...John Locke was a 17th-century English philosopher whose ideas formed the foundation of liberal democracy and greatly influenced both the American and French revolutions. His contributions to philosophy include the theory of knowledge known as empiricism, which addressed the limits of what we can understand about the nature of reality. Locke held that our understanding of reality ultimately derives from what we have experienced through the senses. The political implications of his theories included the notions that all people are born equal and that education can free people from the subjugation of tyranny. Locke also believed that government had a moral obligation to guarantee that individuals always retained sovereignty over their own rights, including ownership of property that resulted from their own labor. We may remark, in passing, that the modern theory of the transmutation of species is nothing but an application of Locke's teaching that species have no objective reality. Let us also note the important fact that this extreme nominalism closely approximates extreme realism. Scholastic nominalism denies the reality of species, and absolutely affirms the reality of individuals to the exclusion of everything else. In this sense Leibniz is a nominalist. English nominalism, from which the theory of transformation takes its rise, denies not only the existence of species, but also the stability of the individuals themselves. All things, says Locke, besides their author, are liable...
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... I. INTRODUCTION II. EVALUATING THE TYPES OF EVIL III. ATHEISTIC AND SKEPTICAL ARGUMENT IV. FREE-WILL THEODICY V. POSSIBLE WORLDS VI. THE ALTERNATIVE APPROACH VII. CONCLUSION VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY INTRODUCTION Evil is a universal problem with many categories. Philosophers like David Hume and Alvin Plantinga have attempted to explain the presence of evil despite there being a God. One can choose from many theodicies on moral and natural evil. Lately work has shifted to the notion of gratuitous evil. If gratuitous evils exist, is God morally responsible? Gratuitous evil and natural evil appears to bring the most plausible charge that something malevolent has occurred. This paper will critique various arguments concerning evil. Biblical Theology will show that the arguments are missing a key to understanding evil. EVALUATING THE TYPES OF EVIL The complexity involved in addressing evil persuades us to define what is meant by natural and moral evil. It is noted, by Steven Layman, that the distinction between natural and moral evil is not always sharp. It is Erickson who provides very distinctive definitions. Natural evil are the destructive forces of nature. Forces of nature such as earthquakes and hurricanes are out of the control of man, and due to the resulting suffering are deemed evil. Moral evils are those evils committed by free moral agents. Moral and natural evil are at time corollary. Layman suggests that among the losses of natural...
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...nothing about scientists who try to explain something will not give up until they find an answer. The same is true for ultimate questions; “the thirst for truthful answers to them is so deeply rooted in the human heart that ignoring them would cast our existence in leopard.” There are different kinds of truths “most depend on immediate evidence confirmed by experimentation, philosophical truth obtained by the speculative power of the human intellectual finally the religious truths of the different religions traditions to some degree grounded in philosophy.” Philosophical truths are not the domain women direct their lives according to their own philosophies. At this point the question about the link between faith and reason (philosophy and religion, philosophy and Jesus Christ) is asked. WHAT OTHER PEOPLE COMMENT ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN FAITH AND REASON. Before venturing into this one thing has to be noted about philosophy “human beings do not live alone: born into a family they enter a...
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...Introduction Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious vocabulary and texts, and the relationship of religion and science. It is an ancient discipline, being found in the earliest known manuscripts concerning philosophy, and relates to many other branches of philosophy and general thought, including metaphysics, logic, and history. Philosophy of religion is frequently discussed outside of academia through popular books and debates, mostly regarding the existence of God and problem of evil. The philosophy of religion differs from religious philosophy in that it seeks to discuss questions regarding the nature of religion as a whole, rather than examining the problems brought forth by a particular belief system. It is designed such that it can be carried out dispassionately by those who identify as believers or non-believers. Religion: A Part of Metaphysics Philosophy of religion has classically been regarded as a part of metaphysics. In Aristotle's Metaphysics, the necessarily prior cause of eternal motion was an unmoved mover, who, like the object of desire, or of thought, inspires motion without itself being moved. This, according to Aristotle, is God, the subject of study in theology. Today, however, philosophers have adopted the term philosophy of religion for the subject, and typically it is regarded...
