What do People Want?
Throughout life we want different things at different stages. According to Hinduism, there are 4 main things people want.
The first two are titled the Path of Desire.
The first is pleasure. When we begin our life, we take care of ourselves and avoid harm. We seek pleasure and immediate happiness. Hinduism says to go after this and seek what we want. We should follow our desires as long as they don't harm ourselves or others. After we have filled our lives with pleasure, we will find it is too trivial and essentially a private goal. We will want more in our lives.
The second thing we want is worldly success. This is defined as wealth, fame and power. Worldly success is more satisfying to us than immediate pleasure because it is social. The satisfaction from this is much longer than immediate pleasure as well. We need success to support a family and perform our civic duties. Worldly success also supports dignity and self-respect.
Both these wants are acceptable in Hinduism because they are necessary to our deeper understanding of the world. However, they have limitations. Success has the following 4:
1. It does not multiply when shared. Wealth, fame and power must be split, and lessened when shared. However, spirituality multiplies when shared.
2. The drive for success is insatiable. When we have a desire for success or a certain want, we become obsessed with it. Finally, instead of being satisfied when we achieve what we were working for, we become more obsessed with having more.
3. It centers meaning in the self. One person is not big enough for an extensive amount of happiness.
4. Achievements are ephemeral. Our worldly happiness ends when we die. It is not everlasting like spirituality with the soul.
The next two wants are titled the Path of Renunciation.
Renunciation. Renunciation stems from disillusionment and despair. The first meaning of renunciation is that something is not worthwhile to exert one's energy upon, and sacrifice is made. Finally we will begin our search for meaning and value in our lives. This leads to the second meaning of renunciation, which is that of duty.
Duty. In life, we discover that pleasure for just ourselves is not enough. We have a duty to fulfill in society, and to help others. As Huston Smith puts it, we transfer,"the will-to-get into the will-to-give...(19)" We receive longer lasting pleasure from sharing our happiness with others, and extending our pleasure to a larger audience. It brings respect and gratitude from our peers.
What do People Really Want?
The previous wants stated are the desires of all people, however, they will eventually grow tired of these pleasures because they are finite, and last only during this lifetime. We want something on a deeper level. So the question arises, what do we really want?
According to Hinduism, the first thing we really want is being. We want to live so we can experience all life has to offer. We do not want to give up our future and future possibilities.
The second thing we really want is to know. Humans are curious creatures by nature. We always want to know more, and answer all our questions.
The third thing we really want is joy. This is the opposite of despair and sadness, and we seek that which makes us happy.
Overall, what humans really want is liberation from the finite. In Hinduism, the belief is that we want all three of these things infinitely, and we can have them and do have them. This is possible because humans are made of three things: a body, a personality and an Atman-Brahman (infinite soul).
Everything humans want, we can have infinitely through our Atman.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Part 5, Islam
Islam Part 5
By Sara
What is the human condition?
-Allah created the earth and humans, so everything is perfect and good
-humans are the only animals with free choice and therefore have more pressure to follow the correct path and be good people. In Islam, being a “good person” means living life by following the five pillars, and always being grateful to Allah for everything one has
-one must surrender to Allah, meaning one must commit to following and listening to Allah. By surrendering to Allah, humans can escape other, evil forms of slavery
- To surrender one must accept the first pillar of Islam, shahada, believing there is one god, Allah and Mohammad is the prophet (there were other prophets before Mohammad, but he is the last).
-there is no original sin, though there is the belief in Ghaflah which is a sin, forgetting your divine origin
-all the basis for Islamic teachings and history is found in the Koran, the Holy Islamic book transcribed from God’s verbal teachings to Mohammad. Another collection of teachings can be found in the Hadiths, Mohammad’s collection of writings. humans learn how to follow the Islamic path in life through the Koran and the Hadiths.
Where are we going?
