Anti Materialism
One of the more surprising themes of the journal is also one of the most personal to Woolman, who had a number of careers in the business world during his life, including merchant and tailor. However, as his Quaker beliefs became more central to his life, he came to the conclusion that his wealth was actually standing between him and God, He gave up his wealth and turned his back on his business pursuits, and this is the foundation of this particular theme.
In many ways, Woolman was almost a transcendentalist and this core belief in the goodness of people comes through his writing. He believed that the pursuit of success for material gain is a stumbling block in a person's journey to God, and in order to have a relationship with the divine one must concentrate on the spiritual and eschew the material.
Anti Slavery
This subject was a driving force in Woolman's life and is therefore also one of the journal's key themes, as he writes about both his opinions about slavery and also pens some of his thoughts about ways in which to accomplish its abolition. In particular he writes of his efforts to change the mindset of the Quaker community who were not all so anti-abolitionist as he.
He discusses how he was required to write a bill of sale for a friend who had sold a slave, and this had such a profound effect on him that he almost immediately declared keeping slaves to be in direct contravention of the Christian religion in all of its denominations. His journal shows us how he comes to this belief, and how he goes back and forth in his own mind in an attempt to assess his true feelings about the buying and selling of people as slaves. He seems to be conflicted mainly because his own feelings vacillate according to what type of slave owner he is around at the time. When he visits friends who keep their slaves well, and who are decent towards them, he feels more calm about the issue. When he is around friends who keep their slaves in terrible conditions he feels uncomfortable. He eventually reaches the conclusion that it is not so much the condition that the slaves are kept in that is the issue, but the fact they are taken from their homes and "kept" at all.
This internal discourse as written in the journal shows that Woolman is one of the earliest Abolitionists and also gives us some idea as to why he was also one of the most influential and respected.
Quakerism
Woolman has a personal relationship with God and writes at length about it in the journal. His spiritual journey began at the age of seven and strengthened as he became an adult. His view of God was that of an entirely benevolent God which contrasted with the Puritanical view that God was slightly less benevolent and a harsher judge of his earthly flock than the God Woolman felt he had come to know. His strong Quaker beliefs are evident as he writes of a God who shows us mercy and divine love that is kind.
Tolerance To Others
Woolman's writings show a lack of judgement of others and he shows that he is not only a tolerant man himself, but believes that people in general tend to lack tolerance towards others. He is not put off by people who do not share his Quaker beliefs, opening his heart to anyone who lives with a goodness of spirit regardless of belief or religious denomination. In short, he believes that actions are more important than labels.
This tolerance towards others, and a general belief that living a life that reflects God's grace is more important than identifying with a man-made Christian denomination, is one of the reasons for the long term popularity of the journal. It's pretty easy to identify with someone who is open to loving everyone without judgement.
Power Corrupts
Woolman's writings show him to be a believer in the old saying "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." He writes about his belief that man's pursuit and love of power is one of the chief reasons for the existence of slavery. Our need to have power means that we feel the need to take away the power of somebody else. This is a key theme in the journal and when it was published became an inspiration to Americans who were pushing forward for freedom from colonial Britain.
