1. In Judaism, what is the role of revelation?
The concept of revelation is extremely important to the Jews. When broken down, everything they believe is based on one revelation or another. The definition of a revelation is "the divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence or the world."(Macintosh Dashboard Dictionary) To Jews, these revelations come mainly in the form of actions, things God does that let them know something they previously did not. The most prominent example of God providing revelation through action is the Jewish Exodus, when the Jews were liberated from the grasp of Egypt. The Jews saw this as hard-core proof that God existed and had chosen them as his people, for they could not have pulled off the large scale escape and random unification of a scattered group without any sort of Godly intervention. More than the existence of God, it also brought forth his goodness, power, and concern for humans. Just as one thing leads to another, one revelation does the same and it soon became clear what God wanted from Humans. Revelation is the manner in which the Jews have discovered everything that makes up their religion.
2. What is the concept of the "chosen people" in Judaism
The concept of chosen people in Judaism is less pretentious than it initially appears. One could take it as the Jews thinking that they hold a special place in God's heart or that they are elevated above the rest of humanity, however to the Jews, "chosen" holds a different meaning. It means they have been chosen as a vector for God's lessons and a connecting line between God and the rest of humanity. The Jews serve God and suffer for him so that all of man kind may see the right path, they are, in a sense, the chosen sacrifices of the earth.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
TWR 2
1. In Judaism, what is the meaning of suffering?
Smith describes suffering as "God's way of underscoring the demand for righteousness." In Judaism, the main sources of group suffering have been the two exiles from Jerusalem. The Jews viewed this as a punishment from God. God created the suffering by having Jerusalem's enemies exile it's people because they had stepped off the path at some point and they needed to learn their lesson. This aspect of suffering has a historic/savior-esque telt to it, because in some instances, God imposes one big suffering in order to teach a longstanding lesson to be passed through generations. This prevents future generations from having to endure the pains of their ancestors. This view serves several different purposes: one, it glorifies God, strengthening his image as the Almighty,two, it protects the faith of the Jewish people, for had they accepted their exile as an act of their enemies God, it would have derailed their belief system and three, it weeds out the faithful, those who are devout enough to endure the suffering because it is God's will.
2. In Judaism, what is the meaning in Messianism?
The simplified version of the meaning behind the Messianic idea is that it gives the Jewish people a hopeful motivation. The views of the western world were largely formed based on the influences of the Jews, giving the west this idea that life can always improve. This train of thought was very important to Jews because, as they were so oppressed by the surrounding nations, if they were to believe that things could only get worse, their faith would either be shaken or become pointless. As Smith puts it, "Underdogs only have one direction to look, and it was the upward tilt of the Jewish imagination that eventually led the West to conclude that the conditions of life as a whole might improve." The literal meaning of the word Messiah is someone who is anointed or elevated, a title of honor originally for kings and priests, however the word evolved to describe a person who would restore the Jews to their former glory.
Messianism embodied three ideas after it became a fully developed concept, hope, national restoration and world upgrade. These ideas were presented in several forms. Some believed in an actual messiah while others believed God would come directly to earth and restore the world and some foresaw a time of apocalypse where the world would be destroyed before the restoration could occur. In any case, the basic idea of hope for a better time for the Jewish people, a return to their homeland, is the backbone of the messianic idea.
3. In Judaism, what is meant by the "hallowing of life"?
The Hallowing of Life is the conviction that all life and everything is part of God and therefore holy in one way or another. All life is part of God and therefore Hallowed. The hallowing, however, also includes a way to show reverence for this ever connected holiness. The rituals help to remind people of the glory of God and the magnificence of his creation. These rituals can also help people through tough times as well as bolster the pleasure of the good ones. While these rituals may seem strange and or pointless to the secular observer, the Jews find two important reasons to keep practicing them. First, in the eyes of Judaism, to fulfill a ritual holds more meaning than verbally professing their reverence for God. Smith compares this idea to love, "Is love better expressed through words or an embrace?" Second, within these rituals lies the meaning of life itself. To practice is to honor and acknowledge centuries of God's great works and shows.
Smith describes suffering as "God's way of underscoring the demand for righteousness." In Judaism, the main sources of group suffering have been the two exiles from Jerusalem. The Jews viewed this as a punishment from God. God created the suffering by having Jerusalem's enemies exile it's people because they had stepped off the path at some point and they needed to learn their lesson. This aspect of suffering has a historic/savior-esque telt to it, because in some instances, God imposes one big suffering in order to teach a longstanding lesson to be passed through generations. This prevents future generations from having to endure the pains of their ancestors. This view serves several different purposes: one, it glorifies God, strengthening his image as the Almighty,two, it protects the faith of the Jewish people, for had they accepted their exile as an act of their enemies God, it would have derailed their belief system and three, it weeds out the faithful, those who are devout enough to endure the suffering because it is God's will.
2. In Judaism, what is the meaning in Messianism?
The simplified version of the meaning behind the Messianic idea is that it gives the Jewish people a hopeful motivation. The views of the western world were largely formed based on the influences of the Jews, giving the west this idea that life can always improve. This train of thought was very important to Jews because, as they were so oppressed by the surrounding nations, if they were to believe that things could only get worse, their faith would either be shaken or become pointless. As Smith puts it, "Underdogs only have one direction to look, and it was the upward tilt of the Jewish imagination that eventually led the West to conclude that the conditions of life as a whole might improve." The literal meaning of the word Messiah is someone who is anointed or elevated, a title of honor originally for kings and priests, however the word evolved to describe a person who would restore the Jews to their former glory.
Messianism embodied three ideas after it became a fully developed concept, hope, national restoration and world upgrade. These ideas were presented in several forms. Some believed in an actual messiah while others believed God would come directly to earth and restore the world and some foresaw a time of apocalypse where the world would be destroyed before the restoration could occur. In any case, the basic idea of hope for a better time for the Jewish people, a return to their homeland, is the backbone of the messianic idea.
3. In Judaism, what is meant by the "hallowing of life"?
The Hallowing of Life is the conviction that all life and everything is part of God and therefore holy in one way or another. All life is part of God and therefore Hallowed. The hallowing, however, also includes a way to show reverence for this ever connected holiness. The rituals help to remind people of the glory of God and the magnificence of his creation. These rituals can also help people through tough times as well as bolster the pleasure of the good ones. While these rituals may seem strange and or pointless to the secular observer, the Jews find two important reasons to keep practicing them. First, in the eyes of Judaism, to fulfill a ritual holds more meaning than verbally professing their reverence for God. Smith compares this idea to love, "Is love better expressed through words or an embrace?" Second, within these rituals lies the meaning of life itself. To practice is to honor and acknowledge centuries of God's great works and shows.
Monday, December 7, 2009
TWR 1
1. In Judaism what is the meaning in history?
History holds a special importance in Judaism. First of all, in Judaism, God is active in the lives of the Hebrews, therefore it is important for the Jews to keep and acknowledge a record of God's interventions. God is timeless and therefore was and will be involved in everything, making it nonsensical to denounce history as unimportant because if God was involved, it must have some significance. History is also has an obvious contextual importance helping to define the Biblical Characters within their place in the chronology of Judaic history (and subsequently what their cause and effect was on the story).
2. In Judaism what is the meaning in morality?
In Judaism, there are 4 areas which are considered to be dangerous in terms of morality. These four zones are force, sex, wealth, and speech. All four are a form of some kind of social interaction and Judaic Law (613 Commandments) aims to monitor these social interactions. If all laws are met, then one would be considered to be 'moral.' Therefore, morality has a large importance in Judaism because God mandates it and it is another way to show devotion.
3. In Judaism what is the meaning of Justice?
Justice in Judaism is defined by God, ultimately. If the people are acting just, they are behaving in a manner which God approves of. Justice can be represented through many ways in Judaism. The prophets imparted justice direct from God to the people, an important deed because it impacted the flow of history depending on whether or not the justice was upheld. God imparted justice as well, straight to the Hebrew People. When nations expanded and imposed their rule upon Jerusalem, the Jews saw it as God administering justice because they had violated the laws.
Justice is given the utmost importance in Judaism as demonstrated through the prophets dealings with kings and unjust rulers of the land as well as the unjust groups of the land. In these conflicts, the just one always prevails, demonstrating that regardless of social class (king, rich, peasant), everyone must adhere to the just ways of the Lord, it is the highest point in the order of hierarchy.
Given this, justice is an extremely important and ever prevalent concept in Judaism.
History holds a special importance in Judaism. First of all, in Judaism, God is active in the lives of the Hebrews, therefore it is important for the Jews to keep and acknowledge a record of God's interventions. God is timeless and therefore was and will be involved in everything, making it nonsensical to denounce history as unimportant because if God was involved, it must have some significance. History is also has an obvious contextual importance helping to define the Biblical Characters within their place in the chronology of Judaic history (and subsequently what their cause and effect was on the story).
