In what ways might evil and suffering create philosophical problems for people with religious beliefs

* In what ways might evil and suffering create philosophical problems for people with religious beliefs? Outline two solutions to these problems( 21 ) * To what extent are these solutions successful?( 9 ) . Suffering can cause all sorts of problems that can shake people's religious beliefs. Evil and suffering create problems in people's faith because they have lost someone or they have suffered particular hardship in their life and they wish to blame someone or something for their personal suffering and this is normally God. If someone close to a person dies and that person is religious or has been brought up in a faith even if they have lapsed it will make them doubt their faith even though we know that everyone has to die someday but it is never the right time to loose someone you love. And because of this people blame God or if they have a faith it may make them feel that god is not there. This is the issue of the inconsistent triad. The triad says that god is all loving all powerful and all knowing. If this is true would an all loving God let innocent people suffer at the hands of illness and natural disasters. And if he is all loving and he wouldn't want us to suffer like this he might not know it was happening and so the second angle of the triangle is disproved and finally if he is both all loving and all-knowing he would not want people to get hurt and he knew it

  • Word count: 2244
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Explain how living as a Christian disciple may influence the lives of Christians today.

Neha Jain Part: 2 Explain how living as a Christian disciple may influence the lives of Christians today. Christianity is an entire way of life. It's not only a part of your life it is your whole life. It is a sense of being with God. It is not a one way system, but in fact a two way bond. Being a disciple of God gives you a sense of who you are. You have the position of being part of God's children as well as being a child of your parents. This is an incomparable feeling. A Christian is a person who lives their life daily for God. By praying on a regular basis, reacting positively not negatively with people and being an optimistic person rather than a pessimistic one. Christianity focuses a lot on how people treat others. Christianity believes everyone is equal. Nobody is better than someone else, even if they are richer. A disciple believes Christ is with you at all times. To become a Christian you must try and be the best you can be. An example of this would be the story about the Pharisee and the tax collector, having the best humanity. To develop into a Christian you need to know the principles. You need to live your life a certain way. That means you might have to sacrifice a few things but in the long run you will be rewarded. Again you must know how to deal with

  • Word count: 2594
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Biblical World View About the Euthanasia, Suicide, and Capital Punishment

Walt Ye Biblical World View about the Euthanasia, Suicide, and Capital Punishment Euthanasia: To put a patient to death by withdrawing the life-sustaining medications or using medical act when the patient has little probability to revive from the disease or the unconsciousness is called euthanasia. After I read the chapter ten from "The Right to Die and the Right to Kill", I comprehend that euthanasia is legal in some specific circumstance. In biblical way, the euthanasia should be prohibited because it is consider murder. But as the article says sometimes the euthanasia is reasonable. In my point of view, if a patient may ask for euthanasia to death, as a Christian, I will try to encourage the patient to live strong. I believe God do not give something that more than we could bear. Miracles happen every day, several true stories I heard that some patients with some lethal diseases survived from death by the cheer of their family and bless of God. But it does not means euthanasia is a bad thing. For instance, if the modern medical knowledge can no longer avoid the death and when the death is excruciating for the patient, with the permit of the patient the euthanasia is passable. In some circumstance, as a patient has been constantly unconscious, the family members of patient can choose to use the Euthanasia. Also I deem that euthanasia could apply to the capital

  • Word count: 639
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Give an account of the missionary outreach of the Celtic Church in Britain? (35 Marks)

Give an account of the missionary outreach of the Celtic Church in Britain? (35 Marks) The missionary outreach of the Celtic Church in Britain was a big success. This was mainly due to the work of a number of important peregrini. Peregrination is "the pilgrimage for Christ". This follows that the peregrine were "pilgrims for Christ". However, Gougaud rightly warns us against this literal translation, as it implies that they make a pilgrimage to a shrine, and then once the visit has been made, the pilgrim returns home and "resumes his normal life." In this case then, the early Celtic peregrini were not, strictly speaking pilgrims, because in the vast majority of cases, they were leaving their homes, never to return, in a state of permanent, voluntary exile. The peregrini worked by either re-evangelising those who had lapsed into pagan ways, or converting the polytheists to monotheism. Colmcille turned his back on what could have been an illustrious political career in the Uí Néill dynasty. He was forever faithful to religion over politics, and was first and foremost a priest and a monk, before a political leader. His Church was very much a missionary Church and he aimed to create a living and vibrant faith throughout the land. Colmcille was a man of incredible pragmatic gifts. He knew that where there was faction and political instability, his

  • Word count: 1594
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Examine the main ideas and strengths of the design argument for the existence of God

(A) Examine The Main Ideas And Strengths Of The Design Argument For The Existence Of God The argument of design observes how and why the features of the cosmos have come to be in their positions. I'm going to examine the key ideas in this essay. The argument can be split into two main categories, purpose and regularity. A good example of an argument that focuses on the purpose is that of William Paley's. His main idea is teleological and is that God does exist because the natural world shows evidence of order and purpose. Therefore, by analogy the natural world must also have a designer. He pointed out that a watch looks as if it has been designed because all the parts fit together that directly work towards a purpose. Paley clarified that "every manifestation on design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature" He then suggests that this could not have come about by chance, so God must be the designer. David Hume criticises the analogical form of the argument, and his criticism particularly applies to Paley. He points out the problems we have in the world like evil and suffering, the pointless existence of unnecessary features, i.e. birds with wings that cannot fly. He also insists that the works of humans and those of nature do not resemble each other sufficiently enough for us to conclude they have similar causes and that the world resembles a vegetable

  • Word count: 1222
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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With reference to other aspects of human experience, comment on the view that monastic spirituality is an outdated concept in the 21st Century?

