...important and how unique Christianity is to the problem of horrendous evils on this view. She argues that Christianity has a variety of unique tools that can meet the problem of evil more effectively when not abstracted into simply classical theism. Adams’ account has the kind of honest, penetrating discussion of real evil in our world about which philosophy would do well to take notice. The little child kidnapped and murdered; the innocent family killed by the drunk driver; the millions murdered by Hitler; these examples all demand answers for the individual occurrences of evil, according to Adams Specifically, she writes that At a minimum, God’s goodness to human individuals would require that God guarantee each a life that was a great good to him/her on the whole… God would have to… [give each person's life value]… by giving it positive meaning through… great enough good within the context of his/her life” (31, emphasis hers). This stunning claim will likely make the theistic philosopher rock back on his/her heels for a moment. Surely, we cannot be called to account for every individual evil! Adams believes that the Christian theist can indeed do so, not by taking the unconvincing route of arguing that such persons are having their character built by suffering, but by appealing to God’s goodness to each individual person. Specifically, Jesus Christ demonstrates this goodness of God within Christianity. After a penetrating discussion of purity and defilement on Christianity...
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...The existence of evil is one of the world’s most vexing challenges. Most Christians agree on the existence of an omnipotent God, however like Augustine, we struggle to understand how evil comes into being. Evil corrupts our free will and enables us to sin, but if God is all-powerful and all good, how can he allow this to happen? “Whence comes evil? Was there a certain evil matter out of which he made these things? Did he form and fashion it, but yet leave within it something that he would not convert into good? Why would he do it? Was he powerless to turn and change all this matter so that no evil would remain in it, even though he is all powerful?” As these questions found their way into Augustine’s mind, they also manage to exist and remain unanswered for most people today. However Augustine addresses these questions by justifying evil in this world with God’s creation of free will. By granting us free will God makes us responsible for our wrongdoings, as a result of this we can knowingly choose either right or wrong. In the infamous biblical passage on the creation of original sin, God accommodates men by giving Adam and Eve all the necessities of life: partnership, water, food and land. However, despite God’s warning Eve chose to eat the fruit from the tree of life. The serpent persuades Eve who later convinces Adam to eat from the tree. From this persuasion and act from men, original sin is born. Men are now born with a predisposition to sin; in other words, they can knowingly...
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...Shieber, J. (2009). Personal responsibility and middle knowledge: A challenge for the molinist. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 66(2), 61-70. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11153-008-9194-5 In this paper, I develop and discuss an argument intended to demonstrate that the Molinist notion of middle knowledge, and in particular the concept of counterfactuals of freedom, is incompatible with the notion of personal responsibility (for created creatures). In Sect. 1, I discuss the Molinist concepts of middle knowledge and counterfactuals of freedom. In Sect. 2, I develop an argument (henceforth, the Transfer of Negative Responsibility Argument, or TNRA) to the effect that, due to their construal of the concepts of middle knowledge and counterfactuals of freedom, Molinists are not entitled to the notion that individuals are personally responsible--even for those actions that they freely perform. I then discuss the only two promising strategies for rejecting the argument in Sects. 3 and 4. Finally, in Sect. 5, I contend that, although TNRA may be unsuccessful as an internal argument against the Molinist, either of the possible strategies for rejecting TNRA poses a difficulty for the Molinist. Both response strategies force the Molinist into adopting a popular compatibilist strategy for rejecting a common negative argument against compatibilism. Thus, if Molinism represents a libertarian--i.e., incompatibilist--account of human freedom (as, e.g., Flint claims in his...
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...I am a Christian going on to become a counselor and Psychologist. Here is my philosophy that I began writing. It is not complete but will be soon. Introduction: The Need for Biblical Counseling The need for Biblical counseling has always been a need ever since the beginning of sin. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the garden of Eden, a terrible thing happened. Sin had entered into the world, and through sin, sickness, pain, addiction, and hardships also came with it. and it is growing, because Christian and secular culture have changed. The practice of studying and understanding Gods Word has been neglected as people drift away from books and memorization, to electronics and reminders on their devices. People do not think for themselves anymore because there is always an article or some made-up doctrine that fits ones agenda instead of Gods Holy Word. Defining Biblical Counseling – Biblical counseling is selflessly helping people with using a God centered, Biblically immersed, use of language and fellowship to help a person bring glory to God in and through their life using Gods Words Truths. Contrary to secular counseling where the counselor is focused on fixing the problem at hand and nothing more, Biblical counseling has a relational aspect to it meaning that it involves a relationship between two people. It also involves going to and using Gods Holy Word for answers and applying it to one’s life by taking steps to change. One must believe Scripture is...
