Showing papers on "Supreme Being published in 2011"

Isis and Osiris: Demonology vs. Henotheism?

Abstract: Reams and reams have been written by scholars about the demonological and henotheistic features of the Isiac cult. The role played by Isis in Apuleius’ Metamorphoses as supreme and primigenial Goddess and, at the same time, as demon has been recently interpreted by N. Methy as an effort to create a “mythical image,” a literary character who personifies the myth joining philosophical and religious demands. R. Turcan prefers to interpret this feature of Apuleius’ and Plutarch’s work as a result of a substantial philosophical change within Middle Platonism: they renounced demonology to the advantage of “Isis’ feminine henotheism,” an answer of a certain paganism to the theological crisis typical of the second century a.d., an “Age of Anxiety.” But, as shown by G. Sfameni Gasparro, Isis’ henotheistic role is not a product of the imperial theological crisis, but has its roots in the Hellenistic epoch (see aretalogistic literature). An inscription of Thessalonica gives us the pretext for bringing up this issue once more and investigating how the Egyptian religion (and in particular its demonological and henotheistic connotations) had to be imbued with Hellenistic Greek philosophy, and how Plutarch’s and Apuleius’ propagandistic choice of Isis and Osiris as personifications of a religious and philosophical Supreme Being was first of all an attempt at reconcilement among different cultural and philosophical systems.

'Public Reason', Judicial Deference and the Right to Freedom of Religion and Belief under the Human Rights Act 1998

Abstract: Human rights claims are often motivated by weighty considerations. But few motivating factors are arguably as powerful as those which typically underpin claims involving the right to freedom of religion and belief under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In such cases litigants often consider that they have a sacred duty to act (or refrain from acting) in a particular way, believing that failure to do so may displease a supreme being or even lead to dire consequences in an afterlife, perhaps for all eternity. To date the courts have acknowledged, in express terms, the unparalleled and existential significance of particular manifestations of religious belief to believers themselves. British judges have made a number of statements in which they have accepted the centrality of faith in the lives of those bringing such claims before them, recognising that in view of religion's association with the transcendental, the divine and the eternal, it is the most important thing for many people.

God and Being: An Enquiry

Abstract: Western theology has long regarded 'Being' as a category pre-eminently applicable to God, the supreme Being who is also the source of all existence. This idea was challenged in the later philosophy of Martin Heidegger and identified with the position he called 'ontotheology'. Heidegger's critique was repeated and radicalized in so-called postmodern thought, to the point that many theologians and philosophers of religion now want to talk instead of God as 'beyond Being' or 'without Being'. Against this background, God and Being attempts to look again at why the ideas of God and Being got associated in the first place and to investigate whether the critique of ontotheology really does require us to abandon this link. After exploring how this apparently abstract idea has informed Christian views of salvation and of the relationship between God and world, George Pattison examines how such categories as time, space, language, human relationships and embodiment affect our understanding of God and Being. Pattison concludes that whilst Heidegger's critique has considerable force, it remains legitimate to speak of God as Being under certain restricted conditions. The most important of these is that God is better conceived in terms of purely possible Being rather than (as in classic Christian theology) 'actual' Being. This leaves open possibilities of dialogue with, e.g., non-theistic religious traditions and with science that are foreclosed by traditional conceptions. Ultimately, however, all basic religious ideas must issue from and be seen to serve the requirements of embodied love.

Problems Encountered in the Teaching of Religious Education: A Case Study in Botswana