In Islam, there is a belief in the afterlife, or Akira. Within Akira, there is Jannah, equated to Heaven, and Jahannam, equated to Hell. Both these places are vividly described within the Koran so Islams have more incentive to reach Jannah. When people die in Islam, they must be buried within 5 days of their death, so the soul will be preserved. After a very long time, there will be a Judgment Day where the souls of everyone who died will wake up, and it will feel like an instant since they died. Everyone in the world lines up in a long line and waits for God to read a list of everything they did in their life, and each person gets a chance to explain everything they did. Allah makes a decision on whether the person goes to Jannah or Jahannam and if they get into Jannah, they skip across the bridge over the crevace of Jahannam. If they are sent to Jahannam, they get a chance to redeem themselves, and Allah can pull them out and send them to Jannah. Souls remain in Jannah for eternity, and can remain in Jahamman for eternity as well if they do not improve.
How do we get there?
In Islam, there is a prescribed way of life as stated in the Hadiths and the Koran. The main rules are called the “Five Pillars”
These are:
1. Shahada- believing that there is one god, Allah and Mohammad is his last prophet.
2. Salat- the requirement to pray five times a day, wherever the believer is
3. Zakat- the practice of charitable giving to those in need. It is the responsibility of Muslims to take care of their fellow Muslims. In Islam, it is permitted to be wealthy, but if they are they must give back to those in need. This eliminated inequality and differences of classes. However, having too much wealth can result in one of the seven sins of greed. The wealthier one is, the more of a challenge they have with rejecting greed.
4. Sawm- the requirement to fast. This occurs during the month of Ramadan, and is required for the following reasons:
a. encourages personal experience for empathy of hungry people
b. shows human life in perspective with the eternity of the universe and the everlasting aspect of Allah
c. makes one contemplate and learn about important life lessons
d. learn to control their urges
e. human fragility and their dependence on Allah
5. Hajj- the pilgrimage of Muslims all over the world to Mecca. It occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijah
a. Represents Mohammad’s initial pilgrimage from Mecca to Medina to become the people’s leader and eventually a force to join rival tribes
b. It worships Abraham because he listened to God’s requests when he told Abraham to kill his only son
It is the duty of all Muslims to follow these five pillars throughout their lives. If Muslims follow these five pillars they will be accepted by Allah into Jannah.
By Sara
What is the human condition?
-Allah created the earth and humans, so everything is perfect and good
-humans are the only animals with free choice and therefore have more pressure to follow the correct path and be good people. In Islam, being a “good person” means living life by following the five pillars, and always being grateful to Allah for everything one has
-one must surrender to Allah, meaning one must commit to following and listening to Allah. By surrendering to Allah, humans can escape other, evil forms of slavery
- To surrender one must accept the first pillar of Islam, shahada, believing there is one god, Allah and Mohammad is the prophet (there were other prophets before Mohammad, but he is the last).
-there is no original sin, though there is the belief in Ghaflah which is a sin, forgetting your divine origin
-all the basis for Islamic teachings and history is found in the Koran, the Holy Islamic book transcribed from God’s verbal teachings to Mohammad. Another collection of teachings can be found in the Hadiths, Mohammad’s collection of writings. humans learn how to follow the Islamic path in life through the Koran and the Hadiths.
Where are we going?
In Islam, there is a belief in the afterlife, or Akira. Within Akira, there is Jannah, equated to Heaven, and Jahannam, equated to Hell. Both these places are vividly described within the Koran so Islams have more incentive to reach Jannah. When people die in Islam, they must be buried within 5 days of their death, so the soul will be preserved. After a very long time, there will be a Judgment Day where the souls of everyone who died will wake up, and it will feel like an instant since they died. Everyone in the world lines up in a long line and waits for God to read a list of everything they did in their life, and each person gets a chance to explain everything they did. Allah makes a decision on whether the person goes to Jannah or Jahannam and if they get into Jannah, they skip across the bridge over the crevace of Jahannam. If they are sent to Jahannam, they get a chance to redeem themselves, and Allah can pull them out and send them to Jannah. Souls remain in Jannah for eternity, and can remain in Jahamman for eternity as well if they do not improve.
How do we get there?
In Islam, there is a prescribed way of life as stated in the Hadiths and the Koran. The main rules are called the “Five Pillars”
These are:
1. Shahada- believing that there is one god, Allah and Mohammad is his last prophet.
2. Salat- the requirement to pray five times a day, wherever the believer is
3. Zakat- the practice of charitable giving to those in need. It is the responsibility of Muslims to take care of their fellow Muslims. In Islam, it is permitted to be wealthy, but if they are they must give back to those in need. This eliminated inequality and differences of classes. However, having too much wealth can result in one of the seven sins of greed. The wealthier one is, the more of a challenge they have with rejecting greed.
4. Sawm- the requirement to fast. This occurs during the month of Ramadan, and is required for the following reasons:
a. encourages personal experience for empathy of hungry people
b. shows human life in perspective with the eternity of the universe and the everlasting aspect of Allah
c. makes one contemplate and learn about important life lessons
d. learn to control their urges
e. human fragility and their dependence on Allah
5. Hajj- the pilgrimage of Muslims all over the world to Mecca. It occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijah
a. Represents Mohammad’s initial pilgrimage from Mecca to Medina to become the people’s leader and eventually a force to join rival tribes
b. It worships Abraham because he listened to God’s requests when he told Abraham to kill his only son
It is the duty of all Muslims to follow these five pillars throughout their lives. If Muslims follow these five pillars they will be accepted by Allah into Jannah.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Part III, Islam
Part III
Jannah, Jahannam, Jinns, Qur’an
The concepts of Jannah and Jahannam are the Muslim ideas of where one goes in the afterlife depending on their actions in this life. One must also avoid the jinns, or other pagan gods that explain certain mysteries. These jinns are a challenge for Muslims and can distract a believer from being faithful to the religion, and living in Mohammad’s ways. Muslims must keep their focus on following the 5 pillars, and choosing the correct choices everyday as their jihad. If a Muslim lives faithful to the Qur’an and Mohammad’s teachings they will be judged by Allah before they die and either go to Jannah or Jahannam, heaven or hell. Jahannam is described vividly in the Koran to scare a believer into making the correct choices, to avoid being sentenced to suffering in the afterlife. This is an incentive for a believer to make the correct choices and be rewarded by being sent to Jannah, or heaven instead.
Imam, Medina, Mohammad
God’s chosen prophet, Mohammad, began God’s teachings of Islam in Medina, a city where the people asked him to come be their leader when he began preaching Islam. Mohammad’s teachings began to grow and grow and after he passed away, Imam’s took his place as leaders or prayer in mosques. They are responsible for leading the prayer in Mosques and preaching the Koran and Mohammad’s teachings. However, they are not necessary for a Muslim to follow, since they have a disclaimer saying they do not guarantee to pass on Mohammad’s teachings exactly as they are, since Mohammad would not want divisions within Islam.
Ka’bah, muezzin, mihrab
A muezzin is the person who calls people to the daily prayer 5 times a day. This is done at the Ka’bah, or holy Islam site that pre-dates the religion. The building is cube shaped and many people can pray at the site. However, prayer is not restricted to only this ancient site. Muslims can pray anywhere: at their homes, at school at work, etc. A prayer mat generally accompanies a Muslim during their day as it has markings to help orient the user in praying in the direction of Mecca. Many Mosques also have mihrabs, or niches that point in the direction of Mecca. It is important to pray in the direction of Mecca because this unites all Muslims in the same direction, and emphasizes the importance of the sacred land.
Jannah, Jahannam, Jinns, Qur’an
The concepts of Jannah and Jahannam are the Muslim ideas of where one goes in the afterlife depending on their actions in this life. One must also avoid the jinns, or other pagan gods that explain certain mysteries. These jinns are a challenge for Muslims and can distract a believer from being faithful to the religion, and living in Mohammad’s ways. Muslims must keep their focus on following the 5 pillars, and choosing the correct choices everyday as their jihad. If a Muslim lives faithful to the Qur’an and Mohammad’s teachings they will be judged by Allah before they die and either go to Jannah or Jahannam, heaven or hell. Jahannam is described vividly in the Koran to scare a believer into making the correct choices, to avoid being sentenced to suffering in the afterlife. This is an incentive for a believer to make the correct choices and be rewarded by being sent to Jannah, or heaven instead.