2. In Judaism what is the meaning in morality?
In Judaism, there are 4 areas which are considered to be dangerous in terms of morality. These four zones are force, sex, wealth, and speech. All four are a form of some kind of social interaction and Judaic Law (613 Commandments) aims to monitor these social interactions. If all laws are met, then one would be considered to be 'moral.' Therefore, morality has a large importance in Judaism because God mandates it and it is another way to show devotion.
3. In Judaism what is the meaning of Justice?
Justice in Judaism is defined by God, ultimately. If the people are acting just, they are behaving in a manner which God approves of. Justice can be represented through many ways in Judaism. The prophets imparted justice direct from God to the people, an important deed because it impacted the flow of history depending on whether or not the justice was upheld. God imparted justice as well, straight to the Hebrew People. When nations expanded and imposed their rule upon Jerusalem, the Jews saw it as God administering justice because they had violated the laws.
Justice is given the utmost importance in Judaism as demonstrated through the prophets dealings with kings and unjust rulers of the land as well as the unjust groups of the land. In these conflicts, the just one always prevails, demonstrating that regardless of social class (king, rich, peasant), everyone must adhere to the just ways of the Lord, it is the highest point in the order of hierarchy.
Given this, justice is an extremely important and ever prevalent concept in Judaism.
Friday, December 4, 2009
YOLB: Month 7
1. Yossi tells Jacobs that he is on thin ice because he is not fulfilling the full requirements of religion. He looks at the bible as a self help book when really, according to Yossi, it is a guide to serving God. Yossi tells the story of the two men who pray, one sits in his office (like he does all the time) and prays for 20 minutes and feels good about himself, the other is rushing around, really busy, and takes 5 minutes to pray in a closet. Yossi says that the hurried frantic one did the better thing because he sacrificed his valuable time to serve God, while the other had the time and did it to boost his own spirits. This latter one is analogous to Jacobs, trying to benefit himself through religion, not really serving God.
**Side note, I find this disturbing because nobody can tell what God really wants, therefore, how you would serve him is up to interpretation. This gives way to the justification of terrible things in order to "serve God" however one may think that should be done. In other words, i disagree with Yossi and think that Jacobs is on the right track with the self help approach.
2. Jacobs realization is that God, if he did all the things the bible says he does, is truly amazing. He compares himself and his creation of an article for Esquire and how proud he was of his work, with God's creation of EVERYTHING. He realizes that God is truly great and lets out a "Praise God." He cures himself of his awkwardness towards the God praising parts of the bible, the parts he thought were always too over the top with his realization and determines that God doesn't necessarily want you to praise him to boost his ego, but rather to take you out of yourself and look at the big picture, and thus, Jacobs becomes comfortable with praising God.
**Side note, I find this disturbing because nobody can tell what God really wants, therefore, how you would serve him is up to interpretation. This gives way to the justification of terrible things in order to "serve God" however one may think that should be done. In other words, i disagree with Yossi and think that Jacobs is on the right track with the self help approach.
2. Jacobs realization is that God, if he did all the things the bible says he does, is truly amazing. He compares himself and his creation of an article for Esquire and how proud he was of his work, with God's creation of EVERYTHING. He realizes that God is truly great and lets out a "Praise God." He cures himself of his awkwardness towards the God praising parts of the bible, the parts he thought were always too over the top with his realization and determines that God doesn't necessarily want you to praise him to boost his ego, but rather to take you out of yourself and look at the big picture, and thus, Jacobs becomes comfortable with praising God.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
YOLB: Month 6
1. Jacobs fond the red heifer to be potentially dangerous because he believes it would be the catalyst to a self fulfilling prophecy know as the end times. He fears that if the red heifer is found or genetically engineered or bred, then some of the ultra-religious Jews will see it as permission to "come home" to Jerusalem and build the Third Temple on top of the Dome of the Rock. This could cause massive wars between nations which do have nuclear weaponry and bring upon us the end times.
His hangup with the apocalyptic texts is that he does not believe the Bible actually predicts how the end will come. He thinks it is jumping the gun to predict what happens in the apocalypse. He notes that some take these texts ultra-literally and others believe none of it should be taken literally because it was written for a specific time period. He uses a quote saying that taking the Apocalyptic texts literally would be missing the point, like taking Aesop's fables to be literal truth.
2. He references this verse when comparing himself to the Israelite Hypocrites. He is still praying and praising God, but (at the time) his heart had sort of fallen out of the spirit of things. He was merely going through the motions of religious life without being truly religious. He had begun to question the times he had felt close to God in body and soul and was therefore not being devout, just putting up a front.
3. Jacobs compares the Bible to Wikipedia because it is a collaborative piece of work, edited by many rather than the single authors for each book some seem to believe in. I do agree with this take on the bible and would probably take it a step further. It was indeed edited and composed by men, not divine prophetic authors, and that gives the "word of God" an air of mortality, subject to mistakes. However, I would take it a step further and say that there is more room for error because not only is the bible like Wikipedia, a collaborative work of men, it is a Wiki page translated through numerous religions and dialects and taken out of the context of it's time.
His hangup with the apocalyptic texts is that he does not believe the Bible actually predicts how the end will come. He thinks it is jumping the gun to predict what happens in the apocalypse. He notes that some take these texts ultra-literally and others believe none of it should be taken literally because it was written for a specific time period. He uses a quote saying that taking the Apocalyptic texts literally would be missing the point, like taking Aesop's fables to be literal truth.
2. He references this verse when comparing himself to the Israelite Hypocrites. He is still praying and praising God, but (at the time) his heart had sort of fallen out of the spirit of things. He was merely going through the motions of religious life without being truly religious. He had begun to question the times he had felt close to God in body and soul and was therefore not being devout, just putting up a front.
3. Jacobs compares the Bible to Wikipedia because it is a collaborative piece of work, edited by many rather than the single authors for each book some seem to believe in. I do agree with this take on the bible and would probably take it a step further. It was indeed edited and composed by men, not divine prophetic authors, and that gives the "word of God" an air of mortality, subject to mistakes. However, I would take it a step further and say that there is more room for error because not only is the bible like Wikipedia, a collaborative work of men, it is a Wiki page translated through numerous religions and dialects and taken out of the context of it's time.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Psalms
Psalm 8:
This psalm aims to depict the glory of God's creations. It praises the heavens, and notes man's importance, as well as the animals over which he has dominion.
3. This psalm picks up on one main theme from the first chapter of Genesis, that man was given dominion over the earth by God. "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands...) In another slightly less blatant reference to Genesis 1, Psalm 8 makes a reference to everything God created. The psalm lists off the heavens, the birds, the fish, etc, all the things God created in the first week, and then praises him for all the goodness he put upon earth.
4. Poetry is an effective manner to express praise due to three main factors. The first factor is that, during the ancient times, poetry was a popular form of entertainment and media, making it the perfect forum to spread the goodness of God. Second, poems are passionate. It is quite easy to express emotions through poetry, including the love of God. The third is
Psalm 19:
This psalm is another reflection of the glory of God and the extent of him. It speaks that God is everywhere, everything, and perfect in all his actions and words. It also expresses the human desire to be approved by God and reach a level of purity deemed acceptable in God's eyes.
1. The first poem declares the excellence of God's creation, and the entirety with which God exists. This first section maces statements such as "There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" or "Their line is gone out through all the earth..." expressing the belief that God is everywhere, as well as his greatness. The second poem talks more about the moral behaviors of man and the perfect actions of God. This is expressed through lines like "the commandment of the lord is pure..." and "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sin," praying more for guidance and the ability to behave in a lordly manner.
4. The first prayer is in verse 13, asking God to keep man from sinning and to help him live in the right manner. The second prayer is in verse 14, asking God to view the last prayer as an acceptable prayer, almost as if to say "Please accept that I have said enough in my last prayer."
Psalm 23:
This psalm praises the Lord for his goodness, and expresses a trust in God that he will lead his followers down the right path and protect them in times of trouble. God is addressed in this psalm as the provider: the provider of guidance, comfort, strength, protection, blessings, and spiritual well being.
4. The over arching theme in this psalm is the providing of the Lord. Verse 5 best represents this theme, for it lists off a short list of things that the Lord does for man, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." The cup running over is especially significant in the relevance to the theme because it is symbolic of the amount of good God does for humans. He does so much that my cup runneth over.
