Religious tradition is defined as the faith-based environment that allows a person pursuing theology to think and do religion. Some of the common religious traditions in the world include Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism among others. People experience religious traditions in various aspects of their life through different actions; everyday lives, rituals, virtues, behaviors, ethics, and narratives among others. Religious traditions emanate from combining several inherited values, behaviors, actions, and stories. In addition, religious traditions rise due to the combination of the new and old experiences.
Pluriform of the religious traditions is the primary theme addressed by the article. This implies that religion exists in several forms and no single original place that can be termed as the origin of religion as well as theology. For instance, Christianity cannot be said to have emerged from Jesus Christ as He faced by multiplicity of folks, which resulted, to several religions. Furthermore, religious belief is guided by historical experiences during the passage from one generation to another. Some of these historical encounters include historical events, language growth, cultural impacts and cultural practices. The plurality of religious traditions is also demonstrated by its modern day expressions. Furthermore, religion is plural as it has several values to the society include providing life to humans, shaping the society ethics and morality among others.
The article is very informative on the plurality of religion traditions practiced in various parts of the world. Through the article, I have discovered that theology scholars and researchers struggle to establish the origin of various religion traditions. In addition, the scholars have failed to come up with a single meaning of the various religious traditions thus making it difficult for religious leaders to have a common meaning and perception towards religion. The followers of every religion have a unique meaning attached to their faith. Despite the tensions and incompatibility of religions, they help in developing positive ethics and values in society.
This book comprises of several poems and a pile of aphorisms combined in five sections, which questions the sources of the knowledge history. The book glorifies philosophy as a drug that can rekindle individuals’ intellect. It also presents philosophy as a motivation to acquire personal freedom as well as rejuvenating culture. One of theme in the book is God is dead narrative by the author. The writer utters this statement with aim of provoking Europeans mindset on religion. The theme implies that people should shun religion as it promotes false virtues that accelerate people sufferings. Nietzshe speaks to his audience as the voice in the medieval poems where he argues that peoples knowledge continue to suffer from millennium-old herd instincts of protecting different species. He also talks about emergence of gods. He argues the desire to safeguard the species resulted to the emergence of gods. The books also talks about Christian indoctrination. He perceives Christianity has resulted to societal vices, which include corruption, bad society and bad church. Nietzshe also interrogates European developments and provides various methods that can be used to cure the society.
Nietzshe concluded that God is dead in the book because of the disappointments, frustrations, problems and evils that were present in the European society. I find this very offensive to the believers, as they would interpret this statement as an insult or mockery to their supernatural being. However, I have realized that Nietzshe used the words to capture the attention of the people and make them see the vices and problems that were affecting the European society. I have discovered that churches have failed in combating the immoralities and vices in the society. I have noted that despite the spread of Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism among other religions, the world is still full of corruption, murders, sexual immoralities among others as Nietzshe had observed. The book speaks to the current religions to champion for values in order to avoid corruption and other vices in the world.
One of themes the article is trust that parents bestow upon educators. When parents take their children to school, they transfer the trust and responsibility to the teachers. Students need to trust educators in order to learn from them. College professors have control over their students as they have developed trust in them. Fundamentally, college educators are focused on ensuring that students adopt their thinking in order to accomplish their academic objectives. The article also identifies some fundamental issues affecting college students, which include a question on definition, objectives and usage of knowledge, as well as defining things educators desire to pass to their students. The article dwells on things and practices that college educators should teach students which include two images (indicates the way thinkers perceive knowledge as well as its implications to college students). The two images highlighted in this article include the gallery and the boutique. Other themes addressed in the article include the telos, classical antiquity, the Christian in the west, modernity and fundamental awareness, day-to-day academy, university renewal among others.
Trust is critical in universities and colleges as it influences high performance as well as excellent results to the students. College students must learn to trust their professors in order to learn and understand what the lecturers are teaching them. College professors should also watch their behaviors and leadership styles in order to avoid mistrust from students. By presenting college life in form of a gallery and boutique helps the audience understand more about the college life. I have discovered that just like in a boutique needs proper marketing, customer care and creativity in order to attract customers, colleges and universities need to have attractive courses and educators in order to attract more students. The lecturers should also be devoted to their work in order to shape and prepare students for the job market and post college life.
