Anthony Schoen
Religion 120-05
April 22, 2010
Jesus at the Movies 2
Chocolat
The movie Chocolat was an inspirational movie, opening the viewer’s eyes to the cruelties of society, and our ability to overcome such obstacles, bettering our lives. When I took a step back to reflect on this film, I was astonished by the realization of the major religious influence involved in the film. Two of the most dynamic characters, with the most progression over the course of the movie, were Comte de Reynaud and Caroline Clairmont. Both of these characters played significant roles, both in building the plot of the movie, and improving their lives using the influence of God.
The growth of the characters was one of the best parts of this film. In the beginning, Comte de Reynaud was a man devoted to strictly following the word of God, and demanding that those around him do as he does. Such a harsh dedication in life caused him to stay a lonely man after his true love apparently left him. His devotion had no bounds. As mayor he felt that living up to the duties of his predecessors was a necessary task. These actions consisted of keeping his community in perfect organization, and following the word of God as closely as possible.
In comparison to Caroline Clairmont at the beginning of the movie, she and Comte de Reynaud were very similar characters. They both lost a loved one, and because of this, they changed how they treated those around them. Caroline was dedicated to keeping her son away from harm and to stay along the path of what she thought best for him. During Lent, she thought it was best to avoid any type of distracting influence which would cause him to break the sacrifice of many pleasures. Her restrictions on him seemed to have an opposite effect on his behavior. Without the ability to express his own individuality, he seemed to hold a lot of his emotions in, and express his anger through his crude drawings.
Caroline and Comte de Reynaud worked very well together because of their similarities. With the opening of the chocolate store in the town during the time of Lent, they were both on a mission to rid the town of such a sin. Thankfully both of them were too concerned about the repercussions of their actions, so they avoided any acts of vandalism, or harm on another human being. They used political means and the word of mouth to attempt to bankrupt the chocolate factory. Both Caroline and Comte de Reynaud had a strict devotion to the church, and acting how the Bible depicts the life we need to live, by avoiding certain things that tempt us to break the path of righteousness towards eternal life.
The character that caused the biggest disturbance in the movie, and changed the outlook of many of those around her, was Armande Voizin. Armande was a woman who lived to fulfill her own self-interests, and avoided the discipline of the church. Armande was the driving force for her daughter, Caroline, to keep her son away from her. With the insertion of her into the film, and the fight of the son to see her, people were forced to open their eyes to what they had been missing.
The first person to realize their mistakes was Caroline. When she finally accepted that she could not restrict her son from everything in his life, she changed as a person. The change for her not only was seen physically (by the joy that could be seen in her actions) but spiritually as well. She was able to open her heart to the good of the community and the actions of those around her. This change could be seen in her depiction of God as well. Caroline finally was understanding that God was a divine creator who accepts us as beings who sin and make mistakes. Unfortunately we cannot be perfect individuals, but because of this, we are able to be and express who we truly are. With the exception of the lifestyles of others, she finally was accepting this fact. Such a drastic change was too late to have any effect on her mother, but had and will continue to have a positive effect on her son, and his outlook on life.
Comte de Reynaud had the most dramatic change of any character. He was the most devoted to God and following what he asked of us as one of his creations. Fasting for weeks, he was continually creating situations of temptation, just so that he could prove his strength to himself and those around him. This idea of God and what he wanted of us was directly influential to the rest of the community, almost creating a feeling of fear of what would happen if they were not to live up to his example. The development of his character did not occur until towards the end of the film, when he felt helpless and unsure of what to do to return his community to the way it used to be. Struck by an epiphany to raid the chocolate store, and destroy the material items within, he broke in and attempted to do so. Overwhelmed by the perfection of the delectable chocolates, and then faced by embarrassment the following morning, he was shown that people were inherently good, even if they did not follow perfectly in God’s footsteps. This discovery helped to change his life, and his depiction of God. He was able to realize exactly what Caroline realized, but more significantly than she had grasped the same concept.
