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Chaplaincy Biblical Foundations
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RESEARCH PAPER: PART 1 INSTRUCTIONS
The incarnation of Jesus Christ sets the stage for chaplain ministry. Just as Jesus entered into a secular world to accomplish his ministry (John 3:16), so chaplains are called into secular and pluralistic environments to minister.
Note, Jesus relied on His words and actions to fulfill his mission to redeem and make an eternal relationship possible for all believers. Romans 10:17 reminds one that actions alone are not enough. “Faith comes by hearing the word of God.” Jesus died for our sins, but without him telling us who he was and why he came we would remain ignorant of salvation. John 1:14 reveals that “The Word became flesh.” It is not enough for chaplains to bear the presence of Christ, they are also called to bear his Word, words of salvation, words of hope, words of comfort, words of peace, etc.
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Assignment: Write a 5 page paper drawing parallels between Jesus Christ’s incarnational ministry of presence (actions) and His ministry in word, and the chaplains ministry of presence (actions) and his/her ministry in word. When making various parallels, start with the scripture passage that reveals a certain truth about Jesus’ ministry of presence and ministry in word and then reflect on how the chaplain should model that behavior.
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Marked Reformation
Introduction
Within a period of a hundred years since the death of Christ, the Roman Catholic Church dominated the entire world of religion. The Roman Church therefore mutilated the element of religion and came into a strong power that ensured anyone who spoke ill of the Church was considered a criminal worthy of a death penalty. This period remained for close to 1000 years, a factor that saw it described as the Dark Age (Mark, 2012). Men and women who rose against the Roman Church during this period to challenge the Church would be sentenced to death with some silenced.
However, in 1400’s a man was born that successfully challenged the Roman Church doctrine and led other into seeing the corrupt element within this institution. These men therefore started the reformation with the help of Martin Luther. This paper therefore seeks to determine the characteristics that market the Reformation Period and represent the elements that are still present in the evangelical Christianity in this dispensation and those that are not present.
Marked Reformation
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Characteristics That Market the Reformation Period
The essence of Luther’s initiative and his followers may not be overstated since their initiatives opened the door for the Protestant Reformation. Other reformers such as John Huss, William Tyndale, John Colet and John Wycliffe were also considered to have started this reformation that would point out to the failures of the Roman Church before Luther. Luther’s approach in quoting scripture caught the attention of many people. Within a period of three years, Luther’s message had circumferenced the whole world, a factor that led to the end of the stronghold of the Roman Catholic Church.
The society therefore saw the truth about salvation apart from works as was stated and realized that salvation was by grace through faith (Mark, 2012). This therefore led the community to trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross as opposed to the works of the monks and the priests a factor that did not turn well with the Catholic Church. It is therefore essential to note that this type of power and determination may not be in the evangelical Christianity today.
The disregard of the truth that is to be proclaimed that distorts the scriptures is therefore not held in the hands of power hungry churches that are granted the power and authority to rule within the evangelical world. In this case, it is therefore essential to determine that the evangelicals have been more concerned about the truth in the scriptures even when all do not agree with this element.
Marked Reformation
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One of the essential battles that was also fought during the reformation period and that still remains alive in the evangelical world today is on the battle of the Armenians and the Calvinists. The Armenians believed that God granted man the free will to repent and in this God never works in their hearts to determine their decisions (Robert, 2005). Additionally, they believe that God does His best to save as many sinners as He can, but his respect for the freedom of humanity determines that His options may be limited.
However, the Calvinists believe that human beings were dead in their transgressions and stated in (Eph. 2:1), a factor that gives a dead man no option to choose from. According to them, when humanity was dead to their transgressions, God made us alive (Eph. 2:5). It is therefore essential to note that the tragedy in this case involves the deceptions that are involved in man’s soul since man may believe he is saved while the Holy Spirit has not quickened his spirit.
Conclusion
In line with this, it is essential to establish the fact that the fundamental element in expounding the word of God remains in preserving the element of truth. Within these views, it is essential to note that God still remains supreme and responsible over the soul of his creatures. Man therefore needs not to overemphasize the sovereignty of God.
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Strategy For Couple Counseling Through Church Ministry
Not a single marriage unit is devoid of conflict. This is because every couple comprise of two clearly different people, with different backgrounds, experiences, personalities and emotional dispositions. In spite of the compatibility between a husband and wife, these two distinct individuals will always have fairly different viewpoints which will create tension and even conflict in the marriage union (Solomon, 2008). Some of the core sources of conflict in marriage include careers, in-laws, money, sex, children and a host of other marital related issues.
When marital conflicts are left unsettled they could cripple a relationship and even lead to divorce or separation. Many couples do not have acumen for proper communication, hence they are not able to articulate their problems and this could be a major setback when it comes to conflict resolution in a marriage unit (Egan, 2006).
The major difference between couples living in marital bliss and the loveless couple is not found in whether they have conflict or not, it’s found in whether they care for each other and they are able to articulate and resolve their problems. The objective of this paper is to uncover the root of the problems between the partners in this conflicted couple for the purposes of providing a ministry plan for resolving their problems.
Couple Counseling
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Case Study: Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Couple
Strengths Of The Couple:
According to the information educed from the facilitator’s report concerning Walter and Pam, key elements concerning this couple come out prominently. Foremost, the couple has a potential to live and work out their issues together because they have a lot in common, some of the strengths they share create a backdrop for a strong affectionate love relationship.
