...Jesus: Fact from Fiction Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world with approximately 2.1 billion people identifying themselves as Christians. Jesus is the central focus of attention and worship in Christianity, and is held by most Christians to be the Messiah, foretold in the Hebrew Bible or “Old Testament”. They believe him to be the savior of mankind, and the son of God. However, in modern times, the use of critical scholarship in analysis of the Bible and to the New Testament Gospels in particular, has lead to an accelerating rate of disintegration in the traditional Christian belief system. The term "scholarship" implies the application of the scientific method of the evaluating evidence on the basis of objective standards unhindered from any personal involvement or biases. The main source of information on Jesus is from the Christian Gospels. Some scholars claim that the sources on which the Gospels are based were written within the living memory of Jesus' lifetime. There are four such Gospels the earliest being Mark (68-73 AD), followed by Matthew (70-100 AD), Luke (80-100 AD), and John (90-110 AD). Many conservative Christians accept these writings as evidence for a historical Jesus and as an account of his life and death. According to the Christian Gospels, Jesus was born in Bethlehem between 6 BC and 6 AD. The Gospel Mark, reports that Jesus was "the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon" he also states that Jesus had sisters. Nothing of Jesus...
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...eye-catching drama fiction movies in Hollywood (Wallace et al. 6). The performance and sense of humor reflected in the movie make it a perfect fiction film to watch. The director spells out the agenda of the movie handily in the title’s declarative sentence (Burpo and Vincent 12). The storyline of the movie is based on how Colton, the four-year-old star in the film visited heaven and survived to narrate the pleasures in heaven. The young boy did not die rather he was just going through a critical surgical process of appendectomy and had to be put through anesthesia, which gave him the sense of visiting another world. The movie revolves around a religious theme of life after death, which is a Christian belief (Wallace et al. 15). After the surgical process, Colton tells the story of his encounter with Jesus. He also shares with his father what Jesus told him about his new world....
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...Luther King Jr. seem to have very little in common. They were written by different people about different topics and use different techniques. However, they share a lesser related theme: Pressure. Pressure from others is a powerful thing. This secondary theme supports each main theme; “Salvation” demonstrates what pressure from adults can do to disillusion an individual adolescent while “Letter From Birmingham Jail” demonstrates what societal pressure does to permit injustice. In this paper I intend to not only illustrate the impact pressure can have, but also examine the literary devices used by each author to illuminate their main theme, discuss how I personally related to the themes of each story, define Non-Fiction, and explore the use of imagination in Non-Fiction works. Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful motivational speaker. His passion shined through in not only how he spoke, but the words themselves. This is because he used imaginative metaphors and rhetorical questions to pull his audience in. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” rhetorical questions are used sporadically throughout to engage the reader and continuously present the main theme: injustice. Sometimes King uses it to show that he and his followers have considered the other side of the issue, “One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others"” (King, 1963, p 1305)? Other times, it's to gently force the reader to consider King's point of view, “Will we be extremists for hate...
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...one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car“ (O’Connor 194). This opinion comes from the Misfit serving his lengthy time in jail where he experienced harsh prejudices. The Misfit continues to explain to the grandmother calmly, then came a “piercing scream” from the wood background where the Misfit ordered the grandmother’s family to be killed. Suddenly, Misfit’s tone turned nasty, “Does it seem right to you, lady, that one is punished a heap and another ain’t punished at all” (O’Connor 195)? This scene depicts the Misfit’s true personality; his lack of remorse for the death of the grandmother’s family has made him evil. The death of the Misfit’s father is the reason that he cannot tell what is good from evil. In fact, the Misfit recalls how his father died, “My daddy died in nineteen ought nineteen of the epidemic flu” (O’ Connor 194). This tone suggests the...
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...nature has played a major role in the conflict between others, as it creates a deceiving sense of trust, where nothing but pure hatred is present. Furthermore, this can be proven, as there will always be humans who will secretly hate each other for what they cannot be, out of sheer envy. Moreover, if this statement is true, the simple assumption is: who can absolutely be trusted in the reality. As a result, it is prominent that total trust can never be assured, as long as hatred exist throughout humans in this world. Overall, the human nature has greatly contributed to the conflict of countless people, by acting as a source of deception, only fueling those consumed with hatred and jealousy into seeking revenge. According to the English fiction play Othello written by...
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...By: Faith Amour 29 January 2016 The Historicity of Jesus Jesus: was he real or fiction? The concept of who Jesus is has evolved throughout history. Starting with the early Christians who witnessed and got first-hand testimony of His life and ministry; because of their encounter and personal experience they believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was real. Contrastingly, we have people today – 2,000 plus years later – who struggles to fathom the concept of a sinless man leaving His glories to come to a sinful, selfish world to live selflessly, and then die in the stead of the same people who would kill Him. If I was not a Christian I might have questioned this logic because humanly thinking it is absurd! However, when we go beyond faith and start to reason the concept of Jesus; the prophesy proclaiming His birth, life and death is undeniably accurate. Furthermore, the evidences for His existence is convincing, especially if we consider the evidences for other historic figures like Alexander the Great; whose history was written about 300 year after his supposed rule and conquest of the world. That is enough time to dress his story in pink and put a bonnet on it; in other words, how can we be sure that the account of his life is accurate? Yet everyone seems to take his existence at face value. In respect to the life of Jesus, there are several streams of evidences to validate His existence: archaeological findings, the accounts of early non-Christians,...
