Philosophy Of Religion The Existence Of The Almighty...

There is an ordinary drive to be curious and skeptical about almost everything. The very dubious minds will always find themselves asking why. One of the greatest unknown wonders reputes the existence of the almighty being, God. There have been millions of reports by people claiming they have had religious experiences with God. The question is whether this reckons as sufficient evidence to interactions with God, and whether it should be justifiably accepted as knowledge. Philosopher, William P. Alston, recorded his findings and beliefs regarding this matter in his publication, Perceiving God, in 1991. Conversely, philosopher, William L. Rowe, refuted Alston’s findings in his book, Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction, in 2007. Rowe†¦show more content†¦It is bigoted to assume that all experiences must be perceived through the obvious senses. Accordingly, God is a spiritual being and therefore must be explored through a spiritual light. A mystical experience is form of perception. This raises the question of what example perception is. Alston elucidates that perception is termed by presentation, appearance and givenness. However, perception is all-together â€Å"independent of conceptualization, belief, or judgment† (Alston, 1991, p. 187). When perceiving, one can either see or think. Through the action of seeing one is strictly perceiving, however when thinking, one is applying concepts, beliefs or judgments to sway the end perception. A perception must be a constant, it must appear one way. With such beliefs, a skeptical thinker will argue that one’s conceptualization, belief or judgment will still sway how something is perceived. Alston rebuts by illuminating the point that although humans have their own conceptual beliefs and judgments altering how something is understood, it does not interfere with the perception of what is. In order to form a perception of, for example X, there are conditions necessary for it’s appearance. X must exist, X must have a significant casual contribution to a c urrent experience, and the perception of X results in beliefs about X (Alston, 1991, p. 188). Alston moves on to state that he will argue that mystical experiences are rightShow MoreRelatedThe Natural Law Theory Essay examples1037 Words   |  5 Pagesonly be obtained by following the natural law theory. God created a set of laws as a supreme guide for humans to live life, like any law these laws were created to ensure wellbeing for everyone. The laws he created are the civil law, the natural law and the divine law God created them from a law much superior than the rest, one which only God himself has the knowledge of, the eternal law. 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Science tells us that the Earth was created rel atively 4.5 billion years ago and life evolved fromRead MoreDoes God Exist1483 Words   |  6 PagesDoes God Exist The question of God’s existence has lingered in the mind of man since the dawn of religion. The simple fact that billions of people consider themselves to have some allegiance to a deity means that this question deserves to be seriously considered. In this paper I will argue for the sake that God does exist and the reasons why. I will include many of the arguments found in our philosophy book and those covered in class as well as other subjects such as human suffering and the reasonsRead MoreMonotheism Is The Most Important And Foundational Concept971 Words   |  4 Pagesis the belief in one God, who is the most important and foundational concept in Islam. Muslims believe in one God who created the universe and has power over everything within it. 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Gay Marriage Should Be Legal - 1855 Words

Imagine that a government purposefully denied over 1,000 rights and benefits from one group of people who haven t broken any laws, would you support that government? Years ago, homosexuality was unacceptable. Most that were gay hid it from others and did not act upon it. In the United States, same-sex couples are denied legal marriage. Gay marriage in the United States is a big conflict nowadays and we as the people have to do something to fix it. We need to fight for equal rights guaranteeing marriage rights to same sex couples.The fight for the allowance of same-sex marriages has been a long process, and just recently the issue is coming more into the light of current politics. In a country where there is separation between church and†¦show more content†¦It is such a growing debate nowadays on which country is permitting it and which country is not. Back in the 1970s is when the first big debate on gay marriage took place. It started an uproar and led to many riots and c haos. It finally started settling down in 1973 when protesting started. In July of 2012 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that gay marriage had contributed more than $259 million to the city s economy since the practice became legal there in July 2011. The Episcopal Church stated in Resolution made in 2006, that it opposes any state or federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriage or civil unions. When it comes to marriage, it is defined as a religious institution defined by religious practices and beliefs. Boise states that, â€Å"Countries as Catholic as Spain, as different as Sweden and South Africa, and as near as Canada have embraced gay and lesbian marriage without any noticeable effect—except the increase in human happiness and social stability that comes from permitting people to marry for love. Several states—including Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont—have individually repealed t heir bans on same sex marriage as inconsistent with a decent respect for human rights and a rational view of the communal value of marriage for all individuals† (Boies). Giving the people the right to