Notably, every marriage has got its pressures, the question is not how to avoid tensions in a relationship but how to broach them when they come (Clinebell, 2008).The reason why tensions should not be allowed to escalate particularly in this couple is because they could lead to isolation and later abandonment, thus Walter and Pam must be taught how to act when conflict occurs.
Walter and Pam have demonstrated the ability to manage their finances; in this area they have demonstrated adeptness because they scored above average. The couple is able to plan and budget their money together, this is a plus for the couple because they are able to avoid unnecessary tensions arising from impulse buying and unmet family needs. Planning together enables them to have common financial goals thus they are able to invest wisely and plan for the future (Ron, 2012).
Planning together also eliminates suspicion which could arise when each partner is managing their own funds. The word of God states that God commands blessing where there is unity. It therefore goes without saying that as the couple plan their finances together and execute their plans in unison God is going to bless them and expand their territories in the area of finances.
Couple Counseling
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Remaining in accord in a marriage scenario has been difficult since Adam and Eve, this is because two distinct individuals with their own goals must enmesh and hope to experience oneness as God intended. Unfortunately, human beings are selfish and each craves his own independence. The prophet Isaiah portrayed the human egocentric problem many years ago: “All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Every human being is selfish and intuitively looks out for number one, this directly leads to conflict.
It’s imperative to find out the areas where couples have similarity in order to build a ground for unity and harmonious marriage relationship. For example, Walter and Pam watch their health closely, they are both active and adhere to the rules of good nutrition. This is a positive attribute as it will enable the family to work out on their lifestyles to make sure that they age gracefully, this also minimizes their doctor visits and ensures that they will raise healthy children.
Pam and Walter have a knack for solving problems amongst other parties and even their own children, this strength enables them to create an amiable home environment where their children can feel secure since all their emotional needs are met. Moreover, the couple is able to create time to spend with their children and understand their social and emotional needs. By taking care of their children they provide a safe space for growth to make sure that their children are not trailed by psychological and mental disorders later in life.
When children are in good health, couples are able to forge ahead and achieve their goals in life. This marriage offers Walter and Pam a tremendous opportunity to overcome selfishness, as they give out their time and support for others and their children they are able to move attention from the self thus becoming a better couple. The answer for ending selfishness in a marriage is elaborated in the teachings of Jesus who taught us that instead of wanting to be first, we must be willing to be last; instead of being served we should serve. Jesus would wish for each person to love their spouse in the same measure as they love themselves. God’s plan for couples is to give up, give in and give all in order to honor His name.
Couple Counseling
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In this couple there is another attribute of the man (Walter) which serves as a bridge for solving many unresolved issues in the marriage. Walter has the ability to forgive easily and let go when hurt by his spouse or others. Human beings will try to love and protect each other no matter how hard they try, at one point they will fail and failure will hurt the other party (Navidian & Bahari, 2014). The definitive relief for hurt is the calming salve of forgiveness (Steele & Plenty, 2015).
This couple therefore has the key for maintaining an open and intimate love relationship since Walter is able to ask and grant forgiveness quickly. As Pam works out her relationship with God, she will also find the grace to forgive others easily. Jesus taught his disciples that said, “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14–15). This instruction clearly teaches all the God fearing couples to be forgivers.
The forgiveness of God entails giving up resentment and the human desire to punish willingly (Kennedy, 2008). It’s an act of sacrifice freely letting the offending party off the hook. As a follower of Christ, an individual should not do this under coercion, screaming or objection rather one should do it with a gentle spirit and love Paul argued the church of Ephesus to be kind to one another tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ had forgiven them (Ephesians 4:32).
As Walter demonstrates his ability to willing forgive and let go of an offence, Pam will be able to comprehend its significance and gradually learn to forgive easily as its an healing balm to every heartache.
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Couple Counseling
The couple is also blessed because they adhere to Christian teaching and therefore have there spiritual beliefs etched in supreme God. This is an area of unity, it mean that the couple can fellowship and even present their problems to God in one accord through prayers. By following into the teachings of the word of God they can grow together and learn how to love, please and respect one another. Paul admonished the Philippians;
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4.
Followers of Christ must conquer selfishness so that they do not give the devil a foothold in their marriage. Being a God fearing couple, Walter and Pam will be taught by the Lord how to be selfless considering others better themselves. In this kind of scenario there will be no room for name calling, violence or criticism. Once humility takes root in a marriage, there is room for forgiveness understanding and operating in harmony. The couple in this case study has a major strength in that they are able to handle transitions.
Transition is likely to bring strain and stress the family as a whole. Owing to their resilience, this couple is able to avoid anger disrespect and demands during any transitions in their family (Mack, 2010). In order to enhance more growth in this area, the couple should be taught how to find solutions to their problems without hurting each other’s feelings. The interest of every spouse should be given a consideration so that any arising conflict can be resolved amicably.
Couple Counseling
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Weaknesses Of The Couple:
The major root of conflict in a marriage is owing to the fact that opposites attract, so people tend to married by people with varied personalities who bring, strength spice and difference in their lives(Milne,2006) ). For example, the extroverted people are attracted by the introverts; the docile people also tend to go for the hyper active types. It’s a strange phenomenon but mainly that is how people get paired in marriages and the difference in their personalities inevitably brings about conflict because of varied reasoning and perceptions.
