The greatest virtue one can possess is being generous. The Decameron “Day 10, story 3” and “Day 10, story 4” present different perspectives of generosity. Nathan and Gentile express generosity in different ways, but Gentile lacks true generosity and possesses insincere intentions. Nathans attitude, method, and transformational results overpower Gentiles.
In the simple gift, author Steven Herrick explores themes that varies between classes, stereotypes, belonging and identity. It is a young adult fiction verse series which was published in 2000. It is based in Australia. The novels structure is diverse as it tells the story in detail but in a brief way, there are three protagonists Old Bill, Caitlin and the main, Billy. It follows his life, a neglected 16 year old male that trades his fathers no good home and the tediousness of high school to become homeless.
Many times people take things for granted. For example, we think since food is always provided to us we shouldn’t be thankful for it, or for pure drinking water or even for our freedom. Most of society receive this benefits, and we assume everybody gets them too, unfortunately that is not the case. Not all people can afford these privileges. We may not perceive them as that on the contrary, we think of them as needs, and fortunately for us we can afford to enjoy them.
He received a B.A. degree from Philander Smith College in Arkansas in 1958, a B.D. degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1961, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University in 1963 and 1965, respectively. He taught theology and religion at Philander Smith College, Adrian College in Michigan, and beginning in 1970 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he was awarded the distinguished Charles A. Briggs Chair in systematic theology in 1977. He taught theology and religion at Philander Smith College, Adrian College in Michigan, and beginning in 1970 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he was awarded the distinguished Charles A. Briggs Chair in systematic theology in 1977. The thesis of this book is that one's social and historical context decides not only the questions 2 we address to God but also the mode or form of the
He argues that God compensates for the evil that people suffer in this life by giving them rewards in the afterlife. Beaty's argument is based on the idea that God is just and merciful, and that he would not allow his creatures to suffer without compensating them in some way. Beaty's argument is creative and thought-provoking. He provides a new way of thinking about the problem of evil, and he offers a possible solution that is both plausible and consistent with traditional Christian beliefs. However, Beaty's argument is also controversial.
And if God is God, why is He letting us suffer?” (1) The lifelong quest for answers to these questions shaped his theology
The popular novella Anthem by Ayn Rand heavily influenced the beloved novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. By saying Anthem heavily influenced the novel The Giver, that indicates that the two share multiple similarities. Ironically, it almost seems as if Lois Lowry copied the ideas directly. Anthem and The Giver are similar in that they both take place in futuristic settings. In The Giver it is easier to realize this because they have referenced future technology that we do not have in our universe yet.
This seemingly senseless act of sudden evil and heart striking suffering leads the author to challenge her supposedly all loving God. Annie begins a deep criticism about God and suffering as she wonders if humans are left in this world to suffer abandoned to days (Dillard 43). The author goes further in her criticism by questioning if Christ’s incarnation was powerless and if God is possibly powerless to care for us (Dillard 43). Despite this criticism of God, Dillard carries a passionate and contradictory relationship with God in faith of a higher plan and environment as she declares “a life without sacrifice is abomination” (Dillard 72). Dillard along with sacrifice; seeks to locate a seemingly lost answer to a mysterious problem to which she cannot seem to answer and/or comprehend.
In addition, how can humans treat each other as though another human is just a bug that needs to be exterminated? Through the shocking stories, the reader also begins to question where God is; however, there needs to be a separation of blame. Human’s evil actions are not the responsibility of God. It must be recognized that humans have freewill to choose to do good or evil. Evil is of the world, but since God is not of the world, God is not responsible for the evil in the world.
Experiencing a transition can have the power to transform an individual’s attitudes and beliefs whilst continuing to challenge the world around them, this can been seen in the personas of Old Bill and Caitlin who both experience significant transitions when they meet Billy. Old Bill engages in a transition of self-pity emerging from the death of both his daughter and wife, which left him in a saddened state from which he was afraid to move on from. Caitlin on the other hand undergoes a transition of responsibility and self-growth, from being a young school girl with everything she could need ever need which leads her to be quite materialistic and judgmental to a respectable young lady who by the end of the novel, The Simple Gift written by
In his essay, "Useless Suffering," Emmanuel Levinas argues that evil and suffering are in fact useless, by demonstrating that nothing, including theodicies, bring justice to the lives of the people who suffered in the Holocaust. Emmanuel Levinas attempts to disprove theodicies by first explaining why humans believe in them. Levinas calls the explanation of suffering "political teleology" (375). He explains that people use
Many people have different opinions on life - some consider it a great gift meanwhile others consider it a suffering. George agreed with the latter option in the beginning of “The Greatest Gift” and It’s a Wonderful Life but learned throughout it that he was wrong and his life is worth living. Philip Van Doren Stern, the writer of the self-published short story: “The Greatest Gift”, went through a lot to get his piece published. He wrote a 4,100-word story - within the span of four years - and was then unable to find a publisher. Philip subsequently decided to send 200-twenty-one page booklets to his friends as a Christmas card, catching the attention of RKO Pictures producer David Hempstead.
On the other hand, theists like Swinburne, believe that evil is necessary for important reasons such as that it helps us grow and improve. In this paper I will argue that the theist is right, because the good of the evil in this specific case on problems beyond one’s control, outweighs the bad that comes from it. I will begin by stating the objection the anti-theodicist gives for why it is wrong that there is a problem of evil. (<--fix) Regarding passive evil not caused by human action, the anti-theodicist claims that there is an issue with a creator, God, allowing a world to exist where evil things happen, which are not caused by human beings (180-181).
A lot of arguments have been known to prove or disprove the existence of God, and the Problem of Evil is one of them. The Problem of Evil argues that it is impossible to have God and evil existing in the same world. Due to ideal characteristics of God, evil should not have a chance to exist and make human suffer. In this essay, I will examine the argument for the Problem of Evil, a possible theodicy against the argument, and reply to the theodicy. First of all, to be clear, the Problem of Evil is an argument that shows that God cannot be either all- powerful, all-knowing, and/or all good.
Paul’s pneumatology found in his writings has been a matter of interest in recent New Testament scholarship. Gordon Fee has been a great contributor in this area and in Paul, the Spirit and the People of God he outlines the various elements found in Pauline pneumatology giving us greater insight into this subject. In this paper I will highlight some of these elements that are unique to Paul and are not found in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts. The first distinctive of Pauline pneumatology is the way he sees the Spirit as God’s personal presence. For Paul, the coming of the Spirit meant that God had fulfilled the promises He had made to Jeremiah and Ezekiel when He said, ‘I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel’ (Jer. 31:31), and