The conclusion of the movie was perfect, summarizing the inspirations that Comte de Reynaud and Caroline experienced for themselves. Pere Henri was able to express this in his own words in front of the community at Easter mass. He felt that following God should not be about what we are able to withstand and resist, but should be about how we should embrace those around us. As human beings we should enjoy our lives, and enjoy worshiping and devoting our lives to our Lord. This should be proven to him by how we are able to act and treat those around us, accepting differences that we would otherwise struggle to accept. This speech influenced much of the community, and was able to show the audience, that even through questionable times, following how God feels, we need to accept those around us, which can prove to be much more enjoyable then forcing the “correct” beliefs on others.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Who is Jesus #2
Anthony Schoen
Religion 120-05
April 27, 2010
Who is Jesus #2
1)Jesus is the savior that has been given to the world to show us the good that we can and should do. Although he is considered as perfect, he was not displayed as perfect in the gospels of the bible. He was human as we are, but provided us with the ultimate gift of forgiveness of our sins. Jesus is the one being that always will and always has had eternal love for all.
2)The savior for all of humanity.
3)Divine
4)
The study of the gospels of the New Testament in the Bible was an adventure for me. Reading over the gospels, and studying them in depth opened my eyes to the discrepancies in the bible. Not all of the parables and scriptures of Jesus were unique and written directly from experience; actually none of the gospels were written from a firsthand experience of Jesus. This truly made me question the truthfulness of each story, but also strengthened my belief in him being the savior of humanity (a prophet).
My faith in Jesus being my savior was strengthened because of my ability to question my beliefs. Now, when questions arise I am able to respond with a historically accurate response. Realizing that the life of Jesus was written many decades after his death, and continued to remain positive, is hard to grasp the difficulty of such a task. This depicts his greatness and influence on the people of that time.
Overall this course has had a major impact on many of my past views of Jesus. I have truly come to realize how amazing of an individual he was, and the extent of his actions. He was born like a prophet, preached like a prophet, performed miracles like a prophet, and died like a prophet. This overview from Luke was the main concept that had the most significant impression on me. It caused me to realize how inspirational of a man he was, and how big of an influence he is on the human race. He will never be forgotten, and is a continual influence on my life, and the actions I make daily.
Religion 120-05
April 27, 2010
Who is Jesus #2
1)Jesus is the savior that has been given to the world to show us the good that we can and should do. Although he is considered as perfect, he was not displayed as perfect in the gospels of the bible. He was human as we are, but provided us with the ultimate gift of forgiveness of our sins. Jesus is the one being that always will and always has had eternal love for all.
2)The savior for all of humanity.
3)Divine
4)
The study of the gospels of the New Testament in the Bible was an adventure for me. Reading over the gospels, and studying them in depth opened my eyes to the discrepancies in the bible. Not all of the parables and scriptures of Jesus were unique and written directly from experience; actually none of the gospels were written from a firsthand experience of Jesus. This truly made me question the truthfulness of each story, but also strengthened my belief in him being the savior of humanity (a prophet).
My faith in Jesus being my savior was strengthened because of my ability to question my beliefs. Now, when questions arise I am able to respond with a historically accurate response. Realizing that the life of Jesus was written many decades after his death, and continued to remain positive, is hard to grasp the difficulty of such a task. This depicts his greatness and influence on the people of that time.
Overall this course has had a major impact on many of my past views of Jesus. I have truly come to realize how amazing of an individual he was, and the extent of his actions. He was born like a prophet, preached like a prophet, performed miracles like a prophet, and died like a prophet. This overview from Luke was the main concept that had the most significant impression on me. It caused me to realize how inspirational of a man he was, and how big of an influence he is on the human race. He will never be forgotten, and is a continual influence on my life, and the actions I make daily.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Reflection Paper 5 - Mary Magdalene & John
Anthony Schoen
Religion 120-05
April 17, 2010
Reflection Paper 5
Mary Magdalene and John
When reading the gospel of John and Ehrman, the way women were ignored in the bible has become very apparent to me. The more I continued to read, the ambiguities of how John truly felt grew. John was clear in several of his writings that women were able to play roles in the church, and did not mention much about them being limited on who or what they could teach or do in society. Although writings said to come from him sometimes depicted a contradictory belief. Through his writings I came to the conclusion that he had a split view on women.
John seemed to feel that women are equal in they eyes of God, but even under this conclusion he still felt that the methods used in society should not change. This meant that women were not viewed as equal to men, not sharing the rights men held. Such a belief seems ridiculous to me, especially when this conclusion is drawn from the story of Adam and Eve. The order in which God created man and woman should have no significance in how we measure a woman’s social equality and the rights they are allowed to when compared to that of a man.