After being married for awhile due to the varied temperaments, the attractions amongst couples may become repellents. This could lead to mean remarks, unnecessary arguments and misunderstanding when handling finances (Egan, 2006). Often, couples find their disparities so wide that they don’t understand why God put them together. You may find that your backgrounds and your personalities are so different that you wonder how and why God placed you together in the first place.
The key to resolving any tensions in a marriage is foremost understanding and accepting the differences amongst the couple in order to resolve them (Backus, 2005). Just like Adam accepted Eve, God’s gift, each one is to accept their spouse. God in his wisdom and mercy gives every individual a spouse who completes them in a very special way. In the given case of Walter and Pam, Walter is more reserved and does not know how to handle friends and family; Pam on the other hand is more amiable and opens up their home for the relatives and friends.
Although she means well, this exuberant character does not go well with Walter and he often feels like strangers are enclosing on their space. In order to work out on this weakness, Pam must be considerate and minimize the innumerable visits from others, as she orients Walter to her world she could try and visit her friends rather than her friends visiting her frequently. Slowly, as Walter learns and accepts her perception and attachment to friends he will be able to create a room for her to entertain friends and visitors.
Couple Counseling
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This couple also experiences another problem in the area of sexual satisfaction. This is a problem commonly found amongst young couples especially when the children are young. Often women place a lot of time, energy and attachment to the children to the point that they neglect their own husbands (Steele& Plenty, 2015). Often, men suffer silently and this could have an emotional toll on the couple. Romantic love cannot blossom unless the emotional needs of every partner are met.
The facilitator should help Pam and Walter to make a commitment to create and maintain romantic love, identify habits that destroy romance in their relationship and overcome those habits and finally identify the most important emotional needs of every partner (Milne, 2006). Once emotional needs of every partner are met, romance blossoms and this creates way for sexual satisfaction. The frequency and quality of sexual relationship that the couple will have will depend on the level of their emotional satisfaction,
Walter should set aside quality time to talk and enjoy the company of his wife. He must often help her with household chores to create time for their intimacy and he should be gentle, caring and understanding. Women crave more affection; they value gifts and like to spend time with their men talking (American Psychological Association, 2012). Walter should create room for all these to create ease and affection in their marriage. On the other hand Pam should respect and support her husband, give him space and make sure that she has reserved time for just the two of them.
Couple Counseling
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Romance in a love relationship must b cultivated and nurtured to make sure that it does not die away. Each partner in the relationship must identify and communicate their emotional needs, when making love women like to be touched and adored. Men also like watching the physique of their women during love making; it’s therefore the duty of Pam to stay attractive and sexy for her husband. Sexual satisfaction is not automatic it comes as a result of hard work, the couple must plan and deliberately take the necessary measures to make sure that they give each other maximum satisfaction. Consulting, a marriage counselor could help the couple voice out their needs and how they would like those needs to be met.
In the area of leisure activities, Walter is a bit closed up. Often, they don’t to find a common ground on what is best for their leisure activities. Pam is a very extroverted individual who values fun and pleasure so she does not have a problem with the family leisure activities. Often, because Walter is not very talkative Pam does not understand some of his attributes, she does not like how he spent his leisure and some of the habits that he shows.
This area brings in friction because the couple has not agreed on what is suitable for the family in general and how each individual can spent his/her leisure time. In order to resolve the conflict in this area, each partner is supposed to set aside his/anger or bitterness and keep the relationship current. The couple must resolve to remain in solid fellowship with each other and the children no matter their differences this will ensure that they are not isolated because of their differences.
Lack of proper communication has been a great impediment to this couple; this challenge hinders the couple from resolving their day to day conflicts. The quality of the family communication is low and hinders ease in flow of information which could escalate into misunderstanding. This couple can be terrific even in the face of the various conflicts and stresses, the goal of goal of re-establishing and sustaining love in marriage is important than conflict resolution. When a couple is bonded through love and understanding conflict resolution becomes a lot easy, when there is love proper procedures for resolving conflict are instituted minimizing chances of misunderstanding.
Couple Counseling
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Notably, Pam has weaknesses when it comes to managing her personal stress, when she encounters a stressful situation she doesn’t have the ability to internalize her stress she allows it to trickle to others even affecting the children. The best way to handle personal stress is foremost, identifying the cause of stress and then working out to eliminate all the factors leading to stress.
Moreover, it’s very prudish to talk to someone about the stressful situation as this helps a person to organize her thoughts. Therefore, Pam should come up with a strategy on the proper procedure to follow any time she is going through a stressful situation to avoid impacting the family members negatively
Strategy For Counseling And Supporting The Couple Through Church Ministry.
In order to counsel the couple in this case study effectively the ministry will devise an effective plan of action to help meet the objective of stabilizing this couple together and ensure that they attain social and emotional stability. This couple comprise of two individuals, each has got his own experiences, background and personality. Owing to some unacceptable habits and interesting idiosyncrasies they may not fit together easily. Each partner has got his expectations to be met plus trials and tribulations in life which the couple must overcome; all these factors inevitably breed a ground for conflict.
Step (i) The Couple Must Know And Accept Their Differences
Pam and Walter were brought up in different environments and they were taught varied habits, values and traditions. Pam is an extrovert while Walter is an introvert, while Pam likes to party with friends and relatives Walter would rather have his space. All these are differences between the couple that must be understood and accepted. The couple must work out to find an area of compromise to avoid straining each other.
