then in the midst of his fevers, he had a dream in which an avenging angel threatened him with death because he ignored the misfortunes that God has sent his way to stir his penitence. He awoke and began to realize his sin and his need to be delivered from them. He came to the comprehension that the storms and his shipwreck were God’s will. It was not simply a punishment for him; rather, God wanted him to find his way to providence by the trials and tribulations he experienced on the island. He began to put God first in his life by taking his Bible the very next day and beginning to seriously read and search the Scriptures. Eventually, Crusoe’s life became centered on his faith. He would study the Scriptures for hours, and continually gave thanks to God.
On the twenty-fourth year of his stay on the island, Crusoe rescued a native South American from cannibals who had come to the island to eat him in celebration of a military victory over his tribe. Crusoe called this man Friday, because of the day of the week on which he rescued him. As they learned to communicate, Crusoe immediately laid down a foundation of religious knowledge in his mind. His prayer was that God would enable him to caringly instruct this poor savage and assist the heart of the poor ignorant creature to receive the light of the knowledge of God in Christ. In addition, he aspired to guide and reconcile him to God using the Bible, which would convince his conscience and open his eyes, finally saving his soul. Ultimately, Friday accepted Christ as his savior, while Crusoe continued to instruct him from the Word. As a consequence, Crusoe documented that the savage became a better Christian than him.
Robinson Crusoe’s spiritual journey was not a simple one. It was filled with twists, turns, and full of contradictions. Crusoe himself started out numb to the religious significance of his life experiences, but as time went on, he became self-aware, repented, and began living a new life in Jesus Christ. Wherever he went, and whomever he met, he did not hesitate to tell them about all Jesus had done for him.
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