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...Regional Southern Fiction Regional southern fiction writers focused on the dialect, characters, customs, and setting of a specific region when they wrote their stories (Campbell 2010). Dialect and detailed descriptions of the region were integral to the story to make the characters authentic to the region and for readers to understand the region in which the characters lived. The descriptions of the land and the accents of the characters are what separated the south from the north. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the reader learns about the journeys of two old ladies. While these journeys are both life journeys they are different in nature. The protagonist in “A Worn Path’s” story is about a journey of race and the obstacles in life that she has had to overcome and still has to face each day of her life, while the protagonist in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is about a spiritual journey that one must take in order to find favor with God and receive His grace and all of His goodness. Both of these stories transcend time and please because the themes in both of these while different can be seen in the world around us today. Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” is a journey about race and the obstacles the old lady has to overcome in order to help her grandson whom swallowed lye a few years back and occasionally gets sick so Phoenix Jackson has to travel through the woods into town to get him medicine. The time of year that this particular...
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...which they choose to write about. “Salvation” is a story about the author trying to find his way into the church and finally see the light or Jesus so his soul will be saved and his sins forgiven. ; “Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone?” was a writing about his mother having a hard time with the American culture and how her son, the author Andrew Lam, will be when he leaves home and how the traditions she raised him on slowly will disappear along with her when she passes along. Both stories seem to send a message of events in the author’s lives where they wrote about them because of certain memories in their lives, and I will briefly go through each story in different ways. Summary of Strategies by the Authors I think Langston Hughes in “Salvation” tries to get the reader to imagine a hot sweltering church on a balmy Sunday morning. This would be the setting for the young boy at 12 years of age trying to see Jesus in another aspect because he is becoming of age for the church. The authors strategy is not to confuse the reader but to make the reader understand that Langston was not lying about seeing Jesus but in fact did not believe in Jesus because he left the boy by himself and did not rescue him from all the people in the church getting impatient of him “and I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn’t believe there was a Jesus any more, since he didn’t come to help me” (Hughes 2003 p. 352). Also with his friend using the lord’s name in vain and lying in the church...
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...CS8300 - Science Fiction Film Semester 2 -2012-13 – Nanyang Technological University Writing Assignment #2: Post 1950s Film: Robocop By: Muhammad Rifyal Giffari bin Mohamed Yacob 1. Discuss what you find most striking/interesting/relevant/significant/innovative about the film and why. There are many striking facets that the film Robocop present from the pervasive and sharp social satire of capitalism, the media and American society, but the most striking aspect for me personally is the heavy use of Christian symbolism, in the most vivid style. This stems greatly from the use of the main character Alex Murphy or later known as Robocop as a Christ figure. As a film, in terms of visual representation alone this connection to Christ can be seen in several scenes. First of all in Murphy’s death scene, it is the most dramatic, drawn out and methodically visceral. The process seems completely to follow step by step with the crucifixion story, with Murphy being forced onto the floor as though being put on the cross and the subsequent shooting off of the hand recounts Jesus’ hands being nailed to the cross. He furthermore is shot in the chest several times and finally suffers a head wound like that of the crown of thorns. One may argue it is simply the style of the film with over the top violence, but it also highlights one of the key aspects of the Christ allegory – the systematic pain and torture endured during the crucifixion. More visual Christian symbolism is used late...
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...shown in this short story. The beginning of the story starts with a quote by St. Cyril of Jerusalem who was one of the first theologians of the early church. “The dragon is by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the father of souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.” This quote references how the devil sits by the side of the road distracting people from God in their walk through life. O’Conner’s story revolves around one family that had become self-absorbed. Their grandma tried to warn them of their fate and feebly tried to get them to change their focus in life. Unfortunately, her clouded judgment led them to the dragon by the side of the road known as “The Misfit,” who was in fact a devil laying in wait and judging which individuals may pass. The story does not go into detail of the horrible things the Misfit had done in the past, but only the details of how he killed the family after their car accident. Interesting enough, he mirrors St. Cyril’s dragon and devours this family. His whole approach to the accident shows the lack of care for others. He did not rush to help, ask if anyone was injured, or offer to help – he appeared to be summing up their actions toward one another and their attitude toward life. What he saw was the fathers disrespect for his mother, the children’s self-centeredness, and the wife’s despondence. The grandmother initially recognized him as the Misfit, which forced his hand, and ...
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...Misfit and the grandmother. * Exercise a variety of critical thinking and analytical skills in order to form ideas and opinions about O’Connor’s story and her writing strategies. * Practice reading comprehension and summarization. * Employ and practice writing skills in an essay assignment. Necessary preparation: The teacher should have familiarized him or herself with Flannery O’Connor’s life and work before the lesson by using the links provided below. It is also important that the teacher review definitions of the terms characterization, irony, and foreshadowing (see below). Students are expected to have read Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” as well as her essay “Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction” (1960). This lesson plan is designed to be split into two days of class, but if the teacher judges that not all the material is necessary or that it can be covered in one period, the lesson plan can be done in one day. Introductory activity – Day 1: For today the students should have read both O’Connor’s story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and her essay on the...
