See attached for info
WEEK TWO DISCUSSION
Attributes of god
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/PHIL_of_RELIGION_TEXT/CHAPTER_1_OVERVIEW/Attributes_of_God.htm
I believe God is Omnipotent. God demonstrates his power over the world numerous times throughout the Bible. Many stories, from Abraham delivering the Jewish slaves from Egyptian rule, to destroying the world with the flood. We don’t know God’s plan or methods, yet we still try. In our attempts to understand and identify God we question God’s power. If God is All Mighty, then why is there evil? We must first understand where we are and the purpose of earth. The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him (Revelation 12:9). The belief of some Christian faith is that earth is a spiritual prison or a City of Refuge. Where the sinners of heaven have been casted and sentenced to death. Through that same power that banished us from Heaven is the only power that can grant us forgiveness and allow our return home.
The Beneficent Being attribute of GOD. I hear people saying, God is so good he blessed me with some material gain or good fortune. Are we saying that those are what blessings are? What does the Bible say? Jesus used the word “blessed” four times in a row (nine times in a row in Matthew’s account in Chapter 5). In every case in Luke’s Gospel, the word is followed by an adjective that describes people that most of us would consider anything but blessed: the poor, the hungry, etc. We would probably consider them cursed (Klein, 2018). With that in mind the goodness of God isn’t how we as people perceive good. God’s goodness comes from the opportunity to earn blessings and be forgiven for our grievous sin. We all have that opportunity, so God is always good.
God possess the attributes that have been described, just not by secular comprehension. We must view spiritual issues with spiritual eyes not worldly ones. If we do that, only then can we begin to understand and see those attributes come true. When we were children, we viewed situations from a child’s perspective. I remember getting grounded for not following the rules or doing my chores. At the time I was very upset and felt like my parents were bad because the things I couldn’t do, others could. As I grew up, I realized that my parents were giving me tools to succeed in life and doing what was best for me. Once my perspective changed, I understood that I had good parents. In the same way if we change our perspective, we will understand the attributes of God.
Klein, J.L. (2016). Is God Good All the Time? Or Only When we Feel Blessed?
The Holy Bible, new international version, (1984). Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.
Science helps in our quest
Throughout our journey of growth and discovery, it is evident that we encounter various rich sources of insights that influence our approach to life and specifically in matters regarding religion and science. Individually, we all have different perceptions regarding life and its constituents but considering the fact, that we all liv in a community full of other individuals, it is evident that we can influence or gain influence from the society (TED, 2006). Personally, one of the greatest influences in my view of religion and science is the concept of the cynic or cynicism. Notably, through cynicism, one believes that the reason and purpose of life is to live in virtue and coincide with the requirements of nature around us. Just the same way the Ted talk highlighted on how the environment around their family was, it was the leading factor to her belief about religion and science.
Noteworthy, both religion and science are effective in providing us the facts concerning the world but in other cases, they oppose each other regarding some facts. In such cases, it will then entirely depend on the individual’s background and how their self-discovery journey dictated them to conduct themselves. Furthermore, as a cynic, through reasoning of the creatures, individuals are made able to gain happiness through an intense training as well as living in accordance with the natural order of life individually whereas declining every conventional lust for sex, wealth, and fame (McLuhan, 2015). In doing so, we attain our morals in religion since our lives are not dictated by material ownerships, but our individual believes. Hence, it drives us to lead a simple life that is not based on our possessions.
TED. (2006). Letting go of God | Julia Sweeney. Retrieved from
McLuhan, E. (2015). Cynic satire. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
WEEK 3 DISCUSSION
The Problem of Evil
In our natural ways of living, it is evident that we all encounter the problem of evil where the reaction we offer is entirely dependent on our quest for what is best for our lives. Through our religious quest, we are made possible to evaluate any evil based on our ethical and moral perspectives on the type of evil we are faced with. In such a case, the problem of evil together with suffering amongst each of us in the world tends to pose a very serious and complex inquiry that challenges our belief on the existence of the perfect God (Nick Trakakis, N.D.). Moreover, the main challenge projected is if God were Omniscient, it means that He knows of all scenarios of the existence of evil among us. The Omnipotence of God questions about His mightiness and powerfulness when we are encountered with evils that cause horrible experiences to us and why He does not do something to eradicate all evil and sufferings in us.
Notably, since God is termed as all perfect both morally and ethically, it raises complexities on why He does allow evil to prevail and not do a thing about it. It is all clear that the world is filled up with evil and suffering and at the same time, God’s existence is conveyed to us by different individuals and in different ways. However, it is these facts regarding evil and suffering among living creatures that seem to conflict with the orthodox theists claim that a perfectly good God exists (Howard-Snyder, 2016). As a result of these challenges posed regarding whether God exists or not, it leads us to the conflict of the problem of evil. Logically understanding this issue, we cannot deny the existence of a supernatural being but the main concern is the intention and perfectness of this being. I believe in the existence of God and that all these evils faced are as a result of the natural order of life.
Howard-Snyder, D. (Ed.). (2016). The evidential argument from evil. Indiana University Press.
Nick Trakakis, (N.D.). The Evidential Problem of Evil; Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Australian Catholic University, Australia. Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/evil-evi/
The Search
Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to watch the NG series here in Korea. The Old Testament accounts for the story of the 10 plagues of Egypt. These plagues were used to force the Egyptian Pharaoh to release the Israelites. The Passover was a ceremony to be conducted by the Israelites in the manner described by God. This would serve as a sign for God’s people and the plague of the First Born would not befall upon them. This tradition has grown and is one of the most important rituals for observant Jews. Is it just an Old Testament practice? Jesus told his disciples “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The Passover meal that Jesus desired is what we know today, as the Last Supper. Jesus kept the Passover in the New Testament times. Therefore, it isn’t just an Old Testament ritual.
