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Meaning of human life essay
Worldview of Christianity
Meaning of human life essay
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Christianity is the True Humanism
Recently, I heard a shocking story about young boy who was raised in a coffin. Having been abandoned by his mom and dad, the child’s dysfunctional grandparents grudgingly assumed the task of raising him. For some bizarre reason, they kept him confined in a coffin, and only let him out to eat and go to the bathroom. Once the authorities rescued him, they discovered that the little fellow had no idea that there was any other way to exist. He thought all children were raised in coffins. To him that was reality. His life was dehumanizing. He did not know it.
Similarly, many of us today do not realize just how dehumanizing our own society actually is. Granted, we don’t live in coffins, but we do live in a deadly culture that increasingly undermines the dignity of human life. The corruption of sexuality, the dissolution of marriage, the breakdown of the family, pornography, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, rampant consumerism, political malfeasance, corporate scandal, ecclesiastical betrayal, excessive individualism, the obsession with technology and biotechnology, and the desecration of the environment are just a few of the powerful forces that are chipping away day by day at what it means to be human. Ironically, most people have no idea that there is any other way to exist. Most simply assume that this is just the way life is. Few, if any, are asking whether or not we are witnessing the abolition of man.
Is there any vision of life that can help us realize that we are living in the coffin of a lethal, dehumanizing culture and show us a better way? A Christian worldview answers affirmatively with a resounding “Yes!” In fact, Christianity is the “true humanism” which delivers us from the pit of degradation and lifts us up to the peak of nobility and respect.
In all creation, we human beings alone are the image and likeness of God. We can reflect, love, create, and most importantly, worship the One whose image we bear. God has given us stewardship over creation to develop a rich and godly culture that benefits others and honors God. Art and science, work and play, marriage and family, church and state are our gifts and tasks. God has crowned us with glory and majesty (Psalm 8: 5).
By redemption, Jesus Christ has reconciled us to God from whom we were estranged because of sin.
In Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay, "Worldviews in Conflict," the authors evaluate the shifting cultural context of today's society and how Christianity fits into this situation. The essay compares the differing views between Christianity and today's worldview, and informs the reader on how to engage in today's culture. The "Worldviews in Conflict" is a reliable source because its authors, audience, publication, and purpose make it credible.
According to Arianna Huffington in the article “Empathy: What We Need Now”, during hardships and instability of society, empathy is needed to find solutions to those issues. Huffington writes about how empathy is needed in our country in order to produce a positive social change. She begins by giving an example of a movement that Martin Luther King created and how empathy was a part of this movement. King as well spoke of how empathy is the sign of living. To become involved in the situations of humanity in order to improve it, displays that empathy is the core of a human’s existence. After reading this article, I do agree with Huffington about how individuals need to fully understand and put themselves within the situation to fully comprehend the issue to solve.
The foundation of a Christian worldview is the belief in a personal God, creator and ruler of the universe. The Christian worldview views the world through God’s word, providing the framework for humanity to live by giving meaning and purpose to life. It defines who Jesus is, human nature, and how salvation is achieved. In essence it is the basis of which Christians behave, interact, interpret life and comprehend reality. A Christian worldview imparts confidence, answers to life’s problems, and hope for the future. In this paper I will discuss the essentials of a Christian worldview and an analysis of the influences, benefits, and difficulties sustaining the Christian faith.
Empathy is imperative to teach kids from a young age in order to help them recognize mental states, such as thoughts and emotions, in themselves and others. Vital lessons, such as walking in another’s shoes or looking at a situation in their perspective, apprehends the significance of the feelings of another. Our point of view must continuously be altered, recognizing the emotions and background of the individual. We must not focus all of our attention on our self-interest. In the excerpt, Empathy, written by Stephen Dunn, we analyze the process of determining the sentiment of someone.
The psychiatrist recommended that she be admitted to a mental hospital for women, where she can rest and recover. Another sign of the Borderline Personality Disorder is c...
... He showed his people in his speech that he was a strong leader and had the mindset to overcome a war. Not only did he appeal to ethos, but also he connected to his people emotionally through pathos. The King asked them to stand firm and unite in this time of trial. The King did not demand them to do this, rather asked this of them. By using this formal approach to reach out to the nation, he showed that he cared about them on a respective level. The King did not talk down to the nation when giving this speech. He made this speech as formal as possible because this speech was given one day before the outbreak of World War II and he wanted to show the nation he cared and they could overcome this time of terror. Through using these rhetorical devices, The King empowered the nation and reminded his citizens of their strength and abilities to overcome adversity in life.