6. This psalm, in a time of ultimate despair, could be interpreted in a couple of ways in order to help a person through a life threatening situation. First, with the image of the protector or "shepherd" portrayed upon God, one could see this as a last ditch effort to contact god and have him lead one through the shadow of the valley of death, hoping to make it out alive with the guidance of God. The second interpretation could be that one recognizes that the time of dying is upon them and looks to God to lead them through the shadow of the valley of death without fear, helping them to accept it, and ultimately take solace in the fact that they shall "dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalm 137:
This psalm is representative of one of the exiles from Jerusalem. God is not actually addressed in this psalm at all, however it is implied that God has punished the Hebrew people and they mourn the loss of their city.
1. The other psalmists were in a situation of praising God because life was good. This psalmist is in an entirely different situation because he is currently (upon writing this psalm) on the receiving end of God's wrath. This presents a new kind of problem reflected in the psalm. The author asks how he can sing the songs of Jerusalem in a strange land, highlighting the situation as extremely odd for the people of Jerusalem.
3. This psalm appeals to God's anger and wrath. The poem is a decree of sadness, for God has taken them from their homeland at the hand of foreign captors.
This psalm aims to depict the glory of God's creations. It praises the heavens, and notes man's importance, as well as the animals over which he has dominion.
3. This psalm picks up on one main theme from the first chapter of Genesis, that man was given dominion over the earth by God. "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands...) In another slightly less blatant reference to Genesis 1, Psalm 8 makes a reference to everything God created. The psalm lists off the heavens, the birds, the fish, etc, all the things God created in the first week, and then praises him for all the goodness he put upon earth.
4. Poetry is an effective manner to express praise due to three main factors. The first factor is that, during the ancient times, poetry was a popular form of entertainment and media, making it the perfect forum to spread the goodness of God. Second, poems are passionate. It is quite easy to express emotions through poetry, including the love of God. The third is
Psalm 19:
This psalm is another reflection of the glory of God and the extent of him. It speaks that God is everywhere, everything, and perfect in all his actions and words. It also expresses the human desire to be approved by God and reach a level of purity deemed acceptable in God's eyes.
1. The first poem declares the excellence of God's creation, and the entirety with which God exists. This first section maces statements such as "There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" or "Their line is gone out through all the earth..." expressing the belief that God is everywhere, as well as his greatness. The second poem talks more about the moral behaviors of man and the perfect actions of God. This is expressed through lines like "the commandment of the lord is pure..." and "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sin," praying more for guidance and the ability to behave in a lordly manner.
4. The first prayer is in verse 13, asking God to keep man from sinning and to help him live in the right manner. The second prayer is in verse 14, asking God to view the last prayer as an acceptable prayer, almost as if to say "Please accept that I have said enough in my last prayer."
Psalm 23:
This psalm praises the Lord for his goodness, and expresses a trust in God that he will lead his followers down the right path and protect them in times of trouble. God is addressed in this psalm as the provider: the provider of guidance, comfort, strength, protection, blessings, and spiritual well being.
4. The over arching theme in this psalm is the providing of the Lord. Verse 5 best represents this theme, for it lists off a short list of things that the Lord does for man, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." The cup running over is especially significant in the relevance to the theme because it is symbolic of the amount of good God does for humans. He does so much that my cup runneth over.
6. This psalm, in a time of ultimate despair, could be interpreted in a couple of ways in order to help a person through a life threatening situation. First, with the image of the protector or "shepherd" portrayed upon God, one could see this as a last ditch effort to contact god and have him lead one through the shadow of the valley of death, hoping to make it out alive with the guidance of God. The second interpretation could be that one recognizes that the time of dying is upon them and looks to God to lead them through the shadow of the valley of death without fear, helping them to accept it, and ultimately take solace in the fact that they shall "dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalm 137:
This psalm is representative of one of the exiles from Jerusalem. God is not actually addressed in this psalm at all, however it is implied that God has punished the Hebrew people and they mourn the loss of their city.
1. The other psalmists were in a situation of praising God because life was good. This psalmist is in an entirely different situation because he is currently (upon writing this psalm) on the receiving end of God's wrath. This presents a new kind of problem reflected in the psalm. The author asks how he can sing the songs of Jerusalem in a strange land, highlighting the situation as extremely odd for the people of Jerusalem.
3. This psalm appeals to God's anger and wrath. The poem is a decree of sadness, for God has taken them from their homeland at the hand of foreign captors.
Friday, November 20, 2009
YOLB month 5
1. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house...
I enjoy these kinds of biblical rules. In literalism, the quote is simple and doesn't really create any kind of conflict. It simply means WRITE THEM ON YOU DOORPOSTS. However, these types of simple biblical rules have an immensely important purpose, a purpose that really can only be fulfilled by following these simple and seemingly random rules. That purpose would be to engage your mind. By doing something so simple as writing the rules of God on your doorposts, one is force to spend a significant amount time connecting with the rules. If you spend an hour writing ten rules on your door as Jacobs did, then you instantly become more familiar with the rules. I like the fact that these seemingly pointless decrees have this underlying power to keep people conscious of how to practice good behavior. (almost like subliminal messaging)
2. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes... you shall leave them for the poor.
This is probably my favorite concept in the bible. This idea, when applied in ancient Israel, was that you shall leave food for the poor, because they need it. It is one of the verses that probably should be interpreted literally (minus the vineyard part) the concept of giving is a good one to follow. In Jacobs journey, he focuses more on the idea of sacrifice implied by this verse, giving up something of yours for God or someone else. These sacrifices force people to recognize what they HAVE, for when you give something a way (the life of a chicken or the fruits of your labor) you have no option but to think of how useful that thing was. It seems like the main goal of such sacrifices are to be mindful of self, others, the earth, God, everything really. This verse highlights the importance of mindfulness.
I enjoy these kinds of biblical rules. In literalism, the quote is simple and doesn't really create any kind of conflict. It simply means WRITE THEM ON YOU DOORPOSTS. However, these types of simple biblical rules have an immensely important purpose, a purpose that really can only be fulfilled by following these simple and seemingly random rules. That purpose would be to engage your mind. By doing something so simple as writing the rules of God on your doorposts, one is force to spend a significant amount time connecting with the rules. If you spend an hour writing ten rules on your door as Jacobs did, then you instantly become more familiar with the rules. I like the fact that these seemingly pointless decrees have this underlying power to keep people conscious of how to practice good behavior. (almost like subliminal messaging)
2. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes... you shall leave them for the poor.
This is probably my favorite concept in the bible. This idea, when applied in ancient Israel, was that you shall leave food for the poor, because they need it. It is one of the verses that probably should be interpreted literally (minus the vineyard part) the concept of giving is a good one to follow. In Jacobs journey, he focuses more on the idea of sacrifice implied by this verse, giving up something of yours for God or someone else. These sacrifices force people to recognize what they HAVE, for when you give something a way (the life of a chicken or the fruits of your labor) you have no option but to think of how useful that thing was. It seems like the main goal of such sacrifices are to be mindful of self, others, the earth, God, everything really. This verse highlights the importance of mindfulness.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
David and Goliath
3.(a)In what ways do these two opponents represent opposite views of life? (b)How do the descriptions of their weapons emphasize these contrasting outlooks?
Goliath: A grand, well adorned warrior. He is thought highly of by himself and his people and has an air of arrogance about him.
David: A small shepherd. He is devout in his beliefs and is relatively modest (until after the battle).
Their professions instantly portray a difference in their personality, for Goliath works in a profession that is perceived to feed egos and bully the Israelis and David is in the simple business of herding sheep, obviously modest and poor.
Another blatant comparison is the religious difference, David being a devout monotheist and Goliath a Pagan. This sets the scene for conflict between the different ideas, the Pagans having "defied" God, according to the Israelis.
The descriptions of their weapons emphasizes their differences in this respect: David is simple and chooses simple weapons, but he has God on his side. Goliath is chauvinistic warrior who chooses shiny swords, spears and shields, obviously no match for the divine favor granted to David.
The story aims to prove that faith in God is one of the best things one can have, illustrated by David's (the underdog) victory.
4. Is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain.
I believe not, but it is hard to determine for it can certainly be implied. No where in the text is a battle between good and evil mentioned. David is not revered by God, and Goliath condemned nor vise versa, and neither city is defined in terms of good or evil. However, it can easily be inferred that the philistines are "evil" in comparison to the Israelis who are "good" where David declares that he shall win because God is protecting him and the philistines hath defied God. It can be inferred because it appears that David wins because God was upset that the philistines hath defied him and granted divine protection over David. Afterward, the philistines are "punished" (just as God has done with the other evils in the bible) by having their village pillaged. Therefore, one could see that God was favoring the Israelis and could decide that it must be a conflict of good and evil or God would have no interest in it. However, in order to avoid false judgement based on inferences I'm going to say that it is not between good and evil, just a conflict of interest. If it is, then it justifies killing "defy-ers" in the name of God, a concept that cannot be allowed to prevail in today's society.
3. David refuses to use conventional weapons. How is this refusal a statement about the relationship between the Hebrew people and God?
