The Ontological Argument for God

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The existence of God has been a subject of debate for so many years. It has challenged the brilliant minds of many philosophers and the religious to explain whether or not God does exist through priori reasoning and empirical observation. Same with another debatable subject which is creationism and evolution, the ontological argument for God aims to discover and answer questions that pertain to reality.

The ontological argument for God is indeed an intriguing subject to be discussed thus several different versions of the argument has been given to explain that God exists. In so many ways, the ontological argument for God can answer why people need religion. The existence of a supreme being has been common in almost all major religions all over the world and the laws and codes of every religion act as a guide for people. St. Anselm’s argument for the existence of God was the first argument that has been widely accepted stating that God exists in the understanding. Other versions from famous thinkers such as Descartes’ ontological argument, Gottfried Leibniz, Norman Malcolm and Mulla Sadra among others have emerged as well. The ontological argument for God attracted many thinkers to criticize and object to the posed arguments such as Gaunilo of Marmoutiers, St. Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, David Hume and Douglas Gasking.

All these thinkers do offer useful and significant insights to the ontological argument for God which is a great topic for a comparison essay. While each argument proves and disproves the existence of God, it is certainly different for every individual who believes and has faith. The ontological argument for God as presented by some of the famous thinkers has been deduced by thinking that God does exist which is most likely how some thought despite not being famous philosophers, they think that God exists and they believe it.

The Puritans Leaving Britain

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The Puritans, associated in popular culture with strict, religious caricatures responsible for the Salem witch trials, came into existence shortly after Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558.  Born from the Protestant Reformation begun earlier in the century by Martin Luther, the Puritans were an activist movement within the Church of England.

These activists held to the belief that the Church of England still clung too tightly to all that was deemed wrong with the Catholic church.  Many Puritans stayed within the church in the hopes of reforming her from within, but others – the Separatists - broke away to start their own churches.  Because of the tightly woven relationship between religion and politics at that time in England, the Puritans faced many restrictions as to how they could legally practice their newly reformed Christianity.  The Puritans leaving Britain in droves did so with the hopes of creating a safe haven in which to practice their religion as they saw fit.

Revisionist historians would like to minimize the spiritual impetus that sent the Puritans to an unknown land in search of freedom.  Indeed, there were some that rode coattails for political and economic purposes, but the Puritans’ search for religious freedom should not be minimized.  The culture of deep religiosity imbued with the importance of working hard and caring for ones’ neighbors is evidenced in America’s culture today and is what caused America to grow from a foundling group of haphazard colonies to a major world power in a way never before seen in world history.

Creation Stories from Four Cultures

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The story of how the world began is a famous story that has been retold countless times with different versions. For some who have heard numerous versions of creation myths from different cultures, these stories portray both magic and religion because of the characters and the sacred traditions that have been performed.

From all the different versions of creation stories that have been told, there are a few versions that stand out while some bordered into being considered myths. In an attempt to discover how the story has been told and what sets them apart from each, let us choose creation stories from four cultures such as the ones in Australia, Africa, India and Japan. By choosing these creation stories from four cultures, you get to discover certain to aspects that are common and some major differences. The Australians had the Ungambikula who completed half-made humans made out of plants and animals which they made during Dreamtime. It was Bumba for the Africans who created everything in the world by vomiting them. Purusha was the creator for the Indians and everything was created from his body. Among the creation stories from four cultures, the groups of deities in the story set the Japanese apart. The groups are Kotoamatsukami and Kamiyonanayo where Izanagi and Izanami, the male and female deities respectively emerged. The creation stories from four cultures all have their creator or creators. The method of creating the world and its people was the major difference in the creation stories from four cultures.

Learning these creation stories from four cultures provide new ideas about creation and myth which also has similarities with the story learned from the Bible. With the subjects of creationism and evolution being serious and debatable, these creation stories from four cultures can be light and interesting topics when you write comparison essays on creation myths.

 

Pastoral Marriage Counseling

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Christian pastors have many roles.  They are teachers, preachers, administers of sacraments and administers of the business that comes with the running of a church.  But perhaps one of the most important roles of a pastor is that of marriage counselor.  Sadly, the divorce rate for Christians is equal to or higher than that of the population as a whole.  Since, devout Christians know that they are to avoid divorce if at all possible, they will seek pastoral marriage counseling when the matrimonial road gets rocky.

Christians choose pastoral marriage counseling for all the same reasons that anyone would seek marriage counseling – financial stress, conflicts over children or in-laws, or infidelity, just to name a few.   However, couples will choose pastoral marriage counseling over secular counseling because they are devoted to their Christian values and they wish to be guided accordingly.