From the personality profile its apparent that Walter scores below average on most of the traits, for instance in regard to social change and emotional stability he scores below average. Pam on the other hand records higher scores above average (Risse, 2012). These results imply that both parties are different with varied personalities, its imperative for the two partners to know their differences in order to minimize areas of friction in their relationship (Collins, 2007). They must be encouraged to have a free communication through which they will be able to share their emotions and perceptions and reduce unnecessary conflict.
Couple Counseling
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Step (ii) Defeating Selfishness
All the differences between this couple are magnified because they feed the selfish and sinful nature of human beings. As good Christians the couple should be taught how to put the interest of the others first. The couple must be taught how to give up their own will for the will of the other. By giving up their will to Christ and continuously seeking to please the Lord, the couple will be able to resolve their conflicts and live amicably.
Romans 12:18 states “If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” According to this scripture, in order to live peacefully, the couple must pursue peace, this means taking the initiative to resolve a difficult conflict instead of waiting for the other offending party to take the first step.
Step (iii) Loving Confrontation
The couple will be taught the art of confronting each other with grace and tactfulness a skill which requires patience, wisdom and a lot of humility. Here are some of the tips on how this confrontation can be done.
The words used during the confrontation should not hurt they should bring healing and wholeness to the relationship to avoid isolating the confronted partner.
The attitude should be right, the message conveyed should be clear, I love you and respects you and I want you to respect me too.
This confrontation should be done at the right time in the right place to avoid disrespect and misundersnidng.
When communicating its imperative to listen to each other and ask questions for any clarifications.
During confrontation just voice one issue at a time, this is not time for raising many complains its time to express an area of concern.
Focus on the problem, but not the person, avoid name calling and belittling each other.
Step (iv) Forgiving Each Other
Often, couples will fail and this will lead to conflict, when one partner wrongs the other he should be brave enough to ask for forgiveness quickly. The couple should not let their differences escalate into a misundersnding. As sooner as a couple apologizes, the strains and tensions are minimized or finished.
Couple Counseling
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Step (v) Returning a Blessing for an Insult
1Peter 3:8-9 says, “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” Many couples have become experts in pointing out what is not right always. Some castigate their partners on their looks, their friends, their cooking style and many more. This way they don’t have a better way to relate to each other.
Returning a blessing for an insult means stepping aside and refusing to retaliate even when your partner wrongs you. This is possible through God’s help and the humility taught by the Holy Spirit. This also means doing well like speaking kind and gentle words; keep your tongue from evil and avoiding deceitful words. A pat on the shoulder and a gentle hug and all these little deeds of affection come along way to minimize tension and bring peace for the married couple. God’s purpose in all the marriage conflicts is to test the faith of His children. Once the faith is tested it produces endurance and glory to God.
References
American Psychological Association. (2012). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Backus, W. (2005). Telling the Truth to Troubled People. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House.Baker, S.(2011) School Counselor’s Handbook: a Guide for Professional Growth and Development. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Benner, D, (2007). Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy. Baker Book House.
Clinebell, H. (2008) Basic Types of Pastoral Care & Counseling: Resources for the Ministry of Healing and Growth. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
Collins, G(2007). Christian Counseling: a Comprehensive Guide. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Egan, G. (2006) The Skilled Helper: a Systematic Approach to Effective Helping. 3rd ed. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Ivey A.E., (2003).Intentional Interviewing and Counseling. Fifth Edition. Thompson, Brook.
Kennedy, E. (2008) On Becoming a Counselor: a Basic Guide for Non-professional Counselors. New York: Seabury Press.
Mack, W.(2010) A. A Homework Manual for Biblical Living. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.
Milne B. (2006) Know the Truth. Second Edition. Inter-Varsity Press.
Navidian, A., & Bahari, F. (2014). The impact of mixed, hope and forgiveness-focused marital counselling on interpersonal cognitive distortions of couples filing for divorce. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing,21(7), 658-666. doi:10.1111/jpm.12058
Ron, D. (2012). Dating and the Single Parent: are you ready to Date? Talking with your Kids, Avoiding a Big Mistake, Finding Lasting Love. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
Ronald, E. (1991). Strengthening Marital Intimacy. Kearney, NE: Baker Book House Company.
Steele, G. A., & Plenty, D. (2015). Supervisor–Subordinate Communication Competence and Job and Communication Satisfaction. Journal of Business Communication, 52(3), 294
The King James Bible
Ron, Deal L. (2012). Dating and the Single Parent: are you ready to Date? Talking with your Kids, Avoiding a Big Mistake, Finding Lasting Love. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
Ronald, H. E., (1991). Strengthening Marital Intimacy. Kearney, NE: Baker Book House Company.
Solomon, C. (2008) Handbook to Happiness: a Guide to Victorious Living and Effective Counseling. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Couple Counseling
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On Being an Atheist
Introduction
Topics in regard to Gods existence have resulted in ongoing battles that have lasted for quite a while. These topics have sparked several debates with some people agreeing with the existence of God while other refuting such claims (Boehme, 2014). However, the debates that pertain to the existence of God have intrigued several philosophical ideas with many people alleging that they being that God cannot be seen, his existence is debatable.
