...thought that I would be interested in learning about religions other than my own. Throughout my life I was raised to follow the Christian faith. Everything that pertained to my life revolved around my faith. Although I do not regret being born and raised in a Christian home, some occasions have risen where I felt a sense of being “forced” into the religion. This caused myself to ultimately grow a disconnection from my faith. Coming to Seattle University with a sense of disconnection from my religion in actuality provided me the motivation and inspiration to possibly learn about different religions in order to compare and contrast their views from my personal ones, which...
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...Understanding Christian Faith from the Biblical Perspective The definition of faith is defined in the Bible as “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (BibleGateway, Hebrews 11:1). In other words, faith believes that something will take place or manifest before it actually does. Faith is not based on whether God believes it or not but if the believer does. Faith is a process. Each believer’s faith level is different. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (BibleGateway, Romans 1:17). A mature believer recognizes that one should have childlike faith but not be childish. Some people have incomprehensible faith while some others are afraid to operate in faith at all. In order to understand how to live a Christian life style of faith one must understand the biblical perspective and foundation of faith in Hebrews 11 verse 6, Matthew 17 verse 20 and Matthew 21 verses 21 and 22. Hebrews Chapter 11 is commonly known as “The Faith Chapter” and sets the foundation of faith. The scripture states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (BibleGateway, Hebrews 11:6). This scripture clearly states that in order to please God, one must have faith. The scripture also goes on to say that one must believe that God exist and that secondly, He rewards those...
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...Valeria Oceguera Biology 215 Heredity and Society Professor Graham April 19th, 2017 Christian Faiths and Ethos Depending on our lives circumstances, society and the people that surround us, our Christian faiths and ethos may differ slightly when compared to others. According to Neuman, faith is something that comes from within oneself and even though institutions may teach us about faith, the faith that is in ourselves and what we are taught and slowly understand with time is what we carry for a long time. Christian faith and ethos are values, and these values can not be forced into a person, these values come with the time and experience of each person, the person must slowly start to see their christian faith and ethos and decided what their faith, ethos and values are. Neuman stated that people must, “explore the inner dynamics of their own Christian faith without immediately forcing them.” According to Edgar, there are eight values that are important to...
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...I am stunned whenever I see people who call themselves "Christians" and yet believe that The Bible was just made by mere human beings. "The Bible was just made by man." Such unwise words. Whatever Christian denomination you belong to, your leaders will always tell you that the Bible is HOLY. It is the basis, it is the root of the Christian faith. During the mass, a priest raises the Bible. Before any sermon, a priest/pastor reads the Bible. It just goes to show that the Bible is the authority of the Christian faith. If you are going to claim that the Bible is not holy then you shouldn't call yourself a Christian at all. The Bible is considered holy for it contains the WORD OF GOD. It is holier than the pope, it is holier than those graven images, it is holier than your holy water. It is holier than anything else existing in the entire cosmos. Spiritually speaking, The MOST POWERFUL thing in this world that we have right now is the word of God. "For the word of God is ALIVE AND ACTIVE. SHARPER than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." -Hebrews 4:12 "Is not my word like FIRE," declares the LORD, "and like a HAMMER that BREAKS a rock in pieces? -Jeremiah 23:29 "to make her holy, CLEANSING her by the washing with water through the WORD" -Ephesians 5:26 The Word Of God can divide the soul and spirit and at the same time cleanse. Can you name...
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...this form, staple it to your assignment and hand it in to the Academic and Practical Training Office on or before the published deadline. Essays should also be submitted electronically via Moodle in most cases. “In our spiritual roots of Christian faith in these lands we have this sensitive, powerful, community based, care free mission church. Perhaps this church, more than any other, discovered what God has truly given to these lands, a missionary responsibility that is not to do with the imposition of Western Culture and manipulation, but with a humble, foolish abandonment to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.”[1] Celtic Christianity, tradition and history, is acknowledged as the first Christian Church outside the Holy Land. Since Celtic Christianity was established prior to the first century it is classified as pre- Nicene . Christianity from that period, is sometimes referred to as "primitive” Christianity. [2] In his day, Julius Caesar noted that the entire Gallic nation was very religious.[3] Of course, he was speaking about pagan Celts, but a deep religiosity has been a characteristic of the Celts in general over the centuries, and especially during the Christian era. Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912) , who collected folklore in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland during the nineteenth century, is another, more recent witness to the deep religiosity of the Celts. He observed that the music of their...
