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Effects of Religion in Society
Effects of Religion in Society
Similarities between Christian ethics and secular ethics
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Many people believe in the Bible and claim to be Christians, but many of those same people are hypocritical of their belief. People who claim to be Christian do the exact opposite then what’s said in the Bible. For example, Christians who know the Bible better than others commit one of the greatest sins, written in Mark 12:29-31, “The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Jefferson Bethke talks about the hypocrisy of some religious people in his poem, “Why I Hate Religion, but I Love Jesus”, while using great metaphors, point of view and a great theme. Bethke shows his passion for the subject as he filmed a video of his spoken word and released it on YouTube, where it’s gotten 31 million …show more content…
An example is when he’s talking about religion and says, “Can’t fix their problems so they just mask it, not realizing that’s just like spraying perfume on a casket. Because the problem with religion is that it never gets to the core… Let’s dress up the outside, make it look nice and neat. It’s funny that’s what they used to do to mummies, while the corps rots underneath” When Bethke says this he is referring to many Christians who put on a fake look. They go to church dressed up and only care about their appetence, while their soul is the thing that needs work. Bethke compares religion to mummification by saying the inside rots away while the outside is a display for others to look at. Bethke also mentions that religion is, “Just a behavior modification, like a long list of chorus.” He is referring to the thought that Christianity isn’t a free life, that its just a bunch of rules people have to follow. Yes, the Bible does have rules and God does give commandments for his followers to do or not to do, but its just another way to live life or see …show more content…
When the Bible commands “Love your neighbor as yourself”, it means be kind and helping to them, not judgmental and hateful towards them. Bethke says, “if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean, because its not a museum for the rich people, it’s a hospital for the broken.” Meaning the church should accept people and help them, not turn them away and judge them. The church should represent Jesus and Gods love for his creation, and since God is the only one who is blameless and perfect, He is also the only one who has the right to judge
In his book, An Imperfect God, Henry Wiencek argues in favor of Washington being the first true president to set the precedent for the emancipation of African-American slaves. Wiencek delves into the evil paradox of how a nation conceived on the principles of liberty and dedicated to the statement that all men are created equal was in a state that still preserved slavery for over seven decades following the construction of the nation. Washington’s grandeur estate at Mount Vernon at its peak had the upkeep of over 300 slaves 126 of which were owned by Washington. First, it must be understood that Washington was raised on slavery receiving ownership of 10 slaves at the age of 11 years old and that Washington was a man of his time. However, it must also be understood that Washington’s business with slavery was in the context of a constrained social and political environment. Weincek maintains that this does not exonerate the fact that Washington maintained slavery however; it does help to quantify the moral shortcoming by which Washington carried until his last year of life.
Magical, poetic, and awe-aspiring. This is what mere words at its best can accomplish when trying to capture the essence of the painting, The Glory of the Light Within, by the renowned artist, Dale Terbush. This specific masterpiece is representative of Terbush’s art and reveals much about his outlook towards nature. Viewers are presented with a breathtaking scenery and a natural beauty depicted in all its glory in this panoramic view (the painting is 4x5 feet). Indeed, because the well-defined foreground, distinct middle ground, and dim background compose characteristics of a magical scenery, this vista is transformed into an ideal utopia.
Conflicted Often, people go through changes in their lives based on experiences. Former KKK member, Claiborne Ellis would be one of those people whose experiences changed his mentality. Certainly, having conflicted ideas about other races, is a challenge in itself. So, after reading Why I quit the Klan, I could not imagine a racist honestly changing his view on his personal feelings on other races.
Dennis Covington writes about a unique method of worship—snake handling, in his memoir, Salvation on Sand Mountain. He begins as a journalist, looking in on this foreign way of life; however, as time progresses he increasing starts to feel a part of this lifestyle. As a result loses his journalistic approach, resulting in his memoir, detailing his own spiritual journey. Upon the conclusion of his stay in this world, Covington realizes the significance of this journey, and argues in his memoir that we cannot entirely know ourselves until we step outside of our comfort zone and separate ourselves from our norm.
the novel, the pear tree symbolizes Janie's idealized vision of love and marriage. The mule, on the other hand, represents the oppression and mistreatment of African Americans during the time period in which the novel is set. The storm symbolizes chaos and upheaval, both in nature and in Janie's personal life. Finally, Janie's journey itself is a symbol of self-discovery and empowerment. As she navigates through different relationships and experiences, she learns more about herself and what she wants out of life.
“For The Bible Tells Me So” by Daniel Karslake is a documentary style film that focuses on issues about sexuality. The film focuses on the conflict between homosexuality and Christianity and the analysing of several Bible verses about homosexuality. The film attempts to alter the minds of homophobes by using facts, science and several interviews with Christians who also have gay children. The interviews are done with five American, very Christian families and “how they handle the realization of having a gay child” (Karslake, 2007.)