Imam, Medina, Mohammad
God’s chosen prophet, Mohammad, began God’s teachings of Islam in Medina, a city where the people asked him to come be their leader when he began preaching Islam. Mohammad’s teachings began to grow and grow and after he passed away, Imam’s took his place as leaders or prayer in mosques. They are responsible for leading the prayer in Mosques and preaching the Koran and Mohammad’s teachings. However, they are not necessary for a Muslim to follow, since they have a disclaimer saying they do not guarantee to pass on Mohammad’s teachings exactly as they are, since Mohammad would not want divisions within Islam.
Ka’bah, muezzin, mihrab
A muezzin is the person who calls people to the daily prayer 5 times a day. This is done at the Ka’bah, or holy Islam site that pre-dates the religion. The building is cube shaped and many people can pray at the site. However, prayer is not restricted to only this ancient site. Muslims can pray anywhere: at their homes, at school at work, etc. A prayer mat generally accompanies a Muslim during their day as it has markings to help orient the user in praying in the direction of Mecca. Many Mosques also have mihrabs, or niches that point in the direction of Mecca. It is important to pray in the direction of Mecca because this unites all Muslims in the same direction, and emphasizes the importance of the sacred land.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Christian Denominations
Lutheran
Core Beliefs
-Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Ausburg Confession, Formula of Concord
-Doctrine from Bible alone
-God is: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Unique beings, but of the same essence
-believe Christ was resurrected, and this this belief is a test to the believer's faith
-God created man in his image
-Jesus is God and man born of Mary
Catholic
Core Beliefs
-Special focus on Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed
-Trinity central focus of religion
-Jesus is one and the same with God
-believe Christ was resurrected
-Humans were made in the image of God and have free will and the ability to enter into a Communion with God where grace and love flows
-Mary is the mother of God, and was free from sin her whole life
Differences (3)
Lutheran:
-Doctrine taken from Bible alone
-Major Churches: Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
-66 million followers worldwide, definitely not as popular as Catholicism
-Martin Luther is one of the main founders of the religion. He rose up against popular rule at the time saying the relationship between individuals and God is personal, and does not need to go through the Church or require one to pay to repent.
-original language was German
-All believers are Priests in their own way. They don't pray to Saints, but God directly
Catholic:
-Doctrine from Bible, Church fathers, popes, bishops, Seven Ecumenial Councils, Trent, Vatican and other Catholic councils
-no major churches in the US
-1.5 billion followers worldwide, a much more popular sect of Christianity than Lutheranism
-St. Peter is one of the founders of the religion. St. Peter was one of Jesus' twelve apostles and was one of the few who witnessed the Transfiguration. He also denied Jesus thrice.
-original language was Latin
-priests hold a higher connection with God than the everyday person, and believers pray to Saints
Similarities (3)
-Episcopal Church Government, meaning the order of hierarchy in the Church is the same, the bishop is the highest power of a local Church
-Main beliefs such as following in the teachings of Jesus
-believe Jesus taught people should care for and love one another
-believe in the history of Jesus that he was brought up in Jerusalem etc.
-Both sects developed in Europe
-both accept infant baptism where right from birth one can be adopted into the religion
-both focus on the Apostle's Creed as an important part of the religion
-both use both the old and new testaments (common for Christian religions)
Core Beliefs
-Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Ausburg Confession, Formula of Concord
-Doctrine from Bible alone
-God is: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Unique beings, but of the same essence
-believe Christ was resurrected, and this this belief is a test to the believer's faith
-God created man in his image
-Jesus is God and man born of Mary
Catholic
Core Beliefs
-Special focus on Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed
-Trinity central focus of religion
-Jesus is one and the same with God
-believe Christ was resurrected
-Humans were made in the image of God and have free will and the ability to enter into a Communion with God where grace and love flows
-Mary is the mother of God, and was free from sin her whole life
Differences (3)
Lutheran:
-Doctrine taken from Bible alone
-Major Churches: Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
-66 million followers worldwide, definitely not as popular as Catholicism
-Martin Luther is one of the main founders of the religion. He rose up against popular rule at the time saying the relationship between individuals and God is personal, and does not need to go through the Church or require one to pay to repent.
