Theology is the study of God and the first topic “Doing theology in our context; sign of our times” introduced me to the meaning of studying theology and the importance of relating it to contemporary times and our own context to enhance our understanding. Using objectives in our society that we are surrounded by such as conflict, racism, violence and technology that are being introduced to future generations who will eventually have entitlements to vote and be responsible for their well-being. We explored societal problems such as; addiction, social decline within religion, families and communities just to name a few. Relating concepts to human emotions and nature were beauty, love and hope. The use of modernism and post-modernism in theology and where it place’s itself in contemporary times.
‘Faith and revelation, in relation to our self communication with God’ is the significance of a personal experience and how it shapes our faith. Concepts introduced to me were primordial faith meaning strength or a purpose and religious faith is something that deepens, extends and transforms a person’s faith to an extent that it shapes the way they live and approach daily life. This led to objectives that block or enhance our self-communication with God that impacts a person’s faith.
‘The mystery of God: Images and God Language’ is exploring our image of God and the way other people see God whether they feel fear, gives a harsh image as a result of prior experience or pushes people away from religion. However, if your image of God is compassionate and loving this enhances an individual’s image of God as this is how we would like people to view God.
Analysing contemporary culture to portray an image of God was analysing ‘God is a DJ’ by Pink. We can relate this song to 21st century generations as we live in a society where music has a predominant place and it is a great way to relate theology to contemporary times. My interpretation is that it is by choice the way you view God and Pink’s song is poetic in that the DJ is God and the DJ manipulates/mixes music as can God. Other key concepts explored were Theism when someone believes that God exists and Atheism when someone believes that God does not exist. Agnosticism is a person who is a fence sitter and does not believe in God however, they can come to terms with the reality if there is a God.
The Question of God is divided into two parts. The first part, titled: “What Should We Believe” seeks to answer the first half of the questio...
Richard Madsen, William Sullivan, Ann Swidler and Steven Tipton, eds. Meaning and Modernity: Religion, Polity and Self. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA. 2002.
...nd analyzing the writing of Pope Francis it allowed me to further my understanding of not only his particular style of teaching, but also of the various issues surrounding Christian ethics. Reading his book, changed my perspective on a few issues and had an impact on me in regards to my life as a Christian. By writing this paper, I was able to identify the main focuses of Christianity in order to become more effect, relevant, and credible. In addition, I was able to further my understanding of the issues surrounding Christian ethics, which will allow me to help others more effectively by following in Jesus’s footsteps. Overall, I enjoyed the assignment and it opened up my eyes to the different issues surrounding the four areas of concern mentioned in The Joy of the Gospel, which are the new idolatry of money, option for the poor, inequality, and common good/peace.
the power of faith are developed and can be used to show the problems in today’s culture.
"Where Was God? An Interview with David Bentley Hart." Where Was God? An Interview with David Bentley Hart. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
of it. If we look at the example of Christ, he had to suffer but rose
Religions play a crucial role in impacting how adherents live their lives and their understanding of humanities enduring questions of life. Religion is an active system of faith. Christianity is a religion centred on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the bible. A living tradition is one that is active amongst followers in present society. Whereas a dynamic tradition is capable of adapting and amending in order to meet the needs of society. Christianity is formed as a living and dynamic tradition, which is defined by its distinct characteristics. Characteristics include, sacred texts and writings, rituals and ceremonies, beliefs and believers and ethics. Ultimately, Christianity is shaped as a living and dynamic tradition through the characteristics of religion’s impacts on adherents.
In every society, there is a social ladder, and at the bottom of every ladder or totem pole is the poor. As I interpret Liberation Theology, is a belief system constructed for and around the poor, including the poor who were suffering within the Roman Catholic religion. If we take a look at the word liberation, it literally means the act of gaining (or trying to gain) rights for the oppressed (or poor) and poverty stricken. So Liberation Theology refers to the poor and the relationship they share with trying to find religious freedoms, rights, and social justice from those who oppose of them.
...s distributed in Theology 101 at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle on 22 April 2008.
For Carl Jung, his view on religious experience was based on all experiences being a psychological phenomenon. He differed from James in his view that a personal or individual experience with a God was indistinguishable from a communication with one’s unconscious mind. He ...
Trinitarian theology within the book of Revelation is not at first sight easily recognisable amongst the plethora of images and prophecies that are recorded. The beauty of John’s theology is that the Trinity is deeply embedded in the text so that the reader must dissect the book in order to glimpse the theological beauty that is present. This essay will seek to explore the threads of the Holy Trinity that appear in the book of Revelation by looking at the characteristics of God, the specific Christology of John and the role of the Holy Spirit in the book of Revelation. In looking at each of these three areas as distinct yet overlapping threads I hope to give a succinct and scholastic Trinitarian theology of Revelation.
Religion is an organized collection of beliefs and cultural systems that entail the worship of a supernatural and metaphysical being. “Religion just like other belief systems, when held onto so much, can stop one from making significant progress in life”. Together with religion come traditions that provide the people with ways to tackle life’s complexities. A subscription to the school of thought of great scholars
In today’s modern western society, it has become increasingly popular to not identify with any religion, namely Christianity. The outlook that people have today on the existence of God and the role that He plays in our world has changed drastically since the Enlightenment Period. Many look solely to the concept of reason, or the phenomenon that allows human beings to use their senses to draw conclusions about the world around them, to try and understand the environment that they live in. However, there are some that look to faith, or the concept of believing in a higher power as the reason for our existence. Being that this is a fundamental issue for humanity, there have been many attempts to explain what role each concept plays. It is my belief that faith and reason are both needed to gain knowledge for three reasons: first, both concepts coexist with one another; second, each deals with separate realms of reality, and third, one without the other can lead to cases of extremism.
Many sources define faith as a belief in something not based upon proof, an intangible trust that a person holds close to their heart despite inconclusive evidence. This notion of faith depicts both ones wishes that their favorite sports team will win a match tomorrow and a hope that they will return safely from distant travels. Many also use this same term – “Faith” – to describe an individual’s given religious beliefs. This notion of religious faith infers that faith in God is something exclusively spiritual and nonconcrete – a belief only supported by inexplicable ideas as opposed to facts and evidence. Yet, as one begins to examine faith further, they come to realize that faith reaches far beyond an individual’s spiritual experience. Although many classify faith as intangible and lacking in proof, religious faith is in fact a concrete reality of life that displays the emotional, physical, and experiential aspects of the human soul. In Proverbs 3: 1-12, the author exemplifies how the emotional, physical, and experiential aspects of faith should play out regularly in everyday life.
Moral Theology is a branch of theology, the science of God and Devine things. It is also considered as the study of the ‘beginning and the end of a man’s moral life’ and essentially the analysis of how one should act. As a Roman Catholic life is marked by interior devotion to God and following the Ten Commandments. Theology, is understood to mean supernatural theology that is the science of God and Devine things, in as far as it based on supernatural Revelation. The focusing theme contains not only God in his essence, but also his actions, and his works of salvation and the guidance, which are led to God whom will be our supernatural end. Through our knowledge of all these truths is necessary for every man to understand the broadest outlines, and is acquired by Christian faith. Theology demands the knowledge won through faith, and as it deepens it expands and strengthens so that our faith can be better understood and defined by the reasons. An example of this a house is built to live in, a clock made to keep time. But what of the “end” to which we as human beings aspire? Thinking of this “end” not as an end point, but as completion as fullness.