"Give an outline of Jewish beliefs about the qualities of God".

"Give an outline of Jewish beliefs about the qualities of God" In this essay I am going to discuss the Jewish beliefs about Hashem and what Jews think his qualities are. I will be using examples from a famous religious scholar called Maimonides and quotes from the Torah to give evidence for my answers. Jews believe that God is omnipotent, which is to have unlimited power or authority. In the 13 Principles of Maimonides, Jews believe that Point 7 shows Gods unlimited power over humans and the universe. The point explains how Moses experienced the presence of God through a burning bush and how God revealed his purpose for the Israelites to be taken to the Promised Land. This is a clear example of Gods omnipotency. We can also see an example of Gods unlimited power in Genesis 6, with the story of God creating a huge flood to kill every human being, animal, or bird on earth. We also see Gods unlimited power in the 10 commandments as God must be very powerful if he can give such restraining orders and have people follow them. We also see this in the Shema, as again God gives an order a whole race of people follow. The above reasons therefore explain why Jewish people think God is omnipotent. In Judaism, God is also seen as being omniscient, which is to have total knowledge. Jews believe this as at Yom Kippur we can see an obvious example of God being omniscient as he knows

  • Word count: 1318
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"If God really loved humanity we would never have to suffer"

AO3 "If God really loved humanity we would never have to suffer" James Quinn 4F An Atheists view is usually "That if there is a God then there would be no suffering therefore there must be no God". There are many single incidents, which back up this belief such as, the holocaust in the Second World War, the attack on the World Trade Centres by Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network. Also all the wars that have ever taken place in History also back up this argument that if there was a God would he not have stopped all this mass suffering before it happened. Also another reason to back this theory is called the "problem of evil". This is the theory that God is Omnipotent (all powerful), Omniscient (all knowing) and Omni benevolent (all loving) then why does God let evil happen. If you take one of these away then you can see that God could let evil happen, e.g. if you take away Omnipotent then God is not all powerful and would not be able to stop evil. This makes Atheists think that there must be no God. A Christian would be able to find the solution in the bible and from other people's views. The bible would give a few different answers, one of them being in the chapter Job, and this chapter will give you three solutions; ) Suffering is a Test 2) Suffering is a Punishment for Sin 3) Suffering is a Part of God's plan, which is beyond human understanding Other

  • Word count: 354
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"Is God on the side of the poor?"

Matthew Pitt L6W 9/2/2003 "Is God on the side of the poor?" Is God on the side of the poor? There are obviously many different views and answers given to this question, either derived from the Bible, from one's own opinion or a cohesion of both. But how can it be answered from the simple form of this question? Further Biblical knowledge as well as a greater understanding of Liberation Theology is required to provide a substantial answer to this, which can be obtained by looking at the individual aspects that arise when questioning God's position in relation to the poor. These are things such as the concern God had for the poor at the Exodus, The Exile and the Incarnation; The sense in which God identifies with the poor; Gods frequent work through the poor and the oppressed; The Biblical teachings that God constantly demolishes the rich and elevates the poor; and the question of whether God commands his people to have a special concern for the poor and oppressed but not the rich. There are three main points or stories in the Bible when God uses his power to intervene and Liberate the poor and oppressed, they are 1) The Exodus, 2) The Exile and 3) The Incarnation. The Exodus is the story of Moses, the burning bush, the ten plagues and the Ten Commandments. In this God shows his power by freeing oppressed slaves from the Egyptians. God refers to these poor and oppressed

  • Word count: 2206
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"God may have separated the heavens from the earth - He did not separate astronomy from marine biology" (Jonathan Levy) - To what extent are the classifications separating areas of knowledge justified?

Gianmarco Viale von Beckh Widmanstetter "God may have separated the heavens from the earth. He did not separate astronomy from marine biology." (Jonathan Levy) To what extent are the classifications separating Areas of Knowledge justified? 2002-2003 B.B.I.S Both astronomy and marine biology are autonomous areas of knowledge and both are sciences in the accepted definition of the term. Etymologically -this means the origin of the word- science or "scientia" meant knowledge. Today, it is accepted that science encompasses a very definite area of knowledge, but not all of it. To a certain extent, all areas of knowledge are associated between each other and sometimes and in some circumstances, the intrusion of one in the other, such as the influence of religion in Ethics, can be misleading. Classifications between these areas are man made, it is one of the methods that man has established in order to progress and further his knowledge, but it is only a tool. Classifications are arbitrary. While specialising in a certain topic, it is important to understand its context and place and its history in order to predict its development. Too much specialisation can lead to narrowness and lack of understanding. There is no significant distinction between common knowledge and areas of knowledge: It only means that one is the widening and rigorous organisation of the other. The method

  • Word count: 1717
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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The issue of free will and determinism creates problems for religious belief. Traditional theistic belief

To what extent are human beings free? Freedom is the most important aspect of human life - some people take it for granted, some dream of it, and others fight wars over it. However, if God exists, how can humans be free, as He knows everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen? And if we are not determined, how can God be omnipotent? The issue of free will and determinism creates problems for religious belief. Traditional theistic belief involves a Creator God, which is both omnipotent and omniscient. Thus He can do anything. The problem here is that God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. His knowledge cannot be wrong. There is not a single event that He has not foreseen. Given that He created the Universe the way He did, do we have free will? Consider that when God made the Universe He could see every possible result of what it was doing. Which means He could not create something without knowing what the results would be, and without knowing how it would be affect the things around it. So therefore He created the Universe knowing every single choice every single human being would make. As a result, everything we will ever do is known by God and therefore predestined. For example, let's say that Fred has a choice that will save his life, and the final choice is to be made tomorrow. God knows already what choice he will make -