Other schools of thought also allege that if God exists and claims to be all powerful, then evil should not exist in this world. It is essential to note that there are several pieces of evidence that support the existence of God (Boehme, 2014). This paper, therefore, attempts to critic McCloskeys views in regards to the atheist objections and also describes several arguments that establish his illusions of the existence of God including the opposing arguments against his existence.
Proofs Can’t Establish the Case of Gods Existence
To begin with, McCloskeys view implies that there are no proofs that can establish Gods existence and those allegations should be abandoned. In my view, McCloskey makes no effort to determine what evil is nor does he explain its existence. In other words, he attempts to discredit people’s belief in God by making allegations against the origin of their beliefs. However, McCloskey fails to address why the faith of a people may not be valid and whether they take the time to discover such evidence before they ascent to Christian theism (H.J. McCloskey, 1974).
McCloskey views God as jaded, unforgiving, uncaring, and punitive and believes that the best proofs on the nonexistence of God can be depicted in the evil acts of his creation since morality has strongly subdued the proof of an intelligent creator designing the universe. For Christian, the expressions of truth are only found in Christ’s words in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth and the Life.
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The Cosmological Argument
The author of the article, “On Being Atheist”, opens by giving a description on the reasons theist believe in God. He purports that the grounds of such beliefs are inadequate and gives the reasons as to why the atheist do not believe in Gods existence. McCloskey in his article tells of a Christian friend who believed that philosophers place so much of importance on the proofs that regard to the existence of God as the foundation to their religious beliefs (H.J. McCloskey, 1974). In my view, in order for the universe to exists, there was its origin or something that created its existence. Nothing has the capacity to create itself and there is the need of an independent creator that existed before the universe.
In the book: Reasonable Faith, William Lane Craig, alludes to the fact that there must be a creator responsible for all the creation activities and the creator needs not a cause to do the things that have an origin. This, therefore, means that everything that exists needs a cause and saying that something has no beginning denies the existence of a predecessor. McCloskey also alleges that the Cosmological Argument does not give us the right to postulate an all-powerful case that he considers uncaused (H.J. McCloskey, 1974).
In as much as this argument provides no proof of the existence of God , it supports the idea of a necessary being as the only responsible cause that erases the need for an infinite regressive cause. In my view, there is only one possible view that is compatible with other views on Gods existence, a factor that makes it an individual’s choice to desire learning about the existence of God.
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The Teleological Argument
This argument is an argument from the design point of view that alludes to the existence of a maker of all the contingent objects. This argument in some way has some connections with the cosmological argument that implies that all the designs employ a greater designer, there is a designer in the world, and that the designer is the greatest (H.J. McCloskey, 1974). McCloskey as other philosophers claims that to believe that nature was designed; there is a need for indisputable examples.
In other words, this author claims that the evidence and examples on this must never be refuted and also contends that indisputable claims are essential and unreasonable in defining God. In my own view, a given example or evidence on the existence of God such as nature shows the indisputable possibility of a creator and there is nothing that can be disputed in this claim (H.J. McCloskey, 1974).
In regard to McCloskey’s claim on the presence of imperfection and evil is an argument that is incompatible with the perfection of the Divine Creator since the creator set a perfection standard for goodness, but man as a sinful being made the imperfect evil possible.
On the other hand, McCloskey suggests that evolution should take the place of a Divine Designer. In my view, this would imply that everything that exists in nature is primarily motivated by chance, which would hardly be the case since everything in nature requires some guidance (Feser, 2013).
This is a process since everything has a specific construction and certain functions. If there is not a Divine Designer then this would mean that everything in nature may function by chance, a factor that could see things happen in any manner. For example, the snows would come during summer since everything functions in no order.
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On the Problem of Evil
McCloskey also stresses in his articles on his objections on the problem of evil by alluding that no being that is perfect and claims of goodness could create the world in which there is suffering of the creatures. According to Feser (2013), the element of evil remains one of the conversant objections that have widely been presented by the atheists. The atheists tend to view why people should not believe in God as described. These objections are mainly posed by the frequent occurrences of suffering and evil that is presently seen.
This remains the reason why many philosophers, as well as McCloskey, dismiss the claims on Gods existence basing their claims on the presence of evil. The theist approach of Gods view is in relation to His attributes that depict Him as omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent. On the other hand, the atheist believe that if all this attributes point towards God and He truly exists as He claims then he had the capacity to stop suffering and evil.
Other theists also take a stance on the concept to the of evil by leaning on the free-will defense, which alludes that God was the creator of human beings and was the same giver of the free will to choose what is right and wrong. This according to them is considered better since humanity has the freedom of choice than to haven none. According to this view, the evil that is prevalent in the world today exists since man chose the way of evil (Feser, 2013).
Considering the fact that we have been granted the free will to choose what we opt right or wrong, humanity therefore needs to choose to believe in God, who needs to be worshiped, and praised. God has the capacity to mitigate the element of evil, but this means we may lack the free-will to choose. The coming of Christ to offer salvation to Humanity would not have made any sense if God chose to eliminate evil offer salvation.
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Some theists respond to the problem of evil through a free-will defense in which God is stated as the creator of human beings with a free will since it is better to have the freedom to choose that to lack the freedom of choice (LeDrew, 2013). In other words, the evil that exist in the world is a result of the choice of a man to do evil. As free will beings, we need to believe in God, worship and praise Him. If God would have eliminated evil, then Christ should not have come to offer salvation and he would not have died for our iniquities.
