Journal 5

Challenges to Faith

 

1) This section is about challenges to our Faith. These challenges include attacks from atheism, science, and dehumanization. Friedrich Nietzsche was an atheist who said �God is dead.� He meant that the belief in God is dead so we have to find a new way to live. He believed we must all follow our inner �will to power� to be great. Thomas Hobbes was also an atheist who believed that only what exists in physical matter is really existing (thus he did not believe in souls or God) and that we are all driven by instinct like animals. Science has often been seen as contradictory of Church belief, but really the Church says the bible isn�t all 100% true, and that science can help affirm our belief in God. Even the scientific method is flawed in its ways, such as it makes the assumption that everything in the universe works as it does in their experiments, that�s not necessarily true. We also face dehumanization from places like the media who have begun to sell images of people using their products rather than the actual product.

 

2)

����������� A) An idea from this section that I would like to remember is the teachings of Thomas Hobbes. He was a materialist (someone who believes that the only thing which exists is physical matter). Therefore he thought the only things necessary to understand the universe are the laws of nature. He related humans to animals in the fact that we do not have free will and we are driven by instinct. The instincts that drive us are for self-preservation, protection of our family, and the desire for comfortable living. On top of this he believed everything is going to happen a certain way and there�s nothing we can do about it because that way is already set. It is the belief of fate or destiny. Hobbes says that the only way humans can achieve something great is in peace, and the only way peace can be acquired is by people giving up some freedoms to a government. I find his teachings very interesting, but not true. There are many people who have given up their lives for something other than their families or comforts. In Gates of Fire, Xeones has no family left and he fights knowing he will die (even though he doesn�t) for something bigger than himself. People often sacrifice things for something bigger than themselves, or their family.

 

����������� B) I really liked �The Merchants of Cool� video. It said that teens were targeted for their expendable income and ability to get money from their parents. I wasn�t very aware that I was targeted to buy things so much. Some parts of the media�s plan I have noticed, like �the mook� (obnoxious, immature male who boy teens think is funny) or �the midriff� (female who is all bout sexuality and premature aging, and tells girls to flaunt their sexuality). Although I noticed �the midriff� I never was able to see how much it affected girls until this video. I always though it was just a complaint of parents to keep me from seeing scantily clad women. This video showed some girls who have been affected by this, and I could see that they were genuinely deceived into believing the image of �the midriffs.� The video also showed teens trying to rebel against the media, but were ultimately made the media themselves. This is the sad part of it I think. If you try to fight the media and gain popularity, the media will pay you to get a piece of the rising popularity, so there is no way to stop it.

 

����������� C) The Crisis of Faith video was very interesting. It pointed out something that is happening all around me but I never noticed before. The material things around us are beginning to become our religion. We have trouble believing in the uncertain now because so many other things we can be certain about. Data is all around us as well as violence and technology, and these things all give us certainty. Data is raw facts, violence makes us feel more powerful and secure in our place, and technology provides us with new ways to do things and often defies what we thought was possible, making us believe we can turn to it for any problem. Sometimes we see things like war and violence, and we all know its cruel and we should avoid it but we�ve gotten to the point where we just ignore it because it is easier to do that than to vary from the norm and try to stop it. I feel that I�m like this. Being a privileged person, I�m afraid to make things harder for myself to make things better for others less fortunate. It is like the quote from Dumbledore: �. . . we will have to make the choice between what is right, and what is easy.�

 

3)

This is from http://www.moviestars.co.nz/DVDs/1469075.html.

This picture reminds me of the movie "Josie and the Pussycats" which I once saw (when I was bored). The plot is about a conspiracy started by the media making teens buy things because of subliminal messages put in the music they like. The plot reminds me of parts of this section like "The Merchants of Cool."