-original language was German
-All believers are Priests in their own way. They don't pray to Saints, but God directly
Catholic:
-Doctrine from Bible, Church fathers, popes, bishops, Seven Ecumenial Councils, Trent, Vatican and other Catholic councils
-no major churches in the US
-1.5 billion followers worldwide, a much more popular sect of Christianity than Lutheranism
-St. Peter is one of the founders of the religion. St. Peter was one of Jesus' twelve apostles and was one of the few who witnessed the Transfiguration. He also denied Jesus thrice.
-original language was Latin
-priests hold a higher connection with God than the everyday person, and believers pray to Saints
Similarities (3)
-Episcopal Church Government, meaning the order of hierarchy in the Church is the same, the bishop is the highest power of a local Church
-Main beliefs such as following in the teachings of Jesus
-believe Jesus taught people should care for and love one another
-believe in the history of Jesus that he was brought up in Jerusalem etc.
-Both sects developed in Europe
-both accept infant baptism where right from birth one can be adopted into the religion
-both focus on the Apostle's Creed as an important part of the religion
-both use both the old and new testaments (common for Christian religions)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Christianity Summary
Christianity Summary
Rituals
Lifetime individual/group: Baptism – Introduced in the Old Testament, this ritual symbolizes the cleansing of the soul. Some believe that it is an act of literally washing away the sins or demons, while others believe it to be more of an act of faith or devotion to God.
Worship: Prayer – Prayer is viewed as sacred in that it involves humans directly communicating with God. Ideally, rather then simply petitioning God for personal needs, prayer should be about spending time to feel connected with God, and also to understand one’s place with God.
Festivals/holy days:
Easter: Pagan/Christian. Celebrates the equinox and Jesus’ resurrection three days after his crucifixion
Sabbath: day when the tomb where Jesus laid was empty and the day was changed from Saturday to Sunday to separate Christians from Jews. Paul gathered Christians and began the first service.
Gender: Genesis: Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, while Adam followed her example. God punished:
Women: pain of child labor and to be ruled over by man
Man: work the land for food
Both: will die and return to earth
Women gained a lower status than men
Sacred Texts:
Key texts: Bible (old testament and new testament. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include the Apocrypha, while most Protestant Bibles do not. The Apocrypha is a set of Jewish texts that come between the testaments.
Composition (how written): The bible is divided into books, and the books are then divided into sections each pertaining to a part of the biblical story.
Development/history of the text:
The Bible is a combination of the Jewish Scriptures and the New Testament (story of Jesus and growth of Christian faith)
Language/versions: Original-Hebrew, Aramic, Greek. New: English, German, Latin, Chinese
Doctrines/Beliefs:
3 founding beliefs –
1. There is one God who created the world and all things in it. This God is a personal God who cares for the well being of humanity and gives us guidelines of how to conduct ourselves.
2. Jesus was an incarnation of God, both human and God. Jesus led the perfect Christian life and through following his teachings, one can do what God truly wants of humans.
3. The Holy Spirit is a force that connects all of mankind to God. This concept emphasizes Jesus’ analogies of God being a tree and all Christians being branches of that tree. Christianity is very focused on the group/community aspect of faith.
Eschatology (nature of God/creation) – The teachings in the bible of what happens in the future. Mainly focused on rapture (God’s judgment) and the second coming of Christ. Some believe that it is not beneficial to dwell on this, as it can be interpreted as predicting God’s plan and believing yourself capable of thinking like God.
