Suffering in Christianity Essay Example for Free

Suffering in Christianity Essay 1. Consider how any single religious tradition copes with the problem of suffering and evil in the world. Nearly every human being on earth has asked this common question. â€Å"Why all the suffering and evil in this world? ’. The presence of evil and suffering has forced adherents of all religious traditions to question their beliefs, their religious identity and their understanding of the ultimate reality. Christians in particular, are faced with these questions and life situations of suffering and evil, confronted to them, on a daily basis. When confronted with life situations they have questioned why an all powerful and an all loving God would allow this to happen. There has been a variety of responses to these questions. Christians have explained suffering and evil as, ultimate judgement of sin, consequences in living in a fallen world, and perhaps the idea of the world not being created in a perfects sense. These are just one of the many responses Christians have thought. However, even though Christians may never know the definite explanation, Christians cope with the idea of evil and suffering by finding ways to respond to it. With the idea of love and compassion taught by Jesus Christ, their goal is to find multiple ways to end suffering and evil through various organizations, actions, deeds and prayers. This illustrates that Christians respond to suffering so the creation of an ideal society in which all suffering and evil can be eliminated. Furthermore, Christians can come to experience the new kingdom of Christ, where love, peace and tranquillity are the centre of all. Suffering which is remotely linked to evil, forces adherents to understand the different kinds of suffering, and how it affects their outlook on life and death. The website â€Å"Suffering and the problem of Evil† states that â€Å"Human suffering, takes on many forms: emotional, natural, and moral. Loneliness, anxiety, and grief are examples of emotional suffering. Fires, tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, and physical illness are examples of natural suffering. Moral suffering is brought on by the deliver act acts of a fellow human beings to cause suffering, something Christians call a moral evil† (Suffering and the problem of Evil. 2013) This demonstrates the result of moral evil leading to emotional, physical and even at times natural disasters. Suffering therefore brings Christians back to reality, to come into realisation with their mortality, which is very easily ignored. It demonstrates the flaws and hints of Christian’s coming death â€Å"It removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortess of a rebel† (Lewis, Problem of Pain, pg 83) It creates an atmosphere, ultimately, in which Christian’s thoughts are directed towards God. â€Å"God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts us in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world† (Lewis, Problem of Pain, pg 84). The painful statement of Lewis states, demonstrate the truth about death. That death is horrific no matter what form it may take. So suffering in a Christian perspective, allows them to gently prod on their consciousnesses and forces them to understand that suffering may indeed lead to their future deaths, if they were to leave suffering without response. However if Christians can cast their doubt and turn to God, it can therefore bring a foundation of a new thinking, attitude, hope and living, not only to themselves, but to their faith. In the book of Corinthians, the apostle Paul states â€Å"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies†, which demonstrate this tension. Furthermore, the term â€Å"suffering and evil† provides many benefits to the Christian Faith. Suffering provides Christians to give proof of the genuineness of their faith, and to serve to purify, and carry their faith. It provides the opportunity for believers to demonstrate their love for each other as adherents of the body of Christ who â€Å"bear one another’s burdens† (Gal 6:2) D. A Carson a Reformed Evangelical Theologian once stated that â€Å"experiences of suffering. engender compassion and empathy.. and make us better to help others† (Carson, 122). This demonstrates how experiences of a Christian’s own suffering and comfort they receive from the ultimate reality, makes Christians more equipped to help those who are still in suffering and victims of evil. Just as the apostle Paul states in the Book of Corinthians â€Å"Who comforts us in all of our troubles; so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God†. ( 2 Corin 1:4) However most importantly, Christians can cope with suffering and evil as their affliction in God increases them to follow God’s will. In the Book of Hebrews, Jesus â€Å"learned obedience from the things he suffered (Heb 5:8). He learnt the value and significance of submitting the will to God, even at the time it was the most difficult thing in the world o do. Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision, witnessed this kind of teaching and devotion God, when World Vision visited Sri Lanka to provide aid and emergencies to those who were victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami â€Å" Many people in Sri Lanka though, who were directly affected , were asking a different question. They were asking how they could not believe in God as a result of the tsunami, since God was all they had left† (Bible Study, Where is God in Suffering- World Vision. 013) Suffering and evil also provides Christians to improve on the relationship with other human beings, and to fulfil and follow their faith, in restoring compassion and God again in Christianity. Tim Costello provides an in depth view of how Christians can respond to suffering and evil, in the mindset of fulfilling faith and God’s word. In an interview he proclaims â€Å"Faith is incredibly important for me. In religious terms, I believe salvation is everything that restores the crippled image in God- dirty water, not enough food. Sin I think is everything that cripples the image of God- not having access to education, injustice, inopportunity. For me that faith position that I believe everyone, despite the lottery of latitude, is made in the image of God is really the core of my faith and my life’ (Full Transcript, Tim Costello Enters the zone. 2013) Tim Costello places emphasis that Jesus challenges Christians to test out their faith, by responding to suffering, to encourage salvation and eliminate sin. He believes that every human being is made in the likeness of God, so therefore all human beings should be treated with love and compassion. This can lead to the faith of Christianity and God to be restored, which has been abruptly destroyed by sin. God taught Christians the demonstrating of compassion by entering the world it in the form of Jesus, who suffered and died for all Christians. He demonstrated that God is not a God who rules from above but carries from below. Therefore he taught all Christians, to continue the work of compassion and faith through Jesus Christ by responding to suffering. As what Jesus Christ said in the Book of John â€Å"as the Father sent me, I send you† (John 20:21) Suffering and evil have sometimes encouraged Christians to devote their lives entirely to helping those with evil and suffering. Not only do they devote their lives to this, but they also provide other Christians encouragement to contribute in the smallest way, in ending suffering. They have taught not only to the Christian faith, but to all religious traditions, how to incorporate Jesus teachings, but more specifically, love and hope. Mother Teresa is one of the many influential Christians who have taken upon this life. Throughout her life, she went out and lived her faith by seeing her God in every human being in front of her, especially the sick, the aged, and the abandoned. She served God by serving God in them, demonstrating that she lived the Gospel with every breath in her body. She established hospitals for the sick and dying, and started the religious new order, the Missionaries of Charity, in Calcutta which is now practiced and spread throughout the world. She was devoted in caring for the poorest of the poor, the sick and the dying. She clean them, feed them, pray with them, and serve them as their spent their last hours in dignity. She demonstrated compassion for those who were less fortunate then she is, as she once said to a man who she was picking muggets off his face â€Å"You pray to your God, and I will pray to Jesus for your healing† With the many attitudes and teachings that Jesus Christ and the Father have provided to their adherents, Christians have also devised many organizations and appeals in contributing to help those who are suffering and victims of evil. In example, many Christians have responded to those who are suffering in extreme poverty. There are many Christian organizations that deal with this. These are World Vision, Compassion International, Salvation Army, Christian Aid and many more. All of these organizations also â€Å"have principles of the Christian religion in their charters† (What are the type of Different Christian NGOS? 2013) In example, the Salvation Army vision is â€Å"a growing, loving, community of people dynamically living God’s mission in a broken world† (The vision, mission and values of the Salvation Army. 2013) Compassion International places emphasis on â€Å"recognizing the suffering of others, then take action to help† (Meaning of Compassion. 013) While all may have different mechanisms in responding to the issue of poverty, they all place emphasis on ending suffering and taking action. As the Book of Timothy says â€Å"They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life† (1 Timothy 6:18) Conclusively, Christianity provides adherents to respond to suffering and evil, in order to cope with it. Christians are challenged and called by Jesus Christ, to realise the destruction of suffering and evil to all people of the world, and to act on it. Christians are called to act with love and compassion as they serve their faith and Lord, by providing essential needs, love and faith to all those who are still encountering suffering. However furthermore they are called to act as a collective and restore the image of faith and Christianity, and to provide hope, so a world of suffering and evil can soon be eliminated.

