Should Christians Study Secular Literature

I spent a year in an elementary firth grade classroom and I learned the importance of reading. I watched as students that were in fifth grade chose accelerated reader books that were first and second grade levels and it broke my heart. I also examined students that were placed in tier two groups struggle to follow a reading passage that was below their grade level. It was at this point that I chose to make reading a priority in my future. There is a bible verse that I stumbled across that says “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 King James Version). If I lead by example and teach my students to love reading, they eventually will. My new favorite hobby is to go to thrift stores and yard sales and locate children’s books. I want to collect as many books, for my future classroom, that consist of multiple reading levels and various genres. I also plan on reading each of the books that I find so, that I can first read what I am asking my students to read. While I still do not love reading, I am learning to love reading so that I can set an example for my future

As our sixth president of The United States, John Quincy Adams once said, “So great is my veneration for the bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society.”
 A significant amount of people around the globe read portions of this book every day. Year after year a world's best seller, millions of copies printed and sold. The most discussed history book, the book of morality, the word of god, The Bible has transformed the world, for it has created guidelines for one to live by, influenced the government and laws , and has liberated many from oppression by its clear teachings.

The fifth chapter of The Educated Imagination, “The Verticals of Adam” by Northrop Frye, explains his feelings about the necessity for children to be exposed to some fundamental texts in the literary spectrum in a certain order to best enable them to understand twentieth century society. The understanding of the Christian Bible, and Greek/Roman mythology are said by Frye to be key factors in how a child will interpret future literature. It is noted by Frye that the bible should be taught first, followed by the mythologies of the Greeks/Romans. I agree with his ideas about the order of exposure, as being the foundation of western society as it is best suited to being the foundation for learning of a child from said

Throughout history, literature has served as a prominent tool in the examination of social values, ideas, and dreams. In addition, literature has provided a vital connection between historical, social, and political events. Through the incorporation of religious principles and philosophies, writers have discovered a way to portray different time periods, characters, feelings, and most importantly God.

In a world where information can be found at our finger tips, there is still a large deficit in understanding when it comes to literacy. Although possessing the ability to read and write is valuable, it is simply not enough. The truth of the matter is that having the ability to read and write is worth nothing if one does not understand what he or she is reading and writing. As a result of my childhood experiences, religious literacy is possessing a basic understanding of one’s individual religion, and having the capacity to internalize what certain teachings and beliefs means to them. In a narrative of my literary experiences, these moments regarding religion shaped my capacity to read, write, and comprehend. I simply want to share my Catholic faith. Not to convince you or to convert you, but simply to share what the Catholic traditions and beliefs mean to me.

Chapter six, … Or the Bible, of How to Read Literature Like A Professor (HTRLLAP) asserts that connect all of the dots is vital, and how a story about the loss of innocence always hit so hard because they are final. The two biggest points of this chapter, though, are how not all uses of religion are straight-forward, how some are there just to illustrate a disparity and that the names of the characters in a novel are almost always important to a writer's point and can help carry their message.

From John Winthrop to Martin Luther King Jr., the Bible has shaped much of our government and history. As the best selling book of all time that is often referenced in politics and daily life, both liberals and conservatives argue that it is imperative that students know about the text in order to better understand intellectual conversation. Many literary references to the text are also found in Western culture; therefore, it is

Pursuing God's word will bring a transformation to you and the people around you, and straying from it will bring about sorrow; this is evident in Homer's story, and everyone's story. I feel that I can relate to Lilies of the Field, even though I treated it like work. It offers much to think about and a message of trust in those you love, along with following God's path. I recommend Lilies of the Field to

Although pagan (i.e. Roman) literature clearly contains valuable lessons on philosophy, logic, rhetoric, science, authority, virtue, etc., many argue that the mere fact that it is pagan should cause Christians to avoid it all together and receive an education elsewhere. If Augustine was grateful for his reading skills, which come from “early lessons in literacy,” why did he warn Christians against pagan literature (Confessions 1.20)? After understanding what St. Augustine thought and why he thought it, recognizing that a man should not be ignorant and that all truth leads to Christ, comparing Christianity with paganism as a whole, and knowing that Christ perfects all, one can conclude that Christians should continue to read pagan literature.

