This story has caused many academic debates due to all the symbolism, both Christian and pagan. The story has many contradicting religious themes in the story. Many scholars maintain the belief that Beowulf was altered in an attempt to help the Christian church spread its beliefs, turning the epic into conversion propaganda. When the Beowulf story was thought to have originated, the Anglo-Saxon culture was still a pagan society. Christianity had yet to grip it's stronghold on the region.
The focus in pagan religion existed primarily in the present life and not on death. Most of the religions when Christ was born were polytheistic; the religion of Jesus’ parents was Judaism. Jews are monotheistic with their beliefs, much like Christians which implemented the worship of one solitary god. In early Christian times we see many holy people such as the ascetics including Anthony and “men, whose lives figure in “The Lives of Desert Fathers”(Final examination sheet), fitting into the context of early Christian religion. These Christians had a complex variety of religious beliefs and customs which great shifts today in perspective and religious attitudes of these holy people have arisen since the time of late antiquity.
Other than him, one of the most regarded scholarly piece of theology today, St. Thomas was written on the commentary of the Gospel of John. In addition to that, St. Augustine contributed to more than 124 tractates in the commentary of gospel of John. These are just but a few scholars who studied that book and wrote about it (Chesterfield et al 1800, 163-177. There are so many details in the Synoptic Gospel of Mathew Mark, Luke and John that are either present of absent in the book of John and vice versa. The fact that the author of the book did not identify himself as he wrote the book refrain to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” has brought a lot of conclusion to the author of the book along the years.
A Most Unexpected Likeness: the Surprising Parallels Between McMurphy and Christ, and Their Significance Many recent surveys have found that there are over a billion Christians on the planet today. With such a large populace of people believing in Jesus Christ, and arguably many more people that are, in varying degrees, aware of who he was and what he stood for, it comes to no surprise that Ken Kesey inserts a fair amount of religious symbolism in his written work One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Some may argue that Kesey had chosen to include religious symbols in his novel solely for personal gratification and reflection – of his feelings and experiences with Christ. However, it is obvious that the symbols have literary merit, and that their presence allows many people to connect with the novel at a more profound level. It becomes clear that the parallel between McMurphy and Christ adds deeper meaning to the novel after the resemblance in the events of each of their lives are identified, the similarities between McMurphy’s and Christ’s character are analyzed, and the effect these connections have on effectively communicating the themes are understood.
Within the Harry Potter novels, by J.K. Rowling, there are an astonishing number of parallels to the Christian religion and the Bible, despite the controversy about magic. The Harry Potter series is a well written, seven book story about friendship, over coming challenges, and good conquering evil. The parallels between Christianity and the Bible and the Harry Potter series include characters in the story mimicking people in the Bible, common themes and symbols such as resurrection, temptation and prophesied children, and quotes and passages from the Bible being creatively woven into the story of Harry Potter. Many of the characters within the Harry Potter series are similar to people in the Bible. Harry's closest friend, Ron Weasley, can be compared to St. Peter (“Helium”).
“The Parallel Similarities of Greek Mythology and Christianity There are many comparisons and parallel similarities that can be said about Greek Mythology and Religion. Most people that are Christians or follow the principles of the Bible believe the stories told in the Bible itself. The same can be said about the stories of Greek and Roman mythology as well. The idea that many different gods and goddesses controlled the universe can be looked at as stories that are no more than fiction or fantasy. The same could be said about Christianity for non-believers.
Since its first production in the early 17th century The Tempest has bee interpreted in a vast variety of different ways by audiences both then and now, most commonly as a Christian allegory of forgiveness or a play about Jacobean politics. These two ideas that I will look at are easily seen throughout the plot and are reflected in the dramatic structure of the play. This, along with Shakespeare’s use of language supports the themes and helps our understanding of these ideas. There is no doubt that forgiveness is a crucial part of the Christian faith, as well as to the plot of The Tempest. In the bible there is frequent mention of Gods forgiveness, and how if we wish to follow him, we must first forgive others as he forgave us.
In this famous work, Lewis conveys an imaginary, dream-like encounter between souls in hell and souls in heaven. Thus, it is in his works of fiction that his religious concerns are memorably animated. The novel’s popularity demonstrates that the means of imaginative fiction can be successfully used for religiously-motivated ends. In his biography of Lewis, Douglas Gresham argues that Lewis had the most fun with imaginative works of literature; he notes that “Lewis thrived on the imaginative portrayals of Christian doctrine envisioned by George Macdonald” (212). The imagination permits, to be sure, the exploration of things religious precisely because it involves other-worldly events and characters that fit some of the fantastic concepts in religious stories or figures.
It’s easy to lose sight on just how heavily Christianity has influenced western society since the middle ages, but it can run as deep as our traditions, moral code, and even language. Often times when turning in research, you must site your sources in a bibliography. Biblio means book and is derived from "Bible." Our society follows the 10 commandments whether it is majorly Christian or not because over the years, the principles and values of Christianty has been taught by parents and even schools for better or worse, making what's "right or wrong" more of what's "Christian or not." One of the most perceived values of the Anglo-Saxon Era was loyalty.
Centuries later, after Sauron had lost control of the ring, the ring was found once again and a fellowship of good men decided to destroy the ring. The ring could only be destroyed was by throwing the ring into Mount Doom. So the fellowship went on a quest across the land of Middle-Earth to destroy the ring. Michael Torre published an article in the Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture titled “The Portrait of Evil in The Lord of the Rings: Reflections Personal, Literary, and Theological.” This article mainly discusses how J.R.R. Tolkien uses the underlying idea of human kind’s constant struggle against evil, as in the context of Christian values.