Almost as if he is the God dictates “The great gods proclaimed me and I am the guardian governor, whose scepter is righteous and whose beneficent protection is spread over my city…” One can say that Hammurabi is an extremely religious man who used religion to rule his kingdom. Also as we know, religion was the one and only factor which led the society during that period of time, so plainly claiming to be the god (or king of righteousness) affects people’s certainties. “My words are precious, my wisdom is unrivaled. By the command of Shamash… may I take righteousness to shine forth on the land…” The words are somewhat fearful to the point where it is forceful. By putting religion into what should be political, Hammurabi has made it easier for him to rule over a state with such a strong base of religious
A) Explain Augustine’s theodicy (25marks) St Augustine (ad 354-430), both Augustine’s theodicy and his argument concerning evil were both originally based on the bible. Augustine himself had many beliefs, one of his main beliefs was that god had made the world and when making the world he had made it free from flaws. He believed very strongly that god is good, omnipotent and omniscience. As he believed for god to be these things he had a problem which was, if god is good and omnipotent and it was god that created the world why is there evil in the world? He solved this problem by saying that god is responsible for the evil in the world by defining evil as “privation”.
He argues that humans are made in the image of God with the potential to accomplish perfection in the future, and then humans will then grow to become the likeness of God. Hick accepted that if the likeness of God is to be accomplished through experiencing evil then God is partially responsible for evil. However, Hick argues that God is justified in allowing evil because we develop virtues as a result of overcoming life’s challenges. These virtues are “intrinsically more valuable than the virtues created within him ready made without effort on his own part”. Vardy’s example further supports this with the analogy of the king who falls in love with a peasant girl.
However, Kant believed in God and assumed this was done by the rational, moral side of an individual. Siddhartha became known as the enlightened one or “Buddha”. Buddhism essentially was a philosophical response to what might be called the problem of suffering—and suffering is here to be understood in the broad sense as including not merely outright pain and misery but also sorrow, disappointment, frustration, discontent, disaffection, pessimism, and the sense that his life was not complete that so often grows with the passing of the years (Moore & Bruder, 2008).” Siddhartha went on a long six year journey to become the enlightened one. He left a life
“Expressions of secular humanism reject both the minimal Christian elements of its precursors and essential biblical truths, such as the fact that human beings bear the image of their Creator.” (Text Book The popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics) Meaning/ Purpose: Secular humanists never think about God don’t pray, never worry about what God thinks. So they may devote much more time and attention, and their energy to improving themselves, their relationships, and their environment. Morality: “Secular humanists base their morality and ideas about justice on critical intellect unassisted by Scripture, which Christians rely on for knowledge concerning right and wrong, good and evil.” (secularhumanism.org) Destiny: Secular humanists know that the truth of human experience is that certain virtues, practices, and habits of mind and character make for a better life. “It aims to heal this world and glorify man as the author of his own, progressive salvation.”(secularhumanism.org) Contrast: I was not sure if I would like to do this paper since I do not agree with the beliefs of secular humanism. Before I could consider my Christian response to secular humanism, I had to do my research.
Wahabbism is a movement within Islam and it is based on the 18th century teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-wahhab. The main focus of his reform was to argue that every single idea that was added to Islam after the third century (about 950 CE) was false and it must be eliminated. According to him, Muslims should strictly believe in the original beliefs that are set forth by Prophet Muhammad. He considered many of the popular practices of the time as being regression to pre-Islamic polytheism. For example; making pilgrimages to tombs or special mosques, venerating caves, trees, stones, using votive and sacrificial offerings and praying to saints were all to be banned[ii].
As well as this, the metaphor, in which the "connection" is described as being "burning" somewhat contrasts the typical calm connotations that are brought about through religious mentions, and yet is crucial in reflecting the passionate means in which the hipsters wanted to create a bond above what could be found in real life. This is further reflected when they are said to "Bare their brains to Heaven". The previous references to the people in question being referred to as the "best minds" of the generation shows that they were reverent of heaven, and would give up everything for it. Essentially, the mind is symbolic of the whole self in this phrase,
We should rather look at the Code as being a framework of moral, spiritual, and mathematical formulas, which are aimed to “guide the people aright”[1] so that they may permanently destroy the wicked and the evil. Hammurabi, the devout, god fearing prince, to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil, that the strong might not oppress the weak, to rise like the sun over the black-headed and to light up the land. [2] We must recognize that the Code demonstrates the way the Babylonian state attempted to regulate morality in an effort to maintain permanent social order and spiritual harmony with the Gods. Just by reading the entire prologue, one can sense that the Code of Hammurabi holds a far more dedicated approach to that of a divine goal of “purifying, restoring, reviving, expanding and perfecting”[3] the nation of Mesopotamia. The somewhat crude codes appear unfair at times, due to social distinctions and intensity of punishments, but one must look at these clauses in a contextual basis.
Ulysses could not make it into Purgatory because “From a theological point of view, Ulysses must be forbidden from reaching this mountain because it is destined to be a place of purgation for the saved souls after the coming of Christ.” In addition, “Unlike Ulysses and Guido, who were also men of great genius and excellence, Dante uses his virtue in the right way: in the service of God” (Musa 354, 201). The goal and purpose of Ulysses journey completely differs from Dante’s because Ulysses is exploring to augment his own knowledge, and he enjoys the adventures he experiences. Dante, a devote Christian, uses his journey to spread his knowledge of Hell and help steer people away from sin and towards important virtues. Ulysses is a sinful and immoral human according to Christian theology because of his actions. Known as the crafty Ulysses, he is placed in Hell by Dante because he encourages others to practice fraud and trickery like
They believe that you are the center of your religion, you live with vibrancy and luxury, if you want it, take it. They advocate for vengeance instead of turning the other cheek; pride and freedom to find out for yourself who you are and what your individual purpose in life is. Satanists are their own gods. LaVey says, in the Satanic Bible, “Man—using his brain—invented all the Gods, doing so because many of our species cannot accept or control their personal egos, feeling compelled to conjure up one or a multiplicity of characters who can act without hindrance or guilt upon whims and desires. All Gods are thus externalized forms, magnified projections of the true nature of their creators, personifying aspects of the universe or personal temperaments which many of their followers find to be troubling.