Man vs God

1) write the main thesis / argument for each and then give as many of the main supporting arguments for each.

Richard Dawkins's main thesis is that evolution is the creator of life. Darwinian evolution is the only process we know that is ultimately generating anything as complicated as creative intelligences, according to the law of physics. Whereas Karen Armstrong's main thesis is that religion is a kind of art form that introduces us to a mode of knowledge that is different from the purely rational and which cannot easily be put into words. stories in bibles provide how to cope with mortality, discover an inner source of strength and endure pain and sorrow with serenity. it is supposed to help us live reavtively with realities for which there are no easy solutions and find an interior have of peace. they are the theses that are explicitly represented, however I think they are saying the same thing; religion and science are separate entities that take influence in different sections of life and complement each other for human's sake. it is also sufficiently supported by both authors by stating contradicting ideas against their own theses, such as "if there was a divine plan, it was cruel, callously prodigal and wasteful", "they evolved by trial and error and god had no direct hand in their making", "god is merely a symbol" and "we cannot regard God simply as a divine personality, who single-handedly created the world" from Armstrong as well as "if God is real for you, who cares whether science has made him redundant'? such arrogance@ such elitism" from Dawkins.

2) what is most intriguing and / or interesting to you. Give at least one example of something that made you "think".

the most intriguing statement in these articles is what Dawkins mentioned to explain that god-like aliens cannot be gods. he said that however god-like the aliens might seem, they would not be gods, and for one very important reason. they did not create the universe; it created them. I figured that this statement could be false and god-like aliens might have created the universe and eventually us. Because planktons in 40 feet aquarium conditioned by me, if capable of cognition, would not think that more evolved planktons have made this aquarium. it might be just one of what-if question however it can be also a question of perspective.

3) Finally, develop a ToK approach to the reading. What is the "knowledge" presented by each of the authors.

both are metaphysical propositional ideas that are backed up by synthetic propositions to explain the idea with ease. at first place, talking about the existence of god and evolutionary theory fulfills the requirement of metaphysical proposition.

ways of Knowing

Sense Perception

-it is a way of knowing, using sensory perception. and it is also a very basic and primitive way of knowing, which allows a person to develop his knowing. to know something, one needs to know who he is and how he is different from the surroundings, otherwise, he wouldn't know the fact that he knows or distinguishes something. therefore this way lets one know by perceiving the surroundings.

Language

-it is an advanced way of knowing, using expressing himself. If he perceives the surroundings, that means he knows the surroundings. however, knowing doesn't end at the stage of just perceiving. expressing the knowledge with a languages allows him to regenerate what he has, and ultimately the knowledge becomes agreed upon, which makes it more general knowing. therefore this way lets one confirm knowledge with others, which makes the knowledge solid.

Emotion

-it is a motivative factor that makes people active about knowing. without emotion, knowing wouldn't be necessary.

Reason

-it is a method of knowing better with not only perception but also intelligence. one uses knowledge gathered by perception, improved by communication and motivated by emotion to deduce more than what is known without need of unnecessary further perception.

Religion for Dummies Assignment

1) Describe the reasons why people follow (or flock) to religion

to try to find comfort of submission that dismisses a risk or feeling of a risk, under something bigger and stronger, due to the fact that human being is weak mentally and physically.

2) Compare and contrast the following:

• Religion
• Philosophy
  
• Spirituality

Comparison

three of them deals with how people should behave and why.

Contrast

belief in god is requisite for religion whereas philosophy and spirituality don't necessarily include the belief.

another contrast is that religion and spirituality have rituals while philosophy is all about reasoning.

Religion has miracles as a feature, where others believe in rational thinking.

no involvement of god such revelation is not available for others

spirituality doesn't require membership, mainly executed by personal system

"Ways of Being Religious" and Heuristic Study

Describe each of the 6 "ways of being religious"

Sacred rite

this is a communal activity where participants achieve atonement and establish their sense of meaningful order, identity and propriety within the knowledge of ultimate reality

Right action

this is an effort to follow rules that are given by, and supposed to be happened by a religion

Devotion

surrendering himself to realize or attain the knowledge of divineness

Shamanic mediation

one of ways to seek atonement via entry into unconsciousness

Mystical quest

a quest to get free of worldliness and to attain an awareness of ultimate reality

Reasoned inquiry

rational struggle to understand the system of the universe such as how things do what they do and why

What are the advantages of studying religion using this method.
they help avoid false or reductive generalizations

they help one better understand examples of any one way

they hep one recognize and appreciate genuine differences and avoid false or misleading contrasts

they suggest fruitful comparative studies of religions in depth

they open up promising avenues of dialogue between traditions

Using the "distinctive traits of Western Religions"
Explain what you think are the two greatest differences between the western and eastern traditions.

the first greatest difference is the concept of ultimate reality. in western religions, ultimate reality (god) with a particular purpose, can do anything without being accused of executing unjust intervention like a tyrannical bully, because god is right no matter what. in contrast with eastern religions, ultimate reality (god) doesn't have a purpose but encompass everything, depending on the law of nature. besides, ultimate reality in eastern religions is more person like in a sense that it has aspects of both being good and bad whereas in western religions, ultimate reality must be every time unlike a human being unless he is an angel or whatnot, which is contradictory from what the author wrote.

the second greatest difference is existence of messengers. in western religions, there must be a messenger who is chosen by god and he spreads divine words to public, whereas in eastern religions, there isn't a messenger; there might be those who have studied farther than one, so that they can help one realize things better. the existence of messengers shows the existence of class system, not pertaining to wealth, however to something more like fate or predestination.

Blog O Assignment # 1

Read the article: "Jesus Shaves" by David Sedaris. Although a humorous essay, what is the important point Sedaris addresses in relation to religious belief? Why is this an important thing to keep in mind when studying religions?

The important point Sedaris addresses in relation to religious belief is that it is difficult to understand religion since it is based on faith. even in the same religion, there are often collisions about trivial faith such as who or what bring chocolate on the Easter day. on the more extreme scale, people who come from a different world where a religion does not exist, would not comprehend the religion at all, thinking the resurrection and cross sound preposterous. the reason this is important to keep in mind when studying religions is that it suggests that I wouldn't be able to understand each religion on the world however I should respect their different beliefs