Apologetics: The term apologetics is derived from the ancient Greek word apologia which semantically means ‘in defence of’ something. The term got popularized by the usage in New Testament by Apostle Paul in the book of Acts where he says:
“ ...stand before you today and I make my defence ” (Chapter 26:2 )
The term apologetics is widely used in the western context with Christian origins, primarily referring to the defence of Christian thought. However, the term is also used in formal discussions to refer the defence pertaining to any religion and any philosophy like atheism, secularism and humanism etc. The apologetics of Buddhism, BahAi faith, Hinduism, Judaism, Deism, Pantheism are also popular.
Paul, the apostle can be considered as the
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It is first published in 1994, the book received Gold Medallion award in 1994 in the category of doctrine and theology in the same year. The lectures in Harvard and Ohio state universities delivered by the author himself were further developed and published in the form of this book by adding up few more concepts which deal with the questions of reality of God’s existence and its influence on the lives of individuals. The book primarily addresses the despair and hopelessness in human life which the author considers to be a result of anti-theistic thinking, he answers the existential questions through various illustrations from history and his personal experiences. He subtly points at the fallacy of accusing God for the crimes committed by the individuals and institutional …show more content…
The author expresses his agony towards the attitude of the contemporary humanity as he constantly asserts the sublime purpose for human life. In the opening chapter of the book, Ravi refers to Albert Camus and Viktor Frankl who declared that search for meaning is life’s fundamental pursuit and later he develops on the necessity and importance of finding a meaning. As T.S.Eliot in his Wasteland talks about the pathetic situation of the West, Ravi Zacharias also points out at the western trends and America and particular in reflecting the global phenomenon. The author’s exposure to both eastern and western world provides an advantage for his arguments, he emphasizes the greater impact of art and media on the modern world as he
In addition, how can humans treat each other as though another human is just a bug that needs to be exterminated? Through the shocking stories, the reader also begins to question where God is; however, there needs to be a separation of blame. Human’s evil actions are not the responsibility of God. It must be recognized that humans have freewill to choose to do good or evil. Evil is of the world, but since God is not of the world, God is not responsible for the evil in the world.
He received a B.A. degree from Philander Smith College in Arkansas in 1958, a B.D. degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1961, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University in 1963 and 1965, respectively. He taught theology and religion at Philander Smith College, Adrian College in Michigan, and beginning in 1970 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he was awarded the distinguished Charles A. Briggs Chair in systematic theology in 1977. He taught theology and religion at Philander Smith College, Adrian College in Michigan, and beginning in 1970 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he was awarded the distinguished Charles A. Briggs Chair in systematic theology in 1977. The thesis of this book is that one's social and historical context decides not only the questions 2 we address to God but also the mode or form of the
Two main themes –struggle of maintaining faith in god, the “silence” are well developed in this section of the
Doña Margarita says that once everyone “recognize we are all the children of God,” (471) it will lead to happiness because she believed that God is the almighty figure that has the ability to enlighten the world. In conclusion, Villaseñor’s book is filled with elements regarding family, love, and determination. Furthermore, Villaseñor uses religion to connect these elements to religious faith. The lack of books using religious connections makes this book unique.
(110) Hypothetical question here—would it be foolish to think that the author of a textbook that purports to take a rigorous historical approach to introducing New Testament writings and early Christian writings would know better than to introduce an idea, a theory that has never been proven and pass it off as history? It appears the line that separates historical fact from fiction is easily
In a place completely surrounded by death and destruction, one’s sanity can shatter. In order to keep on going, people may take consolation in the conviction that their lives are guided by an immortal design or purpose, giving them the fortitude to endure and continue. When faced with hopelessness, people may seek consolation in their faith's teachings and values, to make sense of their circumstances. Continuing these practices is holding on to a point in their lives where they were not under these circumstances. The belief in God is the one remaining constant in their lives when everything they hold dear was taken away from them.
A “simple creature of flesh and bone”(76-77) is not seen as being capable of understanding god’s will. Unlike god a person’s views may be warped by emotion; someone may “suffer hell in [their] soul and [their] flesh.”(77) After the death of Akida Drummer the prisoners forget to pray for him as a direct result of their own suffering. Unlike a god they have been rendered unable to fulfill their promise to their friend because of their own emotional trauma. Sorrow and other emotional responses are described as a force capable of destroying one’s ability to reason. Furthermore humankind is not seen as having adequate trust in god’s will.
The existence of God has been presented by a multitude of philosophers. However, this has led to profound criticism and arguments of God’s inexistence. The strongest argument in contradiction to God’s existence is the Problem of Evil, presented by J.L Mackie. In this paper, I aim to describe the problem of evil, analyse the objection of the Paradox of Omnipotence and provide rebuttals to this objection. Thus, highlighting my support for Mackie’s Problem of evil.
On the other hand, theists like Swinburne, believe that evil is necessary for important reasons such as that it helps us grow and improve. In this paper I will argue that the theist is right, because the good of the evil in this specific case on problems beyond one’s control, outweighs the bad that comes from it. I will begin by stating the objection the anti-theodicist gives for why it is wrong that there is a problem of evil. (<--fix) Regarding passive evil not caused by human action, the anti-theodicist claims that there is an issue with a creator, God, allowing a world to exist where evil things happen, which are not caused by human beings (180-181).
More Than a Carpenter I. Introduction More Than a Carpenter is a Christian Apologetics and Inspirational book written by Josh McDowell with later contributions by his son, Sean McDowell. First published in 1977 by Tyndale House Publishers, the work has sold more than 27 million copies worldwide, and remains to be one of the bestselling books about Christianity and Evangelism. The author, Joslin “Josh” McDowell, is an American Christian apologist and evangelist born in Union City, Michigan in 1939. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 books about Christian Apologetics since 1960, once of which being his highly influential book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
This paper will discuss the problem of evil. In the first part, I will discuss Walter Sinnott-Armstrong’s atheist stance and William Lane Craig’s theist stance on the problem of evil. In the final part of this paper, I will argue that Walter Sinnott-Armstrong’s argument is stronger. The Problem of Evil
A common questioning of a higher power beyond the physical realm lingers in society: Who and what is God?. However, many of these theological questions cannot be answered until we, of course, die. Due to human’s innate curiosity to understand the forces beyond their own, especially in terms of religion, humans find their own reasons to believe in God in the process of discovery. Religion is a sense of belief and worship to praise a higher power (God), and it provides a guide for human beings to have the opportunity to come together and live as one image of God’s children. “Imagine There’s No Heaven” is an article in which Salman Rushdie, the author, presents an atheistic view where religion is pointless, and a higher being is non-existent.
A lot of arguments have been known to prove or disprove the existence of God, and the Problem of Evil is one of them. The Problem of Evil argues that it is impossible to have God and evil existing in the same world. Due to ideal characteristics of God, evil should not have a chance to exist and make human suffer. In this essay, I will examine the argument for the Problem of Evil, a possible theodicy against the argument, and reply to the theodicy. First of all, to be clear, the Problem of Evil is an argument that shows that God cannot be either all- powerful, all-knowing, and/or all good.
In this essay I will argue against the previously mentioned statement using the following arguments: The inconsistency between theists, the dependence of morality on religion and finally, Euthyphro’s dilemma. One problem with the Divine Command Theory is that it assumes that all its followers agree on what
Week Outline Preliminary Thesis Statement: Religion is an essential constituent of any civilization with a unique spiritual pathway. Main Point: Religious spirituality establishes the framework for human social and cultural development. 1. Topic Sentence: