...model for religious dialogue, it must first be observed in practice, rather than putting forth proposals that are conflicted in reflection. In the end, the best step towards religious pluralism is in practice, rather than in thought and reflection. Cohn-Sherbok, from the Judaic perspective, starts with the basics, with the history of Jewish inclusivism, before he turns to show how that could turn into pluralism. He explains how, before the Holocaust, Judaism has had a comparatively tolerant attitude towards other religions, while still believing that Judaism was the one true faith. They did not condemn other religions for their practices, as their prophets said that in the end of days all people would accept their God (Cohn-Sherbok, 121). After the Holocaust however, Jewish thinkers distanced themselves from Christianity (Cohn-Sherbok, 123) Unlike the exclusivist view of Christianity, Jews have a long tradition of toleration, with the belief that God’s will extends to other faiths, even while they are the chosen people (Cohn-Sherbok, 124). Even with a history of relative religious inclusivism, the shift into pluralism requires more of the faith. Cohn-Sherbok points out that the inclusivist position is not without its faults. It seems to include two conflicting convictions: the belief in God’s universal concern and the belief that divine revelation was given...
Words: 1602 - Pages: 7
...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...
Words: 1822 - Pages: 8
...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY The Life of Michael Servetus A Research Paper A Paper Submitted to Dr. Jerry Sutton In Partial Fulfillments Of The Requirements For The Course CHHI-525 History of The Christian Church II BY Andrea Gearing Cumming, Georgia August 17, 2012 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION--------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 MICHAEL SERVETUS EARLY LIFE-------------------------------------------------------3 BRIEF SUMMARY OF MICHAEL SERVETUS WORKS-------------------------------6 THE TRINITY AND MODERN SCHOLARSHIP-----------------------------------------9 MICHAEL SERVETUS THEOLOGY------------------------------------------------------10 CONCLUSION---------------------------------------------------------------------------------14 BIBLIOGRAPHY------------------------------------------------------------------------------17 INTRODUCTION The first time I was introduced to Michael Servetus, I was a student at Liberty University. I had never heard of this important figure in History. At any rate, I had begun to find ways to learn more about him. It was on a Wednesday night, one week before the night of my church Bible study that I had to submit a discussion board question of Michael Servetus in church history. I arrived at Bible study with Michael Servetus in my spirit. When I arrived at church my pastors opening statement was: "In 1553, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake for what I am going to...
Words: 4362 - Pages: 18
...Imprecatory Psalms are those which contain appeals to God to pour out His wrath upon the Psalmist’s enemies. They are psalms containing passages seeking the hurt of someone else. At first glance, such “prayers of destruction” may appear to be out of accord with the Christian’s responsibility to love his enemies (Matthew 5:44). Further reflection, however, will reveal that this is not the case. The liberal or modernist view is that the imprecatory Psalms are merely the uninspired words of the authors. No vengeance of God is to be assumed in these cases; rather, it is the vengeance of the fallible writers. Such a theory, of course, is unacceptable to those who hold to the Biblical teaching of divine inspiration. “All Scripture,” both the Old as well as the New Testament writings, says Paul, “is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Then too, in 2 Samuel 23:1-2, we read that “the sweet Psalmist of Israel” spoke by the “Spirit of the LORD…His word was on my tongue.” Further, the Psalms of imprecation are quoted in the New Testament by Christ and others as fully inspired (John 2:17; 15:25; Acts 1:20; Romans 11:9-10; 15:3). The Dispensationalist view avers that these Psalms are to be understood in light of the inferior ethical concepts of the Old Testament, which was a dispensation of law. This is now an outmoded ethical system. Therefore, the Psalms in which we find the invoking of justice, calamity, or curse, have no place in the New Testament era of grace. However...
Words: 755 - Pages: 4
...problem, Sir.” Then, there was further misunderstanding: I meant that he did not to worry about the issue being an issue. What he heard was that I took lightly the issue upon which he had just expounded. What a word or phrase means to me may not mean the same to you. Our Gospel Reading found Jesus before the Roman Governor, Pilate, and there is a misunderstanding between Jesus and Pilate. There is little doubt that when Pilate indirectly learned that Jesus claimed to be a king, Pilate conceived of a king ready to take arms and create his own kingdom, but Jesus was different. Jesus wielded not the weapons of the sword, rather Jesus wielded the weapon of non-violent resistance. This weapon of non-violent resistance was a reflection of a divine kingdom where service replaces domination; forgiveness replaces vengeance; reconciliation replaces division and enmity; kindness replaces violence; peace replaces warfare; sharing replaces economic exploitation; compassion replaces cruelty; love replaces hatred. Pilate could not fathom such a king or kingdom any more than we, especially when we not prefer revenge and pay-back to mercy, and the seeking of reconciliation. Likewise, when we prefer political power and exploitation to consensus and sharing. Perhaps our understanding about power and authority are more like Pilate’s than we are willing to admit. Nevertheless, living truth stood before Pilate and, indeed, all the kingdoms of the world that day (John 18:33-38). Do we...