On Atheism as Comforting
At the end of his article, McCloskey concludes by asserting that atheism is more comforting than theism. In his argument on this point, he uses the existence of evil and the sufferings that occur of the innocent to support his atheistic perceptions that a perfect being may not necessarily exist and allow evil things to occur (LeDrew, 2013). He also contends that people who follow theism are more likely to find cold comfort in believing religiously and that people need to find comfort and strength wherever they can find it inclusively.
Thinking about this, it is essential to note that people in many instances may need comfort, a factor that makes them seek for spiritual authorities to assist them in understanding things, both the bad and the good (LeDrew, 2013). A Biblical understanding of the element of comfort is encouragement which can be done through the use of words or the presence of an individual to help in the times of need. Comfort in this case as viewed by Christians remains in the ability of Christians o choose whether to believe in God or not, thus giving them the chance to know God more, understand him and commit to him truthfully.
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Conclusion
McCloskeys view implies that there are no proofs that can establish Gods existence and those allegations should be abandoned. In my view, McCloskey makes no effort to determine what evil is nor does he explain its existence. McCloskey also alleges that the Cosmological Argument does not give us the right to postulate an all-powerful case that he considers uncaused (Boehme, 2014). In as much as this argument provides no proof of the existence of God, it supports the idea of a necessary being as the only responsible cause that erases the need for an infinite regressive cause.
On the Teleological Argument McCloskey as well as other philosophers claims that to believe that nature was designed; there is a need for indisputable examples, views that find to substantial backings. McCloskey also stresses in his articles on his objections on the problem of evil by alluding that no being that is perfect and claims of goodness could create the world in which there is suffering of the creatures and concludes by asserting that atheism is more comforting than theism (Boehme, 2014).
In a nutshell, I believe that McCloskey provides minimal pieces of evidence on his claims that are aimed at supporting atheism and instead attempts to point out to the faults of Christians as a claim to refute the existence of God. The arguments of this theist, therefore, point out to the existence of God.
References List
Boehme, A. J. (2014). The Atheist’s Primer. Reviews in Religion & Theology, 21(1), 114-116. doi:10.1111/rirt.12286
Feser, E. (2013). The New Atheists and the Cosmological Argument. Midwest Studies In Philosophy, 37(1), 154-177. doi:10.1111/misp.12000
H.J. McCloskey (1974). “On Being an Atheist, “The Southern Journal of Philosophy – Vol. 15 – Issue 1 – pp. 101-111
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The concept of conservatism and liberalism
Institution
In the article with the title “president Obama visits a mosque long overdue and vital ” by Haroon Moghul,The article is all about the Muslim religion the external image it portrays peoples perception and believes that the general public and the government have about the religion, people having a believe that its a religion of extremism and terrorism supporting. Attracting attention from the government bodies such as NYPD which used to give a close monitoring of the Islam communities.
There is conservatism theme where the Mongul mentions that though president Obama spent most of his child life in Muslim related countries, he has not visited an American mosque, he believes that just because president Obama spent his early life in Muslim countries ,he should have visited an American mosque, one can chose to attend a mosque session even if they have never been in a Muslim country.( Pipe J, 1997,
Conservatism and liberalism
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Ideologies and institutions : American conservative and liberal governance prescriptions since 1933. ) another theme of conservatism comes out clearly where the Mongul tells that the high level of civic monitoring have caused the number of Muslims attending the mosque to decrease drastically, just because one is being monitored doesn’t mean that one should not go to a place of worship as it is their constitutional right, here the writer is conservative and believes that close monitoring deny conducive environment for worship, conservatives believes at personal responsibility, a life that should not have too many regulations(Hibbing J, Smith K. & Alford J. (2014). Predisposed : liberals, conservatives, and the biology of political differences)
However, we witness liberalism where the Mongul mentions that mosque deserves protection in America as any other religion and that the Muslims should be allowed fully to use their religion related institutions as there have been alienation from them. Liberals believe that the government should offer protection to every individual regardless of their religion for aequal society.( Seaton J. 1996. Cultural conservatism, political liberalism : from criticism to cultural studies)
Hibbing, J., Smith, K. & Alford, J. (2014). Predisposed : liberals, conservatives, and the biology of political differences. New York: Routledge.
Piper, J. (1997). Ideologies and institutions : American conservative and liberal governance prescriptions since 1933. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield.
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The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Movie Review
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Discuss the depiction of Jewish people A) in history and B) in literature.
2) What is usury and what was the value of coins/money during Shakespeare’s time?
3) Choose one image/photograph of A) Shylock and one of B) Portia and discuss what you think this image/photograph says about the character based on that image…(You may not choose either of the two images from the film.)
4) What are 3 things that the PowerPoint tells you to watch out for in the film? (List them 1,2,3)
mercy is not strained…” A) How is it depicted in the film and B) how does it relate to the theme of the rest of the play?
3) Explain how the filmmaker portrays Shylock and other Jewish people in the play/film…Are they depicted with negative stereotypes, are they sympathetic figures, antagonistic, evil, warm etc? Explain your view and be specific. Make sure to mention at least two signifiers and put them in bold.
4) What was your favorite part of the film and why?
