Theology essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theology - Essay Example , this paper will briefly discuss the representation of the god of the Old Testament through textual analysis and seek to answer which approach most adequately describes his nature. One of the world’s most famous atheist Sir Richard Dawkins has this to say of the god represented in the Old Testament, â€Å"The god of the Old Testament is perhaps the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Jealous and proud of it, a petty unjust unforgiving control freak, a vindictive ethnic cleaners, a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, philicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully† (Dawkins 1). In this way, the reader can readily understand the approach that many who have rejected religion based upon the seemingly outlandish texts of the Old Testament hold to. From the atheist point of view or from the point of view of the believer that rejects the Old Testament, it is irreconcilable to believe in justice, equality, love, kindness, mercy, and yet believe that the same god that represents texts such as the following: â€Å"Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lo rd out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground" (Gen. 19:24-25); or the following: â€Å"Behold, I [God], even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish." (Gen. 6:17); or the following: "They [Israel] utterly destroyed everything in the city [Jericho], both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword" (Joshua 6:21). Such dictates make the case extremely difficult for those that would seek to justify such an approach (Daniel 84). In this way, seeking to justify the actions of the Israelites who were supposedly acting under the divine guidance of an omnipotent god becomes

Comparison between Confucius and Lao Tzu Research Paper

Comparison between Confucius and Lao Tzu - Research Paper Example The teachings associated with Confucius can be considered as concepts of human activities and they contain five fundamental messages. The initial message demonstrates two key components which are Zen and li. The concept of Zen points toward humanity and benevolence while li addresses rules and decorum. According to Confucius, li was the greatest manifestation of Zen despite the fact that Zen is attained through li. This means that the capability to abide by rules and decorum was the most favorable way to display respect and regard to the authority figure and the environment inhabited by individuals. The second message associated with the teachings states that an individual who is honest and decent should obey the authority and avails a set of morals for people in authority. These two mechanisms demonstrated the opinions held by Confucius concerning the framework of the state as well as the manner in which the community is organized socially. The third message carries Confuciusâ€℠¢ warning to human beings against possessing anything that will make their characters become extreme. Confucius perceives the center as being the most favorable position for an individual. The fourth message addresses issues of power and Confucius considers that it should be based on the ideology of justice. In essence, he blended the ideas of power and justice into one concrete formation. The final message argues that the human beings have to be completely involved and realistic to the religion they confess.