In modern Western societies, God is dead. Is this correct?
In modern Western societies, 'God is dead'. Is this correct? The words used in the topic for the first time were used by F. Nietzsche in his 'The Gay Science' (1882) and popularized by 'Thus spoke Zarathustra' (1883-1885) in which he shows his idea of God being dead. What he meant is of course not the case that God has died literally. It has rather to tell that religion (in this case - Christianity) is a caricature of what it should be or what Jesus intended or would wish it to be. However, sociologists use this sentence in different meaning although its source still lies in Nietzsche's understanding of this particular phrase. I will try to find out the connection between Nietzsche's death of the God and the sociologists' discussion on whether modern Western societies are already secular or not and then to suggest some answers to the question depending on the stand one is looking from. The point that Nietzsche makes is that the particular Christian God (or rather the idea of him) has rather been killed (by the people of course) than died. Moreover, he has written that 'Gott ist tot' rather than 'Gott starb' which means rather 'God is dead' (which would focus the attention of God being dead NOW) than 'God has died' (which would suggest some sort of event of dying). Those two simple facts would suggest that what he tries to show, is that it is rather the society that is
Ethics in islam.For all Muslims, unlike Christianity the concept of Din and Duniya are inextricably linked. In fact the Sharia or the Islamic law is first and foremost code of ethics that lays the foundation of the Islamic society.
Question 5: The Qur'anic ethical paradigm is broad and encompasses various elements of life, creating congruence between the divine moral imperative and human life. Discuss the ethical grounding laid by the Qur'anic revelation through the sources quoted in the readings. For all Muslims, unlike Christianity the concept of Din and Duniya are inextricably linked. In fact the Shari'a or the Islamic law is first and foremost code of ethics that lays the foundation of the Islamic society. 1 The outcome is that in all Islamic worlds all political and social actions are always being pursued within the ethical framework of the Faith.2 Secular ethics and life offer elaborated theories stressing consequences, a social contract, social justice, human nature, and the like that claim to be grounded in ideas either of what we ought to do as a moral duty (deontology) or what we should do to maximize social happiness (teleology).3 In the merging of the secular(Duniya) and the sacred (Din) ethics, Muslims adhere to the Qur'anic ethics as not only primary models but also a foundation for everyday human life that is prominent by their grounding in the histories, rights and rituals, practices and texts. The live examples from the life of the Prophet himself by which he encouraged and exemplified the community. For instance, the Qur'anic ethics are dominated by the spirit of hilm. Hilm can be
Morality is the Refuge of the Weak - Discuss
7TH November 2002 "Morality is the Refuge of the Weak." Discuss It must first be established what exactly we mean to discuss when we refer to 'morality'. In this case, morality must be held to describe the set of rules, laws or principles generally recognised as representing the Judeo-Christian theory of ethics. These are, broadly, the question of what is right and wrong, dependent on concepts of duty, respect and love of one's neighbour, or serving the rights of others; ultimately an altruistic doctrine. For the record, the dictionary definition of the moral is '[that which is] concerned with goodness or badness of human character or behaviour, or with the distinction between right and wrong.'1 This shows us the generally accepted view of the moral in the present day. It is important to note, however, that there is an alternative. This is the view held and accepted by the Ancient Greeks - namely, that the main considerations for in morality were seeking the good life, happiness and self-fulfilment. Although not an entirely selfish doctrine, the emphasis here was on the self, rather than others. Also, perhaps even more importantly, it must be considered that the natural state of things is completely pushed aside by the Judeo-Christian morality as defined. In the natural world, the strong will always triumph over the weak because this is the way that nature works.
Homosexuality and Christianity
Prazak Ali Prazak Dr. Vandergriff Christian Ethics 20 October 2011 Homosexuality In society today there are topics that are not considered acceptable and are very controversial. Homosexuality is among those topics. According to Barnhouse in her article “Homosexuality”, “Homosexuality will be defined as an adult adaptation characterized by preferential sexual behavior between members of the same sex” (107). She uses “adult” because the adolescent stage of life is usually more of a transitional period of sexual identity confusion. The definition of the word homosexual from the Merriam Webster Dictionary is, “of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex.” Society has different opinions on whether this is considered right. Every person has different self-beliefs and then there are people who go by what the Bible says. Everyone has a right to believe in what they want, but there has to be a limit to the way their feelings are expressed. For hetersexual people to discriminate against homosexual people is the same as racial discrimination. America has gone through the times of slavery and segregation. This may not be segregation of color, but it is segregation of people and their sexuality. Who is to say who can marry whom? Is the Bible really what dictates people’s beliefs and choices? Is God the
I will examine the cultural expression of religion, and discuss the role that the media, through its various agencies, has played in facilitating changes in the ways that religion is performed in Australian society.
Paul Bestwick 118984 HGA101 Assessment Task Two Due Date 03.05.2012 The world is comprised of various and unique bodies of individuals who by virtue of their interdependence form what we know as societies. Every human society has its own particular culture, or sociocultural system, through which human expression is represented in fields such as art, science, religion and philosophy. In this essay I will examine the cultural expression of religion, and discuss the role that the media, through its various agencies, has played in facilitating changes in the ways that religion is performed in Australian society. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in 1901, 97 percent of the population identified with some form of Christianity data and therefore I present that as the position by which I discuss the change in religious practice since that time. I give a brief account of church history and discuss the importance of the Gutenberg press as a forerunner to modern media. Essentially, I compare the relationship between this early media type and religion to those same actors in the modern Australian era. My main point discusses the manner in which the modern media has been a vehicle through which celebrities have used the power conferred upon them, through their celebrity status, to challenge the established dominant religious status quo and to influence
Is religion really in decline in the west or is it merely changing?
