...precepts, prohibitions of dictates Internal law: man is born with an innate knowledge of God Understand the theological concept of a “covenant of works” as applied to Adam. What conclusion does the textbook reach regarding the legitimacy of a “covenant of works?” God and Adam entered into a covenant in which if Adam did not sin, he would be removed from probationary period and reciveve a confirmed state of immortality. What opinion does the textbook purpose regarding the nature of the Tree of Life’s existence? It was instrument to test the motives of Adam, to reveal if he could demonstrate his virture through obedience Know the three avenues of temptation through which Satan tempted Eve. 1.Lust of the eyes 2.Lust of the flesh 3.Pride of life Understand the distinctions between the Arminian and Calvinist views of total depravity, and be able to provide a biblical definition of it. Arminian: Man can reason himself to God fully developed in the enlightment era. Man is capable of doing spiritual good. Moral works can be performed. Calvinism: Man cannot reason except trhough the grace of God. Man can do not good until salvation occurs. No moral works can be performed. Biblical Definition: Man can reason, but he can’t obtain merit from God. Man is unable to do spiritual works unless he is regenerated. Socially moral works can be performed by unbelievers What is the textbook’s view regarding the nature (or reality) of the serpent found in Genesis 3? Satan used an actual...
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...which compels individuals to believe that particular activities are morally right or wrong. Many ethical debates have been addressed on whether conscience is innate or developed. When conscience is described as innate, it means that it is inborn within you. From a religious viewpoint, an innate conscience is one which is God given or the voice of reason as a moral guide to what is right and wrong, whereas if it is argued that the conscience is not innate then it is described as being learned or developed according to psychologists. If conscience is innate and God given then does that mean God has told people to act immorally? However if Conscience is not innate then the blame for people acting immorally is shifted to society. St Thomas Aquinas, Joseph Butler and Cardinal John Newman are key scholars who believe that conscience is innate and inborn within a person. Key scholars and psychologists who believe that conscience is not innate are Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, Erich Fromm and Humanist. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) did not think of conscience as being the voice of God but as the natural ability of people to understand the difference between right and wrong. He believed that all people aim for what is good and try to avoid evil he called this the synderesis rule. Aquinas said that it was innate to seek good because sin is falling short of God’s ideals, seeking apparent goods because they are not using their powers of reason properly. He argued that conscience “was the mind...
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...external influence whether this is from our parents or our own life experiences. Within this essay I shall discuss the theories in favour of the conscience being the voice of God within us (focussing on Butler, Augustine and Newman), and those that instead propose that it is acquired from other sources whether this is through our reason (Aquinas) or in our early childhood (psychologists approaches), in order to draw a conclusion on whether our conscience is the voice of God within us. One scholar who stated that the conscience was the voice of God speaking to us from within was St Augustine (334-430). He saw it as the law of God within our hearts, and stated that therefore it cannot be questioned and stated that it allows us to have an innate capacity to...
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...poverty, and eliminating racial segregation are just a few. Yet, as the rate of open homosexuality increases in the United States, there are a stir of arguments that opposed same sex marriage. Over the past few years, the media regarding this issue has created a large debate. Despite the mixed arguments, mainly surrounding religion, this opposition violates the right of American homosexual couples innate lifestyle. Religion was erected thousands of years ago and as time has changed, there have been many revisions made to accommodate the change in the world. There are several known exceptions that allow forgiveness. In the heat of many arguments the followers of these world religions have forgotten the overall message surrounding their teachings, acceptance. We are a country that was established by pioneers who escaped religious persecution. This allowed the freedom to worship a religion of choice. Many religious figures have argued that homosexuality is a sin. Western religions typically consisting of Christianity and Catholicism, state that homosexuality is against nature and the word God. These statements are true and can be found several times in the Bible as well as other religious scriptures. Though, homosexuality is frowned upon, one’s personal religious beliefs should not be imposed on another human being. As stated best, in the article written by Julian Bond, “Opposing Same-Sex Marriage Discriminates Against Gays. Marriage is a civil right. If you don't want...
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...practices of some modern "cults," such as isolating and brainwashing impressionable, lonely young people. Genuine Wiccans welcome sisters and brothers, but not disciples, victims or followers. Coven meetings include rituals, celebrations and magick (the "k" is to differentiate it from stage illusions). Wiccan magick is not at all like the immediate "effects" of fantasy novels, medieval demonology. It operates in the harmony with natural laws and is usually less impressive – though, it is effective. Several techniques are used to heal people, seek direction, or advance members' lives in particular ways. Positive goals are sought. To do curses and "evil spells" are offensive to practitioners of the Old Religion. In addition to its positive view of nature, many find Wicca more...
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...Throughout the history of civilization, the forces of righteousness and evil have battled inside man. In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding explores a religious allegory in order to convey the innate forces of good and evil inside of man. After a group of civilized British boys is stranded on a pristine island, two boys are dead and the island burns leaving nothing but ashes. Golding uses the dramatic difference on the island to show the wreckage of the war between good and evil and the inevitable aftermath: destruction. The good, evil, and humankind are epitomized by Jack, Simon, and Ralph respectively. As a civilized boy turned savage, Jack Merridew represents the darkness in mankind. Jack, at the beginning of the novel, is a hot-tempered...