  • Word count: 904
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"'God is life' and 'God is love' are meaningless statements" Examine the reasons why some philosophers might agree with this statement.

a) "'God is life' and 'God is love' are meaningless statements" Examine the reasons why some philosophers might agree with this statement. b) Explain and assess the claim that such statements as 'God is life' and 'God is love' have meaning for a believer. A plain factual statement is usually easy to understand for example; 'my dad is a man', this is easy to understand because the listener would know what a dad is because they have one as well, and they know what a man is, and it shows that my dad is alive at the time of me speaking about him. People, may however, argue about the concepts behind every word, for speaker and listener, but common sense tells us that the majority of people would know what is meant by this. However, religious concepts are not bound by these rules; there can be no such thing as 'a plain factual religious statement'. There are two philosophers in particular that wrote about religious language in relation to statements such as; 'God is life' and 'God is love', these are AJ Ayer and Anthony Flew. To answer this question it is necessary to bring in the verification principle. This states that; a meaningful statement can be proven to be so by either being an analytical statement which means it is true by definition, or by being a synthetic statement which has to be verified by experience. If it cannot be subjected to either then it is meaningless.

  • Word count: 978
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"A belief is what we accept as the truth" (J. W. Apps) Is this a claim that you could defend?

TOK Essay "A belief is what we accept as the truth" (J. W. Apps) Is this a claim that you could defend? Let us start this essay by defining the two keywords in the question; belief and truth. What is a belief? The dictionary1 defines belief as an ideology. It is an idea that has not been scientifically proven. It is the persuasion of religious truths. Now, what is truth? Again, the dictionary1 defines truth as an agreement with reality. It is an established principle. It is that which has been scientifically proven. This essay will involve the analysis of certain common beliefs and to see whether they are actually true. I chose this topic because I felt a need to clearly distinguish between truths and beliefs. The first belief is the Existence of God. The existence of God has been a popular belief for a very long time. However, how do we know the truth? For that matter what is the truth? How do we know that God actually existed? Has anyone seen him, spoken to him? The Qu'ran says that Prophet Mohammed rode on a mystical creature to see God. The Qu'ran was written and compiled over 1200 yrs ago. For that matter the Qu'ran was compiled about 200 yrs after the Prophet died. In those 200 yrs the story was passed down by word of mouth, very easily misinterpreted. Then you could say "what about the mystical healing powers and other strange phenomena?" Those could have been

  • Word count: 1027
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"A person cannot be a Christian if that person does not attend church". Would a Christian agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and show that you have considered more than one point of view.

Section C "A person cannot be a Christian if that person does not attend church". Would a Christian agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and show that you have considered more than one point of view. People have different opinions to this question; some would say that attending churches is necessary, while others would argue that worship God in private would also be acceptable. However, they are all in a way right about their view and have their own reasons. The Holy Communion is a crucial part of Christian worship, Jesus had ordered us at the Last Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me." Therefore, by taking part in the Holy Communion, you are obeying Jesus' commands. It is also a sign of unity and a way of getting into a closer relationship with God. But Christians are not able to do this on their own, there must be a fellowship and the service of the Holy Communion must be led by a priest, who takes the part of breaking the bread and sharing the wine. By attending the service together, Christians could share spiritually with one another, giving each other courage to face the difficulties in lives and feeling a sense of warmth and humanity. By doing so, you would also be beneficial to others in the community and obeying the law: 'Love your neighbours...' from the Ten Commandments. Jesus at his time attended the synagogue regularly in the Sabbath; he was in a

  • Word count: 904
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"By discovering something new, a character can change for the better." Is this true of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and other texts you have studied?

AREA OF STUDY ESSAY- DISCOVERY "By discovering something new, a character can change for the better." Is this true of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and other texts you have studied? The term "discovery" is employed within many areas, such as of personal spirituality, psychological loneliness and religious morality, where the protagonist in question ascertains something previously unknown or unrecognized. The poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and several other texts studied, all embody the abovementioned fields of discovery, each in their own specific ways. Through the discovery of something new, a character can change not only for the better but also for the worse. However, before one can endure this alteration, there is a challenging journey that is supplemented with obstacles and hardships. As a consequence of these difficult struggles the character is encouraged to reflect, and only then, can they instigate change. In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, through the use of visual imagery, poetic devices in language and a bizarre archaic form in structure and dialogue the composer is able to convey his views on discovery and change. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the tale of a grizzled old sailor who narrates a particularly eventful voyage from sea after he detains a young man that is on his way to a wedding. At first, the

  • Word count: 2012
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"Design and the working out of an underlying purpose is evident in the world. The only reasonable explanation for this is that there is a designer and that designer is god" Discuss

"Design and the working out of an underlying purpose is evident in the world. The only reasonable explanation for this is that there is a designer and that designer is god" a) Look at the first sentence - what is the evidence on which this claim is based The Design argument is also known as the teleological argument. Telos is a Greek word meaning 'end' or 'purpose'. The teleological argument is an extension if the cosmological argument, it is Aquinas' 5th way. The design argument is based on the idea not that the universe exists, but that it exists in a particular way. It says that the universe shows order and design. The design argument is an a posteriori argument and does not claim that its conclusions are logically true. It is based on observation of the apparent order in the universe and the natural world, to conclude that it is not the result of chance, but of design. The first person to suggest that there was a designer of the world was Anaxagorus, and Plato argues it in more detail. The design argument was a popular belief in the 18th centaury; it was at this time that one of the most famous examples was written by William Paley, in his natural theology. Paley wrote about finding a watch and a stone on a heath. Paley said that if he found a rock on a heath it would be a satisfactory explanation to say it had always been there, but if he found a watch the he would

  • Word count: 1624
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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