Essay on A Sense of Desperation in Atonement

To what extent are the protagonists of ‘Atonement’ and ‘The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead’ similar and different?

Augustine’s Confessions is a diverse blend of autobiographical accounts as well as philosophical, theological and critical analysis of the Christian Bible. Augustine treats his autobiography as an opportunity to recount his life and mentions how each event in his life has a religious and philosophical explanation. Augustine had many major events happen in his life but only 3 events would deem of extreme importance to his journey to faith. Theses major events were Book II how he describes that he considered his time of adolescence to be the most lurid and sinful period of his life, Book III how this becomes the lowest point in his relationship with God because his

The existence of pain and suffering in a world created by a good and almighty God is a fundamental theological dilemma and may be the most serious objection to the Christian religion. In the book, The Problem Of Pain , author C.S. Lewis addresses the issue of pain as a mere problem that demands a solution; he formulates it and goes about solving it. "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both" (p. 16). According to Lewis, this is the problem of pain in its simplest form. In his attempt to solve the problem of pain Lewis evaluates the past and the origin of religion, he

What argument does he provide for why we should not fear death? What is the ethical purpose of this argument for how we should live our lives? Do you agree with Epicurus’s views? Why or why not?

The incarnation and atonement of Jesus Christ are the enduring elements of the Christian theology. Many theologians have spent their time discussing and developing these Christian doctrines on how they came about, and how relevant they might be. According to Anselm, incarnation is a central doctrine of Christianity, followed by atonement. In order to ponder on the relationship between atonement and incarnation focusing on Anselm’s idea of satisfaction, we are supposed to look at the meanings of atonement, as well as incarnation. However, the doctrines of incarnation and atonement are interrelated as elucidated by many theologians.

Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is moving and powerful. His effectiveness as an eighteenth century New England religious leader is rooted in his expansive knowledge of the Bible and human nature, as well as a genuine desire to "awaken" and save as many souls as possible. This sermon, delivered in 1741, exhibits Edwards's skillful use of these tools to persuade his congregation to join him in his Christian beliefs.

Samuel Butler once said, “Self-preservation is the first law of nature.” This statement could not be more true because self preservation is the greatest human motivator as it grows in power as the world evolves, and establishes all basic humans needs and desires that other motivations lie within. Cynicism is often considered to be a form of skepticism (Cynicism=Self Preservation). However, the belief that all people are motivated by self interest is partially true. Humans are born with a natural desire to protect themselves, protect their image as seen by others, and make their life as fulfilling as possible and there are many examples to showcase it.

In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, Reverend Hale states " No principle however glorious is worth dying for ". I strongly disagree with this statement and so do others. First off, there are countless examples throughout history of people putting their lives on the line for what they believe in. Secondly, in the play The Crucible there are many people such as John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey who would rather die than to cowardly admit to witchcraft just so they won't be killed.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards grew up in an atmosphere of strict puritan discipline. He became a very religious and devout believer at an early age, and excelled in academics, entering Yale University at the age of thirteen. Many years later he became the pastor of a church that grew with his teachings. His lifestyle reflected his teachings and was a well respected man. His sermons spoke directly at many people and he impacted many lives despite the monotone he used when delivering his sermon.

Edwards' creative choice of words that he uses describes the power of God and the terrible Hell awaiting sinners. These words easily infiltrate into the minds of his congregation and frighten them beyond belief. These choices of words and his use of such vivid images are mostly successful in their intent, to scare and put fear into his audience. Edwards held his audience locked up with his promises of eternal damnation if proper steps were not taken. The congregation felt the intense impact of his rhetorical strategies and lived on the fear of the power of God. In this way, he was able to keep his followers from sin and away from the fiery pits of Hell.

Both passages agree that everyone is full of sin and will one day face their judgements. Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Ministers Black Veil” are effective in their own point of view. Edwards uses second person point of view to “point at” the reader that they’re being the ones read to. Hawthorne uses third person omniscient point of view to show the reader the different sides of what he is writing about. Edwards was more effective with his second person point of view because the reader will feel they’re the ones at fault for the sin when the passage was made 100s of years ago.

Puritan Minister, Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”(1741) advocates repentance and The Bible. Edwards utilizes the fear of God to reach the goal of converting the people of the Puritan congregation to become pure in their beliefs. He exhibits a dramatic tone in order to point out to the congregation the idea that the unrepentant will go to Hell. Although he developed vivid imagery, repetition, and word choice (diction), the Great Awakening diminished Edwards’s credibility and positional power among the people.

The concept of suffering plays an important role in Christianity, regarding such matters as moral conduct, spiritual advancement and ultimate destiny. Indeed an emphasis on suffering pervades the Gospel of Mark where, it can be argued, we are shown how to "journey through suffering" (Ditzel 2001) in the image of the "Suffering Son of Man" (Mark 8:32), Jesus Christ. Although theologians have suggested that Mark was written to strengthen the resolve of the early Christian community (Halpern 2002, Mayerfeld 2005), the underlying moral is not lost on a modern reader grappling with multifarious challenges regarding faith in the face of suffering. In his article "A Christian Response to Suffering", William Marravee (1987) describes suffering

It can be said that in God's eyes, Christians are only dirty glasses which are stained inside and out with their own sin. These glasses were once clean, not plagued with stains. Now the glasses bear with them these ugly stains, the stains of sin and wrongdoing. The dirty glasses had to accept their punishment for becoming dirty, and the punishment was being destroyed by a hammer. The hammer is God's instrument against sinners. As the hammer made its decent on the glass, a pan covered the glass and took the blow of the hammer to save the glass. This pan represents Jesus because Jesus sacrificed himself to God so that God would forgive us for our sins.

Christianity is a faith based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Fisher, 1991) Christianity is a one God religion as presented in the New Testament. Today, Christianity and the church are culturally diverse, even in the aspects of race. It is even said that Sunday mornings is the most segregated time in the world. There is one central belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, all Christians can come to this conclusion. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and that we are all under the judgment of God because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Other religions may often depict that it is only necessary to do some good when it comes to God in order to