Authority (who is in control)
Family: Children obey parents, wife obeys husband, husband obeys Christ
State: Obey laws of land and Government officials
Church: obey Christ and Church laws
God is the ultimate authority and the Bible is His word
Priest
Preacher
Schools of thought (denominations/divisions)
Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran main divisions
Religious Experience:
Specific actions -
Conversion: Foundational experience of Christian life
Belief in God, repentance of sin, confession of Jesus Christ as the Savior
Can be just the personal conversion to Christianity or converted through an act
Baptize-Catholic
Meditation/worship/prayer
Can be through songs of worship
Bowing down before God
Word and Sacraments: Two main parts of a service
Word: read the Bible, sing songs to help understand passages and apply to personal life
Sacraments: Actions done to show “inward grace” rituals (baptize, communion etc.)
Ethics and Moral Authority:
What/who are main authority – God is the ultimate moral authority. Although many do, humans do not have the right to claim any sort of authority due to our many flaws. So it follows that the Bible and the teachings of Jesus are also part of the central authority as they are direct teachings from God.
Ethical/legal issues (old and modern)
Abortion: violation of the 5th commandment “Thou shall not kill”
Cloning: Humans are made in the image of God, we cannot create each other to be in the image of God
Homosexuality: God says it is wrong because the same sex cannot conceive
Marriage in the Bible is defined as being “between a man and a woman”
Rituals
Lifetime individual/group: Baptism – Introduced in the Old Testament, this ritual symbolizes the cleansing of the soul. Some believe that it is an act of literally washing away the sins or demons, while others believe it to be more of an act of faith or devotion to God.
Worship: Prayer – Prayer is viewed as sacred in that it involves humans directly communicating with God. Ideally, rather then simply petitioning God for personal needs, prayer should be about spending time to feel connected with God, and also to understand one’s place with God.
Festivals/holy days:
Easter: Pagan/Christian. Celebrates the equinox and Jesus’ resurrection three days after his crucifixion
Sabbath: day when the tomb where Jesus laid was empty and the day was changed from Saturday to Sunday to separate Christians from Jews. Paul gathered Christians and began the first service.
Gender: Genesis: Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, while Adam followed her example. God punished:
Women: pain of child labor and to be ruled over by man
Man: work the land for food
Both: will die and return to earth
Women gained a lower status than men
Sacred Texts:
Key texts: Bible (old testament and new testament. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include the Apocrypha, while most Protestant Bibles do not. The Apocrypha is a set of Jewish texts that come between the testaments.
Composition (how written): The bible is divided into books, and the books are then divided into sections each pertaining to a part of the biblical story.
Development/history of the text:
The Bible is a combination of the Jewish Scriptures and the New Testament (story of Jesus and growth of Christian faith)
Language/versions: Original-Hebrew, Aramic, Greek. New: English, German, Latin, Chinese
Doctrines/Beliefs:
3 founding beliefs –
1. There is one God who created the world and all things in it. This God is a personal God who cares for the well being of humanity and gives us guidelines of how to conduct ourselves.
2. Jesus was an incarnation of God, both human and God. Jesus led the perfect Christian life and through following his teachings, one can do what God truly wants of humans.
3. The Holy Spirit is a force that connects all of mankind to God. This concept emphasizes Jesus’ analogies of God being a tree and all Christians being branches of that tree. Christianity is very focused on the group/community aspect of faith.
Eschatology (nature of God/creation) – The teachings in the bible of what happens in the future. Mainly focused on rapture (God’s judgment) and the second coming of Christ. Some believe that it is not beneficial to dwell on this, as it can be interpreted as predicting God’s plan and believing yourself capable of thinking like God.
Authority (who is in control)
Family: Children obey parents, wife obeys husband, husband obeys Christ
State: Obey laws of land and Government officials
Church: obey Christ and Church laws
God is the ultimate authority and the Bible is His word
Priest
Preacher
Schools of thought (denominations/divisions)
Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran main divisions
Religious Experience:
Specific actions -
Conversion: Foundational experience of Christian life
Belief in God, repentance of sin, confession of Jesus Christ as the Savior
Can be just the personal conversion to Christianity or converted through an act
Baptize-Catholic
Meditation/worship/prayer
Can be through songs of worship
Bowing down before God
Word and Sacraments: Two main parts of a service
Word: read the Bible, sing songs to help understand passages and apply to personal life
Sacraments: Actions done to show “inward grace” rituals (baptize, communion etc.)