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...Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity: First Draft Michelle L. Murphy GCU: Spirituality in Healthcare March 16, 2014 Rev. Rick Hudock Abstract As heath care providers we need to keep mindful of the care we provide to several different religious traditions. It is up to the health care professional to respect and understand the ideals that affect our patients and their family members. In this paper we will compare the philosophies of three diverse faiths. The faiths chosen are Islam, Christian Science and Buddhism, and how they compare to Christianity. We will learn about basic beliefs, spiritual perspectives on healing, and the components of healing such as meditation, prayer and other rituals they follow. Furthermore, addressing the importance and perceptive of how to care for a patient with a different faith and cultural view. In the field of nursing we are in constant contact with patients of several different faiths. This requires an abundance of knowledge and acceptance towards multiple beliefs and religions. The philosophies of Christian Science, Buddhism and Islam compared to Christianity have significantly diverse beliefs surrounding health, illness, death and healing. From a spiritual perspective we will learn about each of these faiths. We will place focus on their beliefs on healing, meditation, rituals, prayer and their views on afterlife. We as healthcare providers need to know what is viewed with importance in their faith in order to treat the patient...
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...Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity Members of the healthcare team come in contact with a diverse multi-cultural environment on a daily basis. Every individual is just that an individual with a different worldview and varying faith background. To some individual’s, religion plays a very important role in their daily lives, while to others it may not seem to play a very big role. Newsweek (2009) polls since 1992 show religion is fairly to very important in the lives of 85% of people (as cited in Ashcraft, Anthony, & Mancuso, 2010). Numbers this high show that religion plays a major role to many and with that healthcare providers need to be aware of their own beliefs, while maintaining a respectful and supportive environment for the patients they are caring for and their beliefs. Patients along with nurses often look to their faith when in times of stress and illness. This paper will discuss the Native American spirituality philosophy compared to the Christian philosophy. Native American Spirituality According to the United States census (2000) “4.3 million people (1.5% of the total United States population) self-identified as American Indian or Alaska Native (as cited in Hubbert, 2008). Native American healing practices may include traditional healers such as medicine men and women, herbalists, and shaman who work to return the individual to optimal health. Rituals of healing and purification ceremonies, sand painting, spiritual chants, dancing, therapeutic sings, along...
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...in letting go of our selfishness and considering others better than ourselves. It is in doing away our suspicions, hypocrisies, prejudices and intolerances. It is in treating all creation with respect and dignity whether black or white humans, from the South or the North, Tribals or Brahmins, animals or plants. It is about celebrating unity in diversity. It is about celebrating all God’s creation. Where do we find these principles? It is in the Christian Bible. It seems clear to me that a true Christian believer, who believes in the Triune Creator of the world, is one with a spirit of secularism, but never a racist, celebrating different race, culture and religion. The Bible as the revelation of God assists Christian believers to live out what it means to have a “faith seeking understanding” that reflects the secular consciousness and relevant to the every day’s experience of a diverse community in India. Lesslie Newbigin is right when he says that, “In India...it needs Christians to keep the secular state truly secular”(76). Christians must take this as opportunity and recognize “the possibility of...
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...Dialogue between Faith and science assignment: What is the kind of relation between faith, and reason or science ? General: The discoveries we make through science make the people think and ask questions about his identity, sometimes they even change ones ideas about himself. We see for example that by Copernicus revolution about astronomy the people got to know that they are not living in a world that is not found at the centre of the universe, to the contrary to what was thought before but we live in a planet amongst many others. The theory of revolution of Charles Darwin taught people that we are a member of many different species of animals. These discoveries challenge us to think about the world in general, life and humans in a different way. Nowadays faith cannot forget reason and psychology has to be taken with the importance it needs. During this assignment as indicated by the title we are going to see the relationship between faith and psychology (reason). First we start by showing the type of relationship that can take place between them then we explain how and why they go hand in hand with religion. In the second chapter we see how reason challenges our faith, then conclude by giving some suggestions how reason can contribute with faith. The relation between faith and reason: You cannot actually talk about the relation between faith and reason because there are many psychological reasons like there are religions. Faith cannot be separated from the...
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...Neal, is a Christian. While I am very much open to other ideas concerning spirituality, they are both very much decided. Both came to their decisions on their beliefs in a similar manner. Both were looking for answers. Lance says that, “I favor science over miracles.” With him it is what he can see, hear and feel that he believes in. Neal on the other hand “was looking for a way to be a better person, and [Christianity] just made sense.” They have both had positive experiences from their respective beliefs. Lance feels that with no “God” that he has responsibility and control over his life. Neal is proud of the work that he has done with and through his church. Being a former Sunday school teacher and volunteering with various community programs gave him a sense of giving back to other people. Though Lance feels that there are no negative drawbacks to his atheism, Neal feels there are some in being a Christian. He feels that, “There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings around Christians. Everyone seems to think we are judgmental, and uptight, but I am neither.” I believe him about this because Neal, along with Lance, feels that the people closest to them respect their beliefs, even if their own differ. Lance says, “Some agree with me, and others maintain a strong faith, however, they respect my beliefs.” Neal feels the same way, except for when meeting new people. “People meeting me for the first time are surprised when I tell them I’m a Christian because...
