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.
Monday, March 22, 2010
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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