Ethics and Moral Authority:
What/who are main authority – God is the ultimate moral authority. Although many do, humans do not have the right to claim any sort of authority due to our many flaws. So it follows that the Bible and the teachings of Jesus are also part of the central authority as they are direct teachings from God.
Ethical/legal issues (old and modern)
Abortion: violation of the 5th commandment “Thou shall not kill”
Cloning: Humans are made in the image of God, we cannot create each other to be in the image of God
Homosexuality: God says it is wrong because the same sex cannot conceive
Marriage in the Bible is defined as being “between a man and a woman”
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Gospel Comparisons
The Last Supper:
Similarities:
-Jesus is selfless, and gives and takes care of his people
-everyone who accepted Jesus is in the covenant with God
Differences:
Mark:
Jesus is selfless, gives bread as his "body" and wine as his "blood"
-Jesus will return for the Messiah
-Everyone is in the covenant now that Jesus has shared it with many
Luke:
Jesus is still selfless, but instead of giving bread, he cleans people's feet
-doesn't clean Peter's feet because he knows he will betray him and God
-Jesus takes care of people as an example that they should take care of one another
-if you accept Jesus, you accept God
-Jesus told everyone who would betray him
-Jesus is God
-Jesus' followers will love one another
-prophesies that Peter will deny him thrice
Both these passages by Mark and Luke agree that Jesus was selfless and gave everything he had to his people and took care of them. Also, all Jesus's followers are in the covenant with God. In general, Mark's passage is much shorter and brief. Luke's is more detailed with many specific events. In Mark's Jesus is very simple and generous, but in Luke's Jesus is very selfless and the focus is more on Peter in the passage.
Agony in the Garden:
Similarities:
-both went to the Mount of Olives
-disciples followed him
-Jesus asks them all not to enter into temptation
-Jesus asks got to "remove this cup from me" by God's will
-Jesus finds his disciples sleeping when he returns from prayer
Differences
Mark:
-Jesus prophesized that his followers would betray him and scatter after he is dead. Peter rebukes this saying that he will stay faithful
-he asked Peter, John and James to watch him while he prayed, but when he returned he found them sleeping
-His disciples slept through prayer
-the men were not faithful to Jesus and therefore man is sinful
-they betrayed Jesus
Luke:
-an angel appears to Jesus to strengthen him and Jesus prays in desperation for the angel to save him
-Jesus healed the servant of the high priest who was cut by a sword by one of the disciples
-Peter denied being with Jesus 3 times, like Jesus predicted. He denied being with Jesus so he wouldn't be beaten or punished
-he cried because the prophecy came true and the cock crew
-the next day people held Jesus and mocked him and the elders asked him if he was the Christ
-he didn't answer outright, but said that everyone else said he was
Overall, in both sections Jesus is portrayed as feeling betrayed by his people, when he asks them to watch him pray and finds them sleeping. In Mark's passage, Jesus is angry but ultimately knows the people harm themselves if they are not faithful to Jesus, so Jesus doesn't care as much, since it is not his problem. Since the disciples betrayed Jesus they became sinners, and made the wrong decision. In Luke's passage, the story of how Jesus' prophecy that Peter would deny him thrice is thoroughly recounted. Luke's also goes more into how his disciples go against him and treat him like a thief. Also in Luke's passage, it ends with elders and people of the society interrogate him on whether he is the Christ and the son of God.
