Week Four: Challenges to Faith
1) One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the topic of the week.
During this week, we learned about different ways that our faith/Faith can be challenged. One way that we are often challenged with our Faith is by the attack from atheism. Both positive atheists and practical atheists are a challenge to Faith. Positive atheists make a deliberate decision that God does not exist, and often attack the beliefs of the Church. Practical atheists are those who say that they are religious, but do not live a religious lifestyle, and their moralities conflict with Jesus's teachings. Friedrich Nietzsche, a postive atheist, and Thomas Hobbes, a practical atheist, are both famous figures that used reason to prove their thinking that God did not exist,and the effects from that. Science is also a major challenge to Faith. from 500 B.C. to 1500 A.D., science and religion were one in the same. They were dependant on eachother, and one helped explain the other. This is called unreflective unity. However, from 1500-1900 A.D., during the Renaissance and Enlightenment, science began to want its independence from the Church. Some new scientific findings conflicted with literal interpretations of the Bible. This splitting of science and the Church due to deeper reasoning than before is called reflective disunity. Then, from 1900-today, science was realized that reason alone could not bring the truth. Like Albert Einstein says, though science can investigate how the universe operates, it is powerless to answer why it exists. While science realized its faults, the Church also admitted to taking the Bible too literally. They currently are in a relationship once again, called reflective unity. Another challenge, though definitely not the last, is materialism. These days, advertisements and the media control many aspects of our lives. More kids watch television than they do anything else, and people take in thousands of ads daily. These ads try to sell us things that are portrayed to bring us happiness. If we chose to believe that these things can bring us happiness, which I am often guilty of, then we are putting our faith into materialistic things rather than people and even God, and it dehumanizes civilization in a way. I believe that these challenges are constantly forcing people to struggle with their faith, and I know that I am affected by each of these.
2) List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week.
a.) Hobbe's Materialism- the belief that the only thing which exists is physical matter. This would mean that there is no God, no souls, no spirits, etc.
b.) Ignatian Indifference- accepting anything into your life which helps you toward your true goal, and letting go of anything whihc keeps you from reaching it.
c.) C. S. Lewis's remark that failing to rejoice is the most common sin from Christians. I believe in this. I think even though we all say we believe in Him, it's hard to really express your love for God. I think a part of this is that we can be uncomfortable voicing our beliefs in front of people who may or may not have those same beliefs. While I think this is an issue, I know that my youth group has helped me with this a lot. We have praise and worship with adoration once a month, and it really helps me to open up and show my love for God by rejoicing.
3) One image of that reminds you of the topic. Attribute, link, your source.
Logo 51 Windows- Sprite
4) One good question you should keep with you to ponder.
If there are so many adults who are either in some holy order or just highly religous people that still struggle daily with their faith, what makes them think they are capable of being in that high of a religious position?
5) What should you try to do to make you a better person, a more faithful person, form this study?
I want to try and pay more attention when reading or watching an ad, and think about if they are trying to sell me their product or an emotion that goes with it. Since we watched Fr. Kavanuaugh's video, I have tried to become more aware of the dehumanizing effects of materialism. I need to start seeing through this, and also not put my possessions on such high pedestals...like my guitar for instance.