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A few months after he became warden of Angola Prison, Louisiana State Penitentiary, the Warden of Angola Prison approached New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with an unusual request. Known as the “bloodiest prison in America,” Angola was in trouble and Warden Cain envisioned a solution. He wanted to create a process of moral rehabilitation that began with a seminary education, training inmates to become faith leaders inside prison walls.
Please analyze: the long-standing rehabilitative ideal had collapsed, a demise that was sudden and advocated by conservatives and liberals alike.
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Discrimination Issues
Introduction
In this contemporary society, people have based the element of religious accommodation in making different decisions especially within work environments that have seen the employers either agreeing with the employees or having a different feeling in consideration of the differences in beliefs and discrimination issues. Today, it is more likely to find a Christian refusing to employ a Muslim because they have different beliefs and faiths.
The law therefore considers religious discrimination in different angles (Burmeister, 2014). These laws therefore address the issues that tend to be different from the other forms of employment discrimination. These laws have been constituted in a complex manner, a factor that has seen the reduction of religious discrimination and accommodation cases within the working environment. This paper therefore seeks to carry a study on discrimination issues as regarded by religion and accommodation.
Issue
Flips burger is a company that has fifteen employees with the company putting emphasis on adhering to its rules and regulations as defined by the EEOC. According to the case study, a plaintiff was fired for legitimately acknowledging her religious beliefs by putting on a Hijab to work during their Ramadhan celebration (Burmeister, 2014). It is however essential to note that the defendant had no valid reasons to prove the Plaintiffs breach of the working conditions.
It is essential to establish the fact that the employers always have the right to develop boundaries and policies in the manner in which employees dress. However, religious and accommodation issues are likely to come in between this aspect (Burmeister, 2014). It is in this case essential to stress that if the dressing code genuinely reflects the employee’s religious belief, there is need for the employer to accommodate these beliefs since failing to do this would create issues for the employers business.
Elements of the Cause of Action
In determining the elements that led to the cause of action, it is vital to understand that the defendant had the capacity and authority to set work place rules in governing the image of the company and in promoting the professional appearance of his employees as would be indicated in a court of law (Massengill, & Petersen, 2008). However, there is a need to grant opportunities with the aim of accommodating the employee’s genuine religious beliefs such as the wearing of Hijab to work. This therefore depicts the manner in which the employer discriminated the employees’ rights within the work environment.
Discrimination Issues
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Applicable Defenses for the Case
Even upon the placement of policies within the workplace, employees need to be on the look in considering and accommodating the religious beliefs of the employees as a way of avoiding litigation. In as much as the employer may have had no reasons of terminating the services of the employee, it is essential to consider that this is an act of discrimination that is also viewed as unethical (Massengill, & Petersen, 2008).
Considering the fact that the Plaintiff provided the employer with adequate notice about the religious even that was underway and the practices that follow these events, the employer still failed to accommodate this fact, a factor that proves that he is guilty of discrimination.
The Basis for the Judge’s Rule
It is essential to consider the fact that this case needs to be determined in different ways. First, the employer who is the defendant having been provided with adequate notice on the employees beliefs failed to accommodate the beliefs of the employee. This therefore denotes that fact that the employee’s religious rights were violated (Rabin-Margalioth, 2003). The judge would therefore consider the fact that the employee’s garments were worn for religious purposes and were not injurious to the public’s welfare.
However, two issues remain that need to be considered. The wearing of Hijab may be acceptable within a work environment. But the other Islamic clothing’s that cover the body and the faces of an individual such as the Niqabs and the burkhas may prove challenging to tolerate especially for the employees who serve within public places (Rabin-Margalioth, 2003). This would hinder the manner in which humans communicate especially when not seeing the face of someone serving you.
These are factors that employers therefore need to deliberate with employees in striking an agreement. It is therefore significant that the employer needed to ensure that the organization incorporated the element of inclusivity in accommodating the employees and their religious beliefs even when the company was concerned about its image in order to avoid the litigation.
Discrimination Issues
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Conclusion
This study confirms that fact that people have based the element of religious accommodation in making different decisions especially within work environments that have seen the employers either agreeing with the employees or having a different feeling in consideration of the differences in beliefs. The employers always have the right to develop boundaries and policies in the manner in which employees dress.
However, religious and accommodation issues are likely to come in between this aspect. It is therefore essential for employers to consider the religious beliefs and practices of their employees in order to protect the rights of the workers and avoid litigation.
References
Burmeister, B. (2014). What you should know about the Employment Equity Amendment Act. Finweek, 18-20
Massengill, D., & Petersen, D. J. (2008). Job Requirements and Religious Practices: Conflict and Accommodation. Labor Law Journal, 39(7), 402-410.
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The Definition of Human being
Introduction
Scientist classifies human beings as animals. However, what is human? What makes human distinct from animal kingdom? What is that inspires or motivates us? What is it being human? In contemplation of these questions, the article intends to analyse the literal meaning of being human. This analysis will facilitate the understanding of my own definition in comparison of the other definition of human being (Clooney, 2016).
This paper defines ‘human being’ and that of being ‘being human.’ This includes the rationale and reasons behind the definition of ‘human being.’ The paper will also reflect on how some people are included or excluded from being human being based on the definition of ‘human being.’ The paper will also discuss ways definition of ‘human being’ and ‘being human’ affects the treatment of other people.