Pastoral marriage counselors may address some of the same issues as other counselors, such as gender and communication or listening skills, but pastoral marriage counselors will also incorporate prayer and Bible study into the therapy.  Additionally, pastoral marriage counselors may teach according to the traditional gender roles as found in the Book of Genesis.  Unless there is evidence of serious mental, emotional or physical abuse, pastoral marriage counselors will always try to encourage couples to stay together.

Christian couples often feel most comfortable receiving marital counseling from their pastors.  However, some of the advantages of doing so, such as feeling close to a pastor and having a high regard for him, may also deter some couples.  They may suffer in silence or seek help elsewhere for fear that revealing “family secrets” may cause their pastor to think less of them.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

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The teachings of Jesus have used parables to teach lessons. The Parable of the Prodigal Son was one of Jesus’ most popular parables and has been adapted in the arts, on stage, in music and literature. The parable is found in the New Testament in the Gospel of Luke and is very widely used as well as told in the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church especially during the Lenten season. It is also a familiar subject for analytical essays.

The parable of the Prodigal Son was told by Jesus to teach all of the people of his Father’s immeasurable divine mercy and love. The parable is about a father and his two sons which is why the story is also known as Two Sons, Lost Son and Prodigal Father. The parable of the Prodigal Son starts with the younger son asking his father his inheritance because he feels he can be independent. He squandered the money on immorality until he has nothing left which forced him to take on a job feeding pigs. The prodigal son soon realized that the pigs are even eating better than him thus owning up to his mistakes. He returned to his father, asked for forgiveness and he was accepted with open arms, full of joy and with a grand celebration. The older brother was jealous of this but his father told him that his brother has been lost and now found. Since he has been obedient to his father all his life, he will inherit all of his wealth. The three main characters in the parable of the Prodigal Son represent love and compassion of God in the father, the sinners in the younger son and the Pharisees in the older brother. The parable of the Prodigal Son teaches everyone that any sinner has a chance to redeem oneself and that no one has the right to be self-righteous towards a sinner because everyone commits mistakes and God does not choose who and what type of his sin he forgives because his love and mercy has no limits.

People may sometimes feel that they can live independently but the parable of the Prodigal Son shows why people need religion. People need guidance and it is in the story like the parable of the Prodigal Son that kindness in religion is taught.

The American Church of Scientology

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Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley are probably the best known celebrities to have joined the American Church of Scientology.  It has been stated that the church’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard highly encouraged the enticing of celebrities to join, and thereby endorse, his new religion.

But what exactly is the American Church of Scientology?  It’s adherents would have us believe that it is a religion, and indeed it enjoys tax-exempt status as such in the United States and a few other countries, though this is not the case in France, Germany or the United Kingdom.  However, as defined by Dictionary.com, a religion is “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe” and normally contains a set of “moral codes”.  Scientology certainly consists of a set of beliefs, but there the likeness ends.  In fact, Scientology seems to have more in common with psychiatry and big business – even mob-type business – than it does with religion.

L. Ron Hubbard was a writer of pulp fiction, namely science-fiction, who turned his fictions into a three-dimensional reality of sorts.  Combining philosophies from Freud’s psychotherapy ideas with those of Hinduism and Gnosticism – just to name a few – Hubbard developed a bona fide cult.  For indeed, Scientology seemed to amass followers, not based on adherence to a set of doctrines, as these evolved and changed with the leader’s own fickleness, but based instead on the leader himself and a chance for personal improvement.

Scientology stands in starkest contrast to the Christian and Jewish religions wherein man is to humble himself in devotion to an almighty God.  Scientology on the other hand claims that a human’s true self is actually the thetan – or what some might call a soul.  However, the thetan, a non-material being, is the creator of life, is infinitely good, is all knowing, is a healing source and is capable of unlimited creativity.  For those drawn to Scientology, it must seem pleasing to the ear to hear that they, themselves are God.  Pleasing enough that they don’t mind paying thousands and thousands of dollars in order to receive the training and development - and use of an electropsychometer - that will help them realize their complete potential.

Women in Western Religions

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Patriarchy has always been the system in the major religions all over the world. Men’s absolute authority and their beliefs are adhered to by their followers. Women in western religions have been shaped because of the laws and beliefs that they heed to everyday. The role of women in religion has gained importance over the years since they have shown great reverence in following the scriptures and applying them in their daily lives.

The women in western religions play the very important role of being a guiding light for their families, organizations and the society. Although the western world and religions have documented the patriarchal rule, there were also recorded proofs of women in western religions who have made a difference and have inspired many followers. These women in western religions include the Virgin Mary, Anna, Mary Magdalene, Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, Eve, Delilah, and Jezebel and their lives have been portrayed in the New Testament, the Torah and the Quran. Similar to what the society has expected, women in western religions play domestic roles as wives, mothers and daughters. When it comes to legislating morality, women in western religions have played and should play this part seriously to help mold their children and other followers to become respectable people. Women in western religions have been depicted as oppressed and revered in different religions. There are several accounts in literature that tell their story like womenand religion in “The Color Purple” .

