Saturday, February 22, 2020

Prophecy in the Abrahamic faiths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Prophecy in the Abrahamic faiths - Essay Example In Judaism, male prophets including Hosea, Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and female prophets like Huldah and Miriam are considered the â€Å"mouthpieces† of God, Moses being the greatest of these prophets (Swidler, Duran, and Firestone 2007, p. 39). In Christianity as well, Jesus and the other prophets, including Moses are considered as God’s â€Å"spokespersons† (Swidler, Duran, and Firestone 2007, p. 39). Some others such as those mentioned in early Christian writings are also considered prophets. Islam also believes in the authenticity of the Jewish and Christian prophets, apart from the belief in the prophethood of Muhammad. The similarities among the prophets of the Abrahamic faiths are mostly in terms of their teachings, i.e. they preached monotheism, the oneness of God. They denounced idol worship and belief in false gods. They brought in social order to their nation and worked towards delivering the people from oppression and misery. They served as guides, fore tellers, and warners against sins. The prophets of the Abrahamic faiths also gave the holy scriptures to their people. All these holy books were a result of divine inspiration. All the prophets taught the concept of good and evil, life in the hereafter, heaven and hell, the Day of Judgment, angels, Satan, etc. All the prophets trace back their lineage to Prophet Abraham. 11 Differences between Prophets of the Abrahamic Faiths 11 Jews do not believe in the prophethood of Jesus and Muhammad (Honda, Alderman and Korneliussen n.d). In Christianity, Moses is believed to be a prophet, yet Muhammad is not considered to be a prophet. In Islam, however, both Moses and Jesus are revered as prophets. However, one difference in the Muslim and the Christian belief is that while the Christians believe Jesus to be more than a prophet, the Muslims view him only as a prophet. They do not believe him to be the son of God, unlike the Christians. Moreover, while Christians associate divinity with Jesus , Muslims believe that he was able to perform miracles only by the will and permission of God. Furthermore, unlike the Christian belief, the Muslims do not believe that Jesus was crucified (Honda, Alderman and Korneliussen n.d). As Nasr explains, the Quran does not accept the crucifixion of Jesus, but rather mentions that Jesus was taken to heaven (4:157-58 cited in Phipps 1999). The Muslim belief about Prophet Adam is also different from the Christian and Jewish belief. According to Islam, although Adam was considered to have sinned upon eating the forbidden fruit, humankind is not responsible and the concept of original sin is denounced in Islam (Schirrmacher n.d.). However, according to the biblical version, Adam transgressed the commandment of God by eating the forbidden fruit, and so brought death and sin to the entire human race, the reconciliation of which is possible only through the death of Jesus (Schirrmacher n.d.). 12 The main difference between Jesus and Moses, as per C hristian belief, is the divinity they associate with Jesus (Carmody and Carmody 1996). As per Christian faith, although Moses is a â€Å"great religious hero† and the â€Å"medium of God’s amazing grant of the covenant†, Jesus was more than that (Carmody and Carmody 1996, p. 187). According to them, Jesus sacrificed himself for humankind, â€Å"fashioned a new covenant†

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

English paper . Williams in the american grain Essay

English paper . Williams in the american grain - Essay Example The American dominance over the world, prevalent still, can be traced backed to this psyche of these heroes. But De Soto also had the added advantage of being very tactical. He was able to convince the native tribes that he was of divine origin and thus posed before them as a formidable god. When we study the period of De Soto, thus the power of negotiation can be seen slowly gaining ground at par with the power of weapons and riches. Survivalism was the ideology that unknowingly led all the conquistadors win their battles without bothering about hurting others. This kind of survivalism still runs deep in the blood of Americans. As described in the introduction to the book by Horace Grigory (p.17 of Introduction, Williams) the American tradition is characterized by the â€Å"impulse to make all things new, to build new cities†¦ to abandon projects with the scaffolding in the air,†¦(and)†¦to move onward to another El Dorado.† De Soto’s adventures also fit into this profile. The ability to endure and then rise from one’s own ashes like a phoenix are also some other attributes of these earlier Americans and the modern ones. Thus the collective American personality was built through the lives of these heroes and villains of history and has its roots in the mental fabric of these early founders and explorers. One criticism that arises in one’s mind after reading of â€Å"In the American Grain† is that whatever the author makes out as the â€Å"American grain†, can also be equally and logically attributed to the whole of humanity. The instinct to find new worlds, to create new things and the ‘El Dorado’ mindset are convincingly universal rather than American. William has contented that â€Å"there is a source in AMERICA for everything we think or do; that morals affect the food and food the bone, and that, in fine we have no conception at all of what is meant by moral, since