I have never heard of the cult of Mithras before this class. Mithras is a name for the sun god of the Romans. Merriam-Webster defines a cult as a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious. Based off that definition in my opinion most religions that we have today began a cult before it became widely accepted. I remember when the Jehovah’s Witnesses would come to our home as a child my parents referred to them as a cult. Now it’s an accepted well-known religion. I came across an article describing how to recognize a cult. The following article
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/06/the-seven-signs-youre-in-a-cult/361400/
suggested a seven step method to identify cults. I believe in freedom of religion. We have the right to believe what we want if we don’t hinder or cause harm to others. I respect all religions who respect others. That’s why we have faith. Faith enables us to stand firm in those beliefs without “proof” so to speak.
InspiringPhilosophy. (2016, September 17). Jesus vs Mithra. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muM7Uk40iRE
Dan Gilgoff, (2011, April 18). Explain it to me: Passover Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlSVShBAVtw
History.com Editors. (2009, November 9). Passover. Retrieved from
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/passover
1
Religious Quest – RELS 1325
Rev. Paul Hudec, PhD
Week 3 Written Assignment (quiz/journal, etc.)
This assignment will provide evidence regarding mastery of the important concepts of the material through the end of this portion of the course including references (sources) as they refer to each item below. This is a formal paper which is different from the Week 1 informal, reflection paper. Citations linked to sources are required in each of the following topics.
Organize the paper with a header or section title and (you can use single-spacing rather than double-spacing if you’d like) with any references to the text and other sources identified as footnotes or as endnotes or in a proper documentation style at the end of this short paper.
This is not a memory test or assessment on persons, places, or things, but on the quality sources discovered and the material these sources provided along with insights gained in the discussions that logically flow from these sources.
What expert and professional sources have you found in these first three weeks that aid your efforts in this course Religious Quest and how have they helped (list each and what insights have they provided)?
What is the religious quest and how do the attributes of God as discussed in the discussion threads fit within that quest?
What is spiritual growth and what models were explored in the discussion threads?
How does science inform the religious quest?
Each answer to the above questions should be at least ½ page (single-spaced or 1 full page if double-spaced). This assignment should not be more than 5 pages in (narrative) length because this is an assignment, not a final paper. (Do not count the title page or the reference page in the length.) You must cite sources within the narrative and include a reference page of all sources used at the end (APA format). Feel free to use each question as a heading in your paper.
Do not simply copy complete paragraphs or sections from a source(s) as the answer. I want to read how you’ve come to understand the material and are able to arrive at insights for living today. You must include citations within the narrative indicating the sources that provided the facts or insights and using APA Style a reference appears in parentheses (author, year) with the period after the ending parenthesis. Also, note that you must have a Reference page. See the example.
Use Times New Roman 12pt (as the font and size) for this assignment.
Insert page numbers in the upper right corner of this assignment. Paginate the assignment in the upper right corner of each since the default setting has no page numbering.
Complete the written assignment and post it to the Assessment for this week so I can annotate and grade it using MS Word format. See the sample title page for a guide for this assignment and please use it, but make the changes to reflect your work. Be sure to run Spell Check before submitting your paper.
(A sample title page for this assignment follows on the next page. The items in the parentheses are to be changed to reflect your information.)
Religious Quest, RELS 1325
Week 3 Written Assignment
By (student name)
For Rev. Paul Hudec, Ph.D., M.A.P.S., M.B.A.
(day month year)
SAMPLE
References
(Notice that I used Heading 1 as the format for this final page of the paper and this will be important in creating a Table of Contents that is required for the final paper.)
Cunningham, L. (2013). Toward a Definition of Religion. In The Sacred quest: An invitation to the study of religion (Sixth ed.). New York: Nancy Roberts.
Shahrestani, A. (2013 May 23). What Makes Things Holy? | Plato’s Socrates. Retrieved November 8, 2015, from
http://hubpages.com/education/Holy-Plato-Euthyphro-Socrates-philosophy-religion
Comments on the written assignment:
Be sure to cite the required reading materials in your reference list and in the narrative as they apply.
Use the full citation information as provided in the example not just the URL.
We’ve begun exploring the difference between science and religion and facts and beliefs in the discussion threads along with the Week 1 reflection paper on beliefs. This thread explores what spiritual growth means (need compelling definitions from those quality sources) and how are discussions fit. The images of rooms in a house or possible paths to take or a journey and our work in this thread deepens the central point of a religious quest as growing spiritually.
In week five the concept of biblical literalism is examined in regards to an informed, living Word of God foundation, which is not easy, nor short term, nor isolated is the mature, experienced, and prayerful interpretation of Sacred Scriptures. But this is one of several points that we should note and then study in reference to a mature faith and biblical studies. (This is a good point to include in the Week 3 Written Assignment!) (Biology is another point to relate to our work!) Just as we were born small, defenseless, incapable of speech and had the capacity for understanding but knew nothing, human development (each of us) needed to physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually needed to grow, deepen, and progress through stages that take time. See Kohlberg’s Model of Moral Development that might provide some insights in graphical form.
Also, check out the lecture for this week to aid in our work.
Thoughts and sources, class?