Women and the religious experience they have are stories of their beliefs, practices and traditions that they have lived by, taught and passed on to their children and other family members. The supporting role that women play does not really make them inferior but rather it is a vital role as matriarch to nurture and guide everyone in the household.

Greek Gods and their Worshippers

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The ancient Greek religion was a mix of different cultures which consists of multiple religions with human forms, beliefs and emotions. Unlike other ancient religions who have scriptures like the Bible, Qu’ran and Torah; the Greeks did not have any of these. The Greek Gods and their worshippers base their relationship solely on the concept of sacrifice and exchange.

By learning how to sacrifice and give, the Greek Gods and their worshippers are able to work out an agreement that rewards and blessings can be bestowed. Greek Gods and their worshippers have different powers and forms of sacrifices which depend on the power of the God who can make specific things happen like grant good harvest, victory and other blessings to which a corresponding sacrifice is done like blood or food sacrifices. It is interesting to know the interactions of Gods and men and to be able to understand the characteristics of the Gods which are mostly the same as humans. The Greek Gods and their worshippers are in many ways so much alike except for the power and immortality that the Gods possess, like people they have wants, needs and they express emotions. This is why the relationship of the Greek Gods and their worshippers are based on an exchange because Gods expect to be treated with utmost reverence so that people can ask for favors and blessings. If the Gods do not get the treatment they deserve then they can be vengeful which is just like how humans behave. You can learn more when you read about the Greek Gods in the Iliad wherein they are depicted as closely as how humans are.

They ways observed between the Greek Gods and their worshippers are more like magic and religion as well since the Gods use supernatural powers to help or punish their people. Although the worship of Gods has been died out because of Christianity, the stories of the Greek Gods and their worshippers have been popular studies and common subjects for analytical essays and other essay formats because of their nature, beliefs and practices.

Historical Overview of Zoroastrianism

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Asia has since been rich because of its various cultures, traditions and religions. Ancient Asian religions have been established way before Christianity, one of which is the religion of Zoroastrianism. A historical overview of Zoroastrianism provides you a look and feel of one of the oldest and largest religions all over the world.

There are several things that one can learn from the historical overview of Zoroastrianism and these go beyond the origins of the religion itself but a whole outlook on principles and way of life. Zoroastrianism was founded around the 6th century BCE in Persia now known as Greater Iran by the prophet Zarathushtra or Zoroaster in Greek. The followers of Zoroastrianism, also known as Zoroastrian, believe in the Creator Ahura Mazda and they believe that through Mazda they will ultimately be directed to the right path. The historical overview of Zoroastrianism gives focus on the monotheistic teachings and beliefs which sets them apart from other practiced polytheistic beliefs. An introduction to the thought of Zoroaster discusses all the teachings and beliefs that became the framework of the religion and even other religions as well.

Religious fundamentalism in today’s world has risen and people have been given a glimpse of this through Islamic fundamentalism and the disintegration of Zoroastrianism. Being one of the ancient religions has made Zoroastrianism one of the largest but it has collapsed because of Islam which pushed its followers to flee Iran. Now, there are only about 140,000 followers in some parts of India and Pakistan and they still follow the three-fold path which includes good thoughts, good works and good deeds.

The Roots and Beliefs of the Shamanism Religion

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In religion, the soul is very important. One has to have a clean soul to be able to live peacefully. Some religions also see the soul as a spirit that allows them enter the world of the supernatural and communicate with them. The roots and beliefs of the Shamanism religion are centered on the spirit. Shamans through spirits, enter the spirit world so that in effect they can make a difference in the human world.

The roots and beliefs of the Shamanism religion may seem complex because of the way it enters a whole new dimension but it helps in a lot of ways to solve certain problems. As you explore the roots and beliefs of the Shamanism religion, you will find out that this religion and practice take a lot of training despite some believing that it is only superstition. People have come to understand the roots and beliefs of the Shamanism religion because of their healing practices that help medical anthropology and alternative medical scholars in diagnosing and healing illnesses. These practices are some of the things being raised in discussion when religion and medicine conflict. Still Shamanism and the performance of healing is an interesting alternative for treatment for its believers and followers. Shamanism is very cultural and it has many rituals like the ones they do when they heal but they also do some exorcism and witchcraft. The thought of witchcraft may seem wicked and controversial as described in the Salem witchcraft trials on how they condemned those who practiced it. In the Shamanism religion, this is used to heal and protect from illnesses and evil. The summoning of the spirits and the chanting of spells may have some similarities with voodoo but the practice’s main difference is it does not inflict pain in anyone.

The survival of Shamanism may be waning because of other religious influences but some indigenous people still practice it. The roots and beliefs of the Shamanism religion still remain because of its unique culture, practices and its purpose to heal pain and suffering as well as warding off evil.