This refusal highlights the Hebrews deep seated connection to God. He decides to enter the battle with no armor or swords all based on the premise that his God will protect him. It takes an immensely strong faith to put ones life in such a precarious position in the name of their God. The victory of David even greater emphasizes this deep connection, for when the Hebrews stay faithful, God provides. The Hebrews obviously have an extremely intense, devout, connection to their God.
Goliath: A grand, well adorned warrior. He is thought highly of by himself and his people and has an air of arrogance about him.
David: A small shepherd. He is devout in his beliefs and is relatively modest (until after the battle).
Their professions instantly portray a difference in their personality, for Goliath works in a profession that is perceived to feed egos and bully the Israelis and David is in the simple business of herding sheep, obviously modest and poor.
Another blatant comparison is the religious difference, David being a devout monotheist and Goliath a Pagan. This sets the scene for conflict between the different ideas, the Pagans having "defied" God, according to the Israelis.
The descriptions of their weapons emphasizes their differences in this respect: David is simple and chooses simple weapons, but he has God on his side. Goliath is chauvinistic warrior who chooses shiny swords, spears and shields, obviously no match for the divine favor granted to David.
The story aims to prove that faith in God is one of the best things one can have, illustrated by David's (the underdog) victory.
4. Is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain.
I believe not, but it is hard to determine for it can certainly be implied. No where in the text is a battle between good and evil mentioned. David is not revered by God, and Goliath condemned nor vise versa, and neither city is defined in terms of good or evil. However, it can easily be inferred that the philistines are "evil" in comparison to the Israelis who are "good" where David declares that he shall win because God is protecting him and the philistines hath defied God. It can be inferred because it appears that David wins because God was upset that the philistines hath defied him and granted divine protection over David. Afterward, the philistines are "punished" (just as God has done with the other evils in the bible) by having their village pillaged. Therefore, one could see that God was favoring the Israelis and could decide that it must be a conflict of good and evil or God would have no interest in it. However, in order to avoid false judgement based on inferences I'm going to say that it is not between good and evil, just a conflict of interest. If it is, then it justifies killing "defy-ers" in the name of God, a concept that cannot be allowed to prevail in today's society.
3. David refuses to use conventional weapons. How is this refusal a statement about the relationship between the Hebrew people and God?
This refusal highlights the Hebrews deep seated connection to God. He decides to enter the battle with no armor or swords all based on the premise that his God will protect him. It takes an immensely strong faith to put ones life in such a precarious position in the name of their God. The victory of David even greater emphasizes this deep connection, for when the Hebrews stay faithful, God provides. The Hebrews obviously have an extremely intense, devout, connection to their God.
The Story of the Flood
1.(a) What is the meaning of the statement, "Noah walked with God"? (b) What does God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?
The meaning of "Noah walked with God" is simply that he was above the men of the earth. While all the men were busy being evil, Noah was moral and just, and there for on the same playing field as God.
When God spares earth because of Noah, it suggest that he is indeed an involved God. He takes notice of humans and loves them. It is also the introduction to the Covenant. He agrees never to destroy the earth again, provided that Noah follows the covenant. God calls it "the token of his covenant".
2. Both Genesis 1-3 and 6-9 deal with the theme of evil. What is similar and different about their treatment of this theme?
In 1-3, God deals with evil (the eating of the forbidden fruit) by punishing Adam and Eve. He does not do the same in 6-9. In 6-9, his reaction to the evil is to restart his creation. The differences are because of the situation God was presented with. In each story, the evils are of a different scale, from a simple disobedience of which deserves a reprimand, to a large scale population of evil, of which needs elimination. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, he punished them by banishing them from the garden of Eden. This was done in an attempt to teach them a lesson. In comparison, in 6-9, God wanted to start over completely. He saw that his creation, man, was not good and therefore must be redone.
3.(a)How does God's giving of all creatures into human hands look back to Genesis 1:26? (b) How do God's commands look forward to the 10 Commandments?
In Genesis 1:26, God gives humans "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." He does the same when he tells Noah and his family that everything on earth shall fear them and that all the animals are meat for them. It is, in a sense, like he is creating the earth again, telling Adam and Eve the law of the land, and then giving them the rules. He does the same with Noah, telling him of the human status as dominant, and then creating the covenant.
The First Covenant is an early form of the Second Covenant. This covenant has far less rules and regulations than the second, but they are of the same archetype, i.e.) These are my rules, here is my promise.
The meaning of "Noah walked with God" is simply that he was above the men of the earth. While all the men were busy being evil, Noah was moral and just, and there for on the same playing field as God.
When God spares earth because of Noah, it suggest that he is indeed an involved God. He takes notice of humans and loves them. It is also the introduction to the Covenant. He agrees never to destroy the earth again, provided that Noah follows the covenant. God calls it "the token of his covenant".
2. Both Genesis 1-3 and 6-9 deal with the theme of evil. What is similar and different about their treatment of this theme?
In 1-3, God deals with evil (the eating of the forbidden fruit) by punishing Adam and Eve. He does not do the same in 6-9. In 6-9, his reaction to the evil is to restart his creation. The differences are because of the situation God was presented with. In each story, the evils are of a different scale, from a simple disobedience of which deserves a reprimand, to a large scale population of evil, of which needs elimination. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, he punished them by banishing them from the garden of Eden. This was done in an attempt to teach them a lesson. In comparison, in 6-9, God wanted to start over completely. He saw that his creation, man, was not good and therefore must be redone.
3.(a)How does God's giving of all creatures into human hands look back to Genesis 1:26? (b) How do God's commands look forward to the 10 Commandments?
In Genesis 1:26, God gives humans "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." He does the same when he tells Noah and his family that everything on earth shall fear them and that all the animals are meat for them. It is, in a sense, like he is creating the earth again, telling Adam and Eve the law of the land, and then giving them the rules. He does the same with Noah, telling him of the human status as dominant, and then creating the covenant.
The First Covenant is an early form of the Second Covenant. This covenant has far less rules and regulations than the second, but they are of the same archetype, i.e.) These are my rules, here is my promise.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
YOLB: Month 4
I have taken a new look on the prayer process based on Jacobs regular 10 minute prayer sessions in month 4. I have come to a conclusion about WHY the bible encourages prayer. Prayer is not simply showing your faith or asking for things, but more designed to force you to recognize what you have and be thankful for it, along with what you don't and keep you hopeful for it. Jacobs spends quite sometime talking about intercessory prayer, a form of praying in which you pray for others. This is to make sure you keep your neighbors in mind and in good thought, to keep you aware of their trials and tribulations and recognize that either life could be worse, or if not worse, you aren't the only one on the planet having hard times and deserve no special pity. Or so I think.
YOLB: Month 3
4) What is Jacob's revelation (no pun intended) when he decides to "convince myself the that the earth was formed a handful of generations ago." (When he is trying to figure out why the Answers in Genesis people believe so strongly in the creation story)
He discovers the comforting nature of believing in such a young world. If the world truly is only several thousand years old and humans were there in the very beginning, then it suggests that humans are indeed important to the world. If the average human lifespan is around 70 years, and the world has existed for hundreds of millions, then truly, the individual is of no consequence, we are just along for our very short ride and then we die.
The creation story implies that humans are the central most integral part of the universe. God gave us rule over all the earth and made us in his image during his seven days of creation. This, too, is comforting, implying that humans are needed, wanted, and have a purpose in the universe. If one doesn't believe in the creation story, then we are simply the product of random evolution, here until we change into something new or die out completely, having existed for only a small portion of the worlds existence. A greatly less nurturing idea compared to Creation. Creation places more importance on humans.
6) When Jacobs reads Ecclesiastes and comes to the conclusion, "be good for goodness sake", how does that allow him to answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Be good for goodness sake derives from the idea that we shouldn't expect rewards based on our good deeds, especially not here on earth or in this lifetime. God is mysterious and has his own plans, therefore, bad things happen to good people and vise versa, but this is only in the here and now. The true rewards come in the afterlife with heaven or hell. After reading Ecclesiastes, Jacobs (focusing on the Vapors of Vapors quote) comes to the conclusion that because everything is just vapors, then nothing can be predicted and therefore nothing can be expected. Good things can still happen to bad people, and bad things can still happen to good people, therefore we should be good for goodness' sake because being good is simply the right thing to do.
7) What is meant by the term Chasid Shote or Righteous Idiot? What does this address about religious belief?
I found this to be the most interesting part of the chapter. The idea of a chasid shote is the bible's way of discouraging fundamentalism, outlining the fact that the bible's purpose is simply to make the world better. One should not let another die for fear that saving them would violate a law. In other words, don't let bad things happen if you can stop it, even if you need to break a few rules. This addresses the fact that, in most cases, the bible is really not meant to be taken absolutely literally. There are always exceptions because the overall gist of the book is to help people behave in a morally appropriate manner, not to simply follow the processes set out by God.
