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
Explain what a study of Mark's Gospel can tell Christians about the nature of discipleship.
Eva Martin 10W October/November 2002 R.S. GCSE Coursework: Discipleship ) Explain what a study of Mark's Gospel can tell Christians about the nature of discipleship. In Mark's Gospel, there are many accounts of Jesus' disciples and Apostles which are helpful to Christians as examples of the nature of discipleship. In this part of my coursework essay I hope to address questions involving what Mark's Gospel tells us about Jesus' disciples and Apostles, as well as defining the principle of what being a disciple entails, and defining also who the apostles were. This is because by learning about past disciples and the Apostles, a modern disciple of the Church can learn about the nature of discipleship. A disciple is somebody who is inspired enough by somebody to learn about them, listen to their ideas and follow them and their way of life. Disciples take someone as their leader and try to do what they say. It is possible to be a disciple of anybody, but all Christians are disciples of Jesus. An Apostle is a selected disciple. There were only 12, and were chosen by Jesus to be leaders of the other disciples. At the time of Jesus, He had a following of about 300-400 ordinary disciples. Jesus chose to have 12 disciples because the number twelve was significant to Jews, and representative of the 12 tribes of Israel that Jews are descendants of. Although the Apostles did not
To what extent did Jesus intend to replace the Torah?
“I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17) To what extend did Jesus intend to replace the Torah? . John Drane (sub-election on Jesus replacing the law) – in booklet 2. N.T.Wright (especially the section on the antitheses) – in booklet 3. E.P.Sanders : historical figure of Jesus (Pg. 206 – end of chap) very useful for the disputes with Pharisees and Antitheses Jesus and Judaism ( pg 251 – 264 ) – very good for “let the dead burry their own dead” and the sayings on divorce The sermon represents the first and the most extensive of five blocks of teaching. The Sermon on the Mount came before the mission Discourse (Mtt 10:5 – 10:42), the kingdom parables (Mtt 13:10 – 13:51), the pastoral care and forgiveness (Mtt 18:1 – 18:35) and the judgment (mtt 24:3 – 25:46). The five didactic structures are possibly meant to be a reflection of the five books of the Torah. This comparison appears to be confirmed by the message of fulfillment of the law. The teachings in the Sermon on the Mount therefore have a close relationship with the teachings in the Torah. The presentation of the Sermon sets rigorous standards – interpreted by the early church as a distinctive, universal ethic of Jesus in comparison with the Mosaic Law. The Sermon which is taken literally the quintessence of Jesus’ teachings. This might led some to believe Jesus’s
''What is boasted of at the present time as the revival of religion is always in narrow and uncultivated minds, at least as much the revival of bigotry'' - Review Mill's attitude to religion: authority, creed and the heretic.
''What is boasted of at the present time as the revival of religion is always in narrow and uncultivated minds, at least as much the revival of bigotry.'' Review Mill's attitude to religion: authority, creed and the heretic especially in the light of this comment. J S Mill was especially interested in 'on Liberty' with the important social matter of morality and conduct. As these issues are so widely influenced by the dominant religious belief of that time, religion morality is where Mill focuses his attention. As is all to clear from the title quotation, Mill did not share the common view held by the majority in the Victorian ages concerning religion. To fully understand Mill's view on Christianity, heretics and authority we must comprehend exactly what Mill recognised religion to actually be. Mill comes to a conclusion that religion is to be judged chiefly by the ideal they present of a Perfect Being, who is a guide to conscience. This results in the aspect which most regard as the thing that most greatly divides two beliefs -the presence or absence of transcendental beliefs- being pushed aside and not aiding the choice between two religions (Christianity and the religion of humanity is used as a comparison). Mill asks us, in 'Theism', to look at religion 'not from the point of view of reverence but from that of science'. Mill wanted to take a look at religion from the
Outline the key elements in Paul’s theology of the cross of Jesus, making careful reference to the text of his letters.
Outline the key elements in Paul's theology of the cross of Jesus, making careful reference to the text of his letters. Paul was one of the earliest and most influential Christian theologians, therefore it is very important that readers of the Bible scrutinize the words and implications of his writings if they wish to grasp a clear understanding of the key elements of his theology. Paul's writings and letters make up a significant part of the New Testament, providing plenty of evidence from which to gain insights. Despite the fact that academics continue to argue over whether or not a valid understanding of Paul's theology can be gained from what is essentially a collection of letters crafted for specific situations, through a close reading of the texts the most important and significant elements of his theology cannot fail to be noticed. It is evident from Paul's writings that he believes the cross of Jesus to be of integral importance to the Christian message he preaches. On one hand the cross acts as a symbol with which to inspire and teach the new followers of Christianity, and on the other hand, as an essential element in the fulfilment of Jesus' destiny, the reality of God's sacrifice and proof of the love he feels towards his people. Paul emphasises the symbolic and practical importance of the cross throughout his letters, one example of this being in Philippians,
"Ritual Prostitution, a problem for early Church" Discuss.
