Religion and Theology Essays

This book teaches us how to overcome fear in relation to sharing the gospel. The book provides a step by step methodology to follow for purposes of efficiently overcoming this vice.The book teaches us how to use a question-answer model in evangelism, and apply the power of scriptures to persuade non-Christians into sharing their beliefs

Although Baal-Shem Tov was initially scorned by the Rabbinical establishment of his time, he ultimately became a figure of religious devotion among peasants, commoners, and visionaries of the 18th century. The book “The Legend of the Baal-Shem” is not only a collection of stories about Baal-Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism

Over all Jesus portrayal as a man of action tells the world and the people that the message that you are spreading, if it is true and right it will be listened and that through your true actions you can convince everyone, the new and revised version of bible with Apocrypha spreads the same word of Bible.

Jews are less expected to clearly identify God but need to respect the thought of God. It only recognizes the negative value of faith (Denny et al, 93). This is revealed when a thief cries out to God for help when going to steal. Therefore, the thief has faith in God who hears his prayers, but he does not recognize that God provides for his needs without stealing from other people.

Rastafari is formed from two words Ras and Tafari. Ras takes the meaning of head and Tafari being the pre-regnal name of Haile Selassie. Rastafari is uniquely distinguished as it asserts its doctrines on the belief that the Emperor of Ethiopia is an incarnation of God who is known as Jah as he is seen as the king chosen by God on earth.

Christianity believes that the way in which we respond to the poor in society is how Christians respond to Jesus; hence, the believers are encouraged to treat the poor for them to be recognized by Jesus. Judaism understands underprivileged individuals as orphans, widows and a person cannot afford to live a comfortable life.  

A religion or a culture takes birth based on the existing social situations, geographical conditions, and various other factors. So, in order to understand the reasons behind a particular practice or belief, it becomes necessary to learn the history of that religion and the circumstances from which the religion took birth.

Adolf Harnack's book, "Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three centuries," carries out a survey, opening up the life, message, context, literature, and history of the early Christians. Thus, the religion of Christianity has "become a power" (Harnack p. 312). Initially, Christianity has been known as a part of Judaism; Subsequently, it has become one of the world's most dominant religion.

There are several theological conceptions that are talked of in Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart. This has a lot to do with the fact that the novel talks of the pre-colonial and colonial cultures that prevailed in Africa. This can then be connected to ideas of the society of the time and the ways in which life was led in those times in Nigeria.

Any rational person upon understanding the moral law that exists in every human agent and upon looking at the world will know a priori that morality is universally necessary. This fundamental principle is what guides Immanuel Kant’s ethical system. 

The main rituals conducted by Christians include; wedding ceremonies, burials, baptism, eating the Holy sacrament, Easter rituals, Christmas and many other rituals. All these ceremonies have a significant meaning to the Christians and they help in recognizing the existence of Christianity as they take place over the globe.

This ‘religious message’ is demonstrated through the use of the religious theme of Job’s journey from college where he experimented with spirituality right till his middle age where he applied his theories to his personal as well as professional life. This is particularly apparent in the transition that Jobs faced when he was ousted from his own company Apple but carried on to be a founder of Pixar.

The disease also destroys her brain beyond any repair. She later gets into a coma after she suffered grand mal seizure and lives up to the age of 26 years with no higher brain functions. This story, which is a true story, shows the tug of war that existed between Lia’s parents and her doctors, between culture and healthcare profession 

Heelas states that by 1960 the New Age spiritual life was no longer confined to the New Age which refers to the limited number of people who were willing to get into the movement. The New Age spiritual movements are growing across cultures and more people are following regulations provided by the spiritual outlets and not the traditional religion.

The spiritual aspect, which according to Hasan is the most important of the entire issue (2003, p.3), is represented by the purpose of the creation of both men and women, which is defined as worship of God, and obedience to the moral rules commanded by God that would let the mankind to achieve “eternal bliss in Paradise” (2003, p.4).

As a religion, Buddhism is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, and consists of numerous beliefs, traditions and practices, which are primarily based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also referred to as the awakened one or Buddha. Buddha’s existence and teachings in the east of the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to between the 6th century BC and 4th century BC.

