Atheist an Analysis of Secular Humanism and Essay

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Atheist

An Analysis of Secular Humanism and Christianity

Critical Analysis:

Secular humanists would answer the question of the origin of man by referring to the scientific field of biology, which is centered on the ideas put forth by Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Human beings do not have a special role or purpose in the world, they simply originated through an evolutionary process that took place over millions of years. The question of identity is less sure in atheism than Christianity. According to the Theory of Evolution, humankind has slowly evolved over many generations from primordial primate species into modern humanity, as it exists today. This is far less satisfactory than the identity of man as being created by God in the Garden of Eden.

The question of meaning of man's existence is answered by Secular Humanists by suggesting that human intelligence is simply a twist of fate, that humans were essentially just as intelligent as animals until mankind developed several tools which further allowed mankind to develop, tools such as language, farming, animal herding, and fire. Secular humanists believe humans are moral simply by virtue of existing in a society that holds present day human morals to be important, rather than having morals granted by God.

Finally, secular humanists do not believe in destiny, heaven or hell. Instead, they believe that humans simply decay back into Earth just like any animal, and once a human dies, they are dead for all eternity. This is a cold hard fate that is uncharacteristic of what Christians believe to be true, that is that all humans are judged by God to be good or evil, and then each soul is sorted justly in accordance to her or her actions on Earth.

Part Two

Secular humanism removes all aspects of the metaphysical realm from Religion, and denies thousands of years of history in the process. It is a way for atheists to act as if their moral alignments are guided by some code of conduct provided by society, rather than given by the Bible and God. Secular humanists reject religion because of its power over much of the decision-making processes within the country. This misplaced fear is based on the fact that secular atheists simply believe that since no God exists to them, then no God should exist to anyone within the public realm.

Christians see the world in a very different light than secular humanists, seeing God's work in the marvels of daily life, and allow them to be immersed in the idea of heaven as a just reward for dutiful service. The Christian worldview is based on the idea that Jesus will reward those who are obedient and who believe in his message, and will punish or at least ignore those who do not choose to be Christian.

Many scientists claim to be secular humanists, rejecting for fact the many facets of Christianity. This is due to the nature of their work, however, and the strict following of scientific method. Since these scientists are in the real world held accountable for every new discovery they make, and whose reputation depends on the correct dissemination of such discoveries, they cannot possibly offer any measurable evidence for God, and thus have become non-aligned observers of religious practice.

These scientists should be commended for their ability to stick to the scientific method in their pursuit of natural discovery, but cannot be said to be representative of society and humanity in a broad sense. Christianity has comforted and supported civilization for thousands of years, and will continue to do so for centuries to come, even despite controversial ideas such as secular humanism.

In reflecting on the significant questions of the Christian faith, facts about the nature of Jesus Christ are paramount. A well-reasoned understanding of the divinity of Jesus Christ is necessary to begin to understand the expansive history of Christian dogma.

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Christianity treats the life of Jesus Christ very differently than Jews treat Moses, as Christians see Jesus as God himself, and not simply a messenger in human form. Jesus Christ, after being crucified, was raised from the dead and into the realm of divinity, as established in the Bible.

There are three questions in particular which are important to understand in the Christian manner before one can reconcile the nature of Jesus Christ to themselves in comparison to one's understanding of natural birth and life, as exists for all normal humans.

The question of whether Jesus claimed to be God is divergent in some branches of Christianity, but ultimately mainstream Christians do indeed believe that Jesus claimed to be God. This was revealed in Revelations, when Jesus revealed to his disciples his place exactly in the universe. This question was detailed in a rationale study, described in detail below:

I. It is claimed that Jesus was believed and claimed himself to be the Messiah and Son of God. This concept is evident in:

1. John 4:25-26 when Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that he is the Messiah.

2. Matt 16:15-17 and Mark 8:29-30 as well as Luke 9:20-21 where Jesus affirms Peter's statement that he is the Messiah and the Son of God.

3. Mark 14:61-62, as well as Matt 26:63-64 and Luke 22:70 where Jesus tells the Priest he is the Messiah. (Rational Christianity, 2012)

II. The Jewish people also show an understanding that the above facts meant that Jesus was equating himself with God; hence the resulting problems that led to his judgment and subsequent crucifixion. According to John 5:17-18, "he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." According to some, "this passage demonstrates that the Messiah has to be divine. The way to resolve the apparent contradiction between Psalm 110 and Isaiah 11 is for the Messiah to be divinity in human form: biologically a descendent of David, but divine and thus David's Lord." (Rational Christianity, 2012)

However, there are other religions that have some different things to say. For instance, Mormonism, a type of Christianity born in the United States in the 19th century has very unique views on Jesus and traditional Christianity. The Mormons believe that Jesus was the spirit brother of Lucifer, representing the moral opposite to Lucifer's evil tendency. The Mormons believe that the most recent prophet of God is the most important to their teachings, a man by the name of Joseph Smith. Another offshoot of Christianity are the Jehovah's Witnesses. These Christians believe that Jesus is really the archangel Michael, who is a defender of God and the domain of Heaven.

Jesus did need to be born of a virgin, because only in this way can he be removed from the traditional story of birth. In order for Jesus to remain unique and special, he could not have had a human father shape him. He needed to be born of a divine nature in order to convince people of the story of his birth at the manger. The three wise men that came to visit Jesus and bestow him with gifts did so because they welcomed an omen that suggested that a blessed baby had been born.

The fact that Jesus was born a virgin thus wholly removed him from earthly sin. One of the most important and most sacred concepts of Christianity relates to sex, and though there are many deviations from the bible, in modern times, sexual concepts revolve around keeping one pure for marriage. The fact that during the times when Jesus lived, sex was so prevalent made the purity of the Man even more important, for few of his age, during those times, could keep themselves pure.

The Bible does have supreme authority over the Christian faith, and despite the fact that some passages may be interpreted.....

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