...Kristine Moore Dr. Mills American Literature I 26 April 2015 The One that Launched A Thousand Religions “خالق واحد صحيح” (For purposes of understanding I refer to the creators in each religion as a he. This research is not intended to argue the gender of a higher being.) Native Americans, Christians, Deists, Muslims, and many other cultures have similarities in the ways they view the dawn of man. Creation stories have dated back anywhere from thousands of years to millions, yet it cannot be decided which version tells the true beginning. Religions and tales of the supreme beings who created Earth and life, come down in manuscripts and drawings that depict each individual purpose of life. With the advancement of technology, war, and government, the reason for man’s existence has changed and therefor his purpose needs to be redefined. خالق واحد صحيح in Arabic means “the one true creator” who holds and gives all power and life. The God, Allah, or Sky-Holder’s power is taken away in order for man to make what he has created right and so begins the beginning of a thousand religions. When man first thought about how to expand his power he did so while looking at his kingdom. From ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and even men like Christopher Columbus, power has stemmed from the ownership of land masses and the conquering of unexplored terrain. The world is in the state it is now because it shows who has gained the most power, yet man has neglected to protect the one thing that gave...
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...History As An Interpretation Growing up in a conservative environment I was taught that what everyone said was the truth and if you were told something about the past it was to be taken as a fact. To me there was not a single argument to the fact that the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. But as you get older you start to understand concepts and motives and to not be so naive. As I grew up my grandparents always told me to take everything “with a grain of salt” which meant to not eagerly accept every detail as a fact but to look at everything from a different perspective until you can formulate your own ideas on a certain subject. This new way of thinking helped cure some of my adolescent naiveness. When I first signed up for this class I had no idea what to expect; I knew it was an honors class and I wanted the challenge, but as far as the class structure would go I had no idea as to how things would be run. Immediately I knew this was a different type of class because most classes I had taken in the past would look at a pre-approved book and we would memorize and accept everything it said down to the letter. This unfortunately, as I learned through this class, presented an incredible biased view and opinion on various subjects. For instance I was taught that the war with japan was basically us saving these savage and cruel beasts. It taught of the horrors of torture to American P.O.W. and the sucker punch Japan delivered during the attack on Pearl Harbor. To me it was obvious...
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...The Age of Enlightenment was an intellectual and scientific movement of 18th century Europe where it was acceptable for people to question anything. This is when the church started being questioned. Through many philosophers and documents, I view the Age of Enlightenment as a positive effect for the Christian faith. Thomas Paine, a proponent of Deism as a philosophy of natural religion, wrote a document comparing Deism with the Christian religion. He states, “But the Church of Rome could not erect the person called Jesus into a Savior of the world without making the allegories in the book of Genesis into fact, though the New Testament, as before observed, gives no authority for it” (Paine, 3). Paine believes that there isn’t enough proof to say that Jesus was a real man. For Paine and all the other Deists, the stories of Jesus in the New Testament isn’t enough proof of Jesus’ existence....
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...Bellanger The Age of Reason The Eighteenth century led to a new age of thinking. It has became known as the Age of Skepticism, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Neoclassical Period. The Age of Reason meant that traditional Christian ideas were no longer accepted on just faith. The Age of Skepticism produced a nation that doubted everything. Science, because of its solid results, became strong and with this strength deism was born. Although not everyone accepted these new ideas, many did. Benjamin Franklin was definitely a product of this new age. Benjamin Franklin at the age of sixteen accepted deism as his religion. Franklin believed in the perfectibility of man. By altering his lifestyle he removed morals from religion in believing one should do good because it is useful in this world, not the next. Without having to consider original sin from Adam and Eve, which would have made it impossible to achieve perfection. Unlike Puritans who believed they had to reach moral perfection to please God. Franklins deism allowed him to strive for this perfection. His strategy for accomplishing his goal was by following his thirteen virtues. He made a little brown book so he could recorded the faults he had that day. In his Autobiography Franklin hints at his secularization of virtue, “vicious actions are no harmful because they are forbidden, but forbidden because they are hurtful”(818). Franklin did not feel that he truly reached this perfection, mainly because, “inclination was...
