Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Religion

Vatican City: Baroque Art and Architecture

Key Elements of the Baroque Period

Vatican 1:

• a) Vatican, Rome (IT)
• b) Lorenzo Bernini
• c) Baroque Style
• d) 1656-67
• e) Lintel

2: Historical Context: This period is notable for the interplay between crisis and progress. Many problems arose: social conflict, stagnation in agriculture and industry, pestilence, and war. However, it was also a time when colonial empires emerged, helping to alleviate these crises.

B) Cultural Context: The art center during the 17th century was in Rome. During this period, there was a scientific breakthrough in opera.

C) Religious Context: Religion saw a reaffirmation of the principles of the Catholic Church. The papacy was strengthened, and the Jesuits were created to curb the Counter-...

Academic Skepticism: Arguments

Academic Skepticism, as explored by figures like Arcesilaus, investigated doubt through various arguments. Two key arguments were:

• The Argument of Contradiction: This argument suggests that for any proposition, an equally strong counter-proposition can be found, leading to a suspension of judgment.
• The Argument of Doubt: This posits that while one can question all things, the act of doubting itself cannot be doubted, leading to a state of equipollence.

New Academy: Dialectics and Denial

The New Academy adopted a distinct philosophical stance, emphasizing the denial of certain knowledge and employing dialectics as the art of defending arguments. This school of thought diverged from Neoplatonism.

Divine Illumination:

Foundations of Jesus and the Gospels

Jesus is fully God and fully human, serving as the model of love and service. The Gospels present different perspectives of His life:

• Matthew: Jesus as the Teacher
• Mark: Jesus as the Suffering Servant
• Luke: Jesus as the Universal Savior
• John: Jesus as the Divine Word

The Synoptic Gospels include Matthew, Mark, and Luke. To understand these texts, scholars use exegesis, which is the process of interpreting Scripture using historical and literary context.

Teachings and Ministry of Jesus

Jesus taught using parables, which are simple stories that convey a moral lesson. His ministry was marked by miracles, including healing, nature miracles, exorcisms, and raising the dead. Central to His mission was the New Covenant,...

Q. Why, according to the writer, does the advice she gave to Saheb seem hollow?

Ans The author's suggestion for Saheb to go to school didn't make sense because there wasn't a school nearby where he lived. Building a new school in his poor neighborhood wasn't realistic because of the lack of resources and attention from authorities.

Q. What explanation does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?

Ans The author elucidates that the children go barefoot because they're accustomed to the rough streets and their families can't afford shoes. This lack of footwear becomes a symbol of their poverty and the harsh realities they face daily.

Q. Was Saheb happy with his job at the tea stall?

Ans Saheb isn't really happy working at the tea stall...

Quranic Verses on Revelation and Divine Authority

Section 1: The Book and the Unbelievers

Tā Sīn Mīm.

1. These are verses of the Book that makes things clear.
2. It may be thou frettest thy soul with grief, that they do not become Believers.
3. If such were Our Will, We could send down to them from the sky a Sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility.
4. But there comes not to them a newly-revealed Message from Allah Most Gracious, but they turn away therefrom.
5. They have indeed rejected the Message: so they will know soon enough the truth of what they mocked at!
6. Do they not look at the earth—how many noble things of all kinds We have produced therein?
7. Verily, in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe.
8. And verily, thy Lord is He, the Exalted

The Christian View: Forgiveness and Eternal Life

Christians assert that Jesus had to die so that humans could receive forgiveness for their sins and attain endless life. This is supported by scripture:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

This indicates that by sacrificing himself on the cross, Jesus took the punishment for all our sins at once, offering us the chance for salvation. Only an all-loving God would make such a sacrifice for humanity.

Challenge: God's Omnipotence and Alternative Paths

However, some question this necessity, arguing that if God is omnipotent (all-powerful), He could have devised another method for providing salvation...

What is Virtue?

Virtue is an acquired habit and firm disposition to do good.

Theological Virtues:

• Faith: Belief in God and all that He has revealed to us. It is a theological virtue by which we believe in God and all He has revealed to us.
• Hope: Firm confidence in eternal life.
• Charity: Love God above all things and all neighbors as ourselves.

Moral Virtues:

• Prudence: Practical reason to discern in all moments.
• Temperance: Moderates the attraction to sensual pleasures.
• Justice: Consists in the constant and firm will to give to God and neighbor what is due to them.
• Fortitude: Firmness and constancy in the practice of good.

The Seven Deadly Sins

The deadly sins, or capital vices, are those to which fallen human nature is mainly inclined. The deadly sins...

Humanism: The Intellectual Movement of the Renaissance

Humanism was an intellectual and artistic movement that developed in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. Humanist philosophy became widespread due to the invention of the printing press.

Key Characteristics of Humanism

• Interest in Classical Culture: Classical Greek and Roman culture and philosophy served as the primary reference for intellectual and artistic activity.
• Anthropocentrism: Humanists placed human beings at the center of philosophical reflection and artistic creation, abandoning theocentrism to explain reality without relying solely on religion.
• Optimism and Creativity: They shifted their focus toward achieving a better life in this world rather than focusing exclusively on

Durkheim's Theory of Social Facts and Religious Foundations

Firstly, Durkheim established that sociology is the science of social facts. These social facts have the following characteristics:

Characteristics of Social Facts

• Social facts are ways of thinking and acting.
• Social facts are normative: they rule and they are coercive.
• Social facts are external to the individual; they have an independent existence.
• Social facts are general because they encompass the whole society.

Religion as the Fundamental Social Fact

Durkheim also stated that religion is the social fact that makes society exist. To understand what religion is, his starting points for his investigation were:

• There are no true or false religions; they are all true in their own way.
• All religions

Salvation by Grace Through Faith

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The Beauty of Unity and Light

Psalms 133:1

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Ephesians 5:11

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Family and Spiritual Warfare

Ephesians 6:1-3

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Ephesians 6:10-11

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his...