Every human being is endowed with an inner world to delve deep into it and to understand the real purpose of life and develop the technique to lead a spiritual life. The nobler instincts are more powerful than the desire that draws one to the secular comforts. The core desire of a human being is to search for meaning and purpose in life.

The development of a Christian though has always had a historical foundation in the church's life. Religion and theology have always explored the fundamental issues based on a Christian's life through different perspectives that encompass an array of issues that directly affect a Christian member. The course enables the reader to confidently understand, and read the bible. 

The purpose of counseling is to take the client to a level of spiritual maturity, which can’t be achieved unless the counselor isn’t spiritually mature himself. The counselor needs to address issues such as prayer, sin, scripture confession, redemption, and forgiveness, to be able to really connect with the client.

These religions are based on how human beings can establish harmony between themselves and with other things in the environment whether living or non-living. The emphasis of these religions might have derived their concepts from the way of life of the people during the time when there were social instability and chaos.

One of the people in Nejd tells Omar that he has heard of Oveys, he postulates that Oveys is too contemptible to be sought after by the commander of the faithful. This portion gives the in the discriminatory feature that God has. The man further illustrates that Oveys is a foolish lunatic and a wild creature.

“Being Erica, Season 1, Episode 8” is basically the problem of a joint family and the issues about the generation gap. A Jewish family has problems with social identity due to historical reasons. The community has suffered much due to Nazi atrocities. They lost everything and had to adjust to the new situations arising out of migration to another country.  

Judaism does not allow women to proceed with the choice of abortion in normal circumstances, the application of varied situations in the case such as choosing abortion to 1) save the mother from death, regardless of the stage of the pregnancy 2) permitting abortion if it is declared that the continuation of the pregnancy would cause the women to resort to taking her own life.

Some say that parallels between the Gilgamesh version and Noah’s flood are proof that the bible borrowed elements of ancient mythology to recreate its accounts. However, scholars have also defended the biblical version through analyses of the two. An examination of both stories is important in making conclusions about the authority of either text.

Just the way Peter, John, and James were told to leave their craft of fishing and follow Jesus, God calls people to leave their worldly pursuit to follow Jesus (Willard, 2012). Jesus is the center of the discipleship because he died on the cross in order to save mankind. Being a Christ disciple means taking up the cross and suffering together with Christ.

It is of importance to note that all cultures, people, places and religions have a beginning implying that someone or something had to create the land, animals, sea, and people. Therefore, the stories of creation from vary across cultures and each culture is unique in the way it expresses or addresses the issue.

Creation myths are different from one people to another. All cultures have a sense of identity and they account to the genesis of things differently. The Navajo people were unique as well as their creation myth. The Christians too are unique in the way their creation story is stipulated. Theirs is based on the biblical account of creation.

This is evident from Webber who reveals that “Modern evangelism, grounded in the satisfaction theory of the augment, has been primarily cross-centered evangelism.144” Although the transformed evangelism teaches about trusting in Christ, it fails to go beyond the death on the cross to Christ conquering evil powers.

The Butler Act banning evolution theory in school had a very negative impact on the course of fundamentalism. In the famous Scopes Trial that followed, Bryan miserably failed to withstand the questions on the Bible from the defence. He ended up admitting that the Bible may not mean what it says in the early chapters of Genesis.

Power and leadership are closely interconnected. An individual may exert power without necessarily being a leader, but one cannot be a leader without exerting power. As such, power implies having the potential to influence people. In organizations, exerting power is vital for leaders who want to achieve individual, team and organizational goals.

James Macke argues that believers in an omnipotent God are irrational.  The problem of evil is brought about by the contradictory notions of God that the believers in the omnipotent God have. As Mackie asserts, the problem of evil can be simplified thus: God is omnipotent; God is wholly good; and yet evil exists (Mackie, n.p).

Disregarding the wants of the society, religious fundamentalists generate their power and influence from scriptures. Fiona points out that the scriptures create every single perception embraced by religious fundamentalists (134). In regards to the provision of education for women, the scriptures do no advocate for women empowerment.

Judaism, Christian belief, and Islamic are monotheistic beliefs, majorly they believe that there is only solitary God. The Jew and Islamic beliefs critically stress the oneness and unity of God. The assertion of the cohesion of God by Christians is sometimes misinterpreted because Christians believe there is the Holy Trinity the one God is triune.

