They say it is conservative and when a community is cooperating such as practising worship together in church it creates a social harmony among everybody. Religion often promotes love and peace, these are positive attributes that would create a good society when practised. It works by religion helping people choose the right moral decisions. An example derived from Christianity would be when followers look into the accounts from the holy Bible where they can read passages from Jesus’ teachings and access guidance “ What would Jesus do?” Jesus did good things, so the people that follow him will create a social harmony. Religions such as Christianity offer social norms and rules with the “10 commandments” such rules as “do not steal” have become universal.
Hick argues that if God had created humanity in his presence then the gap between God and humanity would be so small that it would limit our freedom. Hick calls this knowledge gap between God and humanity ‘The Epistemic Distance’. Hick further explains that if we were created too close to God in terms of knowledge, we would be overwhelmed by him and would worship him for the wrong reasons. Humans are not born
The Articles of Agreement of Springfield Massachusetts (1636) focused mainly on God and that all men and families that have come deserve equal opportunity. (Doc D) This created a peaceful society under God. There was no fighting between settlers creating a unified society that had a great ability to reach their goals of freedom, money, and power. The Chesapeake had not as much faith and had only hopes of personal gain and goals creating a very alienated society. The New England and Chesapeake regions had very different economies that caused them to become two distinct societies.
Against this statement is that God did not create so many rules to stop us using our free will but to influence and set standards to use our free will for the morally good. A good God would not make so many rules and regulations, for if he had created a world as perfect as it has said to be, and then there would be no need for rules and regulations, unless the world was created imperfectly. If this were the case, then there would be a need for rules and regulations and a bridge for God to interact with the world and his creations. For the world was created imperfectly this allows God to justify what is right and wrong by setting down rules in the world. A good god would not punish his people God gives us rules and regulations as an act of love and concern for humanity as he wants to guide us to live our lives in a good way.
This theme is people, and God created all people. Culture is a part of human relationships that must not be overlooked. In Romans 3:28-30, Paul addresses culture and the fact “that man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Paul spoke to the Jews regarding their neglecting of other cultures. The Jewish culture was so worried about the law that they could not justify anything or anyone outside of it. Therefore, The Jews denied the Gentile culture and neglected them.
Romans 1:20 says “that the creation has been seen and understood because of God’s invisible qualities, divine nature and His eternal power so that men may not have an excuse.” It, therefore, follows that God is seen through His creation. He has made everything showing mercy to those who spit on His face that He is the same God that created everything by the power of His word. People who have seen His glory through His creation have no excuse before Him for they have seen and experienced yet rejected Him (Frank, 2013). Our Human Identity According to Paul, Christians should find their human identity in knowing Jesus and their true nature. Genesis 1:27 says “that we are made in God’s image” and according to Romans 7:25, “are joined to the father in spiritual union through Jesus Christ.”In Him, we find who we are because of the fellowship we have with Him.
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
Our diversity of religion results in people of different faiths or no faith living in one country peacefully. This is somewhat unsusual in the world and makes us a stronger country. The rest of the world looks to us with amazement that such diverse faiths can practice their religion in harmony. With this freedom we can have the luxury of great religious leaders inspiring their people and helping our country be stronger. During the American Revolution, our founding fathers were of different religions like Quakers, Methodists, Baptists and other religions.
The City Upon the Hill theme has been used in American history, they relied on religion to guide them, they believed in American exceptionalism, and a democracy. One reason the City Upon the Hill is used in American history is because of religion. “The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with.” (Doc A) This quote shows they believed that the Lord would protect them and they could rely on the Lord to help them through hardships they might encounter during their settlement. The people believed if their “ hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it
Dawkins is a materialist, and a monist, meaning that he believes that the soul and the body are inseparable entities. . This would put him in agreement with the statement that death is no more than wishful thinking, because we cannot physically prove it, and because he believes that the soul cannot be separated from the body. This would slightly point towards him believing that there is no life after death, however he does believe in the concept of us carrying on our lives through children, memories, photos, and such like. Dawkins pokes holes in the Christian argument for the concept of afterlife, because there is little mention of life after death in the Old Testament of the bible.