With reference to other aspects of human experience, comment on the view that monastic spirituality is an outdated concept in the 21st Century? Charlotte McCaffrey Mrs McCormick In the 21st Century, it could be said that monastic spirituality in an outdated concept. In the contemporary world we live in today, it has become increasingly difficult to live obedient to the Churches teaching. Some people would argue that there should be no real set of moral codes, and that the Church should not have such high authority. This contrasts to the Celtic Monks belief that "Nothing must be refused in their obedience; to be Christ's true disciple...it will not be pleasing to the Lord." In society today, people don't see a need for a moral code. They make their own subjective decisions about what is right and wrong from them, and don't accept religious or government law. Grove argues "People do not see the Church as having a real relevance in their everyday lives, and therefore do not recognise its authority in everyday matters." Some sociologists have said that it is this belief that has led to religious organizations "watering down" their beliefs to accommodate many beliefs, in the hope that this would make their religion more popular. However, in actual fact this can often lead to the religious organization becoming less popular, as they may lose the devoted members, who

  • Word count: 1216
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Explain what different Christians believe about their responsibility for other people.

Ashley Stanley 11h Explain what different Christians believe about their responsibility for other people There are many forms of religious teachings to be found in the bible, form both the Old and New Testaments to encourage and teach Christians to lead better lives while keeping up with the ever changing modern world that we live in. The teachings are there to help us to take responsibility for our actions and to guide their Christian beliefs. I believe that as a Christian we should give time and money to other people but the act should be voluntary. The title suggests that as a Christian you must give time and money to other people with no choice. People should have the right to choose what they do about other people, if they choose to give to charity etc, fine but if not then they should not be thought of any less as it is their own right to choose. The title also suggests that if you are Christian then you are not being asked, you are being demanded to help others. This is wrong because people should have their freedom whether they are Christian or not. It is their time and their money so whether or not they give to charity, in the end it is their decision about what they do with their own possessions. The Christian teaching does not allow choice; it is quite clear about whether we should help people in that sense. The purpose of this essay is to show how the Christian

  • Word count: 705
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Exclusivism is the only coherent position which Christian Theology can hold.

Exclusivism is the only coherent position which Christian Theology can hold. Exclusivism holds that those who do not believe in Christianity will not be assured salvation, and they will be condemned to hell. This view is held by fundamentalist evangelical Christians in Exclusivism's strongest form and Catholicism in a weaker form. If Christianity were not exclusive in any way, then what would be the point of following it and not another religion which claimed to be exclusive? Other religions do hold certain similarities to Christianity, indeed there are even many discrepancies between Christian denominations. However, other religions have certain beliefs which are necessary for salvation, but they do not have sufficient beliefs for salvation. Exclusivism realises that there are many paths to the same salvation, but the other paths are not sufficient. Christianity is made distinct by its following of Jesus Christ. By coming down to earth, Jesus Christ offered himself to a death he freely accepted to take away our sins. This emphasis on atonement through satisfaction (paying off the debt of our rebellion in order to satisfy God) and substitution (Jesus Christ paying off the debt by offering himself to sacrifice) is not present in other religions which do not follow Christ. Salvation is only available for those who are "born again" into the New Age through the spirit,

  • Word count: 876
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Assess the role of faith in supporting religious belief

Assess the Role of Faith in Supporting Religious Belief In 1877, William Kingdon Clifford propositioned in his book "Ethics and Belief" that belief in something without sufficient evidence is irrational. Whilst he accepted that in many beliefs there is often an epistemic gap between the evidence and the conclusion (inductive reasoning) he did also claim that "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Furthermore he claimed that that tolerating credulity (a tendency to believe readily) and superstition will damage ultimately society. He concurred with David Hume (1711-76) when he said "All wise men proportion their belief to the evidence." This stance - that belief without sufficient evidence is irrational - is called evidentialism, and is adopted by many atheists (including Clifford and Hume) in their view of theology. However, natural theology instead attempts to meet evidentialism on its own terms by trying to show that belief in God is actually rational. It draws collectively upon all of the a posteriori arguments for God's existence including the teleological, cosmological, moral and experiential arguments. However, it is rare that an atheist will be convinced by the evidence of these arguments anywhere beyond the point of agnosticism. It is generally accepted that belief in God requires some element of seemingly

  • Word count: 1847
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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Study the authorship of one book in the bible.

The Pastoral epistles are the letters of 1 Tim, 2 Tim, and Titus, which contain instructions and advice. These epistles are traditionally associated with the apostle Paul, however the authenticity of this authorship was brought into question in 1807 when scholars, such as Friedrich Schleiermacher and J.G. Eichhorn, began to point out the differences in style. Which suggested that Paul, was not in fact the author of the Pastoral Epistles. The Pastoral Epistles present a striking difference from the other epistles attributed to Paul. The epistles are addressed to Pauline delegates, giving instructions to them for when Paul is absent. These epistles present a very different authorial style than any other of Paul's epistles; this raises the question were the Pauline epistles written by Paul? The Deblius - Conzelmann commentary states that the language of 1 Tim, 2 Tim and Titus is a higher form of Hellenic Greek than the rest of the New Testament. The difference in language raises questions. Another issue that needs addressing is that the events portrayed in the pastorals do not directly correspond with the accounts of Paul's life in Acts. In addition all of Paul's writings are to congregations whereas the pastorals are to individuals; this seems unusual for the writing of Paul. Paul was a persecutor called Saul who actively opposed the new Christian religion. However

  • Word count: 2413
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Religious Studies & Philosophy
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