Words: 516 - Pages: 3
...Particularly, this often is a symbol of divine intervention in one's fate. There are two major acts of supernatural aid in the Inferno. The first supernatural aid occurs in the beginning, before of Dante's Journey starts. As He is wondering the dark woods, his deceased lover Beatrice, descended into hell in order to express her concerns to Virgil. he speaks of how Dante has lost his path to God, and she wishes Virgil to assist in guiding him into the pathway to Paradise and away from the error of sin. She is sent to Virgil through the prayers of Mary the Virgin, St. Lucia, and Rachel. It is because of this, that Virgil is sent to Dante to be his mentor in the Journey through...
Words: 1762 - Pages: 8
...and final significance. The dunya-aspect is seen as preparation for the akhirah-aspect without thereby implying any attitude of neglect or being unmindful of the dunya-aspect. What is meant by 'worldview' according to the perspective of Islam, is then the vision of reality and truth that appears before the mind's eye revealing what existence is all about; for it is the world of experience in its totality that Islam is projecting. According to Prof. Choudhury, he says about Islamic worldview that, as reality and system which Islamic design of reality relating it. He argues that, “The Islamic Worldciew is thereby, the comprehensive and universalizing, overarching and complementing design of reality that is premised on the epistemology of Divine...
Words: 1753 - Pages: 8
...theological understanding of Scripture. C. M. Wood rightly points out, “As theological inquiry, theological hermeneutics is critical reflection upon Christian understanding.”93 Thus, in this section we will explore three aspects that nourish our theological understanding of texts: (1) Divine discourse, (2) Intertextuality, and (3) Canonical-linguistic approach: theo-drama. 92Stephen E. Fowl, Engaging Scripture: A Model for Theological Interpretation (Malden: Blackwell, 1998); idem, The Theological Interpretation of Scripture (Cambridge: Blackwell, 1997); John Webster, “Hermeneutics in Modern Theology: Some Doctrinal Reflections,” SJT 51 (1998):...
Words: 1345 - Pages: 6
...Institute for Christian Teaching THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY Richard M. Davidson 402-00 Institute for Christian Teaching 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 USA Symposium on the Bible and Adventist Scholarship Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic March 19-26, 2000 Page 1 of 33THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY 3/2/2014http://fae.adventist.org/essays/26Bcc_017 -055.htm Introduction I have not always held the view of Scriptural revelation and authority that I now maintain. Having journeyed through a different perspective on the revelation/authority of Scripture and then returning to the position that I now hold, I am convinced that this issue is basic to all other issues in the church. The destiny of our church depends on how its members regard the revelation and authority of the Bible. In the following pages I have summarized the biblical self-testimony on its revelation and authority. The major focus of the paper is biblical authority, but a short statement concerning revelation-inspiration-illumination introduces the subject, and other biblical testimony on the nature of revelation is subsumed under the discussion of biblical authority. The paper also includes a brief historical treatment of the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment understandings of biblical revelation/authority and an analysis and critique of their basic presuppositions in light of Scripture. Following the conclusion, a selected bibliography of sources cited and other...
Words: 13573 - Pages: 55
...‘God is most clearly revealed to us through scripture’ Revelation is the communication of knowledge from a divine agency. There are two types of revelation, which lead to the writing of scripture. These are general and special revelation. General revelation is information God that is available to all people at all times, such as awe inspired by nature. Special revelation is religious truth delivered to someone directly from God. I will argue that the traditional notion of god is most clearly revealed through scripture. Propositional revelation comes under the category of special revelation. It consists of God directly revealing truths about his nature to a human. These are often then relayed through scripture. The important thing about them is that they are facts about God, and thus the bible is absolute truth. Faith in this case, is a ‘belief that’, so in order for us to believe some propositions to be true, faith is require. This is a view supported by Aquinas, who thought that faith was based on something factual, unlike opinion, but not as certain as science. An example of propositional revelation is the 10 commandments. If one is to take the bible literally, then they were given to Moses on the stone tablets direct from God during a theophany. However, this contradicts many ideas about god. It is often argued that God does not reveal himself to us directly as it would compromise our freewill, but in this account it suggests that he directly revealed himself to Moses...
Words: 991 - Pages: 4
...Mc Carthy Loyola University of Chicago Religion and Human Development Paper Evolutionary psychologists have struggled throughout the years to reveal the secret behind the human belief in the existence of a God and strong faith in divine revelations of a religion. Some psychologists claim that the human brain is developmentally predisposed to believe in a God or some sort of celestial being and that having a strong faith in religion stops one's awareness from growing maturely because it maintains a closed minded perception of reality. Others claim that such religious experiences create a sense of purpose and meaning in life. In order to react to this argument, we will first review two of the main theoretical approaches to the understanding of maturity and then take a position on this argument....