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...Like my worldview, my philosophy of education, shows my passion for sharing my knowledge and experiences with others. As I share this with my students, I will inspire them to feel the same way. Everything that happens exist for a reason and by passing it on others the opportunity to learn or experience something that they have been unfortunate not to learn or experience themselves. I want to positively influence my students and everyone else’s lives. My Philosophy of Education Compared to Christian Worldviews in Readings My Philosophy of education resembles many aspects of the worldviews of philosophers that I have learned about in my Christian Worldview class. I’ve read writings by and learned about Alber Wolters, David Naugle, and...
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...Blaise Pascal Report Blaise Pascal made many contributions to math, Christian philosophy, and science. Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. During his lifetime he worked on conic sections and geometry. Around the 1600’s, Pascal created a early version of the calculator. He is well known for his series of letters defending his faith, and his notes in Pensees. Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623. He was the third child and only son to Etienne and Antoinette Pascal. His father Etienne, was a mathematician and tax collector. After his mother passed away when he was three years old, he grew closer to his two older sisters. Blaise and his family relocated to Paris, France in 1831. His father wanted to give his children an unorthodox curriculum so he taught them at home. Some sources have said that Blaise might have been homeschooled because of a illness. Etienne did not allow his son to learn math until he was 15 so he could focus on the classical subjects. Blaise’s early education focused on learning Latin and Greek. Etienne’s plan to eliminate math from Blaise’s life failed. The idea of math not being allowed made him more interested in the subject. When he was 12 he started working with geometry by himself. He used his own terms and eventually worked...
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...Guide: Lesson 3 The Importance of Philosophy for Christians Lesson Overview In our last lesson for this module/week, we examined why developing the philosophical mindset is important for people in general. In this lesson, we want to ask that question specifically for Christians. What value does philosophy have for Christians? We will begin by examining the biblical basis for developing a philosophical mindset. We will discuss the biblical mandate for philosophy and three elements in fulfilling that mandate. We will then survey a number of roles that philosophy functions for Christians. Finally, we will examine the role that the Bible plays in doing philosophy. Tasks Read and take notes from chapter 3 of Philosophy: Critically Thinking about Foundational Beliefs, “What Athens has to do with Jerusalem: The Importance of Philosophy for Christians.” As you read, make sure you understand the following points and questions: • Know the historical and literary background to Col 2:8. Paul starts this passage off with a Greek term “blepete” meaning “beware” or “be on your guard.” Then follows this with a strange phrase that literally means “to be carried off as booty” but here is probably meant more like “kidnap” The literal wording here is actually “philosophy and vain deceit” knowing the historical and literary context of this passage one can see that Paul is not condemning philosophy in general. He is contrasting two kinds of philosophy: one that is based on human traditions...
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...Roman men did not begin learning philosophy until regarding two hundred before Christ. At that point, the Romans were gaining control, so plenty of Roman troopers and generals spent plenty of your time in Balkan state, and got an opportunity to speak to Greek philosophers. The Romans realized that Greek philosophers like philosopher, Plato, and Aristotle had been doing plenty of wondering philosophy only in the near past. Some Romans got interested, and by regarding fifty before Christ, these Romans were even commencing to write philosophy themselves, though' most of it had been just about simply translating Greek philosophy into Latin. One of the primary Roman men (Men would not let women study philosophy) who wrote regarding...
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...understanding Philo of CE? Include new insights. Professor Alex Holazo’s lesson on the “Philosophy of Christian Education” is a mind opener. A. Philosophy as “trying to answer the Big questions of life. Philosophy is complex and it is a big word for me and others, I suppose. The differing views of these well known philosophers have both affected human’s perspective and judgment of the truth and reality. On the positive side, their philosophies are educational and revealing; but on the negative point of view, they are sort of discouraging, confusing and divisive due to the fact that a number of their theories in answering the Big questions of life are quite inconclusive...
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...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 with special herbs, teas, foods and activities may be participated in (Braswell & Wong, 1994). Their perspective is healing should be a combination of both the spiritual and the physical. Lacking an understanding...