Many of the reasons I feel that religion is skewed are the continual efforts of people attempting to break apart the text of the bible. With people breaking apart the word of God, and creating their own versions of the writings, the real word of God becomes more and more distant from what we are truly supposed to read. Even in the story of Mary Magdalene, nothing is said about her being a prostitute, and yet people associate her with that of a prostitute. She was the first to witness one of the most incredible actions in the bible, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. People have turned this into the belief that she must have had some other relations with Jesus, and such a relationship is the only reason he allowed her to see him first.
Once again a story in the bible showing the greatness of our lord is altered to ruining the reputation of an innocent individual who played a significant role in Jesus and his disciples lives. Women in general played very few roles within the bible, and the gospels. The few times they are mentioned, people view this as an insignificant factor, and that if they are sinful individuals, their sin is sexually related.
Overall I feel that the reputation that woman have gained in the bible, and the lack of the role they played is completely wrong and unjust. In the eyes of God we are all equal, no matter what race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation we are. He gives us the freedoms to choose most of these after birth, but sex is not something that we are able to choose, and thus is probably the most insignificant factor in which judgment should be placed on an individual!
Religion 120-05
April 17, 2010
Reflection Paper 5
Mary Magdalene and John
When reading the gospel of John and Ehrman, the way women were ignored in the bible has become very apparent to me. The more I continued to read, the ambiguities of how John truly felt grew. John was clear in several of his writings that women were able to play roles in the church, and did not mention much about them being limited on who or what they could teach or do in society. Although writings said to come from him sometimes depicted a contradictory belief. Through his writings I came to the conclusion that he had a split view on women.
John seemed to feel that women are equal in they eyes of God, but even under this conclusion he still felt that the methods used in society should not change. This meant that women were not viewed as equal to men, not sharing the rights men held. Such a belief seems ridiculous to me, especially when this conclusion is drawn from the story of Adam and Eve. The order in which God created man and woman should have no significance in how we measure a woman’s social equality and the rights they are allowed to when compared to that of a man.
Many of the reasons I feel that religion is skewed are the continual efforts of people attempting to break apart the text of the bible. With people breaking apart the word of God, and creating their own versions of the writings, the real word of God becomes more and more distant from what we are truly supposed to read. Even in the story of Mary Magdalene, nothing is said about her being a prostitute, and yet people associate her with that of a prostitute. She was the first to witness one of the most incredible actions in the bible, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. People have turned this into the belief that she must have had some other relations with Jesus, and such a relationship is the only reason he allowed her to see him first.
Once again a story in the bible showing the greatness of our lord is altered to ruining the reputation of an innocent individual who played a significant role in Jesus and his disciples lives. Women in general played very few roles within the bible, and the gospels. The few times they are mentioned, people view this as an insignificant factor, and that if they are sinful individuals, their sin is sexually related.
Overall I feel that the reputation that woman have gained in the bible, and the lack of the role they played is completely wrong and unjust. In the eyes of God we are all equal, no matter what race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation we are. He gives us the freedoms to choose most of these after birth, but sex is not something that we are able to choose, and thus is probably the most insignificant factor in which judgment should be placed on an individual!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Reflection Paper 4
Anthony Schoen
Religion 120-05
March 22, 2010
Reflection Paper
Why Religion Can’t Live without Mysticism
The idea that a religious battle is currently encompassing the world with no site of an end comes at no surprise to most people. The surprising factor to me is that the author of this article is able to justify that this war is not one between believers and unbelievers, but that of the methods used within the religious practices. At first I could not totally agree, but throughout his article, he is able to support this proposal and eventually form a valid argument.
Luke Timothy Johnson, the author, mainly focuses on two views of practicing religious beliefs, exoteric and esoteric. Applying these beliefs to three of the most widely practiced religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, he is able to bring the reader into an understanding of the importance of this religious battle. Understanding that God is a being that we are able to believe in using only our hearts, and the power of free will he has given us, is not an easy task for many human beings. To truly show our love for him we should be able to sacrifice pleasures in this life with the belief that someday we will be eternally repaid, when we pass into the after life, with eternal life. The ability to believe in this higher, invisible, power is when the concept of mysticism is introduced.
