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Religion and ethics ethical issues
Essay in atheism
Essay in atheism
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For quite a while now, I am an atheist. I do not believe in gods, soul, afterlife, heaven and all good things that come with it. However, I also do not believe in demons and hell, which torments the minds of many men of faith. I can say that not having a religion has its good and bad sides. It would be comforting to think that there is a higher power that protects me and that my life has a greater reason. Yet, I no longer carry the weight of having to please a God I never saw or felt; I do not worry anymore if the people I love will be saved in the afterlife; and most importantly, the ethical battle within me between what I really feel and what religion tells me is over.
I was raised in an Evangelical family. Going to church on Sundays was mandatory, and it was like that even after losing my faith. My doubts about Christianity began early in life, with my first readings of the Bible. While reading Exodus, I could not understand why God killed so many children to free the Israelites from Egypt. The Pharaoh was “evil”, but why to punish those who were innocent? The older ones immediat...
In the Tao of Pooh the author, Benjamin Hoff, uses the from world-famous children's book/TV show character, Winnie the Pooh in order to explain the basics of Taoism. He observed many of the other various characters before coming to the conclusion that Winnie the Pooh, through his actions, was the character that he felt would be able to best explain the principles of Taoism. One of the most important principles of Taoism is "the Uncarved Block". The main principle behind the Uncarved Block is that things in their original state contain their own natural power, a power that is easily corrupted and lost when simplicity is changed.
realizes that she will not find one in the text after seeing the first sentence.
Daoism, also known as Taoism, is one of the major religions of China. The main belief is the learning and practice of "The Way" (Dao), which is the ultimate truth of the universe.The Dao has several meanings. It is the basis of all living things, it governs nature, and is a method that people want to live by. The Dao is everlasting, without beginning or end. Since it has no beginning, it is therefore the oldest thing in the universe. The Dao is neither good nor bad, and is the source of all things.The Dao has no desires, and creates the universe, but does not dominate or regulate it. This idea of no manipulation by the Dao is an example of wu-wei. Wu-wei is one of the central tenets of Taoism and literally means the act of non-being / not action.This does not mean that people are lazy and passive as people might think. This means acting on instinct, and to go with your gut and to not over-think someone's actions and words, basically it means to just go with the flow. To act through wu-wei you shouldn’t think about what actions you are going to take and the consequences and outcome of those actions, you just let your actions control you, you don’t control your actions. The most useful action is one that is not conscious. De is the Taoist concept of virtue. It can be described as a way to live in unity with the Dao and it emerges from one's own inner nature. All things acquire De and it is De that guide the productions of the Dao. Our De appears as we follow the path of the Dao. Daoists see no greatness in violence because of their high respect for peace and their value of all human beings, even those who are their adversaries. Daoists believe that we need to fight only when absolutely necessary, and even then with a heavy heart. ...
“As of 1994 there were an estimated 240 million atheists around the world comprising slightly more than 4 percent of the world’s population, including those who profess atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion”(Michael). Disbelief in God might be considered arrogant, but as you can see the group we refer to as atheists includes not only simple-minded imbeciles, but also the great American diplomat, Thomas Jefferson. “Atheists are frequently asked what atheism has to offer as opposed to religion. To answer this question, I need to assume that there are no gods or supernatural entities to reward us with a peaceful eternity if we follow some established morality. If the reason for this assumption is proven false, then the question is meaningless, as atheism ceases to exist”(Goluboff). A strong one-sided statement that gives little attention the fact that we presently...
This created a new paradigm that threatened to challenge the powerful father son relationship that was emphasized in Confucianism. Now many women were being educated and were permitted to engage in the writing of poetry and have vibrant discussions with men about the ancient classics. It also gave them protection with their children and allowed them to have great influence on the family. By becoming their children 's teachers they were able to become powerful advisers and even rulers as regents.
There is a belief embedded in my mind—having no faith in any religion is one of the patterns to believe. Some people tend to search spiritual sustenance over religions; some people just have no need on such spiritual comfort.
