Essay Question 2 Mysticism as defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary is: “a religious practice based on the belief that knowledge of spiritual truth can be gained by praying or thinking deeply.” Among the People of the Book, mysticism is a prevalent theme; albeit in various arrangements in the past. Rabbi Nehunia ben haKana that is attributed authorship of the Sefer ha-Bahir, otherwise known as The Book of Illumination, and Julian of Norwich’s (c. 1342-c. 1413) Revelations of Divine Love are two texts that each falls in line with this definition of mysticism. Mysticism as defined in class is: “a direct, personal experience of the divine." The Sefer ha-Bahir is admittedly a hard text to comprehend. The “Bahir” literally means “brilliant” or “Illumination” and is adopted from the very first verse quoted in the Sefer ha-Bahir, which is a quote from the book of Job (37:21). The Sefer ha-Bahir is an early example of Jewish mysticism which after time developed into an esoteric version (if that isn’t redundant) known as Kabbalah, the work finalized at the end of the twelfth century. The book consists of short homiletical passages that begin with the name of a speaker or speakers whom each interprets a biblical verse or …show more content…
Cabalists refer to God as the Ayn Sof, which means in Hebrew “Without End” or "Infinite." Being the unknowable creator who is beyond human comprehension, what can be known of God Cabalists call these aspects Sefirot, which Oxtoby in our World Religions textbook explains means literally “numbers,” but is usually translated as “emanations” or “channels” of God’s creative energy and power in which there are ten of. In the Sefer ha-Bahir the author conceives God in terms of a hypostasis union, which are divided into a binary male-female
They have been called "gods." These almighty, powerful beings that are far too superior for us to understand; or so most of us have been made to believe. Some may say he is a Great Examiner, others could say he is the Creator. Some could even say he doesn't exist. Frankly, what I want to emphasize is how such beliefs could reduce even the bravest and strongest of us all to a whimpering child. Something that we ar...
A wonderful description of the nature of God’s existence that includes the absolute possession of characteristics that have to be uniquely God was said, “First, God must exist necessarily, which means that God’s existence differs from ours by not being dependent on anything or anyone else, or such as to be taken from him or lost in any way. God has always existed, will always exist and could not do otherwise than to exist. Also, whatever attributes God possesses, he possesses necessarily” (Wood, J., 2010, p. 191).
world of mysticism, a world fraught with peril. First you must study the basic subjects, those
Habakkuk wrote this book in the middle of one of the darkest periods of Israel’s history. According to Habakkuk 1:3-4, the way of the people lives were really messed up and wronged, where all the things that Habakkuk can see are injustice, violence, and conflict. Furthermore, all these conditions affect every parts of life and it causes the law losing its strength and justice is perverted. According to the passage’s flow, this book can be divided into two parts (1:1-2:20; 3:1-19) where each part, contains a different settings and Habakkuk’s conditions in dealing with the moral dilemma that he had about God’s holiness and God’s sovereignty over injustice. If we looked closely, the particular passages that I picked (Habakkuk 2:1-8), played such
In the construction of the Large Hardon Collider, physicists seek and hope to unlock the mysteries of the universe by analyzing the attributes of the most miniscule particles known to man. In the same way, theologians have argued back and forth over the course of human history with regards to the divine attributes of God, seeking and hoping to unlock the mysteries of the metaphysical universe. Although these many attributes, for example omnipresence, could be debated and dissected ad nauseum, it is within the scope of this research paper to focus but on one of them. Of these many divine attributes of God, nothing strikes me as more intriguing than that of God’s omnipotence. It is intriguing to me because the exploration of this subject not only promises an exhilarating exercise in the human faculties of logic, it also offers an explanation into the practical, such as that of the existence of evil, which we live amidst every day. So with both of these elements in hand, I am going to take on the task of digging deeper into the divine attribute of omnipotence in hopes of revealing more of the glory of God, and simultaneously bringing greater humility to the human thinker. In order to gain a better understanding on the subject of divine omnipotence, I am going to analyze four aspects of it. First, I am going to build a working definition of what we mean when we say that God is omnipotent. Second, I am going to discuss the relationship between divine omnipotence and logic. Third, I am going to discuss the relationship between God’s omnipotence and God’s timelessness. Last, I am going to analyze God’s omnipotence in relation to the existence of evil in the world. Through the analysis of these four topics in relation to om...