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...Africa cursed?: A vision for the radical transformation of an ailing continent. Place of publication: Nairobi, Kenya: Publisher: WordAlive Publishers. Year of publication: 2009 2.) Manasseh Kwame Dakwa Bediako – Ghanaian theologian Manasseh Kwame Dakwa Bediako was born on 7 July 1945 in Ghana. He was the son of a police inspector and the grandson of a Presbyterian catechist and evangelist. Kwame Bediako was an outstanding African theologian of his generation. He was an ardent promoter of Bible translation into African languages. He was a man of towering intellect, but he didn’t use it to crush others, but to build them up and encourage them. After a serious illness he died on 10 June 2008. Publication. Author: Bedieko, K. Book Title: Theology and identity: The impact of culture upon Christian thought in the second century and in modern Africa. Publisher: Oxford: Regnum Books. Year of publication: (1992). 3.) Bosch, David Jacobus - South African theologian David Jacobus Bosch was born into an Afrikaner home on December 13, 1929, near the town of Kuruman in the Cape Province of South Africa. Bosch was a theologian trained in the classic, European tradition. His facility in languages (he was conversant in Afrikaans, English, German, Dutch, French, and Xhosa) enabled him to act as a bridge builder between...
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...Pastor as Theologian in the Wesleyan Spirit Student: Ken Miller Part #1 Simply stated, theology is the study of God. But, it’s much more than that. It’s how God reveals himself to us through divine revelation. To begin our understanding of what theology is, we must examine the deeper question of why theology is. We must consider the purpose of theology…. the why and the how it is done. Theology can easily be viewed as a discipline with many facets. It is viewed in many ways. These are not necessarily to be considered as “stand alone” explanations, because they compliment each other. Five facets of theology are: explaining reality (often times looked upon as much more than an explanation of how things work, but a view of their place in God’s plan), systematization of Christian doctrine ( the practice of presenting Christian doctrine as an ordered or coherent whole), defending the faith and as a bridge for nonbelievers (this “apologetic theology” strives to help us refute the argument of those atheists who state that it’s not reasonable to believe in God), a critique of the life and proclamation of the church (an evaluation of the church and its teachings - often a cross check to evaluate if our sermons, lesson and writings are true to the gospel), and also contemplation (seeking a deeper understanding and intellectual appreciation). Theology and philosophy frequently are at times confused by those not actively engaged in either of the two disciplines. The...
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...Study Guide: Lesson 16 Philosophy of Religion: Introduction Read chapter. 1 of Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith, “What is Philosophy of Religion?” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: Explain the distinctions between philosophy of religion and sociology, history, theology, and religious philosophy. philosophy of religion focus on the truth and reasonableness of religious beliefs. While the historian or sociologist may study religious beliefs, but his focus is not specifically on the truth or reasonableness of such belief theologian looks at religous beliefs from within, as an adherent or representative of a religous tradition. philosophy of religon may be engaged in by thinkers who are not religous at all, as well as by committed religous thinkers philosophy of religion not so much religious thinking as it is thinking about religion. Religious Philosophy is Religious thinking Explain the arguments for and problems with fideism. Fideism: human beings are never religously neutral; they are always either in faithful service to or in rebellion against God. Claims that faith is the precondition for any correct thinking about religion Problem: fideist cannot attempt to win over his critics by rational argument as the presupposition of such dialouge means the possibility of common ground (fideists deny common ground) eliminates the possibility of showing the nonbeliever the superiority of a religous worldview where should...
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...Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the nature of existence. Metaphysics is concerned with explaining the ways things are by trying to answer the question “What is”, “what is reality”, what is free will”. It encompasses everything that exists, as well as the nature of existence itself. Compared to other branches of Philosophy such as epistemology that deals with things like the sources of justification, knowledge, metaphysics is concerned with explaining the way things are in the physical world. This is not the origin of the term The term “Metaphysics” comes from the Greek term “meta” meaning “after the Physics”. Although the term metaphysics generally makes sense in the way that it partially refers to things outside of and beyond the natural science. Instead, the term was used by later editors of Aristotle. Aristotle had written several books on matter and physics, and followed those volumes with works on ontology and other broad subjects. These editors referred to them as “The books that came after the books on physics” or “metaphysics”. Aristotle referred to metaphysics as “first philosophy”. This term was also used by some other philosopher like Descartes whose primary work focused on the subject of metaphysics. Metaphysical systems come in three main component: Physical system such as Kant’s, ideologies which are usually political, moral or other practical philosophical systems; and other religions which in their theologies attempt to create comprehensive...
