...consistent philosophy, we will have to be more precise. As such, this is an important minichapter. I encourage you to read this section carefully and to think through alternative ways to define the key terms. This will enable you to better understand my arguments and to test them properly. In defining “morality” and “justice” in the context of government activism, I am using the terms as they are commonly (although not exclusively) used in the political arena. I will refer to “legislating morality” (LM) as efforts to regulate and restrict consensual but sinful acts between two adults in which no significant, direct costs are imposed on others. Although both parties enter the agreement willingly and expect to benefit, Christians believe that, as sin, the activity is, on net, harmful. But the key point is that the behavior is voluntary for both parties and both parties expect to benefit-- what economists call “mutually beneficial trade.” Examples of this include sex outside of marriage and drug use. (A second category of LM is using government to force or legitimize “good behaviors” such as prayer in schools.) In contrast, “justice” issues will be those in which someone's rights are directly and significantly violated. Obvious examples of this include murder, rape, and theft. In other words, one party uses force of some type to directly harm another party; someone benefits directly at the expense of another. It follows that “legislating justice” (LJ) is the use of government to try to...
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...devastation that resulted from Hurricane Sandy is a perfect example of such evil, along with afflictions such as cancer and earthquakes. Moral evil, on the other hand, is defined as “evil produced by activities of moral agents” (Feinberg, 414). This evil stems from intentional action, such as murder, stealing, and adultery. Natural evil is part of the consequences of moral evil that resulted from the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The vast amount of evil that exists in the world is not because God created it, but because man allowed it. Man was not created with a built-in evil nature; he was created with a free will that was exercised to purposefully sin. God gave Adam a choice to do right or wrong and he failed in Genesis 3:6 by disobeying God. The moment Adam chose to sin in Eden he “brought tragic spiritual, physical, and social deprivation to the entire human race” (Demarest, 435). God did not force this choice on Adam but allowed him to have complete free will. God is wholly benevolent and did not create evil; man brought it into the world by his sinful actions....
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...Peterson Phil. 271 05/16/2013 Abelard’s Analysis of Sin In Abrahamic context, sin was considered as the act of violating the will of God. In this case, sin refers to anything that violates and strains ideal relationship between any individual and God. Some actions have been considered as sins and some sins are considered more serious than others. Sin is then rated in the spectrum ranging from deadly actions to minor errors in people’s lives. Peter Abelard a renowned philosopher and all time theologian analyses sin in his own distinct form and develop what could be a controversial conclusion on sin. He uses an appealing persuasion that is to some extent convincing; yet deep evaluations present a set of flaws in his reasoning that call for doubting and even disagreement. In the Christian world, the notion of living a good life is embodied in two elements: doing the right thing basing on the societies moral standards and avoiding sin according to biblical teachings and standards. Christians have conceived the essence of sin as a transgression against God and his desires or principles (Marenbon 302). Yet this notion of sin remains alienated from the human concrete lives for it to be of any use to moral direction. The issues of the right thing to do, wrong thing to do and sin have been at the center of human questioning, which has driven the human race to perpetually seek for less abstract concept of sin. This concept, which has hitherto not been reached, should present...
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...Worship of the Creator and Worship of the Creation Christianity and Buddhism both have core beliefs that appeal to the masses and were easily spread through the missionary progress of Jesus Christ and Buddha. Naturally, Buddhism and Christianity have their similarities and differences. Each religion has a specific set of morals, which are considered and affect the religion’s follower’s actions, thoughts, and character. Life after Death Buddhism teaches that humans are bound to a perpetual cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth called samsara. Depending on a person’s karma, the good and bad deeds of their present and former lives, each rebirth could bring a better, a worse, or a similar life. In each life, one is subjected to sufferings, brought on by their own infatuations and urges. The existence of suffering is the First Noble Truth taught by the Buddha, and the causes of suffering are the second. Through self-enlightenment, one has the ability to reach the ultimate goal of nirvana; immunity, liberation, and a life free from suffering. Christianity teaches that each human has only a single life on earth, but faces an eternal life in Heaven or Hell. Where a person will spend eternity is determined by Jesus Christ, who administers the Final Judgment based a person’s actions and beliefs while on Earth. If deemed worthy of Heaven, one lives a life of eternal happiness free of suffering. Otherwise, one is subjected to eternal suffering in Hell. ...
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...truth of scripture as it influences the way we live and view the world today. Biblical Worldview Essay The Natural World One views the natural world in a way that is very negative. Paul’s depiction in Romans 1; 18-32 leads one to believe that this is unchanged since creation. The world remains a very dark place, filled with sin, sexual immorality, perversion, and selfishness. Believers and unbelievers alike do not dispute this depiction. Even with all of our growing technology, we are no better off than those that lived in Paul’s day. In Romans 1; 20, man is told that even creation speaks to God’s qualities and divine nature. This verse warns that there will be no accepted excuse for denying God as their creator. People live in the flesh and worship everything except God. In Paul’s time, he struggled with seeing the same abominations (Romans 1; 18-2; 3). People in Paul’s day, just like today, were divided by their beliefs on false gods or in some cases, no gods at all. Paul warns about God’s anger towards sin in Romans1; 18-20 (NLT). Human Identity Since the fall of man in the garden, our true nature is to be sinful. We are held captive to sin by our lack of relationship and submission to God. Some people even completely deny their need for God. Romans 3; 10 clearly states that ‘No one is good- not even one”. Even with that scripture being said, man foolishly allows themselves...
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...Duffy Unit II Study Guide I. Terms 1. Moral Compass – reference to a person's ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly. 2. Conscience – voice inside of us that guides us when making decisions. Many people think of it as the Holy Spirit. 3. Original Sin – sin of first human beings and the fallen state of human nature that affects every person born in the world. 4. Social Sin – collective effect of many personal sins over time. 5. Free Will – gift from God that allows us to make our own choices. 6. Intellect – gift from God to see and understand the things God placed on Earth. 7. Value – a person's principles or standards of behavior. 8. Moral Law – rational expression of God’s eternal law 9. Ethics – moral principles that govern a person's behavior. 10. Eternal Law – order in creation that reflects God’s will and purpose. 11. New Law – Perfects the old law and brings it to fulfillment. 12. Old Law – the Ten Commandments. II. Commandments and Moral Explanation with example 1. You shall have no other gods before me. -Don’t put power and money above everything else. 2. You shall not make idols. -This reminds us to only serve and worship one true God. 3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. -Don’t speak of God negatively. Everything should always be good about God. 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. -God wants this day to be a day to remember and serve the...
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...story of Jobillustrates that according to specific Christian beliefs, all have sinnedand fallen short of the perfection of God (Romans 3:23), and because we arenot perfect and commit sin, the punishment is mortality. Many religious andphilosophical traditions agree that evil behavior itself is a transgressionthat results from the imperfect human condition. The doctrine of originalsin, as articulated by Saint Augustine's interpretation of Saint Paul,provides that the fall caused a fundamental change in human nature, so thatall descendants of Adam are born in sin, "For all have sinned and fall shortof the glory of God" and can only be redeemed by divine grace. Sacrifice wasthe only means by which humanity could be redeemed after the Fall andbecause "God so loved the world that he sent his only son (Jesus Christ whowas without sin and died on the cross as the ultimate redemption for the sinof humankind) that whoever believes in him should not perish, but haveeverlasting life".Evil has also been an important aspect to the existence of free willand human agency. Others argue that evil itself is ultimately based in anignorance of truth (i.e. human value, sanctity, divinity). A variety ofEnlightenment thinkers have alleged the opposite, by suggesting that evil islearned as a consequence of tyrannical social structures. To examine evil one must differentiate between the differingconcepts. Moral evil results from a perpetrator, one who consciouslyinflicts the evil. It is the result of any...
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...From distress born creativeness: Sin either a blessing or a wrath in the Scarlet Letter This paper aims to show the contradictions and the struggles of human beings which Hawthrone wrote about in his famous novel " The Scarlet Letter '' : challenge and continuity ; authority and weakness ; success and unsucess ; presence of mind and ignorance ; despotism and servility; natural desires and directed instincts ; the backbone to masculinity and the fragile femininity, all of these qualities and attitudes being wheeled around in the past and at the present time are personified through the characters and the symbols of the novel that is located in Boston controlled by the puritanical laws strictly. On the grounds that religious magistrates and state were inseparable; they had the supreme influence upon community. Hawthrone gives rise to a vividly distinctive and rebellious woman ' Hester" defying the extremely strict laws guided by masculine power in a social environment. Hester is against puritanism because of opposing the laws. When she committed the prohibited sin "Adultery" with her lover ' Reverend Dimmesdale' , she justified beyond the sacred love she had. In my opinion , from the beginning it was not her fault. If anyone's to blame , it's the rigidity of her puritanical religion that allowed the irrational marriage between Hester and Chillingworth because of the equality between them physically ; Hester's youth and Chillingworth's age and his appearance – and also spiritually...
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...Reflection Paper 2 Eduardo E. Mendez HLTH 551 Liberty University Part I “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6, NIV) Summary From the very first time man sinned in Eden, the question of deception, truth, and lies has been a difficult one. Our enemy, satan, is the father of lies. Jesus Himself said to the Jews, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44, NIV) Jesus is the truth; satan is the deceiver. The question remains, who is our real father? We want our answer to be Jesus, and once we receive Him as Lord and Savior our salvation is sealed, and our names are written in the Book of Life, yet who’s character do we reflect? It seems a lie can often be excused if it is said with good intentions. However, lying is never excused or encouraged in the Bible, on the contrary, many are the warnings against it including the ninth commandment which exhorts us to never “give false testimony”. (Exodus 20:16, NIV). Although not an easy task in this fallen world, it should be a Christian’s desire to be more like Jesus, and “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ”. (Ephesians 4:15, NIV). Part II Abraham’s...
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...meal times, the socials with the other women, the comfy dorm rooms, the beautiful campus, and the class I was registered in. I had signed up for Immigration in the Bible with Stephanie Kimec. I particularly enjoyed one of our sessions in which we were in small groups asked to present to the class a modern version of a Bible story. Our group chose to do a skit on the story of Naomi and Ruth, the modern twist being that in a way, Naomi sort of “pimped up” Ruth. First Naomi told Ruth to go work in Boaz’s field that Boaz might take notice of her. Boaz did in fact notice her. Later in an extreme attempt to ensure Boaz was the one to marry Ruth, Naomi told Ruth to go sleep by Boaz so as to seem that she was dishonored and therefore they would have no choice but to marry. Our group saw Naomi as a gentle meddling “pimp daddy” set on marrying off Ruth to ensure a bright future for them both. It was quite an enjoyable skit. Unfortunately, I do not recall the names of the stars in my group with whom we presented the skit. But to those women, it sure was fun! Unholy as it may sound, the word pimp and all, the Bible is full of unholy acts. This leads me to believe that God emphasizes our humanity, our weaknesses, our being prone to faults. King David fell to Bathsheba’s beauty. King Solomon fell to his fame and fortune. Samson fell to Delilah’s charms. My, how the mighty have fallen! And yet God’s compassion is evident throughout their sins…throughout our sins. God does not mean...
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...Praise for Jesus Is _____. “Judah Smith is a unique gift to my generation. In Jesus Is _____ , he will motivate you to let go of your preconceived, limited view of Jesus so you can embrace who He really is in our lives—more real and relevant than we have ever imagined.” —S te v en F u rtick , le a d pa Stor , e le vation c h u rch a n d author oF th e Ne w Yor k T im es beStSeller G r e aTer “Perhaps the most daunting and humbling task we have as Christians is to finish the sentence ‘Jesus is . . . .’ As many of us saved by His grace are aware, He is King. He is Lord. He is salvation. But to many in our world, He is most prominently . . . misunderstood. There is not another human being on earth whom I know personally, who could tackle a book subject like this as well as Judah Smith. To Judah, Jesus is everything. And from that platform he writes this book. I eagerly await its impact in my city, New York City, and beyond . . . it’s overdue.” —c a r l l entz , le a d pa Stor , h illSong c h u rch , n e w Yor k c it Y “Every once in a while a book is written that does not only contain a powerful message but the author is a living embodiment of the message thus making the book all the more life changing! The book you are holding in your hands is one of those. As you read through this book you will discover that Jesus is not at all like you thought and so much more than you imagined.” —c h r iStin e c a in e , Fou n der oF th e a21 c a mpa ign 00-01_Jesus Is.indd...