He discovers the comforting nature of believing in such a young world. If the world truly is only several thousand years old and humans were there in the very beginning, then it suggests that humans are indeed important to the world. If the average human lifespan is around 70 years, and the world has existed for hundreds of millions, then truly, the individual is of no consequence, we are just along for our very short ride and then we die.
The creation story implies that humans are the central most integral part of the universe. God gave us rule over all the earth and made us in his image during his seven days of creation. This, too, is comforting, implying that humans are needed, wanted, and have a purpose in the universe. If one doesn't believe in the creation story, then we are simply the product of random evolution, here until we change into something new or die out completely, having existed for only a small portion of the worlds existence. A greatly less nurturing idea compared to Creation. Creation places more importance on humans.
6) When Jacobs reads Ecclesiastes and comes to the conclusion, "be good for goodness sake", how does that allow him to answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Be good for goodness sake derives from the idea that we shouldn't expect rewards based on our good deeds, especially not here on earth or in this lifetime. God is mysterious and has his own plans, therefore, bad things happen to good people and vise versa, but this is only in the here and now. The true rewards come in the afterlife with heaven or hell. After reading Ecclesiastes, Jacobs (focusing on the Vapors of Vapors quote) comes to the conclusion that because everything is just vapors, then nothing can be predicted and therefore nothing can be expected. Good things can still happen to bad people, and bad things can still happen to good people, therefore we should be good for goodness' sake because being good is simply the right thing to do.
7) What is meant by the term Chasid Shote or Righteous Idiot? What does this address about religious belief?
I found this to be the most interesting part of the chapter. The idea of a chasid shote is the bible's way of discouraging fundamentalism, outlining the fact that the bible's purpose is simply to make the world better. One should not let another die for fear that saving them would violate a law. In other words, don't let bad things happen if you can stop it, even if you need to break a few rules. This addresses the fact that, in most cases, the bible is really not meant to be taken absolutely literally. There are always exceptions because the overall gist of the book is to help people behave in a morally appropriate manner, not to simply follow the processes set out by God.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Genesis Response
1. What meaning are associated with light and darkness in the first chapter of Genesis?
The literal associations are simply night and day. Interpretation can take us further and bring forth the allegory of Good and Evil. It is a common theme throughout religious history and is often represented by light and dark, day and night. For example, the Egyptians represented Good and Evil with their Gods, Horus and Set. Horus was "The Sun," "The Light," "The Good One," and Set was his compliment "The Moon," "The Dark," "Evil." In Genesis, the connections between good, evil, light and dark are not implicit or even strong, but in the context of religious history, they are brought out.
4. What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
Genesis 1:28 clearly places humans as the highers of the rest of creation, telling them to replenish and subdue the earth and to have dominion (rule) over it and its animals. Historically, the implications could very well have meant that humans should harvest the earth and the animals as they need for food or as tools, however in the current generation, the verse could be taken to mean that we should develop as much as possible regardless of habitat or animal and environmental concerns.
Genesis does not directly state that animals have no soul, but it can easily be inferred because when God "...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7) he neglected to bless the animals with the same gift. This gives way to human behavior that neglects to treat animals with respect or at least civility because they are on a lower level. This is in contrast with other religions such as those of the Native American's, which respect animals based on the fact that they depend on them, or Hinduism, which places animals on an almost equal plane because of their connection to Brahma.
5. Why do you think God links "the knowledge of good and evil" with death?
The knowledge of good and evil is linked to death due to the death of innocence and the way of living they had that occurs when good and evil are discovered. Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they had no conceptions as to good or evil, almost like infants. They were relatively morally indifferent to everything, such as their nakedness. Things were viewed simply as they were. However, after they ate the fruit, that indifference and innocence died because now, they had to recognize the difference and behave "well" because they were aware of good and evil. Also, their way of living (Things are as they are) died as well because they now were required to make decisions and judgments based on the knowledge of good and evil.
The literal associations are simply night and day. Interpretation can take us further and bring forth the allegory of Good and Evil. It is a common theme throughout religious history and is often represented by light and dark, day and night. For example, the Egyptians represented Good and Evil with their Gods, Horus and Set. Horus was "The Sun," "The Light," "The Good One," and Set was his compliment "The Moon," "The Dark," "Evil." In Genesis, the connections between good, evil, light and dark are not implicit or even strong, but in the context of religious history, they are brought out.
4. What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
Genesis 1:28 clearly places humans as the highers of the rest of creation, telling them to replenish and subdue the earth and to have dominion (rule) over it and its animals. Historically, the implications could very well have meant that humans should harvest the earth and the animals as they need for food or as tools, however in the current generation, the verse could be taken to mean that we should develop as much as possible regardless of habitat or animal and environmental concerns.
Genesis does not directly state that animals have no soul, but it can easily be inferred because when God "...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7) he neglected to bless the animals with the same gift. This gives way to human behavior that neglects to treat animals with respect or at least civility because they are on a lower level. This is in contrast with other religions such as those of the Native American's, which respect animals based on the fact that they depend on them, or Hinduism, which places animals on an almost equal plane because of their connection to Brahma.
5. Why do you think God links "the knowledge of good and evil" with death?
The knowledge of good and evil is linked to death due to the death of innocence and the way of living they had that occurs when good and evil are discovered. Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they had no conceptions as to good or evil, almost like infants. They were relatively morally indifferent to everything, such as their nakedness. Things were viewed simply as they were. However, after they ate the fruit, that indifference and innocence died because now, they had to recognize the difference and behave "well" because they were aware of good and evil. Also, their way of living (Things are as they are) died as well because they now were required to make decisions and judgments based on the knowledge of good and evil.
Monday, November 9, 2009
What is the Hebrew Bible? A Summary
The Hebrew Bible (or old Testament) is a compilation of texts formed from about the 10th century B.C. to the 5th century B.C. It is divided into three sections, mainly concerned with the law of God as well as the power, love and goodness of God. The main events and themes within the book are God's greatness, The Covenant, and human tendency to stray from the right path. The Bible is one of the most influential books in history, shaping our language and poetry as well as the way millions of people think.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
1) Describe / Summarize why Jacobs goes to the creationist museum and the main points or ideas Jacobs learns or struggles with in his visit to the museum.
Jacobs decides to visit the creationist museum because, in his words, "...creationism is biblical literalism at its purest, so I need to check it out." Creationists have taken the Genesis and interpreted everything literally, therefore epitomizing biblical literalism. Also, Jacobs seeks to learn more about religion, and creationists are a group he knows not much about. Jacobs struggles mainly with the ideas that the earth is only several thousand years old as stated by creationism and cannot give up his steadfast belief in evolution. He does learn, however, something about the characteristics of biblical literals; They are not dumb, or crazy. They have a relatively normal intelligence and logical process, they just believe in creationism so much, that they are capable of filtering everything through the creationist theory and distorting whatever they need to make everything fit into its mold.
2) Comment / describe what Jacobs spiritually struggles with or discovers on Dancing like King David"
This passage was one of the most interesting in my opinion. I found it interesting because I have never heard of a "Jewish Dance Club" before, but the things he learned from it struck me as one of the more important biblical lessons up to this point in the book. He learns that, although the bible is full of strict rules that seem to make life quite difficult and relatively un-fun, it still notices the humans need to let go every now and then. Even the most devout of Jews practice the dancing, a seemingly ridiculous act, and let loose. I also noted that this passage in the bible is not very prominent, yet it contains one of (to me) the best lessons yet.
3) Describe what Jacobs specifically admires about the prophets (especially by the end of the second month?
He admires their all-trusting faith in God. For him, it is difficult to surrender that much control to an entity that may or may not exist, but the prophets dedicated their lives to the will of God. I would be in the same boat as Jacobs, it's a frightening concept to give my destiny and my life to something else, I quite enjoy believing I'm in control, however, we (Jacobs and I) lack the belief in an almighty being necessary for such faith.
Jacobs decides to visit the creationist museum because, in his words, "...creationism is biblical literalism at its purest, so I need to check it out." Creationists have taken the Genesis and interpreted everything literally, therefore epitomizing biblical literalism. Also, Jacobs seeks to learn more about religion, and creationists are a group he knows not much about. Jacobs struggles mainly with the ideas that the earth is only several thousand years old as stated by creationism and cannot give up his steadfast belief in evolution. He does learn, however, something about the characteristics of biblical literals; They are not dumb, or crazy. They have a relatively normal intelligence and logical process, they just believe in creationism so much, that they are capable of filtering everything through the creationist theory and distorting whatever they need to make everything fit into its mold.