This summer I read lots of novels, but none of them stood out as much as Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen. This realistic fiction novel is about a young boy named Roy. He lived in the mountains of Montana until his father's job forced him to move to Coconut cove, Florida. At first things are tough. He gets called names and gets bullied, he wishes that he was still in Montana. But suddenly on the bus while Roy is getting bullied he notices this blonde haired boy running on beside the bus, he get interested and decides to take action the next day… Roy finds that “Mullet Fingers” is a boy on a mission. His mission is to save owls that are threatened to be killed because their home is placed underground right where a Aunt Paula Pancakes is yet to be built.
It is no question whether or not religion is intertwined with morality. Even organized religion has a set of guidelines to help its followers behave in a more pious manner. Christianity as well as Judaism has the Ten Commandments, given to Moses in order to instill order upon his unruly folk. Buddhism has the four noble truths as well as the eightfold path to guide its followers to nirvana. However, even though these set obligations have been given to each religion and each religion acknowledges the fact that these rules were given by their deity, there are many different interpretations within each religion about exactly how important the adherence to these rules is. For example certain sects of Christianity believe that breaking one of the Ten Commandments is a certain path to hell and since that person broke the lord’s law not even Jesus can forgive you. And yet another sect within the same protestant form of Christianity can believe that a person can break the Ten Commandments as frequently as they like, as long as they have truly accepted Jesus Christ and their lords forgiveness into their hearts. Consider for a moment that this variation in interpretation occurs even when these rules are out rightly displayed. Both of these sects of Christianity in this example acknowledge that these ten commandments are the primary laws that god has delivered to them, however even though they agree that they are holy they cannot agree on the subject of exactly how important are they to achieve salvation. Now consider the Quran. To say that it is difficult to get more than two Muslim scholars to agree on the same set of laws within the Quran is an incredible understatement. Since the ambiguity that is often associated with the Quran’s multip...
The concept of the Deity of Christ is one of great complexity. Numerous students, scholars, theologians and philosophers have studied Christ and His attributes. One of the most asked questions and sought after answers has been thoroughly dissected and examined to be able to even begin comprehending such a mystery. Millions ask: “How can Jesus Christ, the Son of God be one-hundred percent man, and one-hundred percent God at the same time? Also, how is it even possible that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can also be God Himself?”
The conception of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is monotheism, the belief in the existence of a single indivisible God. The three of religions maintains that there is only one God, who is active in and concerned about the world. These religions are also patriarchal, male-dominated, which has resulted in God being described as “He.” However, how Christians, Judaism and Islam conceptualize God in their respective theologies is actually quite different. In Christianity, God is the supreme creator and ruler of the universe. Christians believe God is infinite, omnipotent, all-powerful, perfect, personal, eternal, unchanging, holy, all-knowing, and all-loving. Their idea of God is shown in the belief of the Trinity. God is one, but with three aspects: God is Father, the creator, ruler, and sustainer of all life, and divine judge; God is the Son, who is Jesus, God made incarnate and savior of humanity; and the Holy Spirit, who is God working in the world. Both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus, however, the major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ. In Christian scriptures, God never claimed divinity while the emphasis in the Islamic theology of God is “absolute unity;” God is sublimely one. Muslims think that by believing in the Trinity, Christians believe in three Gods. For them, God is One God. Judaism views the existence of God as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe, and the existence of the universe is sufficient proof of the existence of God.
particular flavor of Celtic wisdom is Pagan, Christian, New Age, or some hybrid thereof. Celtic spirituality is the spirituality of land, sea, and sky; of the rocks
When you think of God, you jump straight to the immortal God of the Christianity faith where they are not physically present; they are omnipresent (ReligionFacts, 2004). In relationship
One common perception of God is that God is not so much a being, but according to seventeenth century philosopher Benedict Spinoza, that "God is everything, identical to the universe itself." That is to say that God is a part of all humans, all animals, all objects, and all matter in the universe. This particular view is called pantheism, which is literally defined to mean that there is no God, but only the combined forces and laws that are manifested in the existing universe. According to Spinoza, we are each and all an integral part of God, not as individuals or even humanity as a whole but as an integral part of what Spinoza called the "One Substance." He also believed that we are each and all components of some greater being, a being so unimaginably large that we are each nothing more than tiny parcels of matter in that being's blood.
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...
Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression.