Ronald Nance
Jones, Craig
Introduction to Philosophy
6 December 2016
The relationship between humanity and the divine
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?”
During the time of philosophers, such as Aristotle and Plato, “What exactly is the real relationship and purpose of humanity towards the divine?” was the question spreading among the philosophers. When questioned what God is, Aristotle stated in writing, “God is a supreme and eternal living being, so that to God belong life and continuous and eternal duration. For that is what God is.” If we choose to believe Aristotle’s logic then we are left without a reason as to why humanity exists and are left to make assumptions about our existence for the divine power. If God is eternal and has all power then that would mean that our existence is meaningless unless we had a specific purpose to work towards for our Divine. A question that can arise in the
Christianity is one of the dominant religions on the planet, and Christian Theism has played a major role in shaping the development of Western culture. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Christian missionaries, Christian doctrine has even influenced the views of non-Christians. Nevertheless, the contemporary world is a pluralistic and diverse one, and postmodern perspectives have arisen to challenge the wide-ranging influence of Christian Theism. The purpose of this paper is to show how a belief in Christian Theism can help one understand the nature and meaning of life, and this paper will show evidence that this belief brings both uniformity and order to everything.
One of the fundamental questions that religions seek to answer is that of origin. How was man put on earth? Why and from what was he created? Who created him? What does his creation imply about the status of human beings? Some or all of these questions are answered by a religion’s creation stories. Every religion’s creation myths attempt to give solutions to problems present to that religious society. Because of this, each religion may have one or more creation stories, each of those different from one another in the questions they ask and the answers they give.
A proper assessment from a biblical-anthropological perspective needs to take into account the image of God as part of human nature. The three dimensions of the image of God (relational, structural and functional) form the core of human nature. Humans are relational beings with the structural capacity to relate to others and fulfill their purpose in this life. These three dimensions were damaged or affected after the Fall. As discussed previously, normality and pathology are connected with the sinful human condition.
When you look around and gaze at the beautiful creation before you, do you reflect on how amazing God is? God made the creation, man, and everything surrounding the two. There are many different worldviews. This paper will focus on the Christian worldview. The Christian worldview involves God, humanity, Jesus, and restoration.
The relationship between man and God is a long and complex journey that has evolved for centuries. This divine and omniscient being has been a center piece for peoples' lives around the world. This single being is so powerful that he is able to make the sick feel strong and the poor feel rich. One being is worshipped around the world for his divine status. But what if he isn't as superior to humans as the world thinks? In the classic biblical works of literature, The Book of Job and Genesis, a new interpretation of God is presented in a form that is human in his relationship and actions with humans.
Our worldview allows us to see into the world at such an angle that it coincides with our beliefs, therefore affecting how we think and live. Whether one falls under an atheistic, pantheistic, or theistic worldview, they are guided in their life choices depending on the beliefs of their worldview. Throughout this paper, I will summarize the elements of a Christian Worldview such as God, Humanity, Jesus, and Restoration; I will then analyze questions one might have about the Christian Worldview, and finally I will reflect on my worldview.
The purpose of man is to praise and worship God, proclaim his glory, and to accomplish his will."… And whom I have created for My glory, …” (Isaiah 43:7 New International Version). God created all things in harmony. He established a perfect creation that he loves and over which he rules. The highest honor is given to mankind as the only part of creation made in God’s image. Humanity was created to love as God loves, to worship and praise his glory and commune with him as he does with us.
Over the course of human history every society, even the most culturally isolated of civilizations, has developed some form of faith-system for interpreting and understanding the spiritual and material worlds. Thousands of such systems have existed over the centuries, and as tribes and cultures expanded, these faith-systems inevitably met each other face-to-face and clashed. Two thousand years ago there was a particularly important collision; one between the Roman stoic and the gentile Christian. At this time in Western civilization, Christianity was just planting its seeds and beginning to grow, whereas stoicism was already legitimate in its foundation and strong in its following (Stavrianos 100). One might wonder
Notoriously recognized as a spiritual figure self- proclaimed as “God”, Father Divine was a controversial figure in the 20th century in the midst of a divided nation. The abundance of racial inequality in the United States catalyzed the rejection of Father Divine’s mission; a mission completely blind to the criteria of race, gender, or previous religious background. Whether one supports or rejects the teachings of Father Divine, one cannot deny that Father Divine’s mission congregated a diverse following in a nation that actively denied civil liberties to individuals based on sex, racial identity, and religious associations.
These three questions are very much conflicting worldwide and many philosophical discussions have been debated for years, however with many different views on the world, not everyone on Earth has the same answer to these. This may be due to different upbringings through youth, values, and overall beliefs, including Catholicism and Secular Humanism. Within this report there is no aim of finding the truth or the actual answer, it is simply an analysis of people’s personal beliefs to these questions. I am going to include others opinions including my own interviewee’s (would like to be kept anonymous) thoughts and beliefs throughout the report, including my own, and opinions I have researched to further analyse opinions of different groups that can support these worldviews.
hapter three of Malise Ruthven’s book, Islam: A Very Short Introduction, is dedicated to the subject of divine unicity and the fact that, although it is a very important belief in Islam, the Muslim world is characterised by disunity. The word tawhid means unicity, and there is an “insistence that it is unicity above all that defines divinity,” which is not directly mentioned in the Quran, but is implied. The idea can be traced back to 657, when Mu‘āwiya’s soldiers placed pages of the Quran on their lances, symbolizing that they are also Muslims like ‘Alī’s supporters, calling upon this sacred unicity to reach arbitration. Throughout the history of Islam, similarly to Christianity, there have been countless breaks and divisions, ultimately leading
The Existential questions which are important to ask are, Why do we suffer? What happens after we die? and does god exist? Many religions will have answers for these questions, however the comparison between the Catholic viewpoint and the Secular Humanist viewpoint will be argued in this report.
The origin of man’s relationship with the divine extends far back into his evolution – almost certainly farther still than the lifespan of any evidence could suggest. Indeed, religion is considered a cultural universal - where there are people, there is religion. For ancient humanity, religion combated ambiguity about death and deception, provided prosocial constructs that enabled greater cooperation, and generally fell in line with humanities distinctive (and possibly overactive) ability to attribute goals and desires to events – living or not. It was Xenophanes (c. 520) who noted the tendency of gods to be constructed in the likeness of the culture that birthed them. It is not surprising, then, that learning about a culture 's religion can tell you a great deal about how the members see themselves and the world. Although ancient religions such as Hellenism seem a far cry away from today’s prevailing religions, many aspects of modern religions can be traced back across cultures. One of the most interesting of these cultural shifts was the Roman assimilation of Greek culture. While the Greeks revered themselves for their communal government (democracy), their culture still very much praised the individual. The relationship between the gods and the people (particularly heros) suggest that religion is an individual pursuit – resolution is up to a single man to find. In Roman renditions, however, these same gods are depicted as rewarding selflessness – sacrifice for the greater
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
The Law of Divine Centralisation is the first principle of God's creation; it is the law of life. God created the universe based on this one great Law. This law stipulates that "All things come from God, live in God and exist for God". Outside of God there is no life, and existing without dependence on God is makes for an insignificant existence. All things made by God are centred in Him. God is the centre of Creation; everything revolves around His presence. On the first day God created light, and light was His first creative act. Note that the light of the first day did not come from any luminary, but directly from God Himself. This light was sourced from God’s inner being. Jesus is the light