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...In the Catholic faith there is a belief called the Hypostatic Union. This is the belief that Jesus is simultaneously fully human and fully divine. This concept has been put before Christians with little to no explanation for as long as I can remember. However although I feel that believing in the Hypostatic Union is unreasonable I do not think that people should be cautious of Christians just as people should not be cautious of people who believe in aliens. When it comes to viewing the Hypostatic Union with reason I cannot find a way to view and accept it without using “blind faith” as the excuse for believing. There is no plausible way for us as humans to understand the Hypostatic Union. If something is human there is no way that it could...
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...Chantae’ Wilson Professor Bland 27 November 2012 What are the Core Beliefs of being a follower of Christ? What Christian beliefs constitute true/genuine faith? Being a follower of Christ ensures that one will go to heaven upon Christ return. A follower may go through trials and tribulations; but they also know that God will see them through the hard times, as long as they continue to serve him. Hebrews 11:16 states that “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Believing in God pays off it will be an everlasting gift in the end; you will get to spend eternity with God in heaven. God expects your parents to help guide you to him. God considers parents the primary disciples of their children. He created the family to be the incubator of a teenager’s spiritual growth. God has given parents the responsibility of creating an environment suitable for their children to become a follower of Christ (Smith). God needs help like the rest of us; some believe that seeing is believing, this means that if you see your parents living in Christ you won’t stray and you will continue to follow in their foot steps. Most people get their beliefs of Christ during adolescence it’s the time when a person develops perceptions about religious thoughts and with proper guidance, can be a stronger follower of Christ (Monahan). When do you think most people gain their religious? Does being...
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...THE GOD PROJECT Religion has always been a fascinating subject to me. It captured my attention as a young boy growing up in a Christian community because of festivities such as ester, Christmas among other festivities. Growing up in Colombia, a country composed of a large Christian population and attending a catholic school I was ignorant to other religions and cultures. After all I was a catholic because that was how I was raised. After moving to Canada I was exposed to other cultures and forms of faith which expanded my knowledge and understanding of cultures and religions. As I started to mature and began the quest of becoming a young adult many questions about my faith began to linger in my head. As my knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church and other religions expanded, I started to develop a negative image of organized religions. Mainly because I began to believe religion is used to manipulate people by influencing their social, political, and cultural beliefs of what is right or wrong. From the Catholic Church’s crusades to current extremist terrorism organized religion has caused more problems than it has solved. I believe the church and the state should be two separate entities and in countries like Iran mixing the two has only caused problems for this nation. I find it extremely hard to have blind faith when it comes to super natural things. This ofcourse is one of the basic things religions ask for. I’m constantly trying to arrive to a “rational” conclusion...
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...FAITH AND REASON ARE TWO COMPATIBLE REALITIES Introduction In the first stem of discussing the truth validity of this statement, we need to understand the meaning of Faith and Reason. Faith in my own opinion would be the entrusting or bowing oneself to others while Reason would be the use of our intellectual capacities to arrive and certain truths. In about to find the truth validity of faith and Reason being compatible realities, we are going to base on what some Philosophers and Religious people have send about the two to give its validity. As a human being may be defined as the one who seeks the truth, life cannot be grounded upon doubt, uncertainty or deceit. It would constantly be threatened by sear and anxiety. A search so deeply rooted in human nature cannot be completely vain and useless. One does not ask question about something one knows absolutely 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...
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...vocabulary. It does not matter what religion or if you have no religion at all. We might have a different perspective of the meaning but we all know that there is evil in this world. It does not matter if you believe the people are evil or if you believe that evil is a supernatural force in them. When Jesus cast the demon out of the man he was talking to evil. He was talking to someone other than the physical man that he was speaking to. Evil to me can be both the person and the supernatural force that can take that person over. Watching this video of 9/11 and the way it affected people was very touching and at the same time very irritating to me. I am a Christian and I do believe in evil but once something like this happens it shows that even the people that think that they have so much faith can lose all that faith that they think that they had in a split second. I know that this was hard and I know that I cannot relate with these people as far as losing a loved one in this catastrophe but out of this catastrophe you can relate it to everyday things that happen. It might not be as EXTREME but it does fit. To hear someone say “this is the best reason to not believe in God” saddened my heart but also made me think about how many people say that after every bad and evil thing that happens. God is not the reason that any evil thing happened. It was said perfectly by an agnostic man in the video. He said “God is not the one who pushes people off of a cliff with his finger. ...
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