Before this class my initial stance on the human predicament was the abuse of power by exploiting others to gain more power, but based on our course readings, and my own reflection, I have learned that this is not entirely the case. Now I believe that the basic human predicament is that we are insecure with our being as individuals because of social standards that have taught us it is right to exploit others for our own benefit. To resolve this issue, we need to take time to reflect, ask questions, and trust in God. When we take these steps, God will empower us to gradually learn to exhibit a “self-forgetting love” as Karl Rahner contends, and taking us closer to social justice and confidence with our purpose in life. To support my claim, I will mainly draw on three theologians who share a similar perspective on our predicament.
Humanism was the main idea of the Renaissance and was influential to people with its ideas. One of its main ideas was education and an importance to the classics, and that plays into the printing press for the reason that people could now learn to read and write more easily and a thirst for education was born. Any person could now learn and this opened a door way that had been locked for the middle class people because now they had the ability to learn and thrive with great minds just as much as the rich. This leads into Scientific Revolution, a major aspect of the “Modern Era” because people wanted to learn more about the world they live in and not just what the Church says, thus creating a curiosity in the people that wasn’t there before.
Don’t worry about it King Lear! It happens to the best of us. Anyway, the concept that the power of the spoken word can be dependent on ones’ orientation within society is very compelling when talking to two kings. I definitely see how the power of the spoken word can be a significant tool to leaders, whose voices reach many people quickly and authoritatively.
American psychologist Carl Rogers first introduced the meaning behind empathy and its importance in the health care profession. He defined empathy as “to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components and meanings which pertain thereto as if one were the person, but without ever losing the “as if” condition” (reference). Empathy encompasses the person as a whole, and having the ability to engross one self into the individual 's perspective while maintaining your own emotions in check (reference). Many theorists have attempted to analyze this concept from many different angles such as, Hoffman (1981) argued that the body responded in a natural way and as a largely involuntary vicarious response to affective cues from another person. For example, when viewing facial distress during an encounter the body may respond with similar feedback producing matching emotional occurrence (Decety & Jackson, 2015?). This could be interpreted as a role of autonomic function that is vital to “cognitive functions and emotion regulation” (Decety & Jackson, 2015) thus, not even being aware that empathy is being displayed. While others such as Batson et al (1997) referred to cognitive resources being utilized in role taking
Empathy is like reading a story; although the events in the story aren't happening to us, we are still connect emotionally to them. If a character in a story we like is hurt, we feel bad for them, but oppositely if a character we hate is hurt, we feel relieved or even glad. Whether we like the protagonist or antagonist we have the natural ability to feel an emotional connection to others like us. Agreeing with the article”Empathy is an actually a choice” by Daryl Cameron, because of this instinct to choose a certain type of person to connect with, empathy is a
In the beginning of the Bible in the Book of Genesis, it is revealed to use in 1:26-27 that God has created man in his image. The text verbatim states “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” From this distinct text we can clearly conclude that when ad created man and woman, they were destined to be in God’s image and carry his image throughout his creation. Today we can see that many of us do not live in God’s image due to society becoming more secularized as it progresses through the years, however as Christians we can verse this by living in God’s image in our chosen vocations, churches, and even in the secular world.
As I sat on my couch, in my nice home, watching TGIF on channel 12 with my family moving about the house, a “Save the Children” campaign came upon the screen during a routine commercial break. I had seen this campaign run many times, and never thought twice about it; I never really cared to pay attention to it. That night, though, I kept my eyes on the screen and listened as the woman explained the life of a young boy who was sporting tattered clothes, and wearing his skin so thin that you could see his bones. My insides started to squeeze me, as if someone had punched me directly in the gut. I continued to watch as she explained how his mother and father had died, leaving only him to care for his siblings. His siblings were so small, I noticed their skin was so thin everywhere except their bellies. Their abdomens were big, round and bloated. The feeling of sadness consumed me, I could feel a hard ache in my chest. I know now, other experiences, that at that moment, it was the feeling of my heart breaking. Thoughts raced through my mind for days, and weeks. Images of these kids, and the thought of them starving, living outside, and with no one to care for them; while I am lounging in my home, with the light on, in my bed. I was sad, stressed, and seemingly depressed. I didn’t want to eat, how could I? Knowing that there were people- children- in this world, suffering. I barely slept and when I did I
Careers, school, work, activities, and spending time with friends are only some of the reasons why people are becoming inconspicuous and are unable to show compassion towards the problems and feelings of other people. Having compassion and sharing the feelings and problems of another is called empathy. Displaying empathy towards another person’s stress and worries is an extremely important concept that more people should know about because it will help both themselves and the other individual. Not only does it help them, but it helps shape society. Even adolescent students
According to Merriam Webster dictionary, humanism is defined as “system of values and beliefs that is based on the idea that people are basically good and that problems can be solved using reason instead of religion”. In this essay, I will be discussing what humanism is and the assumption and attitudes that it brings to society, culture, and the universe that prevailed in Western Europe before the Renaissance. Finally, I will discuss how Humanism posed a challenge to the traditional worldview of the Catholic Church.