Museum Visit Free Essays

The museum was a safe haven for housing art and historical facts of the many cultures all round the world. The Creation Stories at the Michael Carols Museum were fascinating and interesting. My favorite was the â€Å"God Spoke the Earth: Stories of Genesis in Prints and Drawings†. We will write a custom essay sample on Museum Visit or any similar topic only for you Order Now The exhibition was narratives from the book of Genesis. Marc Chloral born in 1889 was a F-ranch artist who traveled to Palestine after a 1930. His work was to illustrate stories from the Old Testament. His Jewish heritage lined up with his immediate connection to the Holy Land. There were many in the Holy Land that spoke his native Yiddish and Russian. His lithograph, The Bible II, found in his 2nd series was an expression to accentuate a narrative to the creation story. The painting was that of blues, grays and subtle yellows that evoked the sense of light, water, earth and life emerging but of the firmament. Chloral depicts Adam pulling the forbidden fruit rather than Eve. His painting put emphasis into the virtues of womanhood and female figures. The female images appear in almost every image of the painting. At this time was Chloral’s first exploration into art in a Biblical expression, Hitler came to power over Germany. The Nazi party opposed the work of Chloral and deemed it as a threat to the Western violation. Chloral had a lot at stake being an artist from France exploring Jewish theories. Due to the disapproval, Chloral had to flee to the United States and by the help of an American journalist; he was able to obtain forged Visas to make the journey to the United States. John Waddled Barnes, American artist, born in 1921 and deceased in 2008. His illustrations were in pen and ink wash. His artwork was of the story of Joseph. The art on display was his pieces that reflected the different pieces of Josephs story such as; Jacob interprets the moon devoting son, Joseph, Jacob consoles Rachel, Joseph awake after wedding night, Joseph tries on the coat, Joseph tells dream, Joseph sojourn in the well, Traveling merchants rescue Joseph, Joseph before the Sphinx, The ladies party, Joseph feels from Potash’s wife, Joseph interprets the dream, Meeting of Jacob and Joseph in Egypt. The artwork is beautiful with dark and light colors. The paintings are like sketching that have expressions very felt by the viewer. â€Å"Birth of Cain† was an engraving piece of art by a Dutch artist, Adrian Collars (1560-?1618). This artwork was at a time were the Protestant Reform in North Europe was occurring. The Council of Trend convened between 1545-?1563 in discussing the reform of the Catholic Church. The key topic was on sacred images being permissible only if it didn’t mislead or corrupt the viewer. In an order for an imagery to be accepted it should encourage the viewer devotion in connection to scripture. The scenes of Genesis depicted a hard life of God’s creations Adam and Eve. The art was to allow the viewer to experience the agony and hardship that Adam and Eve endured outside of paradise. This reflected God’s punishment which was painful birth, short life spent in a dangerous and inhospitable land. The ewer was also made aware of the first time an act of violence and malice in the story of Able being murdered by his own brother Cain. Collars wanted the viewer to mediate and have a sense of responsibility and loss that Adam and Eve felt as a result of sin. John Martin (1789-?1854) fourth series print, Adam and Eve hearing the Judgment of the Almighty, was a Mezzanine from 1831. Martin took a series of prints illustrated from the Bible in an effort to repeat the series from that of John Million’s Paradise Lost. Adam and Eve were rebuked by God represented by rays of light shining from trees at the right: Have you eaten from the tree of which commanded you not to eat? † (Gene. 1) The Seated Buddha of India Peak period was in black stone. It represented touching the earth calling upon the earth goddess as witness to his ability to attain enlightenment. The tree above his halo is a branch of the Booth tree under which he has reached the final stage of spiritual advancement. His throne is a typical lion’s throne which reflects two lions and an elephant at the base. The Egyptian coffin lid was beautifully detailed. It was from the Egyptian dynasty of 1190- 1075 BC- The coffin was of wood, geese, pigment bronze, calcite (Egyptian alabaster). This was uniquely carved. The artist was very artistic in all aspects of the facial features and the perfect carved hands. Tablet with an account Of a Deluge was from the late Babylonian period of 1699-?1600 BC, Nipper Mesopotamia, of clay. The lower portion of the fragment of the clay tablet was written in Sumerian cruciform script and it relates to a tale of flood that destroyed mankind and it’s parallel to the story of Noah in the Bible. I found it fascinating that it reads; â€Å"A flood will I send which will affect all mankind at once. But seek the deliverance before the flood breaks forth for over all living beings. However, many there are will I bring annihilation, destruction and ruin. How to cite Museum Visit, Papers

