The Exploration of Doubt in Religion

The argument being put forth by Drange specifically attacks the God of Evangelical biblical Christianity, an important distinction for the argument itself. The Encyclopedia Britannica illuminates evangelicalism as a Christian protestant movement which emphasizes conversion and the foundational nature of the Bible as the only basis for faith, declaring the Bible as “inerrant.” (Brittanica, par.1)

Christianity treads a delicate delineation between faith and reason. At times, the two seem mutually exclusive. During the early stages of Christianity, church fathers argued about the roles of Athens and Jerusalem in Christianity. Some, like Tertullian, insisted Christianity consisted solely of Jerusalem, or faith alone. Others, like St. Augustine and Clement of Alexandria, argued that all truth stems from the character of God, and is thus viable to the Christian. They united Athens and Jerusalem, reason and faith. The interplay of faith and reason shines brightest through the work of Thomas Aquinas, who, like Augustine, believed faith and reason play an intertwined role in revealing truth.

     Emily Dickinson was an intricate and contradictory figure who moved from a reverent faith in God to a deep suspicion of him in

In the documentary “Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero,” a number of people were interviewed about how their religious beliefs or non beliefs, were challenged since the events of September 11th. The interviews with priests, rabbis, family members of victims, survivors, lay people, atheists and agnostics, this documentary explores how Americans’ spiritual lives may have changed since the event. When a tragic event happens, people would either grow closer to god or outgrow god. To those people who do not believe in a god, these actions will just prove their beliefs. In the beginning of the film, people immediately started to question God. Some of them started to question why would a god so mighty approve this kind of actions. Dr. Michael Brescia, who is a physician who saw pictures of people jumping off the building, "I wonder how many of them thought if there was a God. And if there was a God, why me? Why this? And where am I going to go?” This kind of questions always come up when something catastrophic happens. Others, however, did not ask any questions and just accepted what has happened. Kim Coleman, who lost her daughter said, “God knows something I don’t, God knows best and knows better than we do.” There were also a couple of people who were not so sure what to think of god anymore. Rev. Joseph Griesedieck, a priest who volunteered at Ground Zero said, “the face of God was a blank slate for me. God couldn't be counted on in the way that I thought God could be

She, growing up in a religious family, determined that religion was not the pathway for her and she would instead be the only influence on her life (Emily, no pag.). To the rest of New England, God was loving, caring, and a Father; however, her poetry reveals that to her, He was a mystical figure in the sky who oscillated back and forth from loving to harsh. Dickinson’s poetry often mocks the Bible, God, prayer, and church attendance. Her poetry’s is commonly irreverent, calling the Bible “an antique Volume – Written by faded Men At the suggestion of Holy Spectres - ” (F1577). Dickinson repeatedly mocks God calling Him “Burglar! Banker!” and sarcastically “Father!” (F39). In a short, three-lined poem, Dickinson jeers at the traditional, Christian phrase “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost—Amen.” Dickinson instead worships nature “In the name of the Bee – And of the Butterfly – And of the Breeze – Amen!” (F23). Although subtle, it reveals that she knows enough about religious ways to parody it in a satirical fashion. Dickinson again belittles the effectiveness and importance of prayer. “Of Course – I prayed – And did God Care? He cared as much as on the Air A Bird – had stamped her foot – And cried ‘Give Me’ - ” (F581). To “remain true to herself,” Dickinson belittled the importance of faithful church attendance ( Emily, no pag.). “Some keep the Sabbath going to

Beth Alvarado is notably known for her short story “Emily’s Exit”. The use of religion sets the tone, and catches the eye of many readers in the essay. Religion is the belief and worshipping of a preeminent being, while faith is the trust of this preeminent being, not based on truth. Those of a Christian faith, therefore, have a belief in this greater being who is known as God. They believe the claim that life is an endowment from God, and that once we die, we continue to live for evermore in heaven. Through close reading, It was clear that the author, Alvarado, wanted to create a faintly disturbing story full of “tension and anxiety” (Alvarado, n.d.). Religion, often times associated with death and despair, was used in the writing of “Emily’s Exit” to depict a story of dark suffering, “evoke images and emotion…” (Alvarado, n.d.), and force the audience into understanding the seriousness and the severity of the events that happen.