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...POLITICS, THEOLOGY AND HISTORY RAYMOND PLANT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Politics, Theology and History is a major new book by a prominent academic and an active politician. It ranges widely across the disciplines of theology, political theory and philosophy and poses acute questions about the basic moral foundations of liberal societies. Lord Plant focuses on the role that religious belief can and ought to play in argument about public policy in a pluralistic society. He examines the potential political implications of Christian belief and the ways in which it may be deployed in political debate. The book is a contribution to the modern debate about the moral pluralism of western liberal societies, discussing the place of religious belief in the formation of policy and asking what sorts of issues in modern society might be the legitimate objects of a Christian social and political concern. Raymond Plant has written an important study of the relationship between religion and politics which will be of value to students, academics, politicians, church professionals, policy makers and all concerned with the moral fabric of contemporary life. r ay m on d pl an t is Professor of European Political Thought at the University of Southampton and a Member of the House of Lords. He was a Home affairs spokesperson for the Labour Party from 1992 to 1996, and Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford, from 1994 to 2000. Lord Plant's main publications are Social and Moral Theory in Casework...
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...premises; argument assuming something that would ordinarily not be assumed by someone who didn’t believe the conclusion 4. Coventalism- or Covenant theology; is an interpretive framework for understanding the overall flow of the Bible, focusing on the covenants God made. 5. Deduction-A system of logic, inference, and conclusion drawn from examination of 6. Dispensationalism-a method of interpreting the Bible that divides history into periods of time called “dispensations.” 7. Empiricism-The belief that real knowledge is only acquired through sense experience. 8. Epistemological Dualism-Knowledge consists of a mind that knows and ideas that are known. 9. Epistemology--The branch of philosophy that deals with knowing and the methods of obtaining knowledge. 10. Ethics-Study of right and wrong, good and bad, moral judgment, etc. 11. Evidential Apologetics-An apologetic approach emphasizing individual facts and arguments, including: archaeology, effects on society, historical evidences, miracles, prophecy, and the uniqueness of Christianity and/or Scripture. 12. Faith-Acceptance of ideals, beliefs, etc., which are not necessarily demonstrable through experimentation or reason. 13. Free will-Freedom of self-determination and action independent of external causes. 14. Humanism-The system of philosophy based upon human reason, actions, and motives without concern of deity or supernatural phenomena. 15. Induction-A system of logic where specific...
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...CHRISTIAN ETHICS IN A POSTMODERN WORLD The Rise of Postmodernity Since Federico de Onis’s use of the term ‘postmodernismo’ to describe the Spanish and Latin-American poetry of 1905-1914 which had reacted against the ‘excess’ of modernism in 1934, (Rose 1991: 171) “Postmodernism” became very popular. It has been used in the fields of art (Christo-Bakargiev 1987), architecture (Pevsner 1967), literature (Hassan 1971), video, economics, films (James 1991), ideology (Larrain 1994: 90-118), theology (Tilley at al 1995), and philosophy (Griffin et al 1993). In trying to understand ‘postmodern’, we have to understand ‘modern’ first. According to Rose (1991: 1), there are many related yet different meanings associated with the term ‘modern’. First of all, Arnold J. Toynbee understands modern as referring to the historical phenomenon of The most significant of the conclusions that suggest themselves is that the word ‘modern’ in the term ‘Modern Western Civilization’, can, without inaccuracy, be given a more precise and concrete connotation by being translated ‘middle class’. Western communities became ‘modern’ in the accepted Modern Western meaning of the word, just as soon as they had succeeded in producing a bourgeoisie that was both numerous enough and competent enough to become the predominant element in society. We think of the new chapter of Western history that opened at the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as being ‘modern’ par excellence because...