Mysticism is used more in the exoteric views of religion. Christianity is a prime example of an exoteric approach to worshiping God, although I am not entirely in agreement with this. Christianity is not only about the experiencing of God in a public means, by worshiping in a church and presenting your beliefs publicly, but also is a soul-searching experience. If we are not able to commit within ourselves that we truly want to follow the path God has offered us, then we are not able to be genuine in our actions that follow. When we commit ourselves to God, we need to make sure it is a full mind and body committal to him. After this has been accomplished, we are able to express ourselves in an exoteric way. If we are able to express ourselves both by an exoteric and esoteric method, than our religious experience will be the best we can possibly have.
The other outstanding part of this article was the quotation by Rumi: “I died as mineral and became a plant, I died…‘To Him we shall return.’” This was a very powerful quote. The realization that we all have to die at some point is tough for many of us to grasp. We are not moving forward in time, we are really counting down the time to our death. Everything we do is in preparation for what is to come. Although this is true, this quote is explaining that we all need to die, but we are able to progress into something better after every death. Such a thought is inspirational, and rekindles the desire to live for God and not for oneself.
Overall this article was an interesting approach to what is thought to be the religious battle of this day in age. Many good points were made, but I feel that the argument was not looked at as accurately as it could have been. The ideas that were presented cause me to rethink several things, both in my physical life and my spiritual life.
Religion 120-05
March 22, 2010
Reflection Paper
Why Religion Can’t Live without Mysticism
The idea that a religious battle is currently encompassing the world with no site of an end comes at no surprise to most people. The surprising factor to me is that the author of this article is able to justify that this war is not one between believers and unbelievers, but that of the methods used within the religious practices. At first I could not totally agree, but throughout his article, he is able to support this proposal and eventually form a valid argument.
Luke Timothy Johnson, the author, mainly focuses on two views of practicing religious beliefs, exoteric and esoteric. Applying these beliefs to three of the most widely practiced religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, he is able to bring the reader into an understanding of the importance of this religious battle. Understanding that God is a being that we are able to believe in using only our hearts, and the power of free will he has given us, is not an easy task for many human beings. To truly show our love for him we should be able to sacrifice pleasures in this life with the belief that someday we will be eternally repaid, when we pass into the after life, with eternal life. The ability to believe in this higher, invisible, power is when the concept of mysticism is introduced.
Mysticism is used more in the exoteric views of religion. Christianity is a prime example of an exoteric approach to worshiping God, although I am not entirely in agreement with this. Christianity is not only about the experiencing of God in a public means, by worshiping in a church and presenting your beliefs publicly, but also is a soul-searching experience. If we are not able to commit within ourselves that we truly want to follow the path God has offered us, then we are not able to be genuine in our actions that follow. When we commit ourselves to God, we need to make sure it is a full mind and body committal to him. After this has been accomplished, we are able to express ourselves in an exoteric way. If we are able to express ourselves both by an exoteric and esoteric method, than our religious experience will be the best we can possibly have.
The other outstanding part of this article was the quotation by Rumi: “I died as mineral and became a plant, I died…‘To Him we shall return.’” This was a very powerful quote. The realization that we all have to die at some point is tough for many of us to grasp. We are not moving forward in time, we are really counting down the time to our death. Everything we do is in preparation for what is to come. Although this is true, this quote is explaining that we all need to die, but we are able to progress into something better after every death. Such a thought is inspirational, and rekindles the desire to live for God and not for oneself.
Overall this article was an interesting approach to what is thought to be the religious battle of this day in age. Many good points were made, but I feel that the argument was not looked at as accurately as it could have been. The ideas that were presented cause me to rethink several things, both in my physical life and my spiritual life.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Jesus at the Movies - Anthony Schoen
Anthony Schoen
Religion 120
March 12, 2010
Movie Reflection
Crimes and Misdemeanors
The movie Crimes and Misdemeanors was an eye opening movie, focusing mostly on the sins that humans are vulnerable to committing when opportunities arise. Many of the decisions made by the main characters in the movie were very surprising to me, but are likely actions to be committed in everyday life. God was a major reference throughout the movie. Some characters follow what can be considered “God’s will”, and other characters perform actions strictly to benefit themselves. Two characters who seemed to have conflicting views of God’s place and the purpose in life were Judah Rosenthal and Ben.
