Spirituality is “an individual's personal philosophical beliefs” or the meaning and purpose an individual interprets from life and times of crisis (Carrol, 2001). Spirituality may overlap with religious beliefs but can exist outside religion (Carrol, 2001). The idea of spirituality has different connotations for the Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and atheist (Carrol, 2001). Nonetheless, the sociological aspect of spirituality can be seen in social behavior, social interaction or how a person lives. The Christian may proselytize, the Muslim abstains from pork, the Buddhist will not kill a fly and the atheist calls on no higher power. The philosophy of spirituality is the underlying theory of a way of life. Philosophy is “an explanation …show more content…
Postmodernists hold that each individual’s prime reality is uniquely shaped encounters, and individual interactions with society but primarily by culture (Dulle, n.d.). This worldview acknowledges that there are different cultures, different realities, and different truths. Therefore the correct description of reality is impossible with no single unifying or objective reality or truth (ronleigh). And in some cases there is no concrete reality at all (Dulle, n.d.). Because of this the nature of the universe is unknowable (postmodern preaching). Rather, the nature of man “is as a cultural being, not a natural one” (Noebel, 2006, para 9). The question of the possibility of life after death according to postmodernism is that “that neither truth nor belief” in life after death is important because all viewpoints are equally valid (ronleigh). Post modernism holds that it is not possible to know everything because these are not universal realities (oneness). Finally, human history is the “view of the world from one’s own community-based, historically and culturally influenced vantage point” (Dulle, …show more content…
The prime reality is the occurrence of the physical, natural world, and what science claims as proofs (philosophybasics). The nature of the universe is made of natural phenomenon and a physical world. The nature of man in scientism is to “endeavor” to explain and solve the world around him with scientific approach (). The question of life after death in scientism is not dealt with by scientism since this worldview “eschews supernatural and paranormal” ideals ()With a scientific approach, it is possible to know everything with science alone and this body of knowledge is arrived at with help of scientific processes such as forming hypothesis and testing methods of research
Religion has 7 core attributes that allow someone to call it a religion, these include Narrative, Doctrine, Emotional, Material, Ethical, Ritual and Social. These seven attributes help individuals identify what can be classified as a “religion”, however spirituality has no “easy way” to identifying it. Spirituality can be found within the individual looking for their “meaning” but not physically expressed.
Postmodernism movement started in the 1960’s, carrying on until present. James Morley defined the postmodernism movement as “a rejection of the sovereign autonomous individual with an emphasis upon anarchic collective anonymous experience.” In other words, postmodernism rejects what has been established and makes emphasis on combined revolutionary experiences. Postmodernism can be said it is the "derivate" of modernism; it follows most of the same ideas than modernism but resist the very idea of boundaries. According to our lecture notes “Dominant culture uses perception against others to maintain authority.”
The idea of spirituality is realistically a difficult word to define, everyone perceives spirituality in their own way, and uses it in different ways. When reading the Christian bible, John the Baptist discusses the idea of spirituality and defines it as, “Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit and having our character conformed to his image.”(John 4:24) (Romans12: 1-2). When the Natives were forced to convert to Christianity, this is what they were told to believe, that spirituality means that you must conform you’re character to be more like God. This truly shows you how much the Europ...
In all dominations there are people who may consider themselves spiritual because that is how we connect as human beings. For example, those of the Pentecostal faith, view the “holy ghost” as their spiritual higher power. A Buddhist may not look at Buddha as necessarily their God, but a higher power as well. A female person of the Islamic faith will have her head covered; that is religion. In this chapter authors have given examples supporting this concept, however, in theses readings, my understanding of spiritually does allude to religion as the foundation. Additionally, it would be safe for me to view spirituality with a connotative meaning. Spirituality transcends religious practices; therefore, religion expresses how one worships. Yes, according to our readings they are very separate; however, it is my belief they carry the same foundation. This is where the theme of spirituality was somewhat weak to
If someone were to have asked me at the beginning of the semester what is spirituality, I would not have answered correctly. Without a doubt, I am sure I would have answered the question as a synonym to religion, or part of a religion at least. In any case, that is not the right answer, and I now know that. After looking farther into the topic and reading works written by well-known spiritual leaders and authors, I am now confident I know what spirituality is as well as how to execute or practice it.
Others have tried to do what Diogenes Allen, Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary, does in his book but none with his breadth or effectiveness. That is, others have attempted to exploit for theism's benefit the hard times now befalling the modern world's emphasis on scientific reasoning and pure rationality, which for quite a while had placed Christianity (and religious belief in general) on the intellectual and cultural defensive. Many of these earlier attempts made use of the Wittgensteinian concepts of "form of life" or "language game" to show that both science and religion depended on unproven assumptions and therefore rested equally on grounds without firm foundations. These kinds of attempts, however, could most always aim no higher than to make the world safe for fideism. And fideism is not to defend the faith. What makes Allen's contribution special and important is his effort to examine in a philosophically rigorous way what we mean when we say Christianity is true. He quotes Colossians 2:2 at the start of his book, but I Peter 3:15 is just as appropriate for what follows: "Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence."
