https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2 en-us 2018-08-26 21:36:13 UTC 2023-02-19 00:34:24 UTC hello@padlet.com mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/279029784 After reading and discussing Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism," I was curious about the relationship between existentialism and Christianity. This article offers insight into existentialism, and even existentialism in the Bible.]]> 2018-09-07 21:19:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/279029784 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/281075561 The heated debate between science and religion are perhaps most intense when it comes to the topic of creationism versus evolution. However, the all-or-nothing view of the creation of the Earth and the origin of man seem to be dissipating as many Christians have begun to see science and faith as complementary, rather than at odds. This article examines statistics relevant to the relationship to science and faith in addition to giving insight into what could make the creationism and evolution debate such a hot topic for scientists and Christians alike.

Can science and religion be reconciled? Why or why not?]]> 2018-09-13 21:43:01 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/281075561 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/283172132 Freud's "The Future of an Illusion" left me with some questions about the philosopher and his beliefs. I was surprised to learn that about Freud's later published work "Moses and Monotheism." This book suggested that the history of Moses and the Israelites that we see in today's biblical canon is incorrect. This article discusses the subject matter of Freud's later writings and Freud's changing relationship with religion. I was shocked to find out that, while he never believed in the Christian God or even believed that the Bible was true , he began to see religion as more than a school of thought that would give people a "father figure." Freud actually began to see the hope in religion. 

If Freud was true in theorizing that monotheism actually came from the Egyptians, how would that change today's religious and secular society?

The author states, "'Moses and Monotheism' indicates that Freud, irreligious as he was, could still find inspiration in a religious figure." How does this change your view of Freud?]]> 2018-09-18 21:20:44 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/283172132 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/286521061 This graphic portrays capitalism as a pyramid, placing the different groups on different level, supporting different things. One interesting thing about this illustration is its placement of religion. It is placed under money and under the government with the tagline "We fool you." Additionally, the working class is seen on the bottom level of the pyramid, working to support every other level.

What does the placement of religion in this illustration say about capitalism?

Has money become our new god?

Though this image is from 1912, what parts of it are still seen in America's capitalistic society? What aspects of this are a poor representation of capitalism?]]> 2018-09-27 14:02:02 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/286521061 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/288134048 **Disclaimer -- I am not a communist. Additionally, I believe that taking Scripture out of context and simply making Jesus a pawn in our personal ethics minimizes God and His glory. Using the Bible and Jesus' character for our political/economical gain perverts the beauty of the Gospel and makes God's redemptive story about us and what we want, not God's grace. I am not seeking to support communism or capitalism in this post, merely to spark discussion!**

In this article,  the understood link between atheism and communism is refuted and the relationship between Christianity and communism/socialism is drawn. One interesting part of this article is how it points out the use of phrases like "In God we trust" or "one nation under God" in American society. Additionally, the biblical idea of serving "the least of these" can seem to support certain economic systems. 

How should we respond to Scripture in terms of our government and the economy? Because church and state are separate, should the Bible hold any weight in how our government and economy work?]]> 2018-10-02 14:10:48 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/288134048 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/291031645 Today we started studying postmodernism... YAY, right?

We covered a lot of ground in class and got a really great handout that compares premodernism, modernism, and postmodernism. This is a simplified version of the diagram.

For real though, I think that this picture shows how a lot students view these three philosophical eras. Additionally, though, I think that this does give a fairly accurate representations of these time periods. The dot representing the premodern era accurately depicts the lack of mobility in philosophy and the unquestionable nature of the Church. The arrow in modern philosophy shows how many philosophers wanted to achieve a higher state of enlightenment through critical thinking and reasoning. Because we haven't began studying postmodernism for very long, I definitely think that the illustration used for postmodernism is spot on.

What questions do you have about postmodernism that you hope to get answered by the end of the semester?]]> 2018-10-09 23:45:52 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/291031645 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/294365732 Though Nietzsche possessed a wide variety of postmodern beliefs, none is more clear than his opinion of Christianity. A devout atheist, Nietzsche is often considered as an enemy to Christianity. However, writer for The Guardian Giles Fraser has a different view of Nietzsche. Fraser even credits Nietzsche and his philosophies for helping him convert to Christianity.

Fraser writes, "[Nietzsche] is in a completely different place to the new atheist brigade of Richard Dawkins and AC Grayling. If God walked into the room, Nietzsche would stab him – for his 'God is dead' revelation is that humanity can only become free if it rejects the idea of the divine. Christianity is not a mistake. It is wickedness dressed up as virtue."

What evidence do we have of Nietzsche's belief that Christianity is "wickedness dressed up as virtue?"]]> 2018-10-18 14:21:49 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/294365732 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/296169955 One major issue that we discussed as we explicated Foucault's writing was the concept that the world is full of gray area. There are so many ways that living in a world that is black and white can be detrimental. The dichotomy that we have the potential to create separates us from those with differing views and polarizes us even more. This insightful article goes more in depth about some of the effects of possessing a black and white mindset -- showing how we exhibit primitive thinking and could increase our mental health issues.

Another interesting point that this article brings up that we didn't think about in class is how thinking only in extremes hinders us because of how complex our world truly is. 

Williams writes, "It requires far less courage to live in the black and white than it does to live in the gray.  The world of gray requires that we show up and be present.  It does not afford us the luxury of putting life on automatic pilot."

Is it possible to live courageously in a world of black and white? What can we do to live in more gray areas?]]> 2018-10-23 19:41:22 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/296169955 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/299623222 One of my favorite things that we discussed this week in class was the relationship between power and knowledge. Lyotard's idea that the institutions and people in power control what knowledge the general public has access to was incredibly interesting but also a little concerning.

I think there's so much truth to this image! While this cartoon is humerous, it brings up a startling point about how we respond to this realization. As we read Lyotard and begin to understand what his writings about the legitimation of knowledge actually mean, it's important that we put action behind our knowledge. If we know that there are to some extent, powerful institutions that control some of the knowledge that we're being given, it becomes our responsibility to read, research, and think critically.

We are responsible for our knowledge.

Do you think there's any truth to this cartoon? How should we respond to the growing control over knowledge in our society?]]> 2018-11-01 23:29:22 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/299623222 mwagley214 https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/302109187 Today's discussion gave me a lot of things to think about. Something that really stuck with me was our conversation about how we should spread Truth to those that don't agree with us. 

There is such a fine line between speaking the Truth in love and driving people away from the good news of Christianity because of the way our actions and beliefs could be interpreted.

This article details how Jesus met spiritual needs during His ministry. Jesus was radical in His ministry and it's important to remember that we are called to live a life influenced by the Gospel. Something that my CHR 105 professor (shoutout to Greg Allgood -- what a hero) said in class this week was so thought-provoking. 

"Imitating Jesus is not like impersonating Elvis."

How often do we fail to speak the Truth in love in a postmodern society? What can we do to change this?]]> 2018-11-08 15:13:28 UTC https://padlet.com/mwagley214/gcp2kb7v1fw2/wish/302109187