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...THE THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RUDOLF BULTMANN one briefly explain the theological of a man whose diversified writings first book How the present decade? Is it extend fromahissignificance review ina 1908 to possible for short essay to disclose fundamental unity in topics which range from source criticism, the history of religion, literary criticism, classical philology, technical exegesis, Gnostic studies, existential philosophy, and hermeneutics to the Gifford Lectures, the theological essay, popular and literate dialogue about the Church, demythologizing, and the relation of the New Testament to daily life?3 If the theological significance is judged in terms of intellectual climate, moral force, and scholarly style or by the more tangible but subtle influence on several generations of scholars, then the theological significance seems almost as elusive as it is palpable. Fortunately, diversity of form and subject is more apparent than real. The theological atmosphere and problematic shaped by Bultmann may be traced to concepts and procedures available to any critical reader. While it is quite correct to note, as did Hans Jonas on the Feiertag celebrated in honor of Bultmann in Marburg, November 16,1976, that it is impossible to separate the man from his writings, for he lived as he wrote,4 we are not here primarily concerned with Bultmann's personal psychological integrity, striking as it is. It may, however, be accurate to say that this escalating unity of life and work...
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...Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death (verse1-2).In the early Christian Practical Issues, The Apostle Paul forms the main character in relation to examining the respective entities attached to the issue. He was charged with three different assignments which were; preaching the gospel to the gentiles, providing the church leaders with the biblical instructions and encouragements, and lastly to teach the Christian community ways to live righteously in an unsaved world. Creation Romans on creation depicts that “for since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities such as the external power and the divine nature can easily be witnessed as also understood from what has been made. This reflects on the essence of creation as it presents God’s internal power and divine power. In Romans 5, those that place their trusts in Christ become “brad new creature” with the old things passing away where everything becomes new. Sin The consequences of sin according to the Romans are vast in relation to undermining ability to effectively interact with others. In Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is external life in Christ our lord. They argue that indulging into sinful activities consequences is death that comes from all sinned. Thus, those involved in sinful activities are availed with the option of repenting to acquire the free gift of God which is external life in Christ our lord. Salvation...
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...Attributes of Being A research paper submitted to [Professor Name] In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements For The course [Course Name] [Seminary Name] By [Student Name] Place Date Introduction While Plato had also covered the notions surrounding the properties of being, Aristotle was the first to bring the term transcendental to the context of the attributes of being. Plato offered valuable insight regarding the four transcendental attributes of being. [1] Aristotle shaped the transcendentals in a specific manner and refined his own perspective. Later philosophers also expanded the discussion surrounding the transcendental attributes of being. These transcendentals become significant in the context of theology because they possess a link with Christian theology and unfold in the form of what man desires. For explicating the four transcendental attributes of being, it becomes significant to first explore the definition of an attribute. An attribute falls under the category of that aspect which does not exist in the form of the embodiment but originates from the same. As regards ‘being’, it can only give rise to what is also being and thus, a ‘being’ cannot spawn attributes or properties while discussing these terminologies in a firm manner. Nevertheless, while approaching the subject in a broader manner, an attribute can be defined for a specific perspective on being as long as it applies to each instance of being and overall entities that fall into the category...
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...UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY A Select Issue in Contemporary Theology: God-Is-Dead Theology Submitted to Dr. Lee Mitchell, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course THEO 510 – B01 Survey of Theology by Kevin Curtis July 1, 2014 Table of Contents Introduction/Thesis Statement 1 The French Revolution 2 Immanuel Kant Albrecht Ritschl Friedrich Nietzsce 3 Bultman Bonhoeffer Van Buren Hamilton Altizer Conclusion 4 Bibliography 5 Introduction/Thesis Statement One of the most difficult questions today posed to Christian believers is to prove the existence of God. It by all appearances seems that the Christian belief, far more than any other is under attack by groups who are opposing not just belief in God but also a direct attack on religious freedom. By religious freedom the author here does not focus on the right to choose your religion, but to practice it openly without fear of legal retaliation or of retaliation of any kind. The God-Is-Dead Theology is not a new belief but has existed since the late nineteenth century with its roots founded in statements made by Friedrich Nietzsche who lived from 1844 and died in 1900. The sole purpose of this paper is to show the historical workings of those “theologians” who created the God-Is-Dead theology, how it got its possible rise stemming from the events of the French Revolution...
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