Similarities:
-Jesus is selfless, and gives and takes care of his people
-everyone who accepted Jesus is in the covenant with God
Differences:
Mark:
Jesus is selfless, gives bread as his "body" and wine as his "blood"
-Jesus will return for the Messiah
-Everyone is in the covenant now that Jesus has shared it with many
Luke:
Jesus is still selfless, but instead of giving bread, he cleans people's feet
-doesn't clean Peter's feet because he knows he will betray him and God
-Jesus takes care of people as an example that they should take care of one another
-if you accept Jesus, you accept God
-Jesus told everyone who would betray him
-Jesus is God
-Jesus' followers will love one another
-prophesies that Peter will deny him thrice
Both these passages by Mark and Luke agree that Jesus was selfless and gave everything he had to his people and took care of them. Also, all Jesus's followers are in the covenant with God. In general, Mark's passage is much shorter and brief. Luke's is more detailed with many specific events. In Mark's Jesus is very simple and generous, but in Luke's Jesus is very selfless and the focus is more on Peter in the passage.
Agony in the Garden:
Similarities:
-both went to the Mount of Olives
-disciples followed him
-Jesus asks them all not to enter into temptation
-Jesus asks got to "remove this cup from me" by God's will
-Jesus finds his disciples sleeping when he returns from prayer
Differences
Mark:
-Jesus prophesized that his followers would betray him and scatter after he is dead. Peter rebukes this saying that he will stay faithful
-he asked Peter, John and James to watch him while he prayed, but when he returned he found them sleeping
-His disciples slept through prayer
-the men were not faithful to Jesus and therefore man is sinful
-they betrayed Jesus
Luke:
-an angel appears to Jesus to strengthen him and Jesus prays in desperation for the angel to save him
-Jesus healed the servant of the high priest who was cut by a sword by one of the disciples
-Peter denied being with Jesus 3 times, like Jesus predicted. He denied being with Jesus so he wouldn't be beaten or punished
-he cried because the prophecy came true and the cock crew
-the next day people held Jesus and mocked him and the elders asked him if he was the Christ
-he didn't answer outright, but said that everyone else said he was
Overall, in both sections Jesus is portrayed as feeling betrayed by his people, when he asks them to watch him pray and finds them sleeping. In Mark's passage, Jesus is angry but ultimately knows the people harm themselves if they are not faithful to Jesus, so Jesus doesn't care as much, since it is not his problem. Since the disciples betrayed Jesus they became sinners, and made the wrong decision. In Luke's passage, the story of how Jesus' prophecy that Peter would deny him thrice is thoroughly recounted. Luke's also goes more into how his disciples go against him and treat him like a thief. Also in Luke's passage, it ends with elders and people of the society interrogate him on whether he is the Christ and the son of God.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Christian Gospels
Introduction Notes:
-"Oral Tradition"- stories people told of recounts of thing Jesus did in his life.
-first was written 40 yrs after his death
-Mark's Gospel ("good news") was the first, probably written by someone else since people dedicated writing to famous people at the time
-Gospels provide an individual's interpretation of Jesus' teachings
-Matthew was the second Gospel
Synoptic Gospels- have same views: Mark, Matthew, Luke
Gospel of John "spiritual gospel"
Mark- affected by failure of Jewish revolt against Rome
Matthew- post war period after Jewish community conflict with Pharisaic Judaism
Luke- demonstrated that Christian beliefs don't contradict their way of life
Passion Narrative- account of Jesus' death, connected to the Eucharist
-gospels show tensions between Christians and Jews
-reflect theological disagreement
New Testament talks about the broken relationship between Christians and Jews
-"Oral Tradition"- stories people told of recounts of thing Jesus did in his life.
-first was written 40 yrs after his death
-Mark's Gospel ("good news") was the first, probably written by someone else since people dedicated writing to famous people at the time
-Gospels provide an individual's interpretation of Jesus' teachings
-Matthew was the second Gospel
Synoptic Gospels- have same views: Mark, Matthew, Luke
Gospel of John "spiritual gospel"
Mark- affected by failure of Jewish revolt against Rome
Matthew- post war period after Jewish community conflict with Pharisaic Judaism
Luke- demonstrated that Christian beliefs don't contradict their way of life
Passion Narrative- account of Jesus' death, connected to the Eucharist
-gospels show tensions between Christians and Jews
-reflect theological disagreement
New Testament talks about the broken relationship between Christians and Jews
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