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...1. What are some ways the Christian gospel is perceived in our culture? Christian gospel in many ways is perceived in this day and age are a lost word. People have the art of praying and staying faithful to the word of God. God provided us with all kinds of blessings and opportunities in life so that we can flourish and prosper. Also God took all our sin to the cross and forgave us for everything we done that was not right in his eyes. We need to also understand that there is only one God and we need to cherish it every day of our lives. Today’s culture perceives the Gospel almost the same was as old days but how man tries to rewrite the word to fits our society today, people believe that s God except so of things that are going on today in this world i.e. same sex marriages, etc. but the word doesn’t say that is right and in God’s eye it’s a sin. Believe me I don’t judge I’m am far from a saint but we have to get back into reading and understanding the message of the gospel and live it. 2. What are some specific moral reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? People reject the gospel because they don’t understand what it means. I was one of those people that thought man created all this, that I was the one that got promotions or raises since I work so hard to get it. But all along GOD and his word proved to me that it was already planned. We also reject the gospel because it tells the truth about life and we sometimes can’t accept the truth. Then others don’t believe...
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...as pseudo self-forgiveness because both allow the person to feel better about them. While there is little research on the answer, it is doubtful because true forgiveness is built on self-evaluation and pseudo self-forgiveness is built on self despite. There is also a question of when self-forgiveness is appropriate. Many times a person blames his or herself for things that are not their fault. In this case should a person be told to learn to self-forgive? There are many questions regarding self-forgiveness that if given the time and research could be answered. Based on the little research available Hall and Fichman were able to develop a theoretical model of self-forgiveness to be used in future research. In this model the emotional, social, and offense related determinates of self-forgiveness where outlined and explained. The limitations of the model where then illustrated along with how the model could be used to enhance future reassert. Reflection I found this article very interesting. I have never truly thought about the concept of self-forgiveness and its complexity. I believe the article will not only raise awareness of the need for more...
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...The Price of Sin: The Effects of Social Norms on Markets Final Project Write-up Background Our article describes how “sin stocks” i.e. alcohol, gambling, and tobacco are perennially undervalued because of the market’s unwillingness to purchase them. According to the article this reluctance stems from people not wanting to be associated with these vices. The phenomenon of the market absorbing additional cost to comply with Social Norms is not limited to the Financial Markets as the Becker study from 1957 mirrored this. The study revealed that in America companies were willing to pay a premium to hire white laborers instead of black ones because of social norms. Furthermore the Becker study estimates that companies cost themselves even more money beyond the premium from refusing to interact with minority groups. The strongest evidence of the market’s ignoring the “sin stocks” is the emergence of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) which has grown into a 2.34 trillion dollar industry, but no market to balance it out has emerged for sin stocks. This is especially puzzling when one considers Geczy, Stambaugh, and Levin (2003) who found that from the perspective of an investor who seeks to create an optimal portfolio from mutual funds, limiting oneself to funds that include social objectives in their investment policies can be very costly. Additionally over 12% of funds in the market undergo some form of screening. In terms of statistical evidence relative...
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...fault. Faustus and Everyman fail to recognize Christ and their afterlife is left at stake. On the road to salvation, death serves as a groundbreaking event in the life of mortal men. Throughout their quest, Everyman and Faustus struggle to prove themselves worthy of greater afterlife through misusage of their mortal lives. Everyman is approached by the devil with a pilgrimage which he must partake, one where he will not come back alive. He seeks help in that those who befriend and abandon him during his lifetime such as: beauty, goods, and knowledge cannot help him on his journey. Good Deeds is the only character that could assist everyman, but Good Deeds is outweighed by sin, and is ultimately unable to help Everyman. Good Deeds represents that which every man must present to Christ to be judged. Everyman’s sin outweighs his good deeds, jeopardizing his salvation; Man must achieve salvation through their own efforts—good deeds. “Everyman must face God in the final judgment of death. None...
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