Judah was the main character of this film. He was a very successful optometrist, and was raised within a religious Jewish family. His father always pushed the concept that God is always watching our every action. Judah’s first reference to God was towards the beginning of the film at a speech he gave at a dinner. What are God’s eyes like while he is watching us? The powerful response to this was that God’s eyes are penetrating eyes that could see and judge our every decision. Judah understood this concept, but unfortunately he did not act as though someone was always watching the things he did over the course of his life.
The movie soon revealed the treacherous secret that Judah had been cheating on his wife for two years! When he realized that he had given up on his wife of nearly thirty years, he was terrified about what would become of his life if his wife Miriam discovered this. Judah hoped that he could just stop his affair with Dolores with no further consequence. This was impossible for Dolores to do because she felt as though she had given up too much of her life already. All these decisions led Judah to confide in a rabbi that he treated as a patient named Ben. Ben’s advice was that true love will be able to pull through such an event, and the universe is overseen by a higher power and is full of forgiveness, structure, and meaning. The optimistic view Ben had on the world was an exceptional outlook. This gave Judah an opportunity to live a truthful and moral life by accepting and living his life according to Ben’s view of the world.
Judah’s final terrible decision was the murder of Dolores, in attempts to keep her from revealing his dark secret and destroying his life. He felt as though he was not good enough for God and that the decisions he made would not affect his life and his nonexistent relations with the Lord. At this point I felt as though Judah saw God as a judge of the universe, always watching everything and declaring what was right in life. He was to the point that he felt as though no hope was left in God’s eyes, and because of this it did not matter what he did because life was already a lost cause. Viewing God as a judge, and one that would give up on an individual, was referencing him as being a pessimistic being. This was an inappropriate scrutiny towards God, because he is the one entity with eternal love for all, and the ability to forgive us of our sins. Ben tried to open Judah’s eyes several times in hopes that he would realize how terrible the decisions he was making were, and how they were ideas that should never be considered no matter what the circumstances by any human being. Judah allowed his view of God, and how God viewed him, to have a hand in the decisions he made in solving problems in his family and his own life.
When looking at Ben’s view of life and God, he was an inspirational man. He is content with everything that happens in his life, and views the world very highly. Diagnosed with a terrible disease in his eyes that eventually caused him to lose his vision completely, he was still able to live his life with joy and a positive attitude towards all outcomes and events. To Ben, God is the King of this universe, and like Judah, believes that he is always watching us and attempting to help us to forgive and live our lives with meaning. God provides a purpose for us to live and work towards eternal life and happiness.
Ben was seen by many of his friends and family as a very good man at heart and one who was looked up at. Several people throughout the movie confided in him for help and to talk to. With such a high view of an optimistic God he was able to give exceptional advice to all who requested it. Unfortunately his advice was not taken to heart by everyone he helped. Even though he was not able to influence others life with the word of God, he allowed God’s love to influence his life, helping him prepare and get through the rough parts of life that he was forced to endure. Throughout the movie he stayed positive and a role model for all, unlike Judah.
Overall many of the views of this movie can be considered valid. After watching this film and breaking down what was done by the different characters I feel that the universe can be molded into whatever we want it to be. It can be a very friendly place if we are able to love life and live everyday with joy and treat those around us as we want to be treated. If we allow the evils of the universe to influence us as Judah did, we will turn our life into that of evil, and never have a chance to be truly happy. We need to fight for what we believe in, and understand that God is there to support us and will always love us. He is the ultimate reward for living our lives truthfully.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Reflection Paper #3 - Matthew Reading
Anthony Schoen
Religion 120-05
February 17, 2010
Reflection Paper 3
When reading the The Gospel According to Matthew several main points really stood out to me. What is really odd to me is that the information that made the biggest impact was information I have known for most of my life, but always seems to cause me to think twice about my lifestyle.
When I read chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew almost the entire chapter made me think about my relationship with God. The most significant point was that you cannot wait until your Day of Judgment and plea ‘Lord, Lord’ and expect for him to allow you eternal life. Many people feel that they know of him, and that because of this knowledge they will have external life awaiting them in heaven. This unfortunately is completely wrong. We need to live life while we are on earth with the knowledge of him and devote our every decision to be perfect just as our Almighty father is. If we live as he would, then when we arrive at our Day of Judgment, we will be recognized as being known by God.
