Tuesday, February 15, 2011

World religions class

I don't usually post two separate posts one right after the other. Sorry to make you read two in a row, but I had to.

I'm sitting in my Philosophy 112: World Religions class right now and these are some of the questions that are coming up right now...

What is religion? Why is religion?
What is the goal of religion?
Is there one true religion?
Is religion just dogma?
Does religion deal with truth?
What is enlightenment?
Is it ok to judge?
Does God exist?
Does God have a nature?
What is faith?
What is truth?

Man...I'm having a really hard time to know what to say and how to say it. I'm a religious studies major and I will be sitting in these types of classes for a looonng time. Just pray for me that I will hold up the gospel in a loving, rational, correct way in the midst of all these questions that are absolutely HUGE and numerous.

12 comments:

  1. That class sounds awesome! Talk about getting equipped for the gospel.

    I was listening to the radio one day and there was a pastor was talking about a conversation he had with a Muslim and this just really stood out to me. This pastor and Muslim was having a conversion comparing their faith and he was not making progress. In the end he said to the Muslim, "Let's get down to the point, we know that we are all sinners and are not perfect so how do you know you will end up in heaven?" The Muslim responds, "Allah is merciful." Then the pastor asked, "will someone who did evil all their life get into heaven?" and the Muslim states "no, because Allah is just." Then to finish it off, the pastor said "How can Allah be merciful and just because they contradict each other?" The Muslim paused and responded "I'll have to think about that..."

    We can answer that =D In our case, Jesus Christ justified our sins so that's how we can get to heaven, and God can still be just. When I heard this on the radio, I remember thinking wow, that makes so much sense and so far, only Christianity has been able to offer a good answer to the many tough questions of religion.

    By the way, one of my bros use to really be into studying other religions and try to convince me that all religions lead to the same destination so all of this apologetics stuff excites me =)

    I'll be praying for you and your class =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sometimes He will call you to speak, other times He will call you to listen. Enjoy both!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will be praying for you Nick. Stay strong and bold for the Lord. See how he can use you for His glory in this class and remember James 1:19-27. Excited to hear the stories dear.

    ReplyDelete
  4. i'll be praying for you. i went to high school between a mormon temple and byu and had tons of mormon friends. i've had countless conversations with them about many of the questions you listed. the conversations often ended with me saying that if you are genuinely seeking truth, God will reveal Himself. He can handle our questions, our doubts, our inadequacies. Keep seeking Him, He will always reveal Himself.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm with you, brother. Being immersed in a classroom with that kind of an atmosphere...can be burdensome. But good thing we know the truth, and the truth sets us free..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Praying for you man! I agree with Brooke's comment too

    ReplyDelete
  7. yeah man those questions can be tough for a lot of people but for the Christian we know that Jesus answers all those questions! preeeettyyy cool :) stay strong in there man!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Um...good questions...not all at once.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with Benoit on this one haha. These are amazing questions. One's which take a long while to even scratch the surface. If you get a chance watch some debates by "william lane craig" on youtube. It's encouraging to see a Christian theologian/apologist/philosopher prevail over these questions in a secular setting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I took a world religions class last semester and it was a blessing brother. The hard questions will challenge others as well as yourself and I spent a lot of time in prayer. Even asking God questions that I thought I knew the answers to. But prayer will be huge. I'm praying for you, bro. Contend for the Gospel and know that God has done more than enough to equip you already for this experience.

    ReplyDelete
  11. sounds like fun! for real. look at all the strengthening you get to do on your belief system.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I hear you, brother.
    God IS and invented the entirety of truth & thought.
    Don't feel a burden. Eph 6:10-20
    We are co-laborers with I AM.
    Praying that He will teach you so much!

    ReplyDelete