Anthony O’Driscoll – Harris Manchester College – Human Sciences (sociology) Is religion really in decline in the west or is it merely changing? Seminal social theorists predicted the decline of religion in the modern era. It was widely postulated that there would be a transformation from a society characterised by strong religious values towards one, driven by secular ideology. The driving force in this transformation was to be the modernization and rationalization that accompanied the renaissance and the industrial revolution. Bruce (2002) suggested that science and the accompanying principles undermined the position of religion: it reduced the roles it played in wider society. From his perspective the more science progressed, religion simultaneously regressed. This essay will consider theoretical perspectives surrounding the evolution of religiosity in the west, and will determine the extent to which religion is declining based on statistical evidence. The word religion is often used without ascribing conscious thought to its definition. How we define religion is subject to debate and is largely dependant on the discipline one is defining it for. In sociology, it can be defined substantively, or functionally. Substantive definitions focus on characteristics of the content – for example, a belief in a supernatural being. Functional definitions focus instead, on
The Catholic Church analyzed. The reoccurring presence of statues and gold within Holy Trinity Parish serve to prove that power within Catholicism is predominantly in the hands of male religious authorities
RLG101H Introduction to the Study of Religion Prof. Ken Derry TA: Jenny The Analysis of Power within Catholicism By Gital Gosai 999682259 Thursday, October 18, 2012 Word Count: 1498 Davinjeet: Culture Holy Trinity Parish Catholic Church Dewni: Gender Service attended: Sunday, Oct 14th, 2012 @ 11am Gital: Power Michel Foucault, one of the most influential thinkers of the second half of the twentieth century makes the claim that “Knowledge is Power” (Nye 2008, 74). In this essay I look at the use of statues as well as the placement of certain religious authorities and the presence of gold in the “Holy Trinity Parish”. Drawing on the views of both Michel Foucault and Karl Marx I argue that, within this community, power is exerted by the higher religious male authorities onto the followers of this religion thus giving these authorities a higher stature within the community. I use Michel Foucault’s ideas of the panopticon, and of knowledge and power, as well as the Marxist ideas of the interrelation between economics and religion and class division to analyze the patterns that I viewed during the Catholic service. A reoccurring theme that stood out to me during my visit to the “Holy Trinity Parish” was the presence of statues. The very first statue that I
Can Benevolent Deception Ever Be Ethically Justified In The Context Of Terminal Illness?
Can Benevolent Deception Ever Be Ethically Justified In The Context Of Terminal Illness? Honesty from health professionals is of paramount importance to most patients within the context of terminal illness as false information contributes to a further loss of patient control in addition to existing frustrations due to the sense of powerlessness at the hands of any disease. Therefore it is perplexing that the requirement for physician honesty within the medical profession has been overlooked in previous medical oaths and codes of ethics. Perhaps this is due to potential conflicts between truth telling and beneficence according to Hippocrates, who pioneered the theory that patient's interests are of supreme importance in medical ethics and emphasised that as doctors were to be 'given dangerous knowledge and therefore had to swear to use it only for good.' However since the days of Hippocrates many moral philosophers have suggested moral rules and theories to which we should strictly adhere. Kant's deontological theory states that truth telling is always intrinsically morally right even if it may cause pain or harm and conversely we have a duty not to lie even if it may produce the best consequences. By contrast Mill's utilitarianism is only concerned with the best outcome of any action in terms of producing maximum happiness. Thus the concept of benevolent deception introduced
Euthanasia - Pity murder.
Euthanasia 3 Euthanasia: Pity Murder The United States' Declaration of Independence states that every person has "certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men...that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government...as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." These are the words stating precisely a government's role as a people's protector, but does that include protecting people from themselves? In society today, there is a growing epidemic of suicide. Euthanasia is part of this. Webster's New World Dictionary defines euthanasia as an "act or method of causing death painlessly, so as to end suffering: advocated by some as a way to deal with persons dying of incurable diseases." More specifically, there is 'voluntary-euthanasia' in which the patient consents to terminating his or her own life by a physician; 'non-voluntary euthanasia' which is when the patient did not request nor consent to their killing; 'involuntary euthanasia' occurs when a patient's life has been taken with their expressed wish was to the contrary; and 'physician-assisted suicide' in which the physician simply supplies the means necessary for the
The Voluntary Sector. Discuss and evaluate the potential effects of the emphasis towards a contract culture on the voluntary sector in Britain
Kirsten Goldsworthy. THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR. DISCUSS AND EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE EMPHASIS TOWARDS A CONTRACT CULTURE ON THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR IN BRITAIN. The Voluntary sector is a collection of non profitable organisations. These organisations are largely charity funded. This is, therefore, events such as sponsored events, fun days, workshops or "box" collections. Voluntary organisations are set up and run in the community, by the community because they felt it necessary. Organisations such as The NSPCC, (The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) were founded in 1889 by the Reverend Benjamin Waugh. He was determined to draw public attention to the problem of child cruelty and neglect. Reverend Benjamin Waugh did this as he saw a need in London that children were not getting the protection he felt was required. He employed 29 Inspectors, who "patrolled" the streets of London on their bicycles looking for vulnerable children. By doing this he felt that the vulnerable children were receiving the protection they deserved, at a time when animals were more protected by legislation than children were. Voluntary Organisations have a board of trustees or management committee. Every charity has to have one of these in order to arrange and stabilise the organisations effectively. Management committees are good safeguards. We are all accountable to