This is a terrifying thought, but also is a relief to me. Living life with the knowledge that God has eternal love for all is something I can always fall back on when I feel alone in the world. He is the one being that you can talk and feel as though he is always listening, even when there is not an immediate response.
God’s love for all is also displayed in much of chapter 8 in Matthew. Jesus heals anyone who has strong faith, little faith, or none at all. He healed those with leprosy, and had no hesitation in touching them. This is astounding because of the belief in those days that you are unclean if you were to touch a leper. He also healed a non-Jew officer of the Roman army. This individual was in control of hundreds of soldiers, and when he approached Jesus, he was accepted and was helped without any wavering. The most utterly remarkable point of this parable is the fact that Jesus had enough reverence to respect ritual rights by not entering the house of a Gentile and healing the sick man from a far. This also shows the extraordinary powers of Jesus. The final main healing in this chapter was that of a woman that Jesus was not asked to help. He is so remarkably loving that he had the desire to help someone who did not even ask.
In daily life, I struggle helping those I do not know. In my studies in philosophy we have discussed the views of Immanuel Kant and how we should not perform favors for strangers because the chance of having the favor returned is slim-to-none. We are better off helping out a neighbor or a family member. At first I found this belief a justifiable one, but when I see that Jesus can help someone whom he has no idea if they have faith in him or not, then I should at least be able to treat strangers with respect and how I would expect and want to be treated. This was also stated in the chapter 7 of Matthew.
Overall the reading in The Gospel According to Matthew really made me think about many things in my life, and how I should be acting and treating others around me. This reading has made the most significant impact on me, over any of the other readings.
Religion 120-05
February 17, 2010
Reflection Paper 3
When reading the The Gospel According to Matthew several main points really stood out to me. What is really odd to me is that the information that made the biggest impact was information I have known for most of my life, but always seems to cause me to think twice about my lifestyle.
When I read chapter 7 of the Gospel of Matthew almost the entire chapter made me think about my relationship with God. The most significant point was that you cannot wait until your Day of Judgment and plea ‘Lord, Lord’ and expect for him to allow you eternal life. Many people feel that they know of him, and that because of this knowledge they will have external life awaiting them in heaven. This unfortunately is completely wrong. We need to live life while we are on earth with the knowledge of him and devote our every decision to be perfect just as our Almighty father is. If we live as he would, then when we arrive at our Day of Judgment, we will be recognized as being known by God.
This is a terrifying thought, but also is a relief to me. Living life with the knowledge that God has eternal love for all is something I can always fall back on when I feel alone in the world. He is the one being that you can talk and feel as though he is always listening, even when there is not an immediate response.
God’s love for all is also displayed in much of chapter 8 in Matthew. Jesus heals anyone who has strong faith, little faith, or none at all. He healed those with leprosy, and had no hesitation in touching them. This is astounding because of the belief in those days that you are unclean if you were to touch a leper. He also healed a non-Jew officer of the Roman army. This individual was in control of hundreds of soldiers, and when he approached Jesus, he was accepted and was helped without any wavering. The most utterly remarkable point of this parable is the fact that Jesus had enough reverence to respect ritual rights by not entering the house of a Gentile and healing the sick man from a far. This also shows the extraordinary powers of Jesus. The final main healing in this chapter was that of a woman that Jesus was not asked to help. He is so remarkably loving that he had the desire to help someone who did not even ask.
In daily life, I struggle helping those I do not know. In my studies in philosophy we have discussed the views of Immanuel Kant and how we should not perform favors for strangers because the chance of having the favor returned is slim-to-none. We are better off helping out a neighbor or a family member. At first I found this belief a justifiable one, but when I see that Jesus can help someone whom he has no idea if they have faith in him or not, then I should at least be able to treat strangers with respect and how I would expect and want to be treated. This was also stated in the chapter 7 of Matthew.
Overall the reading in The Gospel According to Matthew really made me think about many things in my life, and how I should be acting and treating others around me. This reading has made the most significant impact on me, over any of the other readings.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Anthony Schoen
Religion 120-05
Reflection Paper 2
Looking at a more historical view of Jesus and trying to decipher when he lived and when he died, many details are missing. Scholars even struggle to decide on an exact date of his death. There are two references in the bible found in Mark and John where they reference an exact hour of Jesus’ death, but they fall 21 hours apart. This is very well explained because of the tradition of telling stories at this time by word of mouth.
