Armstrong forms a valid point stating “People of faith admit in theory that God is utterly transcendent, but they seem sometimes to assume that they know exactly who “he” is and what he thinks, loves, and expects” (Armstrong ix). This statement is quite comical to me because from personal experience, some people who claim to know Christ personally tend to be some of the vilest human beings that I have met. For instance, some Christians utilize the Bible to promote racism, imposing the idea that God hates Black people, White people, or other races. A theologian, Paul Tillich, observed that it is challenging to talk about God, since people do not know the true existence of God and because the current symbol of God has failed (Armstrong 320).
For my book review I chose The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. I have read this book before, but I wanted to go through again, summarize and analyze it. The purpose of this paper will be to summarize The Reason for God and analyze it’s writing style and arguments. The Reason for God defends knowledge of God and is naturally an apologetic work. Interestingly enough though, it reads more like a pastoral than it does an apologetic work.
The closest proclamation text is in Isaiah 65:13 which declares, “the LORD God” not just “LORD” as is stated in Isaiah 65:8. Is this significant?
People’s opinions about God have been changing since the beginning of his existence. I am responsible for chapter two in James Collin’s book “God in Modern philosophy”. The title of my chapter, “The Skeptical Assault Upon the Knowledge of God”, says a great deal about how the idea of God has evolved over time, and it also helps to show how people think of God today. Danielou states in chapter two, “…I shall not attempt to prove that there is a good and bad use of philosophy, that there is a false god of the philosophers, and yet also a true philosophy of God” (45). Danielou’s idea of the two different philosophies of God is supported by Collins in chapter two because he provides examples of the different types of philosophies that are present today. When it comes to how people think of God today, we
God reveals himself to everyone throughout time by general revelation. He reveals himself through creation, through God’s divine intervention and through our own minds though scientists often cannot or will not see the truth. Pearcey (2005) notes, “Design is such a defining feature of living things that biologist Richard Dawkins begins one of his books with this startling sentence: ‘Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose.’ Being an evolutionist, he then spends the rest of the book seeking to demonstrate that this prima facie ‘appearance’ of design is false and misleading” (183). We can either choose to admit God is the creator and His creation is proof of it or not. Paul reminds us in Romans 1:20 that the world often chooses to deny God’s existence. He says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (NIV). Pearcey (2005) draws attention to the fact that
Conceived in eras of uncertainty and strife, many people weave through the contradictions and inner struggles within communities, while also indulging themselves in the broad concept of redefining themselves just to feel accepted by the society around them. In “Homo religiosus” Karen Armstrong brings out the materialized definition of an “individual” through concepts such as religion, activities like yoga, the artistic features of caves, and most importantly the image of Brahma. The detailed notions placed on each concept yields the reassuring meaning that religion symbolically is a safe harbor, in which individuals can feel comforted and relieved. However the question that always comes up is if an individual is willing to exclude themselves from the harsh realities of society. As the essay progresses, Armstrong 's usage of words such as kenosis—emptying—, junzi—maturity—, and anatta—dethrone—broadens the idea on how an individual’s illusion of an identity can be renewed and reached (14,17). However with the brutish imagery that is brought up throughout the essay a sense of isolation and hopelessness, making for a mood of muted panic and dread questions the truth behind the meaning of a “being”. Yet in the end the idea that there is a world outside the circles of human existence, gets the individual going as they search for something worth living for.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37:4). Many Christian often struggle with what they fear in life as “sin”. Going throughout every day, it is hard to live by all of the principles in the Bible. One of the main understandings that many Christians have come to know is: if you are living a Godly life, the Lord will fill your heart with the right kind of desires. Susan Isaacs struggles with her spirituality and demonstrates her conflicts through memories and records of her therapy sessions with her counselor in her novel “Angry Conversations With God.” Throughout her journey to create a better relationship with God, her counselors push her to really understand what God truly wants in her life. Through
One of the big questions on Christian faith is “So what?” They want to know why it is so important to share their faith and what the big deal is with the Bible. The problem with Christians today is “too often we retreat into our Christian subculture, with its self-concerned books and magazines and radio stations and bumper stickers, sticking our heads in the sand oblivious to the world around us” (White, p. 91).
The Sovereignty and goodness of God is a book about a woman who is in a stressful situation. She is desperately trying to please God because she is feeling like he is punishing her. This book is widely appreciated because I believe a lot of people can relate to Mary Rowlandson. Sometimes we come to a point in life where we cannot handle all of the stress. We do things to please our parents, God, teachers and so on. At this point in my life I can relate to the Mary Rowlandson, except I know there is nothing I can do to please God. A lot of times we get stuck thinking that we have to do things to please him. In the book The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, Mary Rowlandson is captured and she thinks God is doing this to her. This book is
Therefore, absolute omnipotence turns out to be clearly incompatible with Christian faith (p.
Through the story of the king and the sparrow, we come to realize the implications that social justice has on a community. In following the circle of faith-in-action, we realize the king became aware, analyzed, and acted only after his death. The circle of faith-in-action began with the king's awareness of his people's suffering, then he analyzed his options to help, finally he acted by removing his jewels to help those in need. Although the king directly supported those in need through monetary donations, he effectively neglected their long term needs to survive. In relation to the story of the king, American society and culture can be used as a counterpoint to such
Thousands of years ago, the Goddess was viewed as an autonomous entity worthy of respect from men and women alike. Because of societal changes caused by Eastern influence, a patriarchial system conquered all aspects of life including religion. “Furthermore, most feminists interested in goddesses are women who strongly reject western patriarchal theology”(Culpepper 51). Thus, there was this very strong feminist idea of women being the prime in the early part of the 17th and the 18th century.
that if one asserts something then one must deny something. He then goes on by
“Suppose there is a God…”, implores Jensen. Suppose there is a Creator. Suppose God as more than a force, as a personal, relational God who loves humans. “It’s not an outlandish idea, even if you yourself don’t believe it.”
The belief in Gods has always existed throughout human’s recored history. Whether it be the Greek Gods: Apollo, and Zeus, or the Judeo-Christian God, believed by Christians in modern day society. The belief of God has always existed among humans, however, assuming God does not exist, what explains the cultural evolution of such a false belief, namely religion? I shall argue that the reason this false belief is successful is because it manipulates human nature better than any other belief by these three points: an avoidance of death (the soul), a sense of worth (knowledge), and a sense, or need of belief (faith).
The existence of God has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to God, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as God. The “God” question has been presented to every individual at some point in their lives. It is a topic that will bring forth never-ending questions and an equal amount of attempted answers. Many philosophers have formulated different rationales when examining the topic of God, some of which include how the word itself should be defined, what his role is in human existence, whether or not he loves us, and ultimately, if he even exists at all. Mankind cannot