Incredible India Vs. Faithfools

A parallel novel, The Cloud of Unknowing, was anonymously written in the fourteenth-century about the journey of transitioning from a secular life to a God centered life. It begins with the writer addressing the reader in a fatherly manner- this way, the reader is able to connect with the writer even when the journey gets rough. The author states the journey to know God is contemplative, through giving up all previous understandings of God and traveling through a “cloud of unknowing” to obtain a oneness with God. The author also notes that the journey will not be easy and that frustration can happen, but that frustration should be channeled into focus as greater understanding will come as the frustration ends. The hard part of this journey, according to the author, is in having a desire or willingness to work over time to come to oneness with God.

Throughout the course of humanity’s history many questions have risen that have posed a problem to us as a species. Questions such as the following: What is the proper relationship between individuals and society? What is beauty, and why is it important? Is there purpose in human existence?, and many others have caused enough trouble in humanity’s short existence on the earth to cause a near identity crisis. However, all of these questions fall under the shadow of the main question that has been asked since the creation of Adam- “What exactly is the real relationship and purpose of humanity towards the divine?”

The progression of humanity has inevitably been motivated by a desire to find meaning in life, and grasp a greater understanding of powerful concepts, which has underpinned religious and non religious world views throughout history. These concepts in both religious and non-religious belief systems require the close examination of various new religious expressions, as well as an equal understanding of the religious dimension in human history. Atheist philosopher Alain de Botton, explores how humans find meaning in life through individual fulfilment and monotheistic religious concepts; as appose to theologist John Stackhouse, who in contrast, looks at the human search for meaning throughout theistic views.

The small book A little exercise for young theologians is an opening lecture to students of theology given by theologian Helmut Thielicke. This book is especially important for students who are beginning their training in theology, but it also is crucial for those who are seasoned students of theology as it is a good reminder of what students need to know when studying the nature and character of God. Thielicke is brief in the lecture, but he is profound in what he says. It is an important lecture for any student of theology. This review will summarize the lecture while making critiques and provide a conclusion.

It was Bhartrhari that once said, “Our life is like the ' unstable wave, Our bloom of youth decays. Our joys are brief as lightning flash n summer 's cloudy days, Our riches fleet as swift as thought; Faith in the One Supreme Alone will bear us o 'er the gulfs Of Being 's stormy stream.” Though Bhartrhari presents to us a great truth, it also leaves the reader with a question. This question is simply, who is the “One Supreme Alone” that this author speaks of? Who is God? What makes Him so “Supreme”? Does this “Supreme One” server purpose in today’s society? I would like to argue that this “Supreme God” is sovereign, triune, has many of other attributes that complements His superlative ways, and He is indeed needed in our lives today!

Over the centuries, religious views have been continually changing. This is because society has evolved to the point that logic and other insights will refute existing beliefs. While at the same time, they will introduce new ideas that will change the way religious dogma is interpreted. When this happens, there is a fundamental transformation in how everyone looks at deities and their role in the world.

Why believe in God? Does a powerful, compassionate, intelligent, and ultimate being exist who is the focal point of all creation? In this paper I will answer many questions regarding the existence of God, and give credible explanations on why we should all believe in God. Faith, belief, and knowledge are three separate things within one; each goes hand in hand regarding the existence of God. Life is not a game; we were all created for a reason and purpose beyond our own understanding. Why throw away something so precious, when there is more to life than what we see now. Creation demands a creator, and every human being that has taken a breath on planet earth, was created out of love. There was no big bang, and certainly no such thing as evolution. God created us. There is an unmatched amount of logical reasons why believing in God is the only thing worth living for.