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Discursive definition
In scientific disciplines, the concept of human being began with Homo sapiens- evolutionary stage of primates. Nevertheless, human history that begun with invention of writing indicates that most of Homo sapiens did not qualify to definition of human based on their age or disabilities.
In sociology, the trinity of class, gender and racism has been routinely used to describe the gap in the normative definition of an ideal of human. This implies that each candidate will need to pass certain specification or criteria set by the society to earn the status of human being (Clopot, 2014).
In Christianity, human being concept is based on the narrative of creation in Genesis; which states that each person was created in the image of God. The narration describes how human being was created, breathed into his nostrils by God to make it live. This leads to the generalization of the concept that it is God’s spirit in the created earthling animal that qualifies it has a human being.
Therefore, all human beings reflect their divine origin, and their existence manifests the mystery of God’s presence living in them. Thus, human being is divine, and each person has dignity and worth, which makes everybody to be respected and honoured. This is similar to other religious perspectives of human being; which essentially relies in interpersonal and communal character. It is the freedom enjoyed by a person through social reality. This is because through the connectedness to other people that a person discovers their identity of being human (Forsberg, 2011).
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Nevertheless, the current world concept human dignity rests on people’s race, social status and achievements. The picture of human being concept has gradually been reshaped by reductionism mode of thinking. This implies that people believe and values in turn shapes how they behave and interact.
Therefore, if a person’s picture is incomplete or inadequate, it will make the person behaviour fall short of the natural potential causing serious psychosocial implications. This is not easy to detect or correct. The concept of reductionism of human being is that act of reducing the relevance of something to their counter parts (Rome, 2014).
What is ‘being human’? Firstly, it is important to note that the descriptive word ‘being’ is in present tense word; note in future tense or past tense. The term describes what is being done at the moment, in the present moment. Being human is a human being state of choosing things that must be done.
For instance, no one chooses to be angry, upset and fearful or upset; rather one chooses to be happy, confident and peaceful. In this context, human beings have the freedom to choose. The capability to make decision consciously or unconsciously defines the concept of being human (Sadgrove, 2014).
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Reflection on how the definitions impact how people are classified and treated
From evolutionary perspectives, human beings resemble other primates, because they evolved from the primates. Therefore human being and primates shares common ancestry, which makes them to have a lot of similarities. The main factors used to distinguish human beings are language, brain and bipedalism. The uniqueness of bipedalism is unique to human being because they help to propel forward.
Human being language is unique as compared to other animals; as it structure is complex and has evolved to serve wide range of functions. Human being brain capacity is unique as it is capable of abstract reasoning. The increased mental capacity, language and bipedalism have led to the advancement (Rome, 2014).
However, high level of human being thought processes have led to greater debates on what constitutes of human being. The meaning of human is not entirely found from scientific view point but rather analysis of other fundamental factors such as personality. For instance, based on the evolutionary criteria of human beings excludes amputees, dumb and mentally ill people. Additionally, what about a human embryo, can they still be categorised as human being (Sadgrove, 2014)?
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The religious point of view, particularly the Biblical perspectives definition of human being is widely accepted; and can be integrated in diverse disciplines such as criminology. According to the bible, Human being are in the image of God; and due to this reason, man was given dominion over the animals. The Bible upholds dignity of human life. In fact, being in the image of God indicates that human beings moral values are intrinsically based.
Additionally, human beings have a spirit within their body (James2:26). This implies that the value of human being is beyond the condition as well as the developmental stage of the human being body. Thus, the identity of human being is more to physical appearances or the measure of their mental capacity (Forsberg, 2011).
The struggle to define human being does not try to define what constitutes of human life, as biology already defines that human life begins after fertilization. The main issue is personhood- being human. For instance, the neurological point of view, the physician definition of brain death is based on the Electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern.
Therefore, they reason or define life based on these standard measurements. Therefore, if person brain functionality has been lost through accidents, are they still human? Brain functionality is very low during embryo development. Therefore, is abortion at this stage justified (Sadgrove, 2014)?
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The physiological perspective argues that being human commences at birth, when the child has their own respiratory, circulatory and alimentary systems. In other words, this postmodern view approach considers that being human is the ability to have the essential capacities that differentiate human beings from an animal. However, this is controversial as most of the people do not fully develop these abilities immediately after birth, but a little later during toddlerhood (Rome, 2014).
Conclusion
Undeniably, the definition of human being affects how people are treated. The main reasons behind health disparities and discrimination is people’s definition of human being and being human. In my perspectives, it is important to assess the impacts of these definitions. Moral significance of a human being must not be based on functional abilities or extrinsic value that is measurable by medical sciences; but rather to the intrinsic values.
This is attributable to the fact that these extrinsic values can be lost due accidents. It is the natural inherent capacity for self-awareness (self-identify) and a free will (autonomy or choice) that makes us human being; thus, human dignity is preserved even if disease of disability limits the expression of these functions.
References
Clooney, F. (2016). The Meaning of Human Existence / The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss. Common Knowledge, 22(1), 125-128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/0961754x-3323109
Clopot, C. (2014). Being human, being migrant: senses of self and well-being by Grønseth, Anne Sigfrid. Social Anthropology, 22(4), 506-507. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1469-8676.12092_15
Forsberg, N. (2011). Knowing and Not Knowing What a Human Being Is. SATS, 12(1), 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/sats.2011.002