Student Number: 970429865 "Ritual Prostitution, a problem for early Church." Discuss The act of ritual prostitution was commonly identified with the church at Corinth. Corinth during the lifetime of Paul was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. It served as a commercial bridge between the East and West, attracting immigrants, merchants, traders and visitors from all areas around the Mediterranean Sea. The inhabitants, coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, retained many social customs and religious beliefs and practices peculiar to their places of origin. Corinthians were also notorious for their love of pleasures and lax morals. Consequently, the church at Corinth was exposed to a bewildering variety of customs and beliefs and to a corrosive atmosphere of public immorality, all of which encouraged a lack of moral discipline and divisiveness in the predominantly Gentile Christian community. The Christians at Corinth produced highly divergent interpretations of what the Gospel demanded in the way of sexual ethics, ranging from libertinism to a complete rejection of both marriage and sexual intercourse. It is probable that the libertine party at Corinth had adopted slogans such as "All things are permitted" and "Food is for the belly and the belly for food" (implying that sexual intercourse is as uncomplicated an expression of natural desire as
The purpose of this essay is too define and explain Orientalism, and how the term Orientalist applies to Christian missionaries in the Far East.
Europeans used the term Orient to describe the peoples and places of Asia and the Middle East. While widely accepted prior to the late twentieth century, this term has aroused criticism among historians. The purpose of this essay is too define and explain Orientalism, and how the term Orientalist applies to Christian missionaries in the Far East. Two main examples of these missionaries are Matteo Ricci and Francis Xavier who served in China and Japan respectively. Both of these missionaries fall under the definition of Orientalists as defined by Edward Said. Edward Said defines Orientalism in multiple parts; the first of which is the academic1. Academic Orientalism is the study of the Orient for the purpose of understanding and learning. Modern historians view the term Orient to be too vague for an area as large as Asia, but it is still widely used throughout the world. Academic Orientalism attempts to study and understand the Orient from afar. Professors of Chinese language who have never spoken with a Chinese person are a common example of this detached intellectualism. Often in 18th Century Europe the Orientalist would study and judge the Orient based on second hand knowledge and conjecture. This view of understanding the Orient better than the Oriental without living it leads into the second part of Orientalism2. The second part of Orientalism as defined by
The Gospel was written to prove to non-believers that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Examine this claim regarding the purpose of Lukes Gospel.
A)"The Gospel was written to prove to non-believers that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" Examine this claim regarding the purpose of Luke's Gospel. (18) B) To what extend may other purposes be equally important? (12) A)The word 'Christ' is the English term for the Greek word 'Christos' meaning 'the anointed one'. In Hebrew it's ( ????)'Mashiah' meaning the Messiah. In the Old Testament, kings, priests and prophets were anointed and in a sense messiahs. At the time of Jesus, people were awaiting for the promised one and for Elijah to come and pronounce his presence. They believed that the Messiah would be a military and king-like who will lead the people into battle and victory against the Romans. Luke's Gospel was indeed written to reveal Jesus Christ was the Son of God , the Messiah people were waiting for yet Luke also showed clearly that Jesus was not the type of Messiah people were expecting. Luke provides us with more input on Jesus' birth till the end of his ministry compared to the other Gospels. In Luke chapter 2 he shows us Jesus' messianic self consciousness from a young age. Jesus and his family had gone to the Temple in Jerusalem for Passover when Jesus was 12. On the way back, Mary realized that Jesus was not with her , and went to search for him and found him in the Temple. Mary asked him why did he make them so worried by staying at the Temple and Jesus
Luke's Gospel
(a) Outline your knowledge and understanding of the sources used and structure of Luke's Gospel The Gospel according to Luke is the first part of a two-volume work that continues the biblical history of God's dealings with humanity found in the Old Testament, showing how God's promises to Israel have been fulfilled in Jesus and how the salvation promised to Israel and accomplished by Jesus has been extended to the Gentiles. In the prologue Luke states that his purpose of the two volumes is to provide Theophilus and others like him with certainty and assurance about earlier instruction they have received. Among the sources which were used by Luke were at least two written documents, one of them the gospel of Mark in substantially its present form, and the other a collection in Greek of sayings of Jesus, incorporating some narrative details; known as 'Q'; from the German Quelle meaning source. The use by Luke of these sources can be demonstrated because, in the case of Mark, the source itself is available, and a comparison of the texts of the three gospels leaves no reasonable doubt as to its employment in the two Gospels as Matthew and Luke independently copied Mark for its narrative framework. In the case of 'Q'; a quarter of Luke is very similar to one third of Matthew therefore it is suggested that there was a common source used between them, although the original
Capitalism and Religion in the Works and Lives of Franklin and Equiano.
Amelia Heagerty SID# 15861751 English 45B November 3, 2003 Capitalism and Religion in the Works and Lives of Franklin and Equiano Capitalism and religion are two subjects which appear frequently in both "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" and "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano," because these were important parts of the lives of these two men. Both men were able to be players in the capitalist market while still following a spiritual doctrine because each man chose which was more important to him-capitalist goals or Christian morals. For each man, the one which was less important submitted to the one which was more valuable to him. Both men take part in capitalism and religion, but Franklin places capitalism first and Equiano places religion first. Each man made life choices according to this hierarchy of importance, sacrificing parts of the less important in order to pursue and excel in the one they held dearer. Franklin, a hard-working and frugal businessman who many have said embodies the capitalist spirit, made his religious choices around his identity as a capitalist, while the extent of Equiano's participation and success in the capitalist market was determined by his faith. Both spiritual, both capitalist businessmen, Franklin and Equiano brought together these two seemingly opposed components of their lives by blending the two and