The Question of God: Part Six

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.)

The Question of God: Part Four

Good job. Keep it up. However, be careful of all the opinions. I am getting a lot of opinions and sometimes very little basis to back them up. Remember to give evidence. Your opinion is great for you, but there is no point in telling anyone about it unless you have some kind of reason. Think through your answers and don't wait till the last minute. Also, DON'T USE BIG WORDS UNLESS YOU ARE SURE OF THEIR MEANING.

1. The video pointed out coming to a belief system by two means. First of all, Lewis came to atheism by emotional means. Secondly, Freud came to atheism intellectually. My question is: do you think there is a possibility for two people to come to the same conclusion by two mutually exclusive means? Or do you find that they both actually came to atheism by the same means, just that Lewis called his conclusion "emotional" and Freud termed it "intellectual"? Give me some conclusions you have come to that have been purely emotional, purely intellectual, or both.

2. Should Christians subject themselves to hypnosis (def: an artificially induced trance state resembling sleep, characterized by heightened susceptibility to suggestion.)? What might be the benefits of hypnosis? What might be the problems? (Some Christians are completely against being induced by hypnosis. Why do you think this is?)

3. Freud relates all desire and will to our sexual drives. He says that the first person we love is our mother and the first person we hate is our father. He goes on to say that these emotions shape us and stay with us for the rest of our lives. Before you start refuting why he is SO wrong and you are SO right, think about where he is coming from. Why would he say this is true about all people? Then give me your answer. This question is for serious thinkers only. Do not use big words unless you know what they mean.

4. Has something traumatic from your childhood caused you to view people in a skewed way today? You don't need to go into detail, just explain your view today. You may also use examples of famous people or an unnamed friend if you don't feel comfortable sharing your own. Do you (or someone you know) have a "black hole" in your (his/her) past?

5. (Dream Analysis) Have you ever had a recurring, prophetic, or traumatic dream? Give details about the dream. Then, using your own reasoning, see if you can figure out if there was any significance to your dream. Does God say anything about our dreams?

6. Think about how Freud viewed religion. He included Greek Mythology in with Paganism and even Christianity. He said that because of our disgust of our physical fathers not being the men we expect them to be, we project all our desires for this ultimate protecting strength on an "eternal being" we call "The Exalted Heavenly Father" which is where we all get this idea of religion. First of all (and do NOT skip this part), I want you to argue from a human perspective as to why this makes sense. Secondly (do NOT just give me this part), tell me why that perspective is flawed from a Christian perspective. Take this question seriously and don't just give me a bunch of opinions and why you think Freud was so wrong. This question is for serious thinkers only. Also, refrain from using big words unless you are sure you know what they mean.