The journeys depicted in the texts show the personal, spiritual growth and shift within the two main characters’ outlook on God in the selected texts. This persuades believers of these two religions to continue on spiritual journeys of their own because they too are prone to benefit from spiritual growth and development. This is supported by quotes such as, “So may God grant you, reader, the benefit from reading of my poem…” (Canto XX, 457). Although similar in the fact that both their main characters grow and experience change, it is necessary to first understand that

Great works of literature have been written throughout history. However, The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost have the inept ability to stir the soul and cause a person to examine and re-examine their life. The brilliant descriptions, use of imagery, metaphor and simile give a person a vivid picture of the creation of man and the possibilities for life in the hereafter. This is done, as a person is able to see, full circle, from the beginning of time to the end of time, the consequences of turning away from God. The ability to see a life full circle is apparent through the examination of both of these poems. Although written many years ago, the morals and principles that they convey ring very true

In his text On Loving God, St. Bernard of Clairvaux explores the four degrees of love a person experiences as they grow in their relationship with God. His “Love of God” is similar to Ludwig Feuerbach and Sigmund Freud’s projection theories. St. Bernard’s first degree of loving God is similar to Feuerbach’s human’s wants to have certain qualities and Freud’s human wishes. His second and third degrees of loving God are similar to Feuerbach’s human’s reason to believe in God and Freud’s experience of God. Consequently, his fourth degree of loving God is similar to Feuerbach’s definition of love and Freud’s understanding of human contemplation of God through doctrine.

To Christians, having a God centered life is perfect and veracious. With God being the center of one’s life, one may believe that everything they do is focused on God, and accomplished with Him. However, as this essay will discuss, Theocentrism does not reflect this belief. Although, there are a couple differing views on what theocentrism is—one where God is still God, but he is attached to all creation and they all have the same value, and one where God is creation and human beings should worship God by witnessing and caring for all of creation with love and respect. Theocentrism believes that God is in everything and within everything, similar to pantheism were God is everything. It focuses on physical connections to God instead of spiritual. Its knowledge of God instructs humanity in their proper dealing with creation. One of the essential gifts within its knowledge of God is “a perfect knowledge of the nature of the animals, the herbs, the fruits, the trees, and the remaining creatures. Unlike pantheism, it believes that there is one God who created and works within the world, yet also dwells within all of his creation. In this, he is more than the trinity, which implies that

Human beings are often accredited as being the only organisms with a stream of consciousness, a sense of self-realization between themselves and the world around them. Yet despite this extramural way of thinking and all of our accomplishments, we as a race have always thought of ourselves as unknowing and lost, leading us to search towards the horizon for guidance in our ‘elevated thinking’. After all, man has always looked to the skies, down towards the earth’s core and even inwards for an explanation for ourselves and the world we inhabit, creating profound and often ridiculous images of someone or something that can explain all of our issues , answer all of our questions and do away with all of our problems along the way. Perhaps Voltaire had phrased it best, that “Even if God did not exist , it would be necessary to invent one “ With newer generations exposed to a greater realm of science and education, the conventional role of a religious “insider” and an atheist “outsider” has tabled. Instead, it is now believed that science abhors the idea of a ‘God’, and that the idea of one is merely present to pander to innocent and unknowing religious followers, while the latter believes scientific ‘logic’ flawed. So the question stands today; is there a so called God, and if so where is God, who is God, and most importantly...what is God?

Zarathustra has learnt the nature of God. In the time he spent in solitude, the prophet has acquired the knowledge

Central to this condition Albert Camus found the "death of god:" the realization, sometimes only subliminally, that, in Nietzsche's words, the "Christian god has ceased to be believable," at least for intelligent humans marked by the spirit of modernity. After 350 years of continual social transformations under the push of industrialization, capitalism, world-wide social revolutions, and the development of modern science, what reasonably remains of the traditional faith in divine transcendence and providential design except a deep-felt, almost "ontological" yearning for transcendent meaning?

A common goal of humanity is to find the answer to many philosophical questions involving the reasons humans are here and who or what else might be in the universe with us. In The Essential Mengzi, Mengzi attempts to decipher why humans are here and what basic human nature is – whether or not humans are good and how to expand upon any existing positive attributes. In another text, The Book of Job, Job’s life is manipulated by G-d as a test of his loyalty. The nature of the divine is very clearly shown in this story. Put together, these works create a very strong juxtaposition in which humanity comes across as being very insignificant in the universe. While some people believe that humans form the most important source of life in the universe, our part is actually significantly smaller than one might think, as seen in the juxtaposition of the natures of both the divine and humanity that is presented in the works of The Essential Mengzi and The Book of Job.