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...American Puritanism Institution affiliates Name American Puritanism The relationship of the individual to the community The term community is associated with hope and ways of reviving a harmonious bond linked to people who are not clearly attributed to past ages. This exploration of the history has been significant in shaping the character and culture of the American. Community is a value because it is used to bring together several elements such as trust, solidarity, mutuality, and trust. On the other hand, individualism positions each member of the community to draw apart with their friends and family, so that he can leave the society once he forms his own circle. Community is crucial as opposed to individualism, which leads to absolute selfishness. According to the Enlightenment theory, the individual natural right should progress according to his personal goals, as a result, succeeds economically. Shakespeare’s treatments of a family and friendship shows tension in the stories of a community defined in terms of the public and private circles of government. Even though, it does not necessarily condemn it, it question discretion. In other words, an individual relationship does not necessarily result in public responsibilities. The conflicts between private and public relationships are contradictory dynamics. Shakespeare narratives are dedicated to undermining the authority because of their inability to stabilize...
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...Candide Essay Assignment TA: Véronique Church-Duplessis Tutorial: 7-8 SS 2104 Sajid Borhan 998931036 Voltaire in his novella Candide portrays the adventures of a young man named Candide as he faces numerous difficulties after he is forced to leave his sheltered life of the court. Voltaire, in his satire, explores many themes. Voltaire being a critic of the Church does not show the religious institutions and the people associated with it in good light, as demonstrated by the various characters in Candide. There are few portrayals of religious characters in a positive tone. This essay will discuss and analyze Voltaire’s view on religion and how he expresses his discontent and negative impression. This essay will discuss the theme of religion as portrayed in the novel and will further reinforce Voltaire’s view on certain aspects with other primary and secondary sources. Religious intolerance was a subject Voltaire dealt with in many of his works, especially Candide. The part where Candide escapes from the Bulgarians and encounters a Protestant man and women who drive Candide away by throwing garbage on him shows religious intolerance and religious zeal, “The orator's wife, putting her head out of the window, and spying a man that doubted whether the Pope was Anti-Christ, poured over him a full.... Oh, heavens! To what excess does religious zeal carry the ladies...” There are many characters present in Candide which are associated with religion; however Voltaire...
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...Response Paper #1 The struggle between Religious power and political power has always been a great issue throughout history. In the early 1500’s and onward political power and religious power were indirectly tied together, meaning that Monarchies had a say in religious rules and views/laws, and religious officials had a say in political views/laws. This caused great issues because if you were condemned a heretic by a religious order, you were also considered a heretic by the state. Its issue’s like this that slowly lead to the dissolve or separation of religious and political powers. A Prime example of the complication between the tie of these two powers was the excommunication of Martin Luther, this occurs during the Dict of Worms around 1521. Martin Luther had different views on the catholic religion and he tried to express them to the people in his 95 theses. The catholic leaders did not appreciate that so they went ahead and made Luther a heretic which in turn made Charles V (Leader of HRE at the time) to write the Edict of Worms which also made Luther an enemy of the state. The powers were so closely tied here, you could not just be an enemy of the catholic religion, you would also be an enemy of the state. This started the questioning that religion should not be tied with political power. Luther only questioned religious views on Catholicism had nothing to do with anything political related. We call the start of religious power declining for greater state control secularization...
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...When the Light Shines on Literature The Enlightenment Era is a period of philosophic and scholarly excitement which took place globally in the early eighteenth century. In a historical context, the American Enlightenment led to the American Revolution, American Independence, and the creation of the Constitutional Republic of the United States America (Bailyn 26-27). Influenced by those of the European Enlightenment, such as John Locke and Isaac Newton, and fueled by the colonist’s growing frustrations with the English Crown, the literary soil of the New World was a fertile garden. From this newly enriched land sprung both flowers of poetry and the nutritious fruits of the realistic pen that were deeply inspired by the American Enlightenment. The literature of the Enlightenment period was powerful indeed, as it motivated people to think and to take action. Two superlative examples of American Literature and the influences of the Enlightenment Era are Philip Freneau’s poetry and Thomas Paine’s prose. The influence of enlightenment ideas is in the works of both of these important literary figures. Philip Freneau was the poet of the American Revolution (Bowen 213). From Freneau’s naturalistic poetry, such as “The Wild Honeysuckle, we can see the Enlightenment idea that nature is a revelation of God that holds instructions for mankind. “The Wild Honeysuckle" was America's first major poetic account on the themes of life and death. The poem begins by discussing the types of death...