Hill House :: essays research papers

Ever do something stupid to impress someone? Throughout a person’s life they will do something very ignorant or say something very stupid hundreds of times. Most of the time it is because they are trying to impress somebody or change their ways to make someone or others accept them. The story â€Å"Haunting of Hill House† has great examples of people changing just to fit in. The author Shirley Jackson, who died in 1965, was one of the most brilliant writers of her time. She was widely acclaimed for her hair-raising stories and novels of the supernatural. Although the â€Å"Haunting of Hill House† fits this description perfectly with its eerie description of supernatural tales of the happenings of Hill House; there is a more to it than hauntings. The story starts out with three guests being invited to the house to monitor any out of the ordinary occurrences in Hill House. Throughout the story the guests experience some ghostly moments. However during this one of t he guest named Eleanor changes her ways to fit in with the guests. Her actions show that society’s views on a person can lead that person to things they would never have thought of. One example would be when Eleanor told lies about herself and her past. Another example would be when Eleanor went around the house alone having no fear. Finally Eleanor became open and spoke out what was on her mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An example of society’s views on a person leading them to things they never thought of was when Eleanor became a liar and lied about her past. Today a lot of people are pressured so much by society to be a certain way they will lie about themselves to fit in with those certain people. In the story Eleanor feels that she does not fit in with the group of people who are staying at Hill House. She is a person with a lack of confidence so she feels she has to lie to feel accepted. â€Å"Theodora came through the bathroom door into Eleanor’s room; she is lovely, Eleanor thought, turning to look; I wish I were lovely.† This quote shows the lack of confidence she has. One of Eleanor’s lies was when she told the others she lived alone in an apartment. This is not true because she lives with her sister and her boyfriend in a house. The reason she told this lie was because Theo lived in an apartment with a friend so she felt Theo would not accept her. Hill House :: essays research papers Ever do something stupid to impress someone? Throughout a person’s life they will do something very ignorant or say something very stupid hundreds of times. Most of the time it is because they are trying to impress somebody or change their ways to make someone or others accept them. The story â€Å"Haunting of Hill House† has great examples of people changing just to fit in. The author Shirley Jackson, who died in 1965, was one of the most brilliant writers of her time. She was widely acclaimed for her hair-raising stories and novels of the supernatural. Although the â€Å"Haunting of Hill House† fits this description perfectly with its eerie description of supernatural tales of the happenings of Hill House; there is a more to it than hauntings. The story starts out with three guests being invited to the house to monitor any out of the ordinary occurrences in Hill House. Throughout the story the guests experience some ghostly moments. However during this one of t he guest named Eleanor changes her ways to fit in with the guests. Her actions show that society’s views on a person can lead that person to things they would never have thought of. One example would be when Eleanor told lies about herself and her past. Another example would be when Eleanor went around the house alone having no fear. Finally Eleanor became open and spoke out what was on her mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An example of society’s views on a person leading them to things they never thought of was when Eleanor became a liar and lied about her past. Today a lot of people are pressured so much by society to be a certain way they will lie about themselves to fit in with those certain people. In the story Eleanor feels that she does not fit in with the group of people who are staying at Hill House. She is a person with a lack of confidence so she feels she has to lie to feel accepted. â€Å"Theodora came through the bathroom door into Eleanor’s room; she is lovely, Eleanor thought, turning to look; I wish I were lovely.† This quote shows the lack of confidence she has. One of Eleanor’s lies was when she told the others she lived alone in an apartment. This is not true because she lives with her sister and her boyfriend in a house. The reason she told this lie was because Theo lived in an apartment with a friend so she felt Theo would not accept her.

Psychology, Theology and the Spiritual Life in Christian Counseling Essay

1. This paper is a book review that will deal with the above work by McMinn and the nature of Christian counseling in general. The work is a whole is designed to be easily read, and reads very quickly at the price of sophistication. Its ultimate purpose is one of integration on wto levels: first, the integration of the â€Å"broken† person back into loving relationships, chiefly with God, who is a God of healing, and second, the immensely important integration of theology with the aims of counseling. Counseling without God is a far less complex affair than Christian counseling. The secular counselor can be safely utilitarian, whatever helps heal the person might be tried or advocated. However, with Christian counseling, the idea of integration is all important. Christians have a specific view of the personality that cannot be ignored in counseling. These ideas on the human personality is based around our inherent sinfulness and â€Å"brokenness. † (McMinn, 1996, 32). This is central, all of humanity is in need of counseling of some sort, but the final end of counseling, that of union with God in and by healthy relationships with other persons, provides far more difficult challenges than the more utilitarian secularist. Furthermore, the idea of the integration of the ego out of its sinful (yet natural) drive to self-sufficiency (cf. 35-40ff) is another specifically Christian idea when coupled with the important idea of Grace, the Grace that