Words: 623 - Pages: 3
...In this passage, God's name is YHWH, which has several translations. In the NIV bible, it means "I am" or "I will be." First, this interchangeable form of tense shows God's transcendence of time; He is without beginning or end, unchanging, unaffected and unrestrained by the world around Him. Second, its ambiguity shows how, as a divine being, God exceeds all possible human efforts to understand Him. Third, it serves to confirm that God is and will be with His people always. However, YHWH could also be translated to "He who causes to be" or "He who causes to exist" which shows God's ability to bring things into being or His creatorship. YHWH becomes God's covenant name, "the name you shall call me from generation to generation." Another significant statement is "I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery... " which shows God's love and compassion for His people, as well as His faithfulness to the promise He made to Abraham long ago. It could also show His righteousness and sense...
Words: 1591 - Pages: 7
...Miracles in Al Quran Prophet Mohammed (Sal), as per the expressions in the Quran was an “Ummi”, that mean that he didn’t know how to read or to write. 1400 years ago, there were no advanced computers, which could organize hundreds of thousands of words and create equal number of words on the fundamental concepts. If you think about the fact that the revelations came during the last days of his life and he didn’t know when the Quran could be completed, then it can be seen that the Quran has been designed by a divine force. The word Devil and Angel, which represents two opposite sides of good and bad in spiritual realm, are repeated 88 times in the Quran. The Afterlife is the reflection of Earth. These two fundamental words of religion in the Quran are repeated 115 times each. The word HOT is repeated 4 times in the Quran. The word COLD is repeated 4 times in the Quran. The word GOOD PEOPLE is repeated 6 times in the Quran. It is interesting to note that the word GOOD PEOPLE has been repeated twice as more as compared to BAD PEOPLE in order symbolize that the mercifulness of Allah is more than his wrath. The word BAD PEOPLE is repeated for 3 times in the Quran. In the Quran, it is stated that there are 7 gates to Hell. In the Hadiths, it is stated that there are 8 gates to Heaven. The single digit difference will also show its wisdom in number of words. In Quran, the word Heaven is repeated 78 times, while the word Hell is repeated 77 times. In the Quran, the word...
Words: 732 - Pages: 3
...Institute for Christian Teaching THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY Richard M. Davidson 402-00 Institute for Christian Teaching 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 USA Symposium on the Bible and Adventist Scholarship Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic March 19-26, 2000 Introduction I have not always held the view of Scriptural revelation and authority that I now maintain. Having journeyed through a different perspective on the revelation/authority of Scripture and then returning to the position that I now hold, I am convinced that this issue is basic to all other issues in the church. The destiny of our church depends on how its members regard the revelation and authority of the Bible. In the following pages I have summarized the biblical self-testimony on its revelation and authority. The major focus of the paper is biblical authority, but a short statement concerning revelation-inspiration-illumination introduces the subject, and other biblical testimony on the nature of revelation is subsumed under the discussion of biblical authority. The paper also includes a brief historical treatment of the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment understandings of biblical revelation/authority and an analysis and critique of their basic presuppositions in light of Scripture. Following the conclusion, a selected bibliography of sources cited and other useful books and articles on the subject is provided. Appendices include: (1) a chart schematizing the two major...
Words: 13041 - Pages: 53
..."Moslems") understand their universal religion as the "final religion" and the "primal religion." As "final," Islam is God's final revelation of prophetic religion, in fulfillment of all that had preceded. Moses was given the Law; David was given the Psalms; Jesus was given the Gospel. Judaism offers God's message of justice, and Christianity proclaims the love of God. To Mohammed (570-632 A.D.; spelled in a variety of ways) the God of Abraham and Jesus revealed the Qur'an (Arabic for "recital," sometimes written Koran). The Qur'an, written in Arabic, is the Sacred Scripture of Islam, the perfection of all previous divine revelations, and is to be understood literally as the direct words of God. In this sense of scriptural literalism, all Muslims may be called "fundamentalists." However, when referring to the aggressive behaviors of a few, "militants" and "extremists" are better categories. Muslims believe in all prophets of the Bible. The Qur'an itself mentions the Torah and the Gospel as scriptures revealed by God to Moses and Jesus. However, the Qur'an indicates that over time, changes were made to the actual biblical texts, because of commentary blended with the original text, as well as losses to the texts through transmission and other causes. For these reasons, Muslims cannot rely absolutely on the Torah and Gospels as sources of revelation, unless they confirm what is in the Qur'an or at least are in harmony with it. As "Seal of the Prophets" and apostle of Allah (which...
Words: 1369 - Pages: 6
