A Little Catch Up What did you learn………………… Understanding the Times

Jesus Camp’s Becky Fischer try try Understanding the Times

Jesus Camp’s Levi ilY

Jesus Camp’s Ted Haggard UMOI

And ………..Marjoe plmGg

College Moment The more you have to offer the more they will offer. If you need a fresh opinion regarding your college decisions….I am available and happy to help.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Theology Theology (from Greek Θεός meaning "God" and λογία, -logy, meaning "study of") is the systematic and rational study of concepts of God and their influences and of the nature of religious truths.GreekΘεόςλογία-logyrational God

Christianity: A Brief History eIJGXM eIJGXM

Table Assignment What are the distinctives of Christianity? List at least Five……………………..

Christianity What are the two “foundations” upon which Christian theism rests? 1. General revelation – is God communication regarding his existence to all people at all times. 2. Special revelation – the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Linchpin Linchpin- is a pin passes through an axle to keep a wheel in position. Special Revelation is the linchpin that holds the case for Christianity together. One can understand reality by understanding the story of God of which Christ is the center.

C.S. Lewis “ Unless I believe in God I can not believe in thought.” It makes more sense to think that our own rational thought processes are the product of some higher intelligence rather than billions of years of random incidents. Human reasoning must be suspect if not the result of a previous reasoning process. (52)

Characteristics of God Sovereign - Daniel 4:35 Moral – Proverbs Patient – Exodus 32: Faithful - John 10:28 Powerful – Hebrews 1:10 Just – Jude 15 Loving and Forgiving John 1:12, Eph 1:7

Islam: Key Beliefs One God (monotheism) Angelic Hierarchy - Gabriel is the highest angel - Two angels assigned to each person to record good and bad deeds - Jinn bad or mischievous spirits God has sent a

Islam con’t A prophet assigned to each nation with same message- There is only one God. All people should submit to him. There will be a judgment of deeds, both good and evil.” Muslims affirm: Adam, Abraham, Noah, David, Solomon, Jonah, John the Baptist and Jesus ( as a prophet).

More Islam…. The Prophets were given holy books: - Moses – Torah - David –Psalms - Jesus – The Gospels - Muhammad – The Qur’an Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the only one of these documents that is available in an uncorrupted form.

Does this sound familiar? B7d6rc&list=PLF8A1B10F5C6F3C34 B7d6rc&list=PLF8A1B10F5C6F3C34

Trinity Muslims are confused by this doctrine because the Qur’an teaches the doctrine of the Trinity as polytheism. Thus, followers of Islam believe that Christians are polytheistic. Muslims believe that Islam fulfills Christianity.

Five Pillars of Islam The Confession of Faith (“There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is his prophet”) Prayers five times a day, facing Mecca Almsgiving about 1/40 of income and holdings, primarily for the poor Fasting during the month of Ramadan Pilgrimage to Mecca

Islam: More Info. Stop video at the five minute mark. End of Part #1

Extreme and Serious

WHY

Table Activity Compare and contrast Christian theology to the Islamic theology.

Secular Humanism A Godless Religion …. Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity. Understanding the Times

Secular Humanism Beliefs Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. Life's fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness. Understanding the Times

Guiding Documents Humanist Manifesto I Humanist Manifesto II Humanist Manifesto 2000 Understanding the Times

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Comparison Continued Add Secular Humanism to the comparisons you have started.

Marxism/ Leninism Atheistic at its core: Marx said that God is a projection of man’s alienation from himself, labor, and from a human community cruelly divided by class barriers. 9b3o Understanding the Times

Salvation – Man’s salvation would/will come in creating a mundane utopia that can only be built when men stop believing in promises of a kingdom to come in the time after time. (spiritual religion) Understanding the Times Marxism/ Leninism

In this worldview there is a constant struggle between the haves; (bourgeois a person whose political, economic, and social opinions are believed to be determined mainly by concern for property values and conventional respectability.) and the have not's :(proletariat: (in Marxist theory) the class of workers, esp. industrial wage earners, who do not possess capital or property and must sell their labor to survive.) Marxism/ Leninism

Current Number of Citizens in Communist Countries: 1.5 billion People Killed by Communism 110,000,000 Marxism/ Leninism

Table Activity Add this theology to your chart.

Cosmic Humanism Pantheism -is the view that the universe/nature and God are identical. XZCnYkhttps:// XZCnYk Understanding the Times

Cosmic Humanism is an extremely large, loosely structured network of organizations and individuals bound together by common values (based in mysticism ) monism—the world view that 'all is one and a common vision (a coming 'new age' of peace and mass enlightenment, the 'Age of Aquarius')." believe that 'all is one'— everything that exists consists of one and thesame essence or reality. A second assumption is that this Ultimate Reality is neither dead matter nor unconscious energy. It is Being, Awareness, and Bliss A Hindu conception of God as an impersonal, infinite consciousness and force). The first two assumptions imply two more: all that is, is God (which is pantheism); and man, a part of 'all that is,' is likewise divine.

Cosmic Humanism: In our own backyard Three days before former congressional candidate Abel Tomlinson climbed into a tree at the county courthouse in a rant that got him arrested, he paid $45 to file articles of incorporation with the state to create the Psychedelic Pantheism Church

Atheistic - God is an antiquated notion that reasonable people have moved past. There is no God and thus no real morality. If it is right for you and does not do great harm to anyone else then it is right. Postmodernism

8FaOHgs 8FaOHgs I make my own reality.

Postmodernism Seventy-two percent of Americans agree, "There is no such thing as absolute truth; two people could define truth in totally conflicting ways, but both could still be correct." Seventy-one percent of Americans agree, "There are no absolute standards that apply to everybody in all situations." Fifty-three percent of those who claim there is no such thing as absolute truth identify themselves as born-again Christians. Forty-two percent of those who identify themselves as evangelical Christians agree, "There is no such thing as absolute truth; two people could define truth in totally conflicting ways but both could still be correct."

Final Assignment Finish your comparison by adding Cosmic humanism and postmodernism to the chart.