2) Comment / describe what Jacobs spiritually struggles with or discovers on Dancing like King David"
This passage was one of the most interesting in my opinion. I found it interesting because I have never heard of a "Jewish Dance Club" before, but the things he learned from it struck me as one of the more important biblical lessons up to this point in the book. He learns that, although the bible is full of strict rules that seem to make life quite difficult and relatively un-fun, it still notices the humans need to let go every now and then. Even the most devout of Jews practice the dancing, a seemingly ridiculous act, and let loose. I also noted that this passage in the bible is not very prominent, yet it contains one of (to me) the best lessons yet.
3) Describe what Jacobs specifically admires about the prophets (especially by the end of the second month?
He admires their all-trusting faith in God. For him, it is difficult to surrender that much control to an entity that may or may not exist, but the prophets dedicated their lives to the will of God. I would be in the same boat as Jacobs, it's a frightening concept to give my destiny and my life to something else, I quite enjoy believing I'm in control, however, we (Jacobs and I) lack the belief in an almighty being necessary for such faith.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Year of LIving Biblically
1. Jacobs embarks on this journey with the notion that something in his life may possibly be missing and religion may be that thing. His agnosticism leaves him naturally questioning religion and he figures that he should try being religious before he passes it off as "not his thing". His second reason is his son. He believes that if secularism is indeed some kind of flaw in human personality, then he should do what is necessary to help his son avoid such a life path.
His goal is to connect with some kind of spirituality and conclude whether or not it is a valuable trait, whether or not it is an important part of the human experience.
My observation of the change in the nature of his questions was quite drastic. It seems that he starts out wondering whether or not religion is a good trait and whether or not he is missing out on something in life by not being religious and instantly transforms to directly questioning the bible in the sense that he asks things like "why does the bible declare crazy rules?"
2. His formal spiritual guides consist of people employed in the spiritual profession such as the rabbi Andy and a compilation of priests and ministers and what not. His informal guides are people such as his spiritual friend Roger and his uncle Gil and the poly-fiber inspector, people who are deeply involved in the spiritual realm, but are not necessarily teachers of the faith. These guides are the people to whom he goes for advice, for example, he asks the poly fiber inspector questions as to the importance of some rules over others. Is it more important to follow certain rules such as do not kill over the ridiculous ones such as those regarding wearing mixed fibers?
His goal is to connect with some kind of spirituality and conclude whether or not it is a valuable trait, whether or not it is an important part of the human experience.
My observation of the change in the nature of his questions was quite drastic. It seems that he starts out wondering whether or not religion is a good trait and whether or not he is missing out on something in life by not being religious and instantly transforms to directly questioning the bible in the sense that he asks things like "why does the bible declare crazy rules?"
2. His formal spiritual guides consist of people employed in the spiritual profession such as the rabbi Andy and a compilation of priests and ministers and what not. His informal guides are people such as his spiritual friend Roger and his uncle Gil and the poly-fiber inspector, people who are deeply involved in the spiritual realm, but are not necessarily teachers of the faith. These guides are the people to whom he goes for advice, for example, he asks the poly fiber inspector questions as to the importance of some rules over others. Is it more important to follow certain rules such as do not kill over the ridiculous ones such as those regarding wearing mixed fibers?
Monday, October 5, 2009
TOK outline 1: Prompt 2 (revised)
I. What is sense perception?
-Acquisition of knowledge
-Simplest, most direct form of recognizing information.
Thesis: Sense Perception is the first way of knowing put into action in any circumstance. However, after sense perception has done its job in recognizing what is happening, other ways of knowing take over in processing the observatory nature of the data. Sense perception plays a basic role in all areas of knowing, however depending on which other ways knowing it is coupled with, the role is changed for each area.
II. Nat Sci, Soc Sci are influenced by sense perception almost holistically since these areas of knowing are mostly observational.
-cover basics of each.
-examples of observational aspect of sciences
III. Sense perception influences Arts, Ethics and Spirituality in the sense that sense perception takes in information which in turn raises questions that can only be answered or expressed through these areas of knowledge after being processed through the emotional way of knowing.
-basics of each.
-questions raised by sense perception.
-How ethics and spirituality answers questions.
IV. Math is affected by sense perception, especially in its simpler forms, within its basis in observation, but after sense perception has done its job, reasoning takes over.
-Examples of simple math and observation
-observation can only go so far until one must be able to reason
-i.e.) i observe that i dont know what X equals, i can reason and deduce until i find it.
V. History is effected by sense perception in a drastically different way due to the second hand nature of the study. History relies heavily on language to convey information that may then be observed by sense perception and once again processed by the other ways of knowing.
-Examples
VI. Conclusion
reiterate thesis and highlight the role of sense perception in each area of knowing.
-Acquisition of knowledge
-Simplest, most direct form of recognizing information.
Thesis: Sense Perception is the first way of knowing put into action in any circumstance. However, after sense perception has done its job in recognizing what is happening, other ways of knowing take over in processing the observatory nature of the data. Sense perception plays a basic role in all areas of knowing, however depending on which other ways knowing it is coupled with, the role is changed for each area.
II. Nat Sci, Soc Sci are influenced by sense perception almost holistically since these areas of knowing are mostly observational.
-cover basics of each.
-examples of observational aspect of sciences
III. Sense perception influences Arts, Ethics and Spirituality in the sense that sense perception takes in information which in turn raises questions that can only be answered or expressed through these areas of knowledge after being processed through the emotional way of knowing.
-basics of each.
-questions raised by sense perception.
-How ethics and spirituality answers questions.
IV. Math is affected by sense perception, especially in its simpler forms, within its basis in observation, but after sense perception has done its job, reasoning takes over.
-Examples of simple math and observation
-observation can only go so far until one must be able to reason
-i.e.) i observe that i dont know what X equals, i can reason and deduce until i find it.
V. History is effected by sense perception in a drastically different way due to the second hand nature of the study. History relies heavily on language to convey information that may then be observed by sense perception and once again processed by the other ways of knowing.
-Examples
VI. Conclusion
reiterate thesis and highlight the role of sense perception in each area of knowing.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
TOK outline 1: Prompt 2.
I. What is sense perception?
-Acquisition of knowledge
-Simplest, most direct form of recognizing information.
Thesis: Sense Perception plays the same role in all of the areas of knowing (in varying degrees) given that it is the first way of knowing put into action in any circumstance. After sense perception has done its job in recognizing what is happening, other ways of knowing take over in processing the observatory nature of the data.
II. Nat Sci, Soc Sci, Math, History are all influenced by sense perception almost holistically since these areas of knowing are mostly observational.
-cover basics of each.
III. Sense perception influences Arts, Ethics and Spirituality in the sense that sense perception takes in information and raises questions that are in turn answered by these areas of knowledge via other ways of knowing. ie) emotion.
-basics of each.
-questions raised by sense perception.
IV. Conclusion
reiterate thesis and highlight the similar role sense perception plays in each area of knowing.
-Acquisition of knowledge
-Simplest, most direct form of recognizing information.
Thesis: Sense Perception plays the same role in all of the areas of knowing (in varying degrees) given that it is the first way of knowing put into action in any circumstance. After sense perception has done its job in recognizing what is happening, other ways of knowing take over in processing the observatory nature of the data.
II. Nat Sci, Soc Sci, Math, History are all influenced by sense perception almost holistically since these areas of knowing are mostly observational.
-cover basics of each.
III. Sense perception influences Arts, Ethics and Spirituality in the sense that sense perception takes in information and raises questions that are in turn answered by these areas of knowledge via other ways of knowing. ie) emotion.
-basics of each.
-questions raised by sense perception.
IV. Conclusion
reiterate thesis and highlight the similar role sense perception plays in each area of knowing.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Man vs. God Response
1. Dawkins
Thesis: God did not exist and is now an irrelevant concept because evolution effectively explains the awe-striking brilliance and complexity that is life, something commonly attributed to a benign creator.
a. Evolution makes the God concept obsolete.
b. Life exists in harmony with the laws of physics and nature.
c. It can be deduced that all life in the universe emerged in a similar Darwinian fashion.
d. Life starts simple and grows to complex.
e. Existence shan't be denounced as unimportant in attempts to save the concept of God.
2. Armstrong
Thesis: The point of God lies not within its actual existence in objective reality, but rather in the purposes the concept serve.
a. Evolution does indeed challenge the idea of an omnipotent being.
b. God is needed to help us understand our emotions and comprehend our lives and social structure.
c. Purpose of God is not to supply rational explanations, but to help people cope with life.