Postmodernism can be defined as a rejection of the idea that there are certain unequivocal truths or grand narratives (such as capitalism, faith or science) and as a belief that there are multiple ways of understanding anything, whether it be it culture, philosophy, art, literature, films, etc, or even television... Television reflects the mass-produced society we live in and certain shows exhibit many of the archetypes of postmodernism that have become prevalent in other art forms. Postmodernism can be useful for understanding contemporary television it can help us to relate to the ever-changing world we live in. Television shows like ABC’s Lost (ABC, 2004-2010) dabble in matters of intertextuality, questioning of grand narratives and, amongst others, a manipulation of time through use of flashbacks, flash-forwards and, uniquely to Lost, the flash-sideways.
In the novel "Brave New World" civilized society lives in a world of science and technology. Major changes have occurred during the future; Utopia now revolves a religion of drugs and sex. God and the cross have been replaced by Ford and the symbol T, the founder of the age of machines. Instead of Sunday church, members now attend solidarity services where morals and tradition are not learned, but rather faith is taught in the belief of hallucinations produced by a substance known as "soma." Soma has effectively replaced the belief in a higher being by its elimination of problems and stress resulting in a lack of imagination , creativity, or "soul." Yet religion can still be found in today's society because of man's continuing need for answers to questions that cannot be solved by science or technology.
Religion is a symbolic representation of society. The sociological approach to religious belief looks at how society behaves on a whole, to answer the question, “Why are people religious?” We express our participation in religious events through plays, acts of confession, religious dances, etc. To begin to understand why we have such term, let’s understand the common elements of religion. There are different types in which people believe in or follow and that is: animatism, animism, ancestral spirits, god and goddesses, and minor supernatural beings. Beyond these different elements, such one is to have religious leaders to follow.
Religion cannot be lived in textbooks, it is about the personal consciousness of those that believe and “their own account of their religion and its relevance in contemporary life” (Fisher, 1996). It is performed, experienced by the individuals living within society and communities. For some it is a sense of hope, to connect with a supreme power, to end the cycle of birth and death, find inner peace and/or a way of life. Traditional understanding of religion through textbooks, television, and internet does provide one with understanding about the religion doctrine and what they believe in. The majority of people will know what religion is when seeing it, for example, a Buddhist Monk sitting cross-legged in meditation. However, it is important to study religion off campus in order to grasp an explanation and a clear understanding of how beliefs change personal lives, how individuals tackle certain situations due to belief for example, Buddhist Monk sitting cross-legged in meditation, but w...
Most of the contemporary problems bedeviling our society are because of lack of proper spiritual anchorage. Civil and technological differentiations embodied in the media have aggravated the situation. Technological differentiation has undermined religion by taking the place of spirituality in adherents’ lives.
I must say that I learned a lot from this class both through the readings and through class discussion. I really, honestly do not have anything that I starkly disagreed with in either. I found it all to be very valuable information for me and this class was extremely helpful in assisting me to better understand the current paradigm shift the church is going through. There are three take-a-ways in particular that helped me to better understand the post modern shift in the church and my role as a minister in this changing paradigm. The first take-a-way is the understanding that there is a shift occurring towards focusing more on the congregational life of the church with more attention on the laity and its formation. Second, is how to plan, as a church and as pastors, to adjust to this shift towards congregational life and how to be better prepared as a postmodern church to be relevant in this changing time. Lastly, I received a better way of explaining the meaning of what truth is in this post modern time.
Life after death is a topic of controversy in which Bertrand Russell and John Hick discusses the idea of whether it is possible to have life after death. Russell addresses his argument against the idea through his brief essay titled “The Illusion of Immortality” (1957). In addition, Hick also discusses the topic through his work “In Defense of Life after Death” (1983) of why life after death is a plausible idea. In this paper I will be discussing Russell’s argument against the belief of life after death. As well, I will also be addressing the opposing view by explaining Hick’s argument in defense of life after death. My goal in this paper is to highlight through the analysis of life after death how Russell in my opinion holds the strongest position.
This is my truth, now tell me yours. Don Carson offers this summary of postmodern thought: "Modernism is often pictured as pursuing truth, absolutism, linear thinking, rationalism, certainty, the cerebral as opposed to the effective--which in turn breeds arrogance, and inflexibility, the lust
Postmodernism, on the other hand, aspires to reflect the critical. Critical knowledge is a process, rather than product. Absolute knowledge is unattainable, conditional, and provisional at best. Any unequivocal sense of the real is rendered superfluous. Truth, therefore, remains elusive, relativistic, partial, and always incomplete; it cannot be learned in totality. "Truth itself is a contingent affair and assumes a different shape in the light of differing local urgencies and convictions associated with them" (Fish 207). Critical knowledge has no choice but to exercise complicity with the cultural historical context in which it is hopelessly mired. As Lee Patterson states, "Even scholars who are dealing with chronologically and geographically distant materials are in fact examining a cultural matrix within which they themselves stand, and the understandings at which they arrive are influenced not simply by contemporary interests but by the shaping past that they are engaged in recovering" (259).