Read carefully:Good job. Remember the grammar grade! Read each question carefully,
only certain amounts of people can answer each question. Getting started early will assure that you can answer the one you want. However, if someone answers a question you really wanted to answer, and you were forced to answer a different one, you may come back and answer the one you initially wanted. Answer each question completely. You may add information if you like, but you must answer everything in each question (unless you are coming back to answer a second question). Ask me if this doesn't make sense to you.
1. Freud greatly believed that our lives are characterized by the past. Likewise, that our own pasts declare who we are. Because of this, he was known by some as "The Archaeologist of the Soul." He saw religion and mythology as something that we are seduced into because of our desire for answers. Furthermore, he stated that the only true way of thinking is to save yourself from this delusion. My question is this: what does it matter if we believe in God or not? Why do we need saving from this concept of a biblical God? In other words, a Naturalist approach would say, "Stop trying to make me conform to your Christian ideals. You must free yourself from them to be truly free." Think about it. What kind of salvation is Freud (Naturalism) offering? Compare his salvation to Christian salvation and at least two other examples of religious salvation. (Only two people may answer.)
2. Lewis calls pride "spiritual cancer." He also said that "a great man knows that he is not God, and the greater he is, the more he knows it." How should we view pride? What does the Bible say about pride? You must look up and quote at least five verses for this one. What is your conclusion about pride? (Only one person may answer.)
3. Very tragically last night, a man down the street from school committed suicide in plain view of the whole street. Do you think a true Christian could commit suicide? Why or why not? You need to use at least three verses. What do you think causes a person to commit suicide? We all have feelings of depression and/or uselessness, but what sends people over the edge? (Only
two people may answer this question and may only give opposing views. In other words, if one person says, "No a Christian cannot," the other person must explain why they think a Christian could.)
4. In the movie "The International" one of the characters, an old man, made the following statement: "The difference between truth and fiction is that fiction
has to make sense." Think of the fictional stories you have read. They had to
seem believable within their settings or else their authors would not have sold many books. However in contrast, many things that are actually true don't seem to make sense. For instance, life. Life is the most abundant, observable phenomenon in our world, yet . . . how do we explain it? All we can do is observe it. No one can create life from non-living things, yet life is all around us.
The video pointed out that Jesus could not have been just a good man or a prophet, because not only did he do good things and teach good lessons, but also he claimed to be God Himself. Either Jesus is really God or else He is a lunatic. There is no in between. Probably most of us in class agree that we believe Jesus to be who He says He is. My question is how do we know this is true? (Think about the truth vs. fiction quotation in the above paragraph.) Could the salvation message be created by men? (Think of other world religions. What are they based on? Then compare them to Christianity.) How do we know that true salvation is from God and not man? What kind of religion would you create if you were in charge of the world? (Only three people may answer.)
5. a. In the video, the Agnostic pointed out that even if Jesus were alive today, he would still have trouble believing in Him because of the claims He would make (i.e. being God). What would it take for the entire world to believe? Is it possible for the entire world to believe in anything? (Think of freewill)
b. Are miracles important to a spiritual worldview?
c. Twice during the video the Christian man was challenged. The first time, the Agnostic said, "Show me the parting of the Red Sea. Show me miracles." The second time the Atheist said, "Don't you want to know how God did it? How did he restart the heart? How did he raise Himself from the dead? Aren't you curious?" What do you make of these questions? If someone asked them to you, what would you say? (Only three people may answer.)