3. I found one of the most telling statements to be Armstrong's quote "Religion was not supposed to provide explanations that lay within the competence of reason but to help us live creatively with realities for which there are no ease solutions and find an interior heaven of peace;..." I interpreted this as such: religion was never supposed to be used as evidence for anything however it has been warped by modern theologians into a set of non provable hard facts. For example, as Armstrong mentions, Greek myths generally held no basis in actuality, but they were used as a way to convey moral and emotional teachings in an relate-able medium relative to the audience. So, this made me think, does the survival of religion truly rely upon the actual existence of God? I believe that in this day, yes, if god was proven to be non existent, then religion would collapse as an institution and be stripped down to those few truly spiritual people.
4. The existence of God was derived from the metaphysical portion of knowledge, however both authors agree that it has been challenged by new analytical knowledge (evolution) brought about through scientific studies resulting in empirical knowledge. Armstrong uses a combination of metaphysical and analytical knowledge when she makes the point that God helps us understand society. Metaphysical being the portion of God's presence and analytical being the deduction of how it works in relation to human understanding. Dawkins basis most of his article on analytical knowledge, especially when talking about the possibility of other life in the universe. He analytically knows how all life would come about; that all life would be formed in the same Darwinian manner as earth.
Thesis: God did not exist and is now an irrelevant concept because evolution effectively explains the awe-striking brilliance and complexity that is life, something commonly attributed to a benign creator.
a. Evolution makes the God concept obsolete.
b. Life exists in harmony with the laws of physics and nature.
c. It can be deduced that all life in the universe emerged in a similar Darwinian fashion.
d. Life starts simple and grows to complex.
e. Existence shan't be denounced as unimportant in attempts to save the concept of God.
2. Armstrong
Thesis: The point of God lies not within its actual existence in objective reality, but rather in the purposes the concept serve.
a. Evolution does indeed challenge the idea of an omnipotent being.
b. God is needed to help us understand our emotions and comprehend our lives and social structure.
c. Purpose of God is not to supply rational explanations, but to help people cope with life.
3. I found one of the most telling statements to be Armstrong's quote "Religion was not supposed to provide explanations that lay within the competence of reason but to help us live creatively with realities for which there are no ease solutions and find an interior heaven of peace;..." I interpreted this as such: religion was never supposed to be used as evidence for anything however it has been warped by modern theologians into a set of non provable hard facts. For example, as Armstrong mentions, Greek myths generally held no basis in actuality, but they were used as a way to convey moral and emotional teachings in an relate-able medium relative to the audience. So, this made me think, does the survival of religion truly rely upon the actual existence of God? I believe that in this day, yes, if god was proven to be non existent, then religion would collapse as an institution and be stripped down to those few truly spiritual people.
4. The existence of God was derived from the metaphysical portion of knowledge, however both authors agree that it has been challenged by new analytical knowledge (evolution) brought about through scientific studies resulting in empirical knowledge. Armstrong uses a combination of metaphysical and analytical knowledge when she makes the point that God helps us understand society. Metaphysical being the portion of God's presence and analytical being the deduction of how it works in relation to human understanding. Dawkins basis most of his article on analytical knowledge, especially when talking about the possibility of other life in the universe. He analytically knows how all life would come about; that all life would be formed in the same Darwinian manner as earth.
Monday, September 21, 2009
4 Ways of Knowing
Sense Perception:
Distinguishing truth based on the five human senses. This is a way of knowing because of the experiential manner in which it allows a person to understand an event or statement to be true.
Language:
Text or spoken words used to communicate amongst each other or to process our own thoughts. This is a way of knowing because it is how people define the things they know.
Reason:
Explaining what you know or solving problems through rationalizing based on what you believe to be true. This is a way of knowing because it is important to understand what you believe and how you can convince your self of such things before you can know something.
Emotion:
Human feelings. This is a way of knowing because if one didn't feel anything for anything, there would be no incentive to acquire knowledge.
Distinguishing truth based on the five human senses. This is a way of knowing because of the experiential manner in which it allows a person to understand an event or statement to be true.
Language:
Text or spoken words used to communicate amongst each other or to process our own thoughts. This is a way of knowing because it is how people define the things they know.
Reason:
Explaining what you know or solving problems through rationalizing based on what you believe to be true. This is a way of knowing because it is important to understand what you believe and how you can convince your self of such things before you can know something.
Emotion:
Human feelings. This is a way of knowing because if one didn't feel anything for anything, there would be no incentive to acquire knowledge.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Religion for Dummies Response #1
Why do people flock to religion?
People flock to religion because of the security it offers. It provides solid answers to our restless minds which, so long as people take it to be the absolute true word of the Higher Power, cannot be shaken. These answers allow people to know why they live (to serve or follow the doctrines of God) and therefore allows them to also keep a steady flow of contentment and happiness going throughout their lives. To follow these doctrines is also to know, without much question, what is right and wrong in the world according to the followers of a faith. To have a secure grasp on one of the most ubiquitous battles in history, "Good vs. Bad," is to eliminate one of man kinds most prevalent questions. Just as well, the average sufferings of day to day life are inevitable, but when they show up, a religious man always has someone to turn to for guidance. Religion is, in a way, an investment of the emotional kind, and so long as one can keep the faith, it is a well protected and very secure investment.
Philosophy, Spirituality, Religion: Compare and Contrast.
Philosophy is a system in which reason is heavily relied upon to decipher morals and ethics whereas religion goes beyond reason by adding things such as miracles and revelations which would not be found in philosophy. Philosophy also excludes certain religious practices such as rituals and ceremonies. Spirituality is similar to religion and philosophy in the sense that it generally excludes the ritualistic parts of religion, but also accepts things that cannot be reasoned like the higher powers. Spirituality is like reading a magazine in a waiting room, you can stay informed, know what you believe and don't, however it does not require a subscription to any specific provider. In other words, spirituality is simply ones personal connection with Ultimate Reality without the immersion in organized religion.
People flock to religion because of the security it offers. It provides solid answers to our restless minds which, so long as people take it to be the absolute true word of the Higher Power, cannot be shaken. These answers allow people to know why they live (to serve or follow the doctrines of God) and therefore allows them to also keep a steady flow of contentment and happiness going throughout their lives. To follow these doctrines is also to know, without much question, what is right and wrong in the world according to the followers of a faith. To have a secure grasp on one of the most ubiquitous battles in history, "Good vs. Bad," is to eliminate one of man kinds most prevalent questions. Just as well, the average sufferings of day to day life are inevitable, but when they show up, a religious man always has someone to turn to for guidance. Religion is, in a way, an investment of the emotional kind, and so long as one can keep the faith, it is a well protected and very secure investment.
Philosophy, Spirituality, Religion: Compare and Contrast.
Philosophy is a system in which reason is heavily relied upon to decipher morals and ethics whereas religion goes beyond reason by adding things such as miracles and revelations which would not be found in philosophy. Philosophy also excludes certain religious practices such as rituals and ceremonies. Spirituality is similar to religion and philosophy in the sense that it generally excludes the ritualistic parts of religion, but also accepts things that cannot be reasoned like the higher powers. Spirituality is like reading a magazine in a waiting room, you can stay informed, know what you believe and don't, however it does not require a subscription to any specific provider. In other words, spirituality is simply ones personal connection with Ultimate Reality without the immersion in organized religion.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Ways of Being Religious and Hermeneutic Study
Six Ways of Being Religious
Sacred Right:
A communal way of connecting with ones "Higher Being" through worship and rituals in which some sort of archetypes are imitated. This serves to renew the faith of a group through group activities devoted to any particular God, as well as establish a set of morals and general behaviors considered to be acceptable.
Right Action
An attempt to bring all followers of the faith to exist in "the way things are supposed to be." This is brought about by following the divine order. To follow the divine order is to keep things "the way they are supposed to be."
Devotion
The surrender of the individual to the God. Usually occurs through some sort of overwhelming emotional stress to high to bear, resulting in a conversion and emotional cleansing. A devotee generally expects atonement and some sort of everlasting hope and energy from the God.
Shamanic Mediation
A passing through various states of altered consciousness in attempts to unlock some deep down connection with "ultimate reality." These deep connections are to be unlocked and allow for the answering of life questions. Expressed through possession, visions, spirit journeys, etc...
Mystical Quest
An ascetic approach to stripping the human of humanly limits. An attempt to reach a direct relationship with God and live wholly within God or "ultimate reality." Once all limitations have been lost, ones focus can go straight to "ultimate reality"
Reasoned Inquiry
A systematic study of scriptures and traditions in attempt to acquire some kind of "divine wisdom" This knowledge is to be used to answer life's questions as well as snuff out any other question that may undermine the faith.
Advantages
1.They help to breakdown students preconceived notions about unfamiliar religions. They also help students to study all aspects of certain traditions and religions, rather than assuming that a single part of a religion is representative of the entire idea.
2.It allows students to see how certain parts of the religion contribute to the whole.
3.It allows for the compartmentalization of religions in a comparative manner. For example students can see the differences and similarities between any two religions by dissecting the religions into the six ways and comparing their respective parts, allowing for a more specific look into the comparable aspects of various traditions.
