Jane Fearon facts for kids

Jane Fearon (born Jane Hall, around 1654 or 1656 – 1737) was an English Quaker writer and speaker. She was born in Great Broughton, a village in Cumberland. Jane had a good education and became a Quaker minister around 1688. As a minister, she traveled and preached in many places, including the Isle of Man. Preaching there even led to her being put in prison for a short time.

Her Family Life

Jane Hall married Peter Fearon in 1693. They had two sons named Isaac (born 1694) and Jacob (born 1696). Even after getting married and having children, Jane continued her important work as a traveling preacher.

What She Wrote About

All of Jane Fearon's writings focused on one main idea: that no one is chosen by God to go to Hell before they are even born. This idea is called "predestination".

Challenging Old Ideas

Her first book, published in 1693, was called Universal Redemption Offered in Jesus Christ. In this book, she explained that while she believed Hell existed, she did not believe God decided who would go there from the very beginning of time.

Debates and Discussions

In 1704, Jane heard some preachers called Independents who taught the opposite idea. They believed God did choose people for Hell. This made Jane write another book in 1705, titled Absolute Predestination not Scriptural.

This book had 48 questions about parts of the Bible. Jane used these questions to show that people have a choice in their own salvation. She believed that whether someone goes to Heaven or Hell depends on their own actions and choices, not on a decision made by God long ago.

Her Most Popular Work

Another writer, John Atkinson, wrote a response to Jane's book. So, in 1709, Jane wrote A Reply to John Atkinson's Pretended Answer to Absolute Predestination not Scriptural. This book became her most widely read publication.

Her Last Years and Legacy

Jane Fearon passed away on September 18, 1737. Even after her death, many of her 22 writings were still printed and shared until the 1810s. This shows how important her ideas were to many people.

In 1829, an adventure story called "Murder Prevented by the Interposition of Providence" was published. This story featured Jane Fearon as a character, showing that people remembered her and her strong beliefs.

Her Main Works

• Universal Redemption Offered in Jesus Christ: in Opposition to that Pernicious and Destructive Doctrine of Election and Reprobation of Persons from Everlasting, 1693
• Absolute Predestination not Scriptural: or, Some Questions upon a Doctrine which I Heard Preach'd, 1704, to a People call'd Independents, at Cockermouth in Cumberland, London, 1705. This was reprinted in 1813 with a new title: A Plain Refutation of that false and injurious doctrine, so prevalent in the world, which presents God as the author of all sin, or that He hath decreed from all eternity whatsoever comes to pass. Written by way of queries, on Scripture passages, in 1704. By Jane Fearon.
• Reply to John Atkinson's Pretended Answer to Absolute Predestination Not Scriptural, 1709