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... The Age of Reason, also referred to as the Age of Enlightenment, spanned the mid-17th century to around the time of the French Revolution in 1789. Throughout this period, several major events occurred. The end of the Thirty Years’ War marked the beginning of the Age of Reason. In 1668, the Glorious Revolution overthrew King James II, implementing the first constitutional monarchy in England. The American Revolution also took place during this era, from 1755 to 1783. The French Revolution signified the end of the Age of Reason in 1789, with the French people gaining a constitutional monarchy in the process. The relationship between God and man during this chapter in global history had shifted toward an individualistic view. The idea of Deism was a prominent belief. It speculated that God had created a universe in which humans could operate without intervention. Humans could think for themselves so as to better themselves. This idea developed and people rationalized that those who were unfortunate were not being punished by God. The relationship between men and women had changed from the Puritan era. Depending on the wealth of a woman, she could have greater social influence. It was during the Age of Enlightenment that women were allowed to more freely voice their opinions. They could participate in debating societies -- small groups that discussed religious and political affairs. However, academics and the political sphere were out of bounds for women. For these reasons, women...
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...The Enlightenment was a time period when European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically changed. The extreme rationalism of the age led naturally to deism. The Enlightenment was a time of philosophical movement which dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century. One of the Prominent topics included in the Enlightenment phase was the concept of Separation of Power. The ideal created by Baron de Montesquieu, the concept was based on three separate branches: executive, judicial, and legislative, along with the concept of keeping them separate to form a more balanced government. With this concept, many different documents have been created supporting this ideal. Such as the U.S. Constitution, The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801 and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of The Citizen. One of the highlighted ideals that were created during the Enlightenment period was Separation of Power. This was the concept of the three branches of government being separated and to be able to perform checks and balances. Congress makes the laws, but the President can “veto” or reject them and the Supreme Court can declare them unconstitutional. Thus, each branch is separate and serves a different purpose within the government as a whole. Baron de Montesquieu is the main creator of this idea. Baron de...
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...Abstract The Enlightenment era is made up of on rational thought, ideas and reason. Many men contributed to this, but a few amongst them are Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Their wisdom and ideas make up the Enlightenment era to which is the backbone of today’s society. The Enlightenment Starting in the mid 1700’s to 1800’s a movement had set in based on rational thought and reason, it was known as the Enlightenment era also known as the Age of Reason. This era created ideas that shaped the political, economic and social institutions in the United States. Men in this era such as Thomas Paine, who was a politician and philosopher, Thomas Jefferson our third president as well as an apostle of agrarian, and Benjamin Franklin, author, scientist, philosopher, and statesman. All these men emphasize the importance of using reason and logic instead of superstition or ignorance. They focus on creating and writing, science, politics and other subjects in this era which influence decades to come (Age of Enlightenment, 2011). In today’s society these ideas have become relevant. Thomas Paine influences the Enlightenment politically and socially, because of his beliefs he was damned by many people in both America and England. Thomas Paine was born in England; he was a corset maker and excise officer in England, although showed interested in philosophy and science. He later in life then met up with Benjamin Franklin in London and soon after he sailed to Philadelphia...
