Essays on Original Sin

Abstract

The decision to invade and occupy Veracruz, Mexico in 1914 by the Americans was a serious mistake. This brought about the development of resentment by the Mexicans of America, as it came on the heels of the loss of Mexican territory to the United States. President Wilson’s decision was clearly an example of the meddling that was to be typical of the United States in order to promote its hegemony around the world. That the United States would go as far as making decisions on who would become the leader of states such as Mexico and other neighboring ...

Islam and Christianity

The paper describes differences between Christians and Muslims within America. Additionally, the paper analysis of how spiritual views of Christians or Muslims affect the relations of the two groups. Some of the traits considered negative when practised by Muslims or Arab Americans but positive when practised by Christian Whites are discussed. Muslims consider Jesus as an upright Prophet of their faith but not God as Christians regard Him. This is the main message by Mohammed that is to tell followers of Islam to worship God. According to Quran 112: 1-4, God is considered unique and provider of everything. God ...

BODY AND SOUL RELATIONSHIP FROM GREAT THINKERS

Body and Soul relationship The relationship between body and soul has been the main concern for many thinkers since the beginning of the history of philosophy. In this paper, we will be exploring this relationship from the perspective of three great thinkers: Plato, Aristotle, and Saint Agustin. They were all interested in this relationship, and as they do have common views, they also differ in many areas. The main concern that these three thinkers have is that the humans are made of both body and soul. They can see and touch the body, but they cannot touch the soul. ...

The topic of good and evil has been discussed across all religions, with different religions having divergent views on what is considered good or evil. Some people do believe that right exists while others claim evil does not. It is this varied opinions on what is good and what evil that explains the different levels of humanity practice. This paper describes the view of good and evil, giving details on how it relates to Christianity, and how it is manifested in the social environment. Secondly, human nature is substantially more complicated than what most people would perceive. In human ...

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is one of the most famous novels by the American romantic writer. While the novel is well-known for its depiction of the relationships between the characters, and the romantic plots and subplots, the novel also has great value as a historical study of the Puritan period. Puritan society was a highly gendered society, with strict gender roles for men and women, and a well-established patriarchal society. Explorations of the novel, and of the depiction of Hester’s character, her punishment, and her actions in the novel can help reveal whether Hawthorne was realistically ...

The Response of the Victorian Churches to Charles Darwin’s Doubt

Pitch Contrary to the perception of the Victorian Era as one of the highlight of English Christianity and even morality among societies, the situation was not so behind closed doors. The people were beginning to question the Biblical inspirations and teachings based on Christian doctrines that had otherwise defined their existence and faith for centuries. Accordingly, the sources of doubt were twofold: there was a rapid development of biblical criticism, and the scientific discoveries were challenging cultural norms. Perhaps there was no original sin. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution presented an alternative for the European societies of the ...

Question one.

Joad recalls his interest in religious matters when he got involved in discussions of the region back in the Oxford University where he was a student. Joad indicated that the debates about religion left him an agnostic Christian, who became suspicious of all dogmatic creeds. Other than the wake of world war two and return of Nazis, Joad did recall that obtrusiveness of evil was yet another reason for a renewed interest in religious matters.

Question two.

Joad meant evil to be cruelty, oppression, savagery, violence, egotism, aggrandizement and lust for power. In his view, evil was becoming powerful in his ...

Augustine and Pelagius on Nature and Grace

In the 5th century, in the Church of Rome, the theological debate arises about the balance of forces of human nature and the grace of God in the salvation of man. Long before the separation of the Churches, the theological debate has significant influences on the development of Western Christianity both in the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. Particularly, the debate focused with the two important and outstanding names of the history, the Father of the Western Church, Saint Augustine of Hippo with his counterpart monk Pelagius, both are involved of this argument. Correspondingly, the Pelagian controversy has changed ...

Introduction

The article focuses on the notion that every human being has the dignity of having been made the image of the Supreme God. It is considered the most fundamental principle every Christians’ moral life. God has bestowed an immortal soul to every humankind and the gift of intelligence as well as the reason to aid us in understanding the perfect order of things as established in His magnificent creation. Additionally, God has given the humankind freedom to endeavor as well as love the things that are true, beautiful and good. Nevertheless, all humanity suffers the ramifications of the original ...

Response Paper

One Spark Starts (and Stops) the Flame One of the greatest problems for politicians in the United States of America during the last decade of the twentieth century was crime. They were constantly fighting against it, with success in most areas, yet which did not expand to one of the greatest cities in this country. There was a diminution of criminal activity in the decade of the 1990s throughout the United States of America (Davies). This was caused by the economy getting better, people looking for employment, drug use going down and the average age going up. Nevertheless, this ...

Transcendence and Human Knowledge

In Christian theology, transcendence is a paramount idea as it refers to the fact that God is completely removed from the world, and can be found beyond the material universe. This stands in opposition with religious ideas which place God within the material world. When the human knowledge reaches the limits of what science can explained, going beyond this limit means experiencing transcendence. In the Bible, concepts on transcendence and human knowledge refer to ignorance and self-knowledge. The concept of self-knowledge however must be distinguished from the idea of transgressive knowledge which tests the limits of human understanding and ...