This essay sets out to explain the differences between the philosophies of Mencius and Hsün Tzu with regard to their consideration of good and evil in association with human nature. The essay provides an historical background for the development of Confucian philosophy from which Mencius and Hsün Tzu would draw inspiration, outlining the presence of the Hundred Schools of Thought era and the impact of the Warring States period. Aspects of both Mencius’ and Hsün Tzu’s thought are consid...
Edward Norman, former Chancellor of Yorkminster, contended in his book Secularisation (2002) that Christianity is destroying itself from within. This article addresses some of the issues raised by these suggestions and concludes that, although Christianity maybe a religion in transition, it has undergone many changes and adaptation over the 2,000 years of its existence
The history and challenges presented to France as an example of a secular state addressing religious presence.
This is essay discusses the impact that the Post-Modernist philosophy of Deconstruction, as proposed by Jacques Derrida, has upon all established ideas, highlighting the internal polarities that are required for a concept to exist
Why did the Catholic Church conduct the only crusade on European soil to rid themselves of this perceived threat
This essay investigates the nature of Good and Evil as forces within our personal experience rather than external protagonists. The concepts of Good and Evil are considered within a Western context, with reference to Eastern concepts, as polar functions which provide psychological tools to accommodate the nature of life experiences. Sources are taken from Ouspensky and Liebniz with the Dhammapada as a primary text.
This essay explores the place of Hajj as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It considers whether these devotions, exemplified ny Hajj, can be undertaken in a superficial fashion by the individual, or does the manner in which they are practised as an internalised experience, identify the relationship that the person is developing with Allah. The essay concludes that Hajj not only focuses the mind toward Allah, but also provides the potential for symbolic empowerment when confronting, and overco...
The aim of this essay is to show, firstly, how Tao is expressed as a positive exposition of actuality and secondly, the peace that the non-attachment of the Taoist concept wu-wei can bring. It seeks to show that Tao is a way of life and not a principle to aspire toward. In Chinese culture, Tao is antithetical to Confucianism; its emphasis upon spontaneity and individuality a stark contrast to the social obligation and moral duty stressed by Confucian thinking. Every aspect of existence has it...
Exploring the earliest contacts with the Coptic and Celtic churches regarding the pre-Augustine mission.
Durkheim’s argument consisted of two propositions. Firstly, that religion was not divinely inspired but born as an expression of society and within that expression the capability to transcend itself and, secondly, as a means of social coherence, the ability to build its own citadel; a self-contained social organism with modus operandi specific to its own needs. His work in this field is very insightful in terms of its observations, of its structure and the content of its mechanics, but its ...
This essay considers the ever changing notion of the Afterlife while exploring the nature of Dante's guide, Vergil; a complex character immersed in mythology, imbued with classical reason, yet in denial of his divine right to heaven. Can Vergil be considered a Messianic character when placed along side Beatrice? This is Vergil's rite of passage as much as that of Dante as they traverse the various levels of Hell and on to the Garden of Eden. In so doing the essay asks if the Afterlife is stil...
In this essay the role of religion in a Just War is addressed. Considered is the political currency which can be gained by using established religious tenets as a motivating force for political approval by the people with regard to political ideals. It also introduces the possibility of two levels of ethical criteria. Primary texts are taken from The Dhammapada, Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, The Gospel of Matthew, The Bhagavad Gita and Ninian Smart. Secondary texts include Thomas Hobbes’ Lev...
Godly character is lacking in the 21st century church. Integrity which is built on accountability and transparency is no longer cherished in the Christian body. The virtues are now seen as cankerworms of goodness and the unfortunate part of the story is that pastors - who should be role models to the church, are also victims of the menace of the ill characters seen in the Church today. The presence of these ill characters is evidenced by a number of high-profile pastors who have fallen ...
Foreign policy decision making is an approach in international relations that aimed at explaining choices made by leaders, small groups or coalitions representing their nation-state in the international arena. This paper examines different models of foreign policy decision making, such as Rational actor model, Game theory model, Bureaucratic politics model and Hero-in-history model, among others. According to the rational actor model, the outcome of a decision are the product of rational choi...
This paper discusses the prophetic ministry and the order of training employed at the time of the Old Testament. Worthy of note is that, the name given to bands of prophets or “sons of prophets” living together for instruction and worship under Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha. Little is known about these schools, but they seem to have been important religious institutions in Israel and references to them are frequent. Not all the “sons of the prophets” claimed to have a supernatural gift;...