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...practices of Greek. Christianity has thus been introduced more of a discipline of philosophy since it as the best way to present the Christian values through logic presentation of facts. During the medieval age of Christianity, it shaped and curved both intellectual and political wellbeing of the society. The Christian knowledge more so, the first instance of Christianity being Catholicism introduced the concept of universalism. The church in the west was a very powerful organization that dictated the social economic welfare, as well as the political governance of the world. After the fall of Roman Empire, Christianity took root in the moral fabric of the society and condemned most of the ancient cultural practices. Practices such as witchcraft were highly discouraged and individuals who got caught were punished and even killed. The catholic power at the time determined those who were to be kings and the kingdoms to fall and strongly condemned paganism as well as those who practiced indigenous cultural behaviors. Barbarism heavily faced fierce hatred as the catholic priests and nobles persecuted the barbarians and also those who protested Catholic Church. Great Christian thinkers like Augustine got educated through the Greek philosophical education. The staunch Christians could not accept this since it was not clear if it was possible to learn from the pagan ways and still follow the Christian values. However, the advantage were that learning from both extremities helped one...
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... Sammy Hoag Philosophy 202 Dr. Ryan Murphy December 2015 What is evil? This ‘problem of evil’ and the existence of evil have plagued the minds of people throughout the centuries. It has been one on the most sought after inquiries and one of the most vexing challenges to Christianity, in explaining the existence of God. Many philosophers and thinkers, both secular and Christian, have endeavored to solve this problem. One of the most notable of whom is Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430). He is perhaps one of the most influential philosophers in the history of the Christian Church. Augustine spent much of his life trying to solve this ‘problem of evil’ and it proved to be quite an undertaking. This paper will explore the problem of evil and argue how Saint Augustine solidified the ways in which philosophy and religion, specifically Christianity, coincide through his work on the concepts of the problem of and the origin of evil. Understanding the problem of evil is essential to everyone because it affects the manner in which life is lived. Whether defending a belief in God or trying to share those beliefs with others everyone will encounter the problem of evil at some point. According to Ed Miller and Jon Jensen, authors of Questions that Matter: An Invitation to Philosophy, “The presence in the world of evil, both natural and moral, is surely the biggest stumbling block...
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...This paper contains my personal education philosophy; which is based on a foundation of Biblical principles, which I believe to be paramount in any philosophy. One must have a belief in God the creator of all if you truly want to know the meaning of life and your role in it. I believe that students should be taught first and foremost that they live in a fallen world and that sin separates us from god the father. And only through His Jesus Christ can we restore that that broken relationship. Once this is understood, the student can begin to develop the knowledge they need to become servants in God’s kingdom. I believe that my role as educator is to help foster that relationship through a mentor/disciple relationship. Below is an explanation on how I intend to achieve this goal. Guiding Young Minds towards Biblical Truth According to John Dewey (1997), “education is the process of facilitating learning. Knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits of a group of people are transferred to other people, through storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, or research. As an educator it is our job to guide the young minds entrusted to us to a greater understanding of the subjects we teach through formal instruction. A teacher will facilitate this instruction on the basis of a teaching philosophy they have developed about teaching and learning. Being a teacher is a lifestyle, a love, a passion, and a calling, not a job. Being a Christian educator has an even greater importance...
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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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...History 200 14 December 2010 1 Mysticism and Diabolic Witchcraft: Female Susceptibility of the Italian Renaissance During the Italian Renaissance, Christianity experienced a heavy resurgence in mysticism. Mysticism was a type of devout faith or spirituality found throughout the convents in Italy and primarily exercised by Christian Italian women (Sheldrake 93-95). These women underwent vivid connections with God which involved an awakening of consciousness and awareness for God’s divine will. In extreme cases, women fell into a transcendental union with God in which they experienced ultimate illumination. In these rare occurrences, women could encounter faith miracles such as stigmatas, ecstasies, or the re-living of Christ’s Passion. During this period, Italy also experienced another intense spiritual movement labeled diabolic witchcraft (Tavuzzi 150). In the case of diabolic witchcraft, again experienced primarily by females, women underwent a concentrated level of worship and contractual relations with Satan. Historical examples show these women developing sexual relations with Satan, as well as maleficia or harmful magic (Tavuzzi 153). The women involved in diabolic witchcraft were pursued by the Church’s legal arm, the Dominican Inquisitors. They were put on trial, accused of heresy, and either imprisoned or killed. Similarly, the Dominican Inquisitors investigated women who were involved in mysticism and upon the examinations performed by the inquisitors;...
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