Religious Studies Courses On Christianity

Christianity is one of the most influential religions on both ancient and modern Western society, with the religion based on the teachings of the prophet Jesus Christ who lived approximately between the years of 5 BC and 33 AD. It is claimed that Christ was the son of God whose spirit was embodied and sent to Earth as a human being to bring peace and prosperity to the less fortunate, and absolve the world of its sin. Jesus preached a doctrine of a supreme monotheistic god who ruled over the universe, as well as ethics and morals especially centred on the concept of faith and forgiveness. If one was to live their life in accordance to the Will of God and the teachings of Christ found in the written word of the Holy Bible, one would be absolved of their sin and ascend to the spiritual realm of God, known as Heaven, after their physical death.

Religion is the belief and worship of a higher power which is in control of the universe. The most popular religions in the world today are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. All four of these religions teach peace. However, followers do not always get along with each other peacefully. All of these religions have a moral code to live by and encourage devotion and prayer.

A father smiling down at his son; a teacher learning from his pupil; a soldier gazing up to his country’s flag. Or a woman masking her face with makeup; a man boasting endlessly of a talent; a child mocking another’s impediment. All textbook illustrations of pride. Nevertheless, the first trio is of outward pride—pride not of one’s own accomplishment, but the achievements of something or someone else. Moreover, the second trio consists of an inner pride—a vain, arrogant, conceited, egotistic, narcissistic feeling. Another crucial aspect of different prides is Jane Austen’s Pride vs. Vanity. She says, “A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” Although “pride goeth before the fall”, pride, being outward or being competent to ourselves, is a healthy feeling unless provoked into vanity and narcissism.

By analyzing character motivations, choices, and actions in To Kill a Mockingbird, “The Scarlet Ibis,” and “I, Too,” it is clear that pride can drive characters to make life-changing decisions with long term consequences. In definition pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct 1. There are different types of pride superiority, arrogance and dignity 2. These are the main types of pride that you see the most in people.

In the excerpt from the play Antigone by Sophocles it is stated that a man who doesn’t accept when he is wrong is the reason pride is seen as a crime. As shown in the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Captain Ahab’s attempted revenge on Moby Dick and his monomaniacal ways signify how pride can blind someone. Throughout the book, Captain Ahab tries to avenge Moby Dick by going on a journey with a crew of people willing to take on this dangerous and fatal expedition.

Arrogance is a byproduct of deep insecurity, which leads one to practice self promotion in a way that silences the voices that feed insecurity in the mind. Through observing Danforth’s personality in “The Crucible”one will

Pride demonstrates the idea that one can find happiness within their own achievement, allowing them to build up their personal ego before building up their trust in others. The books examined this year all display characters who embody excess pride, that the pride either sets them apart in society or pushes them to start separating society by themself. With evidence from The Great Gatsby, The Crucible, and The Grapes of Wrath it can be proven that pride can lead to separation within a society.

Upon reading the chapters written by both Kessler and Martin this week I believe that this will be an interesting course for the seven remaining weeks. Even though I identify myself as a follower of the Christian faith, I think it will be nice to have a fresh outlook on religion from the outsider's point of view. From my time as a first grader through my time as an eighth grader, I spent at least an hour or two each week learning about the Catholic faith in a religion class. Also, I would like to see how this course will possibly change my outlook or open my eyes to different aspects of religion. In addition, I expect to have discussions about several religions from the various regions of the world. I hope that these discussions will help me broaden my understanding and appreciation of other religion and cultural backgrounds

In the book of Matthew Jesus distributes talents to three servants. One servant received five talents, one two, and the other one. Each servant was expected to reap according to what they had been given; therefore, servant one was to reap five, servant two, two, and servant three, one. However, at the end of the parable, only servant one and two had fulfilled their task. Servant three did not. Just as Jesus had given his servants a task, I will be given tasks, much like this assignment, to complete under the Christian Liberal Arts Curriculum. It is my job to be as servant one and two were -- to fulfill my tasks that are given. With that in mind, I shall achieve all of my vocational and avocational desires by valuing what the Christian Liberal Arts Curriculum has to offer -- faith, freedom, and education.

In almost every hero journey the hero always has some sort of hamartia, a Greek term for a “tragic flaw” (dictionary.com). This hamartia can be anything but most often it ends up being hubris, a Greek term for “excessive pride or self confidence” (dictionary.com). The works Death of a Salesman, a tragic play by Arthur Miller, and Beowulf, an epic poem told by various scops and storytellers, demonstrate the fact that a hero’s downfall is his pride. In these stories the “heroes”, Willy Loman,the hero from Death of a Salesman, and Beowulf, the hero from Beowulf, were unable to identify that they were not as great as they believed that they were because of their pride.

vanity, pride, and self - knowledge intervenes in the development of the virtue of the characters,

Learning courses specializing in religion can foster open-mindedness, cultural appreciation and improve behavior among students. Students may be more apt to accept differences in people around them, and portray a positive attitude when they have access to learning about diverse religions.

Human pride is when a person views himself as more important than other people. They have an exaggerated sense of self respect and dignity which can make a person arrogant and blind to reality. This could eventually lead a person to their downfall. Jonathan Swift looks at human pride in a negative way believing the world would be much better without it. In A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms, Jonathan Swift’s criticisms of human pride is shown through the way humans view food, feel the need to lie, and view themselves as superior.

An overly proud person looks down on people and as long as he looks down, he cannot see that which is above him. On the other hand, an individual with too little pride has an attitude of mediocrity and this hinders self-realization. Disproportionate pride blinds moral judgment, creates intolerance and deters relationships. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin is a novel that portrays individual characters who demonstrate a lack of balance in the way they perceive themselves and as a result they create ruin.

Winsomely presented, B.B. Warfield is well known for his scholarship with no exception seen here, In The Religious Life of Theological Students. Here as seminary students, we must chiefly be Godly men, apt to teach with the added passion of devotion driven by our love of God. As a result of our love for God, we are encouraged to have in our vocation a devotion with zeal and piety. We are to be as Warfield puts it; God-made, meaning a minister is called, shaped and developed divinely by God’s decree and power thereby being made worthy through the process of God’s call upon their life.