Kant defines enlightenment as an individual exit from the incapacity to utilize their understanding by themselves. The chapter main theme is enlightenment and how individuals and the public can overcome their immaturity. Indolence and cowardice are things Kant speaks about in this article. He argues that idleness and cowardice are primary hindrances to the emancipation of men from their immaturity. Kant notes that lazy and cowardly men attract the services of guardians who perform everything for them at a cost. When lazy and coward men hire guardians to perform duties for them, it makes it difficult for the men to overcome their inability to do things without the help of other people. However, a few people out of those struggling with immaturity have managed to develop their brains to an extent of overcoming the immaturity. Kant highlights that the public can be enlightened by allowing them ample freedom. The public should be allowed the freedom to exercise their intellect. Besides, people can be enlightened by avoiding prejudices. The public achieve enlightenment slowly but not through revolutions.
Men and members of the public must shun idleness and cowardice in order to overcome their immaturity. I have discovered that the ability to pay guardians to help one with their duties may contribute to his or her laziness, which limits his or her thinking. Men should always exercise their brain in order to maintain their capacity to perform some duties without any help regardless of whether they have guardians. I have also learnt that freedom is paramount in ensuring the public overcomes their immaturity. Hence, governments should avoid denying their citizens freedom as a way of empowering them to overcome their incapacities. I have realized that an enlightened leader is demonstrated by his or her commitment to giving his or her people freedom. Allowing people freedom allows them to explore their talents and exploit their abilities to the fullest for the benefit of the country.
Locke highlights that individuals are ignorant and void of knowledge and they highly need to acquire knowledge. People have a strong desire to acquire rational knowledge. In order to accomplish this, one of themes addressed in the chapter is beliefs and reason. Reason is the realization of probability of certain realities that the brain arrive at through inferences derived from ideas gotten from utilization of natural faculties (Locke, 1841). Faith is defined as the acceptance of prepositions that comes from God and credited by a proposer in a unique way of communicating. Locke indicates that people inspired by God cannot inform other people new ideas that they had not communicated from reflection. He also says that similar realities revealed and passed from revelation. People discover such truths through reason as well as through ideas possessed naturally. Reason plays a fundamental role in the life of individuals expected to obey and embrace the truths discovered by other individuals as well as delivered to them. On the other hand, faith does not involve prepositions and deals with divine realizations. Anything revealed by God is realistic and no one can dispute that but it might be judged through reason.
The chapter dwells much on the difference between faith and reason and the roles they play in helping individuals acquire knowledge. I have realized that faith requires one to have a divine connection with a supernatural being in order for them to get the revelations. However, reason requires proofs and prepositions to inform knowledge. I have also discovered that individual can acquire knowledge from God through faith or by coming up with realistic propositions which will help understand the reason some things happen. I have noted that individuals lack rational knowledge and they have to struggle to find it either through reason or by faith.
Theism refers to the concept that God or gods are individual beings that living separately from the universe, conciliated through the universe and sometimes mediating in the universe from without. Theist also implies that God is separate from materiality and that the universe is inside God but God expands past the world. Theists also believe that there is another world apart from this world. Some of theisms that describe God include; omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent among others. Another theme in this chapter is theism variations. This means that God and His divinity is enters every part of the globe and is not limited by tike and space. The chapter also talks about atheism, which implies that God cannot be equated to supernatural individuals despite being associated by the concept of divinity. Besides, atheism indicates that God and materiality are joined together. Atheism variation is also called pantheism. It states that God is pervaded inside material reality and cannot be separated. It also indicates that God is different from a supernatural ideology.