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like” (Lau Tzu). Born into a life of noodles and relaxation Po, a chubby panda, always wanted to be a Kung Fu master. Out of nowhere an opportunity arises to have his dream become reality. Po, like any normal panda snatches up this once in a lifetime opportunity and runs with it. But when the going gets tough, he doesn’t know if this is the life he was meant to live. While the film was meant for enjoyment, DreamWorks has incorporated clear examples of the three major Chinese Schools of Thought: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
The Big Lie I have been going to church since I was three years old. I also attended Sunday school since I was three. Since then I have been confirmed as a member of the church and have actively participated in the senior high youth program at my church. All of these years I figured that I would "grow into god", well at least that is what my pastor said. I think of myself now, at seventeen years old, and I still have not "grown into god". I have many reasons why I chose atheism.
Being born into a Christocentric household, I have always been told the stories of the Bible starting from the age that I could talk. My mother decorated my bedroom with crosses and posters of Jesus; we even had a shrine dedicated to prayers in our family room. Every night before bed, I would kneel in front of our own “holy place” and thank God for a day well-spent. In my family, going to mass services and helping out the Church was a way of life. There was no discussion; here is Jesus, he’s our savior, believe in him. I accepted all the truths that my mother, priest, and community told me to me and never asked any questions. At the tender age of ten, the seed of doubt implanted itself in my mind due to one reason, death.
Most people grow up with some type of belief system. Judaism, Christianity, Islam and even Agnosticism are some examples. It wasn’t until I had a child that I realized that religion was just man’s way of explaining God. Even as a kid, however, I always believed in a higher being. Not just because of my very heavy-handed Catholic upbringing. I questioned many things about my religion. Since I loved science, I was confused about how the “Big Bang” and Adam and Eve coexisted, but I always knew that God existed. I had no scientific irrefutable evidence – I just had faith. You know how they say everything you ever really need to know you learned by first grade? Well it wasn’t until I had both my faith and my life tested, that I fully came to realize that one’s spiritual journey in life doesn’t have so much to do with what religion one surrounds herself with, as much as the faith that one has in God. Faith is what defines a person’s spirituality as opposed to specific religions.
Religion and faith have been a part of my life since the day I was born. My grandfather has been a pastor at Selma Church of God for 39 years and my mom, along with my grandmother and aunts, run our churches worship team. One could only assume, I have spent much of my life in the church. From years of children 's church and Sunday school, I learned of God 's unconditional love for me and His constant willingness to forgive me of my sins. My family and teachers explained the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. As a child, I knew all these things, these wonderful things about my God and my religion, but it was not until my early teens that I began to thirst for more.
My belief in God was fading to nearly nothing by my junior and senior year. I was a jerk to most people around me, and I started to change that going into my junior year. I became a much kinder person. I was always cocky and began to be humbler and kinder to everyone around me. Upon realizing that I could do this without religion I believed that morality was all relative. I thought that everyone has a natural sense of what is right and wrong, and being a good person had nothing to do with religion. This new found belief brought me further from belief in God. I figured that I had become a much better person and that was all my own doing. I began digressing from the view that there was any need for a God at all.
Which brings me to Fowler’s Theory of Faith Development, specifically Individual-Reflective Faith which occurs in early adulthood. Growing up as a family we went to church every Sunday and sometimes even twice a week, everyone in my family was a catholic and that was expected from all of us, no questions asked. I even got baptized as a baby and did my first communion when I was about nine years old. I did not mind the expectation from my family when I was little because I loved church, especially the singing. Then came a time where both of my parents started to work on Sundays, so did my sister, and so my brother and I helped out at my parents restaurant. Ever since then we really have not made church a priority, I believe this is what effected my encounter with my mother when I was eighteen years old. I was currently taking a class called “religion in the modern world” and learned about all rituals and how different religions support different things than others, and it got to me to reflect on what religion I grew up learning about. Some things I liked and some things I was horrified by. So talking to my mother, I was telling her my opinions and what I believed in and that there is not just one way to believe or think. She was furious, I was stepping out of the norm, but it had been because of my Individual-Reflective Faith than lead me to this stage. I am very thankful I was able to reflect on my faith, I now have a stronger bond on my beliefs and now my mother totally supports me on it, so it was all for the best that I went through this
From the earliest I could ever remember, my parents have put me in church and kept me involved. In particular, my family chose to attend Baptist churches. I never fully understood why I was there, although I had thought I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. I assumed that I was a good person and that God was the center of my life. I believe, however, that I was not fully aware of what the concept of God really was. By the time I was teenager, while I was not completely rebellious, I was not living a life representing Jesus win a good manner. As I grew older and matured I began to realize what Christianity was all about.