As we read about sensuality and God in my Spiritual Formation class, the importance of texts like these provide the evidence that God and sensuality and/or our

Anne Murphy Paul first quotes the opposing argument, a statement from a professor named Gregory Currie that says there is no evidence that reading classic literature helps to benefit people. She then goes on to explain how there actually is sufficient evidence that can help to effectively support her central claim. This comparison not only serves as an effective and attention-grabbing introduction, but also helps to present the specific facts of the passage. She uses specific examples from credible studies- citing the titles and qualifications

Growing up, my family and I went to church every Sunday, to learn more about God and how to have a strong relationship with Him. I also went to various conferences and outings with my church friends. Every time I listened to a speaker, I would take notes and read the Bible. This newborn relationship that I accepted with God also presented the opportunity to spend time with Him everyday in a daily devotion, which consists of reading the Bible and writing in my journal. I started reading the Bible and writing in a journal during elementary school. On Sunday mornings at church, throughout the school year, my church has Sunday school. In these classes, the teachers helped with literacy rates and taught about God’s love and power. I have been practicing the Eight Habits of Mind, which consist of Curiosity, Openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition (Council of Writing Program Administrators et al. 5). For example, I learned and desired to receive more knowledge about the world since creation, which addresses the “Curiosity” aspect of the habits. Additionally, the Bible gave me a new sense of investment and involvement in learning more about God and how He loves me, with “Engagement”. This literacy sponsor has prepared and strengthen my college preparation literacy level skills. Primarily, learning outcome: Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing, and Research: Reading, “Understand, analyze and evaluate arguments in research-based texts” (Kalish 2). Today, I still am a Christian and continue to read the Bible and write in my journal daily. Growing up as a Christian has encouraged and increased my literacy levels. I not only have the chance to practice reading and writing everyday, but to learn about my God and the great things that He has done. My faith has supported my increasing literacy levels, but also challenged it. There

The first half of the book discusses how “there is no longer a Christian mind,” and Christians living in the present times accept “religion, its morality, its worship, its spiritual culture; but he rejects the religious view of life” (pg. 3). Blamires moves forward with his discussion and states that “people will think pragmatically, politically, but not Christianly” (pg. 13). He appeals his disappointments that in the world, there are not many Christian thinkers in many fields. He argues that Christian thinkers cannot meet as thinking Christians because over variety of field in the society, because there are no one to have conversation with Christian mind. After reading his book, I began to reflect on why I should view everything with Christian mind. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul is telling us to do everything “for the glory of God.” Thinking as secularists will make me a secularist, not a Christian. I cannot glorify

Literature was definitely another form of art for a large amount of people including visual artists. This form of art included many references to god, and most forms of literature related to the individual’s religious beliefs. Literature was an effective way for people to express a higher level of thinking, and clear their minds in a sense. In Document B, the first excerpt from the English play Everyman supposedly carries a message right out of the Middle Ages. This excerpt basically states that humans think sins are full of sweet/fun things in the beginning, but will eventually lead their souls to regret. It continues on to say that God will call everyman and everyman must listen and do what he says. In Document B, Shakespeare writes from the renaissance and praises man for being so amazing, so god-like, and how beautiful we are, certainly a very different perspective, and

The Bible is not simply a good book; it is the best book! It is not just a religious text, but it is a literary masterpiece that mixes consistent real-life historical events with religion and literature. If you like to read a mixture of literary genres then reading the Bible would be right up your alley because this book is full of narrative genres, stylistic forms, poetry and prose. The reader doesn’t even have to have a particular religious orientation to take an interest in reading the Bible because the Bible can be read as a novel, filled with stories of flavorful characters, murder, war, sibling rivalry, deceit, and mayhem. It is an interpretive portrayal of human experience in artistic form.