4.They can help one to appreciate the differences of religions rather than make false contrasts between two traditions due to a mis-comparison of two different ways of being religious.
5.This framework opens up a door for in depth comparative study without preconceptions. Once again, the ability to compartmentalize the religions into the six ways allows one to look in depth into the comparative components of each way as it pertains to the religions in question.
6.It allows for friendly non-threatening/defensive dialogue between people of a religion and different traditions.
Differences Between Eastern and Western Religions
1. Western Religions are considered to be Monotheistic. Their concept of God is highly different comparative to eastern religions. In western religions, God is placed on a pedestal, being supreme and superior to all. The main goal is to live in the direct presence of God in the afterlife. In Eastern Religions, God is a vague concept too big to dwell upon. In these religions, the end goal is more to reach a place of unity with the God concept in which you become part of the God entity in a form of Nirvana.
2.The path to the end goal is largely different between western and eastern religions. In western religions, humans repent and try to please a higher power throughout their lives as an attempt to make it into a heaven or hell. This puts the human in a position of servitude, living in a way that God would want. In eastern religions, one must strip away layers of self to reach a "higher like" status within, in which the knowledge of the world comes upon them and they are at peace. This approach is entirely self dependent, the achievement is based off of self rather than the appeasement of a higher power.
Sacred Right:
A communal way of connecting with ones "Higher Being" through worship and rituals in which some sort of archetypes are imitated. This serves to renew the faith of a group through group activities devoted to any particular God, as well as establish a set of morals and general behaviors considered to be acceptable.
Right Action
An attempt to bring all followers of the faith to exist in "the way things are supposed to be." This is brought about by following the divine order. To follow the divine order is to keep things "the way they are supposed to be."
Devotion
The surrender of the individual to the God. Usually occurs through some sort of overwhelming emotional stress to high to bear, resulting in a conversion and emotional cleansing. A devotee generally expects atonement and some sort of everlasting hope and energy from the God.
Shamanic Mediation
A passing through various states of altered consciousness in attempts to unlock some deep down connection with "ultimate reality." These deep connections are to be unlocked and allow for the answering of life questions. Expressed through possession, visions, spirit journeys, etc...
Mystical Quest
An ascetic approach to stripping the human of humanly limits. An attempt to reach a direct relationship with God and live wholly within God or "ultimate reality." Once all limitations have been lost, ones focus can go straight to "ultimate reality"
Reasoned Inquiry
A systematic study of scriptures and traditions in attempt to acquire some kind of "divine wisdom" This knowledge is to be used to answer life's questions as well as snuff out any other question that may undermine the faith.
Advantages
1.They help to breakdown students preconceived notions about unfamiliar religions. They also help students to study all aspects of certain traditions and religions, rather than assuming that a single part of a religion is representative of the entire idea.
2.It allows students to see how certain parts of the religion contribute to the whole.
3.It allows for the compartmentalization of religions in a comparative manner. For example students can see the differences and similarities between any two religions by dissecting the religions into the six ways and comparing their respective parts, allowing for a more specific look into the comparable aspects of various traditions.
4.They can help one to appreciate the differences of religions rather than make false contrasts between two traditions due to a mis-comparison of two different ways of being religious.
5.This framework opens up a door for in depth comparative study without preconceptions. Once again, the ability to compartmentalize the religions into the six ways allows one to look in depth into the comparative components of each way as it pertains to the religions in question.
6.It allows for friendly non-threatening/defensive dialogue between people of a religion and different traditions.
Differences Between Eastern and Western Religions
1. Western Religions are considered to be Monotheistic. Their concept of God is highly different comparative to eastern religions. In western religions, God is placed on a pedestal, being supreme and superior to all. The main goal is to live in the direct presence of God in the afterlife. In Eastern Religions, God is a vague concept too big to dwell upon. In these religions, the end goal is more to reach a place of unity with the God concept in which you become part of the God entity in a form of Nirvana.
2.The path to the end goal is largely different between western and eastern religions. In western religions, humans repent and try to please a higher power throughout their lives as an attempt to make it into a heaven or hell. This puts the human in a position of servitude, living in a way that God would want. In eastern religions, one must strip away layers of self to reach a "higher like" status within, in which the knowledge of the world comes upon them and they are at peace. This approach is entirely self dependent, the achievement is based off of self rather than the appeasement of a higher power.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Jesus Shaves Response
In "Jesus Shaves," David Sedaris makes one important observation; an observation one must keep in mind when studying religion. This point is that in today's world, a person of a particular faith is going to find ideas from other faiths to be far fetched or nonsensical, but if someone can believe something based on faith alone, then anyone can believe in anything.
Sedaris outlines his point by, first, telling of the scenario in which the students try to explain Christianity to a Muslim girl. The students must speak to each other in french because that is they're only common language, which ends up confusing the situation due to the fact that none of the students are fluent in french. So, with broken french, the students try to accurately convey the story of Christianity to a girl who believes in tremendously different principles and after a while, the Muslim girl stops listening to the muddled description. Sedaris then makes the point that even without the language barrier it still would have been difficult to explain the religion to the non-believer by writing, "I wondered then, if without the language barrier, my classmates and I could have done a better job making sense of Christianity, an idea that sounds pretty far-fetched to begin with."
Sedaris also accounts a conversation with his french teacher in which a dispute over the traditions and stories of Easter arises. Sedaris believes in the traditional American version involving the death of Christ, the resurrection, and the ascension to heaven all celebrated by hiding eggs, eating chocolate, and the arrival of the Easter rabbit. Hist teacher, however, believes in the French version in which a bell flies from Rome and delivers the sweets. After debating the practicalities of each story, Sedaris comes to a realization that he is basing his information on nothing more than pure faith, as is his instructor. To highlight the point that anything is believable under the wide umbrella of faith, Sedaris states, "In communicating any religious belief, the operative word is faith... I accepted the idea that an omniscient God had cast me in his own image and that he watched over me and guided me me from one place to the next. The virgin birth, the resurrection, and the countless miracles--my heart expanded to encompass all the wonders and possibilities of the universe."
The essay touches on a couple of important facts to keep in mind whence studying religions. The first is that when explaining any religion to someone who is not of the faith, it is certain that the ideas portrayed will indeed sound strange as illustrated by the incident involving the Muslim girl. Secondly, faith is a powerful thing because it requires nothing in the form of scientific or physical proof, only a whole-hearted belief in something. If one may believe in one thing without proof, then another can believe in any other thing without proof. It is important to keep this in mind when studying religion because rather than pointing out the preposterous nature of certain stories, students of religion should be looking at the history and function of such ideas. Nothing is preposterous when one bases their facts on whatever they wish to provide as proof.
Sedaris outlines his point by, first, telling of the scenario in which the students try to explain Christianity to a Muslim girl. The students must speak to each other in french because that is they're only common language, which ends up confusing the situation due to the fact that none of the students are fluent in french. So, with broken french, the students try to accurately convey the story of Christianity to a girl who believes in tremendously different principles and after a while, the Muslim girl stops listening to the muddled description. Sedaris then makes the point that even without the language barrier it still would have been difficult to explain the religion to the non-believer by writing, "I wondered then, if without the language barrier, my classmates and I could have done a better job making sense of Christianity, an idea that sounds pretty far-fetched to begin with."
Sedaris also accounts a conversation with his french teacher in which a dispute over the traditions and stories of Easter arises. Sedaris believes in the traditional American version involving the death of Christ, the resurrection, and the ascension to heaven all celebrated by hiding eggs, eating chocolate, and the arrival of the Easter rabbit. Hist teacher, however, believes in the French version in which a bell flies from Rome and delivers the sweets. After debating the practicalities of each story, Sedaris comes to a realization that he is basing his information on nothing more than pure faith, as is his instructor. To highlight the point that anything is believable under the wide umbrella of faith, Sedaris states, "In communicating any religious belief, the operative word is faith... I accepted the idea that an omniscient God had cast me in his own image and that he watched over me and guided me me from one place to the next. The virgin birth, the resurrection, and the countless miracles--my heart expanded to encompass all the wonders and possibilities of the universe."
The essay touches on a couple of important facts to keep in mind whence studying religions. The first is that when explaining any religion to someone who is not of the faith, it is certain that the ideas portrayed will indeed sound strange as illustrated by the incident involving the Muslim girl. Secondly, faith is a powerful thing because it requires nothing in the form of scientific or physical proof, only a whole-hearted belief in something. If one may believe in one thing without proof, then another can believe in any other thing without proof. It is important to keep this in mind when studying religion because rather than pointing out the preposterous nature of certain stories, students of religion should be looking at the history and function of such ideas. Nothing is preposterous when one bases their facts on whatever they wish to provide as proof.
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