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...Bibliology: Is the Bible credible? By Matt Massey Professor Ted Marvin Theology 3305 – Lectures in Systematic theology Outline I. Definition of Bibliology II. Importance of the Bible III. Reasons to trust the Bible A. The “A Priori Argument” B. The revelation of Jesus Christ C. Fulfilled prophecy of Scripture D. The suffering of the apostles E. The power of the message of the Bible F. The inexhaustible infinity of revelation G. Unity of the Bible H. Transcultural Appeal I. The honesty of the Scriptures J. The superiority and influence of the Bible K. The test of personal experience and the inward witness of the Spirit L. The indestructibility of the Bible M. History and archaeology gives credibility to the Bible N. The completeness and timelessness of the Bible O. The claims of the Scriptures themselves IV. Closing Bibliology is simply “the study of the Bible.” For Christians, the Bible is the most sacred of books and on it hinges the entire religion of Christianity. Were the Bible to ever collapse, Christianity would have no foundation on which to rest and it too would follow suit shortly thereafter. For the skeptic, the Bible is a book in which good ideas, morality, fables, myths, and oftentimes blatant lies are contained. It is the express purpose of this paper to examine the evidences which give rise to the credibility of the Biblical text. There are a great many different aspects of...
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...Christian Alonzo English 1302 Professor Duncan 16 June 2015 Topic Proposal: Religious affairs in A good Man Is Hard to find In Flannery O Connors southern gothic short story, “a good man is hard to find” the protagonists that are presented seem to be in a gloomy and fragile relationship in what seems to be your cliché American family. The family as you would expect from O’Connor’s writing is in its own way corrupt and what many catholic enthusiasts would say, need Jesus. The Grandmother being the worst case of them all and in the story shows examples of gluttony and lust, two major sins in the Roman Catholic faith. These sins are the eventual downfall of the entire family. This essay will view the repercussions that occur for lathering in a life of sin and argue that salvation can be disguised in many ways even as malicious at times. It will utilize research directly from the psychoanalytic concept, traumas, and realizations of the few characters who get passed they’re own demons and come to a self-religious realization. Additionally, the essay will pursue the relationships between the grandmother, the misfit, and the son, John Wesley and his Mother and their last minute, virtuous moments right before Gods jurisdiction is handed upon them. John Wesley realizes that his actions anytime before that moment were inexcusable towards his mother, but now it is too late as he is murdered in the woods and the grandmother’s having her salvation just before the Misfit eradicates her...
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...has not always been understood in the same manner. Many individuals have interpreted it in different ways, majority admiring it, others accepting it, some just flat out trashing it. But, the fact of the matter still stands that the specific lifestyle taught in the sermon is simply impossible for a person to achieve completely. Overall, I believe that the lifestyle presented in the Sermon on the Mount is a mixture of hyperboles and metaphors rather than literal teachings from Jesus. I do not agree at the idea of contradicting everything the sermon states. Interpreting it in a more general sense instead of overanalyzing every word for the purpose of achieving salvation is much more realistic. In this paper I will analyze the text with my opinion in mind and surface the lifestyle in a clear method. The sermon is divided into several main parts including the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, and the discourse on judgment and holiness. The Beatitudes and the relation to Light and salt displayed in Matthew (3-16) states, “Happy are the poor in spirit because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, Happy are the mourners because they will be comforted…Happy are the poor of heart because they will see God.” These statements as well as the other five are concerned with virtue and how a believer in Jesus Christ can achieve that virtue. In my opinion, the beatitudes should not be taken as a set of demands or instructions but instead as a guide. They point. They teach. They show us the values...
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...of this essay, I will make an effort to respond on several concerns regarding the overall viewpoint from which Buddhists see and understand the world. I deem that the Buddhists worldview can be very fascinating and complicated in several ways. In addition, in Aspect II, I will display how the Buddhists worldview makes a large comparison in comparison to a/the Spiritual / Christian worldview. Aspect I Presenting Buddhism’s Multiple Viewpoints on Worldview The question of Origin: Buddhism is a religion that involves a wide range of customs, values and methods mostly depending on lessons linked to Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhist believe the world have no beginning or end. “The Buddha added the notion that all creatures, including man, are fictions: there is really no "self"; only a series of occurrences that appear to be individual persons and things.” (The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error 2. Compiled by Steven Cory. Copyright 1986, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. ). The question of Identity: Buddhism instructs that there is no self, but instead there are individual, ever-changing elements that create who we are. Buddhists also believe “what keeps man in this cycle is known as Karma. Although good Karma can have a positive effect, it is still viewed as a curse; since good and bad Karma keeps a person locked in this life cycle of reincarnation.” (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013). The question of Meaning/Purpose: Buddhism stocks many of the values of Hinduism. However, they...
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