Unfortunately stories of Jesus’ life were not estimated to begin their formal recordings until nearly 30 years after his estimated death. They continued to be written, in what we now know as the Gospels of the New Testament, until at least 60 years after his death. I did not think this was too significant until Bart Ehrman pointed out the metaphor of if we attempted to record the acts of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency for the first time today based on stories passed down from generation to generation and how difficult this would be.
The only set back in writing the stories of Jesus was not just the time differential, but also language and cultural barriers. Over the course of the 30-60 years after Jesus died, the stories of his blessings on us were passed down over the area of the Roman Empire. These territories included many different cultural beliefs and several different languages. As one person would tell a story to another individual the story would need to be deciphered by the new individual so that they could continue the story in their mother tongue. Translating from one language to another serves its own limitations, because each language has different words to represent different scenarios of the use of that word. After the story would be translated, some individuals would be so inclined as to put their own personal twist on the story in order to influence certain political or cultural views they supported that they believe Jesus should also support in his teachings. All of these were barriers that caused the writers of the Gospels to struggle in accuracy of the writings.
Overall this reading made a lot of exceptional points that made me think more about how the Bible came into being. Although I feel that God had a hand in helping the divine people who wrote these Gospels, this was still an amazing argument that does pertain a lot to how things were passed down, and probably how many of the stories found in the bible came to be. Many questions are still unanswered in the life of Jesus and may stay unsolved forever, but it is good for our faith to question such things as these.
Religion 120-05
Reflection Paper 2
Traditions of Jesus
When reading into the traditions of the Bible and how the New Testament came into being the widely know text we have today I was astounded at the accusations that were made! At first I was skeptical, but as I continued to read, the authors back their thoughts with many logical examples and comparisons found within the four main Gospels of the New Testament. The begin to dig and go in depth about how the unknown authors of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John were able to write these in depth stories of Jesus and the life he experienced while he blessed us with his presence on Earth.Looking at a more historical view of Jesus and trying to decipher when he lived and when he died, many details are missing. Scholars even struggle to decide on an exact date of his death. There are two references in the bible found in Mark and John where they reference an exact hour of Jesus’ death, but they fall 21 hours apart. This is very well explained because of the tradition of telling stories at this time by word of mouth.
Unfortunately stories of Jesus’ life were not estimated to begin their formal recordings until nearly 30 years after his estimated death. They continued to be written, in what we now know as the Gospels of the New Testament, until at least 60 years after his death. I did not think this was too significant until Bart Ehrman pointed out the metaphor of if we attempted to record the acts of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency for the first time today based on stories passed down from generation to generation and how difficult this would be.
The only set back in writing the stories of Jesus was not just the time differential, but also language and cultural barriers. Over the course of the 30-60 years after Jesus died, the stories of his blessings on us were passed down over the area of the Roman Empire. These territories included many different cultural beliefs and several different languages. As one person would tell a story to another individual the story would need to be deciphered by the new individual so that they could continue the story in their mother tongue. Translating from one language to another serves its own limitations, because each language has different words to represent different scenarios of the use of that word. After the story would be translated, some individuals would be so inclined as to put their own personal twist on the story in order to influence certain political or cultural views they supported that they believe Jesus should also support in his teachings. All of these were barriers that caused the writers of the Gospels to struggle in accuracy of the writings.
Overall this reading made a lot of exceptional points that made me think more about how the Bible came into being. Although I feel that God had a hand in helping the divine people who wrote these Gospels, this was still an amazing argument that does pertain a lot to how things were passed down, and probably how many of the stories found in the bible came to be. Many questions are still unanswered in the life of Jesus and may stay unsolved forever, but it is good for our faith to question such things as these.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Religion in The Roman World
Upon reading the text Religion in The Roman World by Marianne Bonz, several of the main ideas made a significant impression on me. I have always had a general idea about the Gods of Mount Olympus, and their significance in the Roman culture, but never quite understood how important these gods were to them. People in these ancient societies idolized all of these gods and were in awe of their powers.