Religion has dynamic effects on societies. At a first glance, it is not easy to note the drastic effects that religion has on culture, religion can influence stability and economic growth, the families, and the social lives of the people. Anthropologists have defined religion as beliefs and rituals that focus on supernatural beings, powers, and forces.

Personally, religion is a product of culture. This means that when the culture changes, the perception of religion also changes. It is essential to enact this change in light of Buddhism. This does not mean, however, that the role of Buddhism in establishing inclusive religious worship should be ignored.

The performance of the present body will signify the existence of the present body with continuity with the future resurrected body. The continuity, as well as discontinuity of the present body in the resurrected body, is dependent on the meaning and purpose with which, people lead the present life (Plevnik 29-60).

The question that always arises in the minds of the believers is that how come same passages exist in the Bible. The answer to this question is always out of reach as most people get busy with the more urgent matters of their life and therefore find no time to search for relevant answers. Then there are others who show eagerness to understand and investigate.

In the second section of the book, the author reveals how the boy’s experiences change when his family moved to America. There is an existing contrast between life in Pakistan and that in Alabama, America where the family settles down. One notable thing is that the boy changes his name in every section of the book.

In other words, unlike any other established religions, Shamanism is something that remains to be fathomed as to the level of its commonality to all other cultures trying to employ it. It is something that requires more meaningful or scholarly analysis, as far as understanding its potential cultural implications is concerned. 

Not only does it speak of an early Christian attempt at the alleviation of poverty in Israel, but it also speaks of the social character of the reformation that Christ sought to bring about. Christ’s actions can also be interpreted as a protest against Roman Imperialism that caused widespread misery in the areas surrounding Jerusalem and Nazareth.

The disciplines play various general purposes as Foster affirms. In a fundamental manner, the Disciplines result to existential Christianity (Foster, 1988, 1). The will of a man, in isolation, cannot be able to induce a transformation of the inner spirit and hence the urgent need for the Disciplines to aid in the performance of this task.

Although the content of theology has not yet become an important force in the church, it became very influential in the intellectual sphere of seminaries and graduate schools. In Christianity, theology is understood under the systematic analysis of the nature, intentions, and activities of God as an attempt to speak about the divine being. 

Extreme weather conditions including global warming, flood, hurricane, and earthquakes are identified to cost society, environment, vegetation, and people to a large extent. In this context, the rise in a natural disaster and man-made emergencies have been symbolized as the coming of the rider of a pale horse bringing death globally (Sena, 2006).

Although Muslims are allowed to eat cloven-hoofed mammals, the meat of swine is forbidden according to the Old Testament and Koran. Researches show that this prohibition in some way has no reason; they argue that swine flash may be prohibited because of pigs’ promiscuity in food or their “dirty” lifestyle.

Abrahamic Tradition is a historic religion, which follows the monotheistic faiths of the three prime religions including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Abrahamic traditions share similar values to the aforementioned religions. The culture and theology of Judaism gave birth to the Abrahamic Tradition.

Browns arguments for the existence of Pauline churches during the sub-apostolic period are erroneous based on the varied principle teachings of Timothy and Titus, Colossians and Ephesians and Luke and acts. However, examination of the lives of the earlier Christians indicates a common religious fellowship termed by Paul, as Koinonia.  

The presence of the horse in the apocalypse cannot be related to optimism. This is because apocalypse refers to the end of the world, and it is therefore nothing to be optimistic about. From this perspective, I would relate the horseman to represent the battle of supremacy that is present and characterizing every sphere of human life.

Confucian and Japanese Culture both are very pleasant and create a positive impact on people to create a strong society. In this context, it can be ascertained that Confucian offers different cultural norms, loyalty and ethics among people. The main motto of Confucian is to remain in peace and create a clean and peaceful world for the people.

In the parables, the mustard seed is the core aspect as it is the origin of all other factors; reflectively, if it were not for the planting of the mustard seed, the shrub and the tree would not have come to existence; and hence the birds from the parable would lack a place to dwell and make their nests.

Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals in Judaism, during which time the Jews were obligated to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem before it was destroyed (Rich 2011); during the time of the temple in Jerusalem, all Jewish people would assemble in the temple courtyard on the first day of the festival.