The Spiritual Effect on Actions Essay Example For Students

The Spiritual Effect on Actions Essay Spirituality is held by all cultures. It is such an important theme; it has been used in many books over the centuries. Both Isebel Allendes House of the spirits and Herman Hesses Siddhartha show the same spiritual characteristics. In House of the spirits theres Clara, who believes that her powers can be used to help others, and her son, Nicholas, who uses the beliefs of spirituality for commercial venues. In Siddhartha, we see Siddhartha who believes that through traveling, both physically and mentally, he will achieve enlightenment. While, Govinda believes that that hearing strictly the doctrine will be a path to enlightenment. From all of these characters we see that even though the beliefs are different, they are all driven by their beliefs. In both books we have examples of two characters with two different spiritual beliefs and because of that, they act differently. For house of the spirits, we have Clara and her son Nicholas. For Clara, her life while she grew up was very peaceful, Claras adolescence past calmly in her parents large house with its three court yards. She was spoiled to death. .. With the most tender of intentions. (page 78) This led her to be calm, peaceful, and unselfish, which showed later in her life. An example is when she help the gardener, Clara took out her slate from her apron pocketClara told him what to do and won 80 pesos. (Page 78) Even when she has grown up, she manages to help or tried to, other people thanks to her skills. Before the major earthquake stroked she said, theres going to be an earthquake! Clara announced . this time its going to be different. There will be thousands dead. (Page 158) She said this in hope that people would prepare for it, thus minimizing the casualties. On the other hand, Nicholas has a different perspective on his spiritualities, Nicholas interest in supernatural things begun years earlierbut it soon became abundantly clear that he had not the slightest talent for Clairvoyance. . Tarots Cards and the I Ching. (page 187-188) Showing that he failed at normal attempts at spiritual ideas of her mother. But still thought it could be useful for himself. We see him taking an advantage of his spiritualities when Nicholas has established another academy for uniting himself with nothingness and that he had been so successful that he had the wealth that had not been able to with his balloon or sandwiches. (page 300) This selfishness is a sharp contrast to the selflessness that Clara showed. Another example of two people who have different ideas of spiritualities, which causes them to act differently, can be found in Siddhartha. Siddhartha and Govinda were very close friends, but they parted ways because of different ideas. Siddhartha believed that to find enlightenment he had to make a journey alone and learn. This is evident when he leaves the Samanas This is why Im continuing my wandering. to obtain my goal alone or to die. (Page 19) This journey is very important to Siddhartha and he has decided that only he can teach himself. He does not think the doctrine of others is useful for his journey. This is seen when That I have become distrustful and weary of teaching and learning. ..from teachers. (Page 13) These beliefs in self-discovery led him to join the Samanas You all go to the forest and be a Samana to the gods together. (page 7) Much later in his life he would strike out on his own when he became a ferryman by the side of the river, I shall remain by this river at the time a friendly ferryman took me across. (page 54) Again spending time for self-discovery. This is completely different from Govindas belief in learning from doctrine. We see this when Govinda meets Siddhartha as the wise man and asks, do you have a doctrine? Do you have a faith, or a body of knowledge that you follow that helps you live and act properly? (page 75) This need for a doctrine is so important to him that he asks for a doctrine on another occasion, Give me something to accompany me on my path. .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 , .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .postImageUrl , .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 , .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516:hover , .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516:visited , .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516:active { border:0!important; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516:active , .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516 .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u03d0d3ca67ff9acc39c2648e3846b516:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Deviant Sociology InterviewReasearch 8 pagebibliog Essay (page 80) He believes that it is essential for him to learn from others, that earlier in his life he parted from Siddhartha in favor to staying with the Samnas, When Siddharthain which Govinda remained behind. (pg 20) Also, he approaches Siddhartha for knowledge later in his life, but I have never ceased to seek to be my destiny. (page 74) This is completely against what Siddhartha believed. This contrast in beliefs leads characters to act in completely different manners. There is a drastic difference between Claras charitable nature and Nicholas capitalistic ideals, or between Siddharthas quest of self-discovery and Govindas reliance upon doctrine. These differences are found between mother and son, and between two very good friends. In all cases though, their beliefs of spirituality determined the actions that they took. Some were successful, such as Siddhartha, who found enlightenment, or Nicholas, who became very rich. Others were not successful, such as Govinda, who never achieved enlightenment. This reliance on their beliefs to guide their actions makes their spiritual beliefs all the more important to each character. This is true for the whole world, as spirituality has been involved with almost everything about our humanity, from the very beginning of our civilizations.