Salvation is an important part of the Catholic religion. As a non-religious student, I have had to rely heavily on the definition of Salvation from the teachings in my class. With the aid of The Bible, C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, St. Athanasius’ writing on Incarnation, and the “Class Notes on Salvation, I have been able to grasp an understanding of what Salvation is. At first, I believed that Salvation was a simple definition. I thought that Salvation was accepting Jesus Christ so that all of one’s sins are washed away. However, Salvation is much more than that. After multiple classes, I have learned that Salvation is essentially God’s plan to save humans by cleansing humans from Original Sin by using mechanical techniques such as becoming a finite being and dying for humans to live an indisputably whole life. After looking at the Fall, Lewis argues that sin affects the character of the fallen individual. Because of Original Sin, it can be said that human beings are corrupted in the mind which can be seen as a punishment in itself. With the understanding of Salvation, Catholics view Salvation by understanding the two sides of Salvation, Justification and Sanctification.
Mr. King explains the hypocrisy that the clergymen are partaking in by referring to church ideology. Most of the common people are Christians and by their common teachings, it specifically states the principles that they abide by in their creed. However, the unjust laws that the majority are forming against the minority goes against their biblical practices of the Christian faith. Mr. King impudently states:
In the nineteen thirties, women were raised with a strict criteria for the way they were required to live their lives. Regardless of love, women only strived to marry men who owned great deals of land. In their eyes, the more land their husbands owned, the more stability they were offered. They lived at their husband’s beck and call, and did not openly oppose to their thoughts. Women rarely strayed away from what was socially acceptable, and ignored what the main character, Janie, from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston, could not. Although Janie is raised with this requirement as well, certain events throughout her life triggers a change in the way she views the way she lives her life. Merriam Webster defines awaken as to become conscious or aware of something. Throughout the oscillating process of her awakening, Janie gains self-realization as she seeks her horizons.
One example is Douglass talking about Mr. Covey. Even though he seems to be one of most devoted Christians its all an act. But in Convoy case he isn’t just a hypocrite, he actually thinks he is a Christian. ‘Douglass refused to pray with a man who believes owning a slave is a righteous thing to do, and this had Convey completely confused” (Wishart). Douglass relates biblical and Christian knowledge to his feeling about the inherent wrong of slavery and could never pray with someone who perpetuates
...e to the audience that the Bible adheres to the deserved emancipation and support of African-Americans, rather than enslavement and oppression. For example, Douglass preaches, “ A worship that can be conducted by persons who refuse to give shelter to the houseless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law forbidding these acts of mercy, is a curse, not a blessing to mankind. The Bible addresses all such persons as ‘scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.” By using Matthew 23:23 to assert American Christians as righteously indignant, Douglass infers that if the White American people are truly Christian, they will obey the doctrines of The Bible and negate their duplicity by showing love and mercy to black people.
Morality and ethics have always been a large source of debate and contention between different factions of various interests, beliefs, and ideals due to its centrality and foundational role in society and civilization and incredible importance to everyday life and decision making. In many of these disputes religious belief, or a lack thereof, serves as an important driving force behind one or both sides of the argument. In the modern world, one of the bigger instances of this can be seen in the many debates between Atheistic and religious individuals about the implications of religious belief on morality. One of the most famous Atheists, Christopher Hitchens, asserts that religion is not only unnecessary for morality, but actually impedes it. In his work God is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens challenges religious believers to “name an ethical statement or action, made or performed by a person of faith that could not have been made or performed by a non-believer”, and proudly states afterwards that many have made the attempt but no one has given him a satisfactory answer. However, the best response to this challenge is to point out the inherent flaws in his logic, the unfairness of his challenge, and the fact that Hitchens is asking the wrong question in the first place.
The human relationship perspective shows it is clear that nonbelievers that are together will do things that are immoral and ungodly. This is something that is likely to occur with someone that has a secular worldview. Paul writes about the dangers of turning away from God with the sins that are stated in Romans that include unnatural sex acts, perversion, depraved minds and in Romans 1:29, “They have become filled with every kid of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are filled with envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.” Christians following the biblical worldview must develop relationships together that reinforce their faith in God and that Jesus Christ is the redeemer. Romans 5: 1-2, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into his grace in which we now stand. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” I see the importance of developing relationships with people that have the same worldview. Developing relationships and working with others that hold the same ethic, values, and morals within the Christian community is important. Practicing my faith in Jesus with others in the Church is a practice that will enhance my relationship with
In the article “What makes us moral” by Jeffrey Kluger, he describes how morality is defined and how the people follow rules. Kluger discusses about scientific research that has been done to point out the important reasons of morality. Kluger explains that a person’s decision to do something good or bad is based on empathy, that humans tend not to do bad to those they sympathize with. Kluger also compares humans with animals and thinks that morality is the only thing that separates us from animals. I do agree with Kluger that people are born with a sense of right and wrong, but we should be taught how to use it. We learned to be nicer to those around us because we already know the type of person they are, and the morality we learned as children
... love your neighbor as yourself,” (www.biblegateway.com/NIV, 2011). The only command higher than this is that you love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. God values the feelings and emotions of all humanity, likewise, we should as well.