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...Religion | Origin of All Things | Nature of God | View of Human Nature | View of Good and Evil | View of “Salvation” | View of After Life | Practices and Rituals | Celebrations and Festivals | Week 2 Hinduism and Jainism | Ohm – an inert void of being and non being. From this void a desire was born to create beings. | God perceived in three ways. Brahman (residing everywhere) Antaryami (residing within) and Bhagavan (residing outside, beyond) | Karma – the moral law in which the cycle of birth-death-rebirth (reincarnation) takes place, giving opportunities to escape the limitations of life and death. | Doesn't recognize “sin” , views good and evil from the principle of karma. | Moksha – when an enlightened person is freed from the reincarnation cycle and comes into a state of completeness. | Doesn't punish or reward the souls, but reminds them of the true purpose of their existance before returning to earth to continue living. | Many practices center on fulfilling the duties associated with social position: brahmacharga (learning), grastha (worldy pursuits) vanaprastha (focus on spirithood) and sanngasu (contemplation) | Montly celbrations include: Saravati Puja, Maha Shiva Ratri, Holi, Rama Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, RathaYatra, Raksha Bandhana, Janmashtami, Ganesha Chaturthi, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali | Week 3 Buddhism | Doesn't believe in a beginning, says the origin of all things is inconceivable...
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...The Nature of Man[1] Though man shares with the other animals external and internal senses, he is at the same time also endowed with two qualities peculiar to himself, knowledge and will. By knowledge is meant the power of generalisation, the conception of abstract ideas, and the possession of intellectual truths. By will is meant that strong desire to acquire an object which after due consideration of its consequences has been pronounced by reason to be good. It is quite different from animal desire, nay, it is often the very opposite of it. In the beginning children also lack these two qualities. They have passion, anger, and all the external and internal senses, but will finds its expression only later. Knowledge differs according to the capacity for it, according to the latent powers in a man. Hence there is a variety of stages amongst Prophets,[2] the Ulamas, the Sufis and the Philosophers. Further progress is possible even beyond these stages, for divine knowledge knows no bounds. The highest stage is reached by one to whom all truths and realities are revealed intuitively, who by virtue of his exalted position enjoys direct communion and close relation with the Most Holy. The real nature of this position is known only to him who enjoys it. We verify it by faith. A child has no knowledge of the attainments of an adult; an adult is not aware of the acquisitions of a learned man. Similarly, a learned man is not cogniscant of the holy communion of the saints and the prophets...
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...“To Kill A Mockingbird” “ There is no greater heresy than to do the right thing for the wrong reason or moreover the wrong thing for the right reason” this quote by Victor Hugo runs parallel to Harper Lee’s gripping tale of right and wrong, good and evil. “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a intricate and symbolic masterpiece of the intertwining elements of positive and negative, and how when they occupy the same space no becomes hardly recognizable from the other In this story, a well to do family is faced with very compromising scenarios that causes them and the reader alike to question certain core principles that are supposedly innate, and guides them through a journey of racism, pride, deceit, judgment, and finally reconciling all of these. All characters in the novel perpetually orbit around sentiments of morals and social acceptance and to deal with these themes in a realistic manner. The very title of the story “To Kill A Mockingbird” speaks the nuance of wrong invading or violating what is right. Atticus Finch, the patriarch of the family, has the most explicit encounter with moral injustice and the ordeal of fighting against it. As a lawyer in a small, southern town, Finch is endowed, voluntarily no doubt, with the dubious responsibility of representing an African American man in a criminal case of rape. The small town of Maycomb, Alabama is very racist and Atticus’s decision does not go over well with most of the citizens there. In order to appease the majority Finch...
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...Scientology: A Look at its History, Theology, Cosmology, and Current Status Religion, a remnant of the ancient world, before science, before concrete evidence, was used to explain the unexplainable. A constant in human culture, religion has concretely been about the relationship between either a supernatural deity or supernatural deities and nature. It sets up the morality of the people, explains the transitoriness of life, but most importantly, it gives people a sense of meaning and purpose. Now, with all those things in mind, replace religion, in the most general and abstract sense, with Scientology. Scientology, since its birth, has been the subject of criticism not only by outsiders, such as the media, but by former members, as well. As...
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...The ideology of conspiracy theory particularly peak oil is intellectually binding and fatalistic. It requires belief in a natural truth where in reality there is no such thing as an absolute truth. Yet, the documentary Crude Awakenings posits its premise and framework under the assumption that existence is co-opted by masters and overseers that desire to manipulate and exploit the masses. However, there is no inkling of critical thought or analysis on the basis of what peak oil is and how it actually impacts the world. The rhetoric utilized throughout the film is conjecture that is assumed as fact without any given depth to arguments presented by the “experts.” As such, the movie starts out with two contradictory quotes. One states that oil...
