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Faith and Knowledge
The most difficult problem arises in the religious realm of faith. There are many different opinions about God. However, opinion is not knowledge. So people have many opinions about God that are conflictive and contradictory. But when it comes to the love of God, all of them agree that the love of God is unconditional. In this case, this is not an opinion. It is knowledge of God. Gods love is unconditional as anybody can learn just by faith alone. It is not a mere opinion; it is a fact. The problem arises when people make assumptions that contradict that truth. God loves everybody. Gods love is unconditional. So this is real knowledge. It is not just an opinion that might change over the passage of time. People have a solid and sound knowledge when they grasp this little truth. Faith and reason are two sides of the same coin, and we can really rely on faith as a source of knowledge in the religious realm or in any other area of knowledge. View details
Parable of the Talents
This paper was aimed at the investigation of the historical Jesus in the context of exploring ways in which Jesus parables, as exemplified by the Parable of the Talents, to be understood as radically subversive of 1st century CE Jewish social and cultural expectations. To answer this question, this paper started with a detailed exegesis of the Gospel parallel passages and continues by a wider discussion of the social and cultural expectations of the Jewish people in the times of Jesus, and finally tried to evaluate the importance of the theme for our understanding of the historic Jesus. Special attention was given to the analysis of allegorical, social and cultural components of the parable, which showed that Jesus teachings were radically subversive to the expectations of the society in 1st century CE, in social, cultural and theological aspects. In general, it might be said that Christianity and Judaism have different views on the historical figure of Jesus. Having analyzed two parallel extracts from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it may be concluded that the characteristics of similarities and differences give evidence to the existence of a shared source: either Q- source or Matthean text. View details
Philosopher of Islam Al-Kindi
This paper provides an insightful study on the thoughts of Al-Kindi as a philosopher so as to identify and authenticate him as the first and foremost true philosopher of Islam. Before him, Islamic philosophy was confined to the knowledge of religious principles through revelation. Theologians used to study this knowledge and illustrate the meaning and ideologies of Islam as bestowed upon human beings by God. Al-Kindis works however suggest a different and distinguished approach to religion and Gods existence. Like theologians, he was a firm believer in God but he struggled to harmonise religion with reasoning. He authenticated the Quranic principles and the phenomenon of Gods existence through theoretical reasoning. This serves to be answering the question whether or not he was a theologian, because if he is to be called a theologian then the term philosophy cannot be associated with him. Both the terms are distinct and belong to different schools of thought. View details
Jesus as founder of Christianity
The origins of Christianity were fraught with much controversy, and its development into the organized religion and group of religious systems that we now call Christianity cannot be said to have been a smooth and linear one. That Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah or Christ, is the founder of Christianity is held as an unquestionable assumption by many Christians is obvious, but careful scholarship requires that the assumption be qualified, if not refuted. Identifying a founder of Christianity then will require one to determine with which person did the religion originate, who established it, who introduced it as an idea or movement, and who gave it its structure and organisation. View details
Gender Controversy
The presentation prepared by our group for the symposium is called Women, Priesthood and the Church of England, the title that simultaneously places the problem in the area of gender issues, and alludes to the more specific circumstances existing within the Church of England. The presentation is structured in such a way as to represent the prevalent attitudes towards gender within the Church, and to compare religious views of gender with those held in such an important sphere of social life as business. According to this logic of representation of information, we opened our presentation with statement of the underlying assumptions on which we operated, and with mentioning of the most fundamental statement about the Church, namely that it is a very specific organisation that shares similarities and differences with business organisations. View details
Bible
With the Bible stating that God is the God of order, among other virtues, and the universal scientific belief that man is a rational being, and the Bible once again stating that God made man in is own image and likeness, it was necessary that there is an equal leveling between God and mankind. But this could not happen after transgressions were committed by man as initiated by Adam, Gods first created man. So, it was necessary that the just but loving God stick to His word, never to forsake mankind who were elevated above angels. And all these things were only perfected with the Man and His cross, and all the virtues it represents. View details
Public Worship
In fact a public worship of the church is an occasion when people can bring all their requests before God, and seek his help and blessing. In this people can ease their minds of anxiety, fear, and care. Although salvation does not depend on going to church, and a Bible is not necessary to get to heaven, a personal interest in Christ is the one thing needful. Yet there is no denying that man's edification in public worship depends greatly on the kind of prayers that are prayed. Hearing the word of God from the Bible and through the preaching of the Gospel is worship, for God speaks to us through his Word and through the servants of the Word. When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush he told him to put off his shoes, for he was standing upon holy ground. The Bible says that Moses hid his face and worshipped. The same is true for people. Wherever God speaks to man through his Word, he is in the presence of God and he is to worship him. View details
Theology
The cross gave for Mark the opportunity to make bright disclosures of outstanding character of Christ. Then, the passion on the cross gave the proofs of pre-established harmony between prophecy and the life of Jesus. In fact, this was a culmination of the cross-bearing when allegorical cross became real. We can find many parallels of this cross-bearing and its culmination in other gospels. And again we find two meanings of the cross: symbolical and real. To take, or take up, or bear a cross was a phrase for undergoing a great disgrace, suggested by the sight of the punishment of crucifixion. Another meaning of the cross was allegory of self-sacrifice to God and self-denial for Christ. View details
Christian Democracy
Democracy is at its root an attempt by people to satisfy two seemingly contradictory emotions. The first is a desire to be led. Each of us desire within our soul to have someone lead us when times get rocky. We often do not want the responsibilities that come with managing a country. We, much like a good parent who cannot tell one child that he loves one more than the other cannot bring ourselves to destroy either desire that burns within us, so we strive to satisfy both at once. We devise a sole, and all-powerful form of government, but elected by the people. We combine the principle of centralization and that of popular sovereignty. Christian Democracy had, for all intents and purposes, begun with the immediate pre-war period. Thus, unlike political movements like socialism, or even liberalism, Christian Democracy became an important political force before it had matured ideologically. As a result, the development of its ideology was inhibited by the pressures of political responsibility. The Italian Christian Democratic Party, for example, was founded in 1943 and came to power in 1948. It was never able to develop its autonomous self separately from a close and intimate relationship with the state. View details
Religious Cult
There are several extremist movements, known as either cults or sects are quite prevalent in our society, however, those act in an insensitive manner such as committing mass suicide or declaring the end of the world may get into media notice. Heavens Gate was among the most disquieting. This paper has attempted to express the sociological and cultural implication of the cult group called Heavens Gate in terms of their proposed belief system and the principles as put forward by mass media. Their formation, progress and bizarre termination can be understood in relation with general sociological theory. However, there are several facets yet to be undiscovered and highly questionable such as the popular notion of mysterious methods employed in mind-control phenomenon or mass mental instability and psychological control and the mass willingness to accept such a bizarre message without any undue force. The members of the Heavens Gate left voluminous manuscripts illustrating the life of the movement ranging from its onset, through development and finally extermination. This extensive volume of activities demonstrating the philosophy and discipline of the group is combined to offer an amazing research archive for future consideration. View details