Religion in Joshua and The Children
Herm’s question, “Josh, what do you think of Religion?” becomes the beginning of a period of both joy and conflict for Joshua as he is then often encountered with many related questions and, later, contradiction from the Church. These questions all lead to similar answers, in which Joshua expands on his ideas. And because of this further discussion, it’s important to read all of his responses throughout the book in order to understand his reply and to intelligently decide to agree or disagree. Therefore, my reaction to Joshua’s reply is based on everything he said concerning religion.
The question arises from a discussion between Pat, Herm, and Joshua concerning his lifestyle. They are walking home from breakfast at the diner and the other two are interested in why Joshua doesn’t mind living alone. “Don’t you get lonesome living by yourself?” Herm asks (72). But Joshua explains to them that he values the serenity of living alone. He tells them that he can peacefully enjoy the beauty of nature outside and the animals also keep him company at times. But the main reason why Joshua never feels alone is that God is always with him, loving him always, and will never abandon him: “No. I like being by myself… God is with us all the time” (72). Pat and Herm agree but still can not imagine living alone without any feeling of loneliness and this discussion of God leads to Herm’s question.
Joshua’s response is similar to a sermon or speech, and is over a page in length; he is firm in these beliefs and reiterates them several times throughout the book. He is very prepared for the question; before saying a word he asks, “the way it [religion] is or the way God intended it to be?” (73). And when he is sure of the latter, releases everything inside him, as if he was just waiting to explain what people had been doing wrong. His main point is that Jesus wanted to free those under the pressure of rules in their religions and offered a comforting God who loved them, asking only for honor and worship in return. Joshua is also disappointed in the way the clergy preside over their congregations: “Jesus did not envision bosses… He wanted his apostles to guide and serve, not to dictate and legislate” (74).
In Inherit the Wind, a 1960s film adaptation directed by Stanley Kramer, the battle between religion and science was tested, portrayed through the Scopes Trial of 1925. In the trail, John Scopes, a high school science teacher, was accused and convicted of teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, curriculum that was forbidden by Tennessee state law. It is clear that a focal point of the film was the discussion of whether religion should be the driving force behind education, or if science and empirical study is a better alternative. This discussion is alive and well in 2017, crucial in a time where Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, is a known believer in theories of ‘intelligent design,’ a theory that suggests divine guidance in the
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives and to understand the significance Rachel's life had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapter titled “Shul” and “School” next to each other with each giving a view of the problems they faced in school. Here both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassm...
She states that religion was an invention of the early humans to reach a level of transcendence and with religion came rituals; however, as time went on, the practices held in such reverence to the early people were replaced by a rigid set of beliefs used to live a life of spiritual “perfection.” Is religion simply a set of laws used to compel obedience, or is religion an opium used by people who cannot accept oblivion? People fear what they do not understand, and they cling to hypotheticals and religion to mollify the idea of nothing: no Nirvana, no Heaven, nor Hell. Perhaps, the appeal of religion is the false notion of self-importance. Each religion tries to appeal to the people by stating that they are, in fact, the chosen people. Religion has become a safe shroud used to cover the eyes of people too afraid to see the
All in all, Neal Shusterman has written a riveting book that can be brought to light through different lenses. When looking at it through the socio-economic lens, one can see how those with power should choose how they use their power wisely. With the psychological lens, the book can be used to effectively support the fact that everyone acts differently due to the things they know and have learned. Lastly, with the spiritual lens, the book really leads up to the idea that religion is a choice best made for oneself, and no one else. Lenses help to show different aspects of a book that people don’t always notice.
He acknowledges his distance from humanity in the preceding passage, yet he does not feel lonely because Nature upholds him. Additionally, he clearly states that the living organisms around him are what he dwells upon for his emotional su...
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
...attack on social institutions,". The best way to stop white-collar crime is to prevent it from happening. By educating society on the consequences and reprimands that can happen from even small white-collar crime, can help each person understand that white-collar crime is not worth the problems that they create. Future studies should focus on young liberals who vote in a way towards white-collar crime being less wrong because this could threaten society into having a more liberal attitude and future generations. If young liberals keep this attitude into their mature ages then that means that our generations are changing into a more liberal society which means that it will become more and more liberal as generations go by. This could cause problems because if more and more people see it as not at all wrong, then there may be more people committing white-collar crime.
A cornerstone of the philosophical and narrative substructure of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is point of view, or perspective. The textually primary point of view in the novel is Ishmael's, since he is the narrator of the story. However, Ishmael relates his story in such a way that one can easily detect numerous other "voices," or other perspectives, in the story, which often oppose the narrator's voice. These other, non-primary perspectives function both to establish Moby-Dick as a novel with numerous points of view and to clarify Ishmael's own particular point of view on certain subjects. For instance, in "The Ramadan" Ishmael attempts to convince Queequeg of the ridiculous and impractical nature of Queequeg's religion. Ishmael quickly perceives that his attempt is ineffective. He writes, "I do not think that my remarks about religion made much impression upon Queequeg. Because he somehow seemed dull of hearing on that important subject, unless considered from his own point of view" (88). In this passage and its, context are two important implications. First, in blatantly noting that Queequeg must see from "his own point of view," Ishmael states and accepts that he and Queequeg view religion from different perspectives. Second, in stating in the context of this quotation his criticisms of Queequeg's religion--that it is impractical, unhealthy, and without benefit to the soul - Ishmael reveals something of his own perspective on religion (87-88).
Because of their Puritanical beliefs, it is no surprise that the major theme that runs throughout Mary Rowlandson and Jonathan Edwards’s writings is religion. This aspect of religion is apparent in not only the constant mentions about God himself, but also in the heavy use of biblical scriptures. In their respective writings, Rowlandson and Edwards utilize scripture, but for different purposes; one uses it to convey that good and bad events happen solely because of God’s will, and the other uses it, in one instance, to illustrate how it brought him closer to God, and, in another instance, to justify his harsh claims about God’s powerful wrath.
Female youths join street gangs on the basis of gender conflict, lack of family support and
In general, the news media call much attention to the rising female delinquent as an increasingly autonomous being who commits criminal acts without the help of males. The Boston Phoenix reports, “Now, many fear, more young women are adopting the rituals of gang life,” while an article in the Christian Science Monitor claims that female gang involvement is now a “documented problem.” The article in...
Spruce, Hannah. "Methods Of Human Trafficking: Modern Slavery Guidance." High Speed Training Hub. N. p., 2017. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.
In Chapter 1 of Keith Ward’s, The Case for Religion, Ward discusses Wilfred Cantwell Smith’s concept of the term “Religion” and his definition of the term and critically responds to it. In one of Smith’s own books, The Meaning and End of Religion, he discusses both his interpretation of the term “religion” and his opinion that the term should no longer be used. Smith’s skepticism of the term, together with his attempt at defining it, creates a contradiction that Ward critically unpicks and responds to.
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Nashville: Abingdon Press, ©2003.