Although people in this time period worshiped many different gods, who all were the ruler of a certain aspect of life, they still addressed the presence of a higher power. Originally there were twelve different gods, and over time, several more were added when another significant aspect of life was discovered. They would create these gods on the belief that certain individuals were more or less chosen by one of the gods to be impregnated with one of their supernatural offspring. This concept shows a lot of resemblance to the birth and conception of Jesus Christ.
In comparison to these days, the Christian belief being that there is one almighty God who rules all. He is considered to be the God of all that is good, and every aspect of life in the natural world we all reside in. Even though God is the almighty ruler, he still has his angels and saints who are known to be the good in a certain area. All of this relates to the Roman concept of religion. The almighty ruler of all of the gods in the Roman time, the one who was considered the most powerful and the most wise, was Zeus. As stated above, there were many other gods who would rule over different aspects of life. Our current day religion, and that of the Roman time are nearly the same, just separated from one God ruling all, to many gods ruling the same things but individually.
Jesus was a man who arrived on Earth and helped display his love for all by performing miracles on the sick and providing food for the hungry, and then ultimately dying for all of our sins on the cross. Many of the Roman Gods displayed this same type of interest in helping the needy. They would help the sick, and in return these individuals would display their love to this God by worshiping them and spreading their spiritual experiences. This is the same as today. We pray for help with family members and those around us who are ill or in need of guidance in their lives. God will answer to those that are in true need and who are pure and sincere in their prayer. These are all considered miracles when this blessing is bestowed upon us.
The Romans prayed and worshiped the many different gods of their time, and this can be viewed to be the same as praying to the Mother Mary or other saints in the present day. The Roman’s concept of religion was probably the foundation of religion as we know it today. Over time, and after Jesus was brought to spread the Word of God, religion evolved to what it is today.
Although people in this time period worshiped many different gods, who all were the ruler of a certain aspect of life, they still addressed the presence of a higher power. Originally there were twelve different gods, and over time, several more were added when another significant aspect of life was discovered. They would create these gods on the belief that certain individuals were more or less chosen by one of the gods to be impregnated with one of their supernatural offspring. This concept shows a lot of resemblance to the birth and conception of Jesus Christ.
In comparison to these days, the Christian belief being that there is one almighty God who rules all. He is considered to be the God of all that is good, and every aspect of life in the natural world we all reside in. Even though God is the almighty ruler, he still has his angels and saints who are known to be the good in a certain area. All of this relates to the Roman concept of religion. The almighty ruler of all of the gods in the Roman time, the one who was considered the most powerful and the most wise, was Zeus. As stated above, there were many other gods who would rule over different aspects of life. Our current day religion, and that of the Roman time are nearly the same, just separated from one God ruling all, to many gods ruling the same things but individually.
Jesus was a man who arrived on Earth and helped display his love for all by performing miracles on the sick and providing food for the hungry, and then ultimately dying for all of our sins on the cross. Many of the Roman Gods displayed this same type of interest in helping the needy. They would help the sick, and in return these individuals would display their love to this God by worshiping them and spreading their spiritual experiences. This is the same as today. We pray for help with family members and those around us who are ill or in need of guidance in their lives. God will answer to those that are in true need and who are pure and sincere in their prayer. These are all considered miracles when this blessing is bestowed upon us.
The Romans prayed and worshiped the many different gods of their time, and this can be viewed to be the same as praying to the Mother Mary or other saints in the present day. The Roman’s concept of religion was probably the foundation of religion as we know it today. Over time, and after Jesus was brought to spread the Word of God, religion evolved to what it is today.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Assignment 2
1) I am an outgoing individual who loves to have fun and socialize. I am very dedicated to my school work and to where I want to end up in life. Attending Gonzaga is a building block in my life that will help me achieve the goals I am striving for. I love my family, and a huge movie fan! My absolute favorite thing to do is to snowboard!
2) I am and intriguing individual, and love to be randomly adventurous.
3) Unique
4)
2) I am and intriguing individual, and love to be randomly adventurous.
3) Unique
4)
Assignment 1
1) Jesus is the savior of Christianity. He died for all of our sins, and has eternal love for all. Jesus is viewed by many religions as the figure of worship, and is the son of God. He has brought many people together with his love for all.
2) Jesus is the savior of Chrstianity.
3) Almighty
4)
2) Jesus is the savior of Chrstianity.
3) Almighty
4)
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