Abstract: Introduction The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the types of problems faced by teachers since Religious Education was introduced as an examinable subject in primary schools in Botswana. Botswana as a democratic, caring and prosperous country embraces the existence of different religions and worship. This is a welcome development since the country upholds human rights, respects and recognizes the different freedoms enshrined in the national constitution. Despite the different religions that exist in the country, Batswana generally in different forms of art and at the highest level of political decision-making find solace in psychological and humanistic relieve in different components of Christianity as the ultimate solution to existing problems of drought, war, student riots, broken and threaten marriages and other crises including the scourge of HIV/AIDS. This is typified in different forms of prayers held mainly by the mainline churches to call upon the name of God for self-counselling, fitting remedies and ultimate solutions to diverse problems that beset Botswana as a nation. The study is significant because it is likely to inform the theory of both primary and Adult Education. Primary school teachers may use the findings to better teach Religious education without making it a burden to their students since the problems will be known. The study is also important for the theory and practice of Adult education which is practiced on a lifelong basis within and outside in religious institutions. Past researchers have illuminated problems of having different religions and the clash between Christianity and African religions. Theorists can build new ones while practitioners can infuse the findings and recommendations of the study to improve practice at field world in schools. Literature Review The literature and research reviewed by the author at the time of the study ranges from secondary sources on the meaning of religion, and the intended role played by religious education to problems encountered by both students and teachers in teaching Religious Education as an examinable subject in Botswana's primary schools. Religion, order and social justice are expected to inter related concepts that bring about global peace at individual family, community, national and international levels. The three are also filtered in the realm of the human mind and translated into practice, hence the influence of humanistic psychology. In Botswana, recorded Adult education as a field of study, research and an academic discipline is still young, dynamic and therefore in the process of finding its identity. In simple terms, Adult education refers to all organized educational activities to meet the lifelong learning needs of people whose socio-cultural roles define them as adults. Qualifications for adult status in various countries include age, maturity, reproduction, gender roles and other features often identified with social responsibility. Definitions and Functions of Religion and Religious Education Religion and Religious education can be defined in terms of two major streams, the African traditional stream and the foreign stream of religion. African traditional and Christianity as a foreign import are described in the contrast table below. Africans including Batswana have beliefs in gods, ancestors, and other supernatural beings for lifelong protection. Religion in the Western sense is usually identified with a superior being and A Belief in a supreme being, who commands us to behave in a moral fashion on this earth, and promises an afterlife to come (Giddens, p. 531). The superior being, although often equated to some kind of God, means different things to different people, hence the God exists in a context. One of the common goals of religion and religious education is to deal with differences by accommodating people constructively (Sidorkin, 1999). …

Fatherhood of God

Abstract: The fatherhood of God can be understood in either of two senses: God considered in the unity of the divine nature as the creator of all finite beings, or God as the first person of the Trinity. The scriptural evidence for both of these senses will be discussed, after some relevant philosophical and theological points are addressed for each sense in turn. Keywords: fatherhood of God; God, unity of the divine nature; God, as the father of all creation; God's creativity, akin to the begetting process; the supreme being, a pure spirit; scriptural evidence; doctrine of the trinity, in the new testament; “glorify your father which is in heaven”

The Biblical Concept of Victory over Evil In the Great Controversy Between Good and Evil in Yoruba Contest

Abstract: The basis for a theology of triumph or victory in the form of prevention and protection is that there exist two systems: the system of evil, consisting of evil higher beings (the ajogun in YTR or Satan and his angels in biblical teaching) and the system of good, consisting of good higher beings (the Supreme Being and divinities in YTR, or God and His angels in biblical teaching). The opposition between these two systems results in constant conflicts in the universe. While the evil higher beings are there to harm and inflict man with evil things, the good higher beings help mankind in prevention of and protection from evil. Human beings need to offer sacrifices in order to be sure that he/she receives constant protection from the good higher beings. The focus of the discussion in this work is influenced by this theological concept. The major elements for consideration in the discussion include the existence of good and bad spirits, the activities of the evil spirits, and the superior power of good spirits over the evil spirits, the essence of the conflicts in the universe, and the means of triumphing over the evil spirits in Yoruba context.

The Ultimate Portraiture: God in Paradise Lost * 1 and in The Divine Comedy

Abstract: Arguably the two greatest poets of the Christian world, Milton and Dante have both written about God, respectively in Paradise Lost and in The Divine Comedy. Though equally influenced by the Bible and Christian thought and sharing many affinities, the two poets adopted different approaches in portraying the Supreme Being, a task that taxes the imaginative powers of the greatest of poets. While Milton’s portraiture of God is highly anthropomorphic, reminding one very much of the epics of pre-Christian times, Dante’s parts company with that of the classical epics in a direction of its own, and is indebted for its success not to anthropomorphism, but, rather, to the avoidance of anthropomorphism. In the end, while Milton’s God is more interesting, more intriguing, and more “story-worthy” as a character, Dante’s comes closer to the true image of the Christian Supreme Being. This paper discusses the

Ezigbo MMADU: An Anthropological Investigation into the Concept of a Good Person in Igbo Worldview

Abstract: This paper examines the concept of ‘ezigbo mmadu’ (good person) in Igbo worldview. The paper argues that ‘ezigbo mmadu’ is constructed in human relationships. It argues that the Igbo people’s understanding of ‘mmadu’ as the climax of the Supreme Being’s creativity and beauty situates the human person as a moral agent. Deviating from that ideal is an aberration that reduces the human person from the pinnacle that humankind has been placed. And so, for the Igbo ‘ezigbo mmadu’ captures and reflects those ideals necessary for group and inter-group relations.