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...Law and rules shape the foundation for civilization which is necessary to keep the darker side of human nature in order. The lawless country of Somalia in East Africa demonstrates that without an affective form of government and the restraints of civilization, the behavior of people will regress to their savage beginnings. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies explores the theme of civilization to savagery through the usage of symbolism to portray the premise that children are savages by nature and without adult guidance or supervision; their entire darker side will manifest itself in full force. The consequential regression of the boys from civilization to savagery is symbolized by the use of the conch, fire, and Piggy’s glasses. First of all, the conch shell manages to demonstrate civilization to savagery through its ability to establish order to build a civilization, lose its power and deteriorate civilization, and shatter to eliminate civilization. In the beginning, the conch is used to establish and uphold order and peace on the island, playing a key role in forming and maintaining a civilization. Ralph uses the conch and his leadership to summon the others, have meetings and delegate positions, assign power, and set rules such as: “[Giving] the conch to the next person to speak” (Golding 31). By adhering to the set of rules regarding the conch shell, the boys still maintain their civilized way of living back at home where there is the existence of government and laws...
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...WORLD RELIGIONS – REL 212 World Religions HINDUISM & JAINISM WEEK 2 Cosmogony Origin of the Universe Hinduism and Jainism cosmogony origin of the universe is that there isn’t no specific origin or founder. Nature of God/Creator The Gods are in male and female form and represent many different things. View of Human Nature Hinduism and Jainism: Karma is what comes around goes around. View of Good & Evil Hinduism and Jainism: Good actions have a good effect and bad actions have a bad effect. “Karma”. View of Salvation Hinduism and Jainism salvation is called Moksha. It’s when an enlightened human being is freed from the cycle of lifeanddeath and comes into a state of completeness. And the Jainism salvation is achieved through three cycles right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct. Hinduism and Jainism: Samsara reincarnation is taught that the soul leaves the dead body and enters a new body. They believe in the rebirth and reincarnation of the souls. Jainism following liberation one’s jiva ascends to the apex of the universe to join the other siddhas. One can ascend to a heavenly realm due too good karmas accrued but must return to a human incarnation in order to achieve final liberation. Hinduism and Jainism: Practices (both): Praising the Cow called “The Cow is our Mother, for she gives us her milk.” Worship with fire, yoga, sacred chants, verbal formulas, and sacred actions. Worship deity images, pictures and sculptures...
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...LAMIA: Lamia has puzzled critics because of the elusiveness of its theme. Lamia seems to say that passionate love is an illusion and an enchantment, ultimately destructive. Keats presents her sympathetically; she is not an evil creature. Lycius too is presented sympathetically but in living with Lamia he is indulging in "sweet sin." Since he is a high-minded Platonist when first introduced into the story, his love for Lamia is indulging a weakness. When Lycius and Lamia meet Apollonius, Lycius' mentor, while walking through Corinth, Lycius is at pains to avoid being recognized by him. Context: The subject of Lamia is consuming love such as Keats himself was experiencing when he wrote the poem. His letters to Fanny Brawne indicate that he was obsessed by her beauty — and, at the same time, fearful for his freedom. He realized, however, that desire must be curbed by restraint, that love must harmonize with, and be a part of life, rather than dominate and control it. Lamia, therefore, can be regarded as a warning against the all-absorbing nature of illusory, passionate love and a recognition of the claims of reason. Lamia does not have much in the way of crisis and climax his narrative technique is superior, Lamia-as-snake is as beautiful as Lamia-as-woman: She was a gordian shape of dazzling hue, Vermilion-spotted, golden, green, and blue; Striped like a zebra, freckled like a pard, Eyed like a peacock, and all crimson barr'd; And full of silver moons, that, as she...
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...Life Span Perspective Paper PSY/375 Shamous Jordan 10/14/2013 Heather Harrison, Ph.D. Historically, the philosophy of human development has stemmed from the Biblical understanding of original sin, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s intimations of innate goodness, and John Locke’s postulation that we are born with a psychological blank slate (Boyd & Bee, 2006). However, in the 19th century the study of human development was given legs to its already well-defined frame in the form of the theory of evolution, as put forth by Charles Darwin. With the idea of evolutionary stages in place, G. Stanley Hall of Clark University was able to formulate his theory of norms, which hypothesize that human development can be segregated into identifiable phases, and Arnold Gesell was able to suggest his theory of maturation, which was largely dependent on genetic predisposition. From these beginnings the lifespan development perspective of human psychology has been largely concerned with the physiological, psychological, cultural, genetic, and environmental context of individual human development from conception to old age (Baltes & Staudinger, 1999; Boyd & Bee, 2006). Moreover, the lifespan perspective (LSP) of development can be put into context through the models of both human development domains and developmental periods, the major characteristics of LSP, and the contemporary concerns about LSP. LSP is concerned with three separate, but principally overlapping, domains of human...
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