It is difficult to understand the supernatural powers of God and gods. People worship and adore different supernatural being of whom they believe has the power to fulfill their needs. In choosing the god one want to worship, it depends with the religious background, socialization and faith. I have also learnt that God is greater than the universe as the world exists within Him. To believe this preposition, one needs to have strong faith in God. It is also difficult to understand how God is present everywhere across the world at the same time. I have noted that the world has many gods who are worshipped by different people. However, God is worshipped, adored and respected by the majority of the people across the world despite. I have also discovered that people across the world have the liberty to practice monotheism or polytheism without any interference from anyone.
One of themes of this book is the confrontation between the Roman Catholic Church and Galileo in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century. The chapter highlights Galileo’s historical background. Four issues that fueled the conflict between Galileo and religion include scientific dispute, which was contributed by the scientific debate then against the comparative advantages of the ancient based astronomy as well sun-centered theory. In addition, the conflict was caused by lack of understanding of the appropriate standards to be adopted to comprehend the bible as well as the events that prompted the Catholic Church to rebuke Copernicanism as untrue. The fourth issue was Galileo’s trial. The issue was based on the charges, legal framework as well as the direction of events during Galileo’s trial.
Galileo galilee book enlightens us on the various conflicts between religion and science in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Through the chapter, I understand that the conflict between science and religions is a dispute that has last for more than three hundred years as such conflicts are still witnessed in the twenty first century. I have also discovered that galilee faced a lot of opposition as he was trying to dispute the bible, which is considered a holy book by the majority of the world population. I have discovered that Roman Catholic was on the frontline to defend the bible from Galileo’s attacks as it the bible is one of the foundations of their faith. Therefore, attacking the bible was a direct attack on the church hence propagating the conflict between Galileo and the church. I have also discovered that modern science started developing during Galileo’s time. I also learnt that European culture was undergoing drastic changes due to Galileo’s scientific contribution as well as epistemological features present at that time.
The chapter starts by providing a history of Charles Darwin year of birth, place of birth as well as his upbringing. Furthermore, Darwin christening, schooling as well as life in university is discussed. This chapter also discusses Darwin’s life in university as well as how he dropped out when he could not handle surgery. The friendship between Darwin and Robert grant is also highlighted in the chapter. It also talks about Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution as well as how he left the church to pursue his scientific research. Besides, the chapter talks about how Darwin’s theory successfully disproved Genesis book. The chapter also looks into the stories of scientific emergence. Besides, chapter talks about Darwin beagle, natural selection as well as evolution and materialism works. Another theme that emerges in this chapter is the conflict between the church and Darwin’s scientific theories. Moreover, Darwin’s relationship to his nurse is discussed in this chapter.
The chapter enlightens its audience much on the personal life, religious life as well as professional life of Charles Darwin. From the chapter I have discovered that despite Charles Darwin becoming a great scientist and having worldly recognized theories, he had a strong foundation in Christianity. The fact that Darwin dropped out of medicine due to his failure to handle surgery, it did not limit him from accomplishing his goals in life. Furthermore, I have learnt that Darwin left religion to pursue scientific research. From this, I learnt that one should not fear pursuing his or her dreams regardless of what the society says. I noted that Darwin was focused on his scientific research despite the strong Christian foundation in his society.
One of the themes discussed by the book is misunderstanding faith. In this theme, the book indicates different ways in which people have the wrong perceptions and comprehension of faith. Despite every person, having faith is something; this theme teaches that people should not associate faith with religion, belief, ethics, morality and emotions. A second theme in this book is coming up with the definition of faith. Faith is defined as something that adds value and meaning to the life of believers. Different people have different definitions of faith. Individuals can learn about their faith by establishing something they strongly believe in and can die for it. The book also talks about different ways people express their faith, which include rituals and symbols among others. People justify their faith by making visible by other people, should be in line with other realities as well as enable people to be real with themselves.
The book is an ideal guide for believers to understand their faith as well as how they can strengthen it. Through the book, I have realized that people misunderstand faith as they usually relate it with religion, rituals, emotions, values among others. The book also advices believers on ways they can justify their faith. Through the book, individuals should work hard to make the world identifies and learns about what they believe in. through reading the book; non-believers can learn several facts about faith which may influence them to develop faith in something. Furthermore, I have learnt ways I can identify where my faith is by establishing things I can comfortably die for it.