The popular author Chaim Potok struggled throughout his life with the sacred (Jewish religion and tradition) and the secular world. Potok suggested four possible responses for a person who faces confrontation with the sacred thought system and the secular thought system. First, the lockout response: a person escapes the conflict by erecting impenetrable barriers between the sacred and the secular and then remains in just one system. Second, compartmentalization: a person creates separate categories of thought that coexist in what he called a “tenuous peace.” Third, complete fusion: a person takes down all walls and allows the sacred and secular cultures to freely mix with each other, perhaps leading to a “radically new seminal culture.”

In the assigned writing, Stan Coppinger attempts to enlighten the reader about God’s character, based on his own personal experiences. I found it intriguing that Coppinger, who has been diagnosed with incurable cancer, claims his faith in God has grown following his diagnosis; in general, people tend to lose their faith when confronted with life altering obstacles. Although Coppinger’s story is inspiring, I am skeptical about the validity of his claim when it is expanded to incorporate the general population because much of his supporting evidence relies on his faith, which is entirely objective.

Jesus has been presented to me in a consistent way from my youth beginning in kindergarten through my high school experience. My initial understanding of Jesus is that he is a fully human, fully divine savior that serves as a teacher for his historical peers through contemporary times. The conceptions and understanding I have of Jesus had not been contested, challenged or questioned until I came to St. Joseph’s. While my original ideas of Jesus have largely remained unchanged throughout the course, they have been significantly strengthened through exploring and

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson portray God as Distant in their written work. Whitman, in his Poem “A Noiseless Patient Spider” give the reader this idea of a distant God along with Emily Dickinson in her Poem “I know that He Exists”. After reading and closely analyzing the selections, there is plenty of evidence that humanity is striving for a connection with God but that God reserves himself and keeps distance from our daily lives almost to the point of questioning his existence. First, Whitman portrays God as distant and humans trying to establish a mental connection with him throughout his poem a noiseless patient spider. He uses a spider shooting its web as a symbolic meaning of the souls of humans seeking for that relationship with God.

How many times have you said, “No way, I do not believe it!” It is our natural tendency not to believe in something that we have not seen with our own eyes or experienced it personally. There is a saying, “seeing is believing” which has led us to a world full of skeptics. We want proof so we are not gullible fools. Skepticism, or scepticism, as it was spelled back in the ancient times, was pondered by philosophers who tried unsuccessfully to figure out the thought process and how we gain knowledge. Philosophers gave deep thought to determine how we arrive at such true beliefs and knowledge of the external world. Three such philosophers were Rene Descartes, David Hume and Christopher Grau. Rene Descartes was a French philosopher in the early 1600’s; David Hume was a Scottish Philosopher in the 1700’s, and Grau an American philosopher Professor born in 1970. The timeline s important because philosophical views have evolved over time. All three men were from different eras, but they each explored, argued, and addressed the topic of skepticism from their philosophical view. This proves that they take the subject of skepticism seriously, just as we should too. There is good reason to believe that a human’s knowledge of the external world results from both a posteriori knowledge acquired through sensory experience and a priori knowledge which is innate. Descartes, Hume, and Grau through their personal views and skeptical

This captures the frustration and the regret of having to deal with the situation in a Jeckle and Hyde sort of way, in that person one is very calm and although frustrated manages to turn to religion for help whereas in the second part of the poem they rebel against religion and it’s teachings and have corrupt thoughts and feelings.

The poem has many different hidden meanings but they are all based around a common theme of faith.

Man’s relationship to God(s) has long been a debated topic, mainly due to varying perspectives within one’s religion, as well as the profusion of religions that this world offers. The relationship between man and God(s) is of utmost importance as it serves as the inspiration for the bulk of society, and individuals’ values. There are a multitude of questions, however, that stem from this relationship. One of the most prevalent questions is that of whether or not man has free will. It is the relationship between man and God(s) that I explored in my poems Folly and Light.

As I sat in the church pew trying not to ask questions or cry uncontrollably I wonder if I will ever see him again. We all knew that he was not the boy that the pastor was remembering from vacation bible school. He had grown into someone we did not recognize. The kind of person who gets in trouble with the law and has to spend time in rehab. The guy that goes to a party and then never comes home. Elliot was never coming home and for the first time in my life I realized that the death of a loved one could be the last time I see them. My cousin was gone forever.