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...define characteristics of the "new face" of Scotlands theology (Frances Hutcheson, Professor of Moral Theology at Glasgow University, 1743). Since this 'new face' had multifarious influences that shaped each distinct feature, the same must be said for any influence implemented on exterior surroundings. Looking at the surrounding Scottish Kirks or 'Churches' there isn't a specific facet that changed the accepted consuetude. Conversely, the Church was impacted by various forces, in which the new theology was dominant but not overwhelmingly so. The new seeds were planted all over Scotland, thus during the time of enlightenment ideas took root into all aspects of life. The 'trees' that grew the biggest and most renowned were the theology of Deism, Human Reason, Knowledge, and the necessity of rules. How these and the enlightenment came to be will be addressed through an exploration of the enlightenment origins, theology, and the impact on other nations and religion, and then how the enlightenment’s impact on the Church has lasted throughout history. Before exploring the character of the Church enlightenment, an understanding of the origins of the movement is essential. The enlightenment seems to be a direct reaction to the aggressive regimentation of the Church. At the end of the seventeenth century the Church was able to demand cooperation since it was engrained into law with the formulation of the Revolution Settlement in 1690 (Enlightenment). This resolution "established the...
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...The Age of Reason, Part I (1794)- Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (1737-1809) - was born in England in 1737, a son of a Quaker. In 1774, Thomas Paine met Benjamin Franklin in London and was invited to immigrate to America. He landed in Philadelphia on November 30, 1774. Working as a publicist, he first published African Slavery in America in 1775, criticizing slavery in America as being unjust to the African slaves. After the Boston Tea party, Thomas Paine had a sensed of rebellion against the British government. He published Common Sense stating America had lost touch with its mother country, Great Britain. “Nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense.” Thomas Paine had a great influence on the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. He also fought and volunteered during the Independence War. In 1787, Thomas Paine left for England. He was involved in the French Revolution. He was imprisoned in 1793. He published The Age of Reason while he was imprisoned. He went back to the America in 1802 after invited by Thomas Jefferson, who was a true admirer of him. But he realized he was forgotten by the works he had done for America. The Age of Reason was written by Thomas Paine while he was imprisoned in 1794 due to the opposition of the execution of the king Louis XVI of France. The Age of Reason was a praise of the achievement of the Age of Enlightment. He was also accused as being an atheist because of the book. Thomas Paine presented in a clear style of way to...
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...Response Paper Mccloskey Article Clark Hernanser PHIL 201 February 24, 2013 Ramon Graces Response Paper Mccloskey Article In his article, On Being an Atheist, H.J. McCloskey tried to show that atheism is a more reasonable and comfortable belief than that of Christianity. McCloskey argued against the three theistic proofs, which are the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and the argument from design. He pointed out the existence of evil in the world that God made. He also pointed out that it is irrational to live by faith. According to McCloskey, proofs do not necessarily play a vital role in the belief of God. Page 62 of the article states that "most theists do not come to believe in God as a basis for religious belief, but come to religion as a result of other reasons and factors." However, he feels that as far as proofs serve theists, the three most commonly accepted are the cosmological, the teleological, and the argument from design. It is important to note that he considers these arguments as reasons to "move ordinary theists to their theism." (McCloskey 1968) This is not necessary the case and contradicts the former statement that most theists do not hold to these proofs. As such, the attempt to dispute these arguments as a reason not to believe in God is almost not worth attempting. If theists do not generally hold to these proofs as reasons for faith, then why bother trying to dispute...
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...A response to H.J. McCloskey's Article, "On Being an Atheist" In 1968 H.J. McCloskey wrote an article to his fellow atheists entitled "On Being an Atheist". His purposes for writing this article were to inform other atheists of the supposed inadequacies of theists' belief in God, and to address accusations that the position of atheism is "cold" and "comfortless”. The author intends to show that in fact, it is theism that is the cold and comfortless position to hold. Mr. McCloskey is undoubtedly an intelligent and thoughtful man. His article was written in an easy to understand syntax, and was surely embraced by many that hold a similar position. In fact, I think that any Christian would find it easy to wholeheartedly agree with Mr. McCloskey. Atheism is a much better alternative than serving the kind of god he describes in his paper! While McCloskey's arguments sound good, his portrayal of a vengeful, vindictive and manipulating god seems foreign to a discerning Christian. Upon reading his article, one questions the depth of the author's research on the God of the Bible at all. It seems almost as if his only understanding of Him comes from the obviously uninformed theists he quotes in his article. One gets the impression that all theists are either dim-witted or gluttons for punishment, maybe even a little of both! McCloskey attempts to refute three well-known arguments for God’s existence. McCloskey’s arguments in most cases focus in the problem of evil. In his...
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