is, by its very function, a healing balm. Hence, the counselor must also know how to â€Å"give way† to grace, grace that is not in the control of the counselor. The notion of the â€Å"abuse of power† so important to the chapter on â€Å"Sin†is precisely not realizing the fact that the Christian counselor must act as a conduit of grace and not its â€Å"dispenser. † Thus, the counselor that does not realize this gap, the gap between the counselor and the will of God for the broken victim has failed in his duty. The grace for the believer is always present, and Christian counseling must have a sense that his duty is to help the victim find it. The basic thesis of the book is sound from a theological and a psychological point of view: the modern secular mentality stresses ego satisfaction and ones â€Å"control† over ones life. But this is little more than the institutionalization of original sin: this is the problem, not the solution. This desire, natural to fallen man, to be self-sufficient is the root of all psychological problems. Hence, the work takes this fundamental insight through the various ideas that develop in the process of counseling: prayer, scripture, forgiveness, etc. Each concerns itself with bringing the patient to a fuller understanding of the nature of his alienation, both from others an from God. 2. In the section on prayer, I was struck by several things, things that I recall myself going through. I was always taken aback by the attacks on prayer by both mainline psychology and society at large: why would one pray if God is all knowing? Of course this is not an easy question, and the church fathers dealt with it in some detail. I began to see prayer as being of 2 kinds: the intercessory prayer, or the literal meaning of prayer in the sense as â€Å"to ask. † This is not a part of Christian counseling to any great degree. But the second form of prayer, that of communion and oneness, is. The prayerful meditation of the ancient monks has healing properties even apart of belief. Prayer, as McMinn points out, reduces stress, creates a bond with the counselor, and places the problems of man in a theological context (66ff). The same might be said for his section on Scripture: is not Job an excellent case study for the Christian counselor? Is not David and his sins even better? (Cf. 100) It seems to me that the development of my own prayer life since being involved with counseling has more to do with dealing rather than asking. , In other words, it seems to me that pure prayer is not about asking for things: God knows what we need. Pure prayer is about dealing with that which God has given us in our own development. Suffering is no a bad thing with a prayerful attitude: it permits us to reject the world and its comforts, and to seek our rest in God alone. Christians involved in counseling should avoid, as my experience has shown, treating prayer as a means of â€Å"getting† things. This can lead to disappointment and a belief that God is merely a great cosmic vending machine that exists to grant wishes. I recall my older view that prayer was about â€Å"getting,† instead of â€Å"dealing. † Prayer as a means of communing with God in the midst of suffering is both a very Christian idea as well as a powerful tool in counseling Christians. 3. A major issue that arises from reading this book is the difficulty of the task. The author is writing for a popular audience, and hence, can not get into the deep psychology and theology necessary to make his this work. Theology is the highest of the sciences, and this is because the understanding of Christ as Logos gives both the efficient and final cause of creation, including our minds. The Logos is the being of all things so far as they exemplify a cosmic reason, an interconnectedness that makes nature understandable and law-abiding. But our problem arises, both as Christians and as counselors, when we are forced to deal with the affects of the fall: a nature that bears God’s energy (though not her person), but is only poorly reflected in our minds that have been darkened by sin. Christianity has been worried about this healing since St Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine, who have dealt with the church and the Christian life as primarily a psychological affair, an affair of the consciousness, but a consciousness whose own drives seek to obliterate God and his presence in the interests of self centeredness. The very nature of the book in question cannot get into these issues except in trite examples. The book needs to build upon Christ as Logos before any serious psychology can be done. Putting this differently, the point is that Christ is to be found in the human mind in that it bears traces, fingerprints of the creator, but the creator as the Son, the image of the Father. The cosmic reason found in all things. This is an ontological problem, one that needs to inform all Christian psychology. Th reality is that this book is far too simple, far to â€Å"easy† and cannot gt to th heart of the matter. 4. In terms of action, I want to take from McMinn’s section on Scripture. This is likely the most valuable part of the work, and Scripture, to say the least, is only rarely considered a bok of counseling or psychology. Yet, the scriptures are saturated with psychological insight. Hence, my action here is to begin bringing scriptural sources into counseling. Even with secular patients, the Bible, even if the patient does not necessarily believe its divine origin, still contains many positive and negative examples for people to consider. The sins of David, including murder, are helpful is showing the example of repentance and the fact that a spiritual giant like David can be so flawed. I might say the same of Noah, after his drunkenness. God can forgive anything. The prophets such as Jeremiah or Amos were all persecuted for their beliefs and complete refusal to compromise. For people to be treated harshly because of their faith is something Christ explicitly mentions as the lot of the Christian: scripture is about God’s presence amidst a world that does not recognize him, whether it be the establishment of Judah or the Jewish Pharisees. The Christian Will suffer–there is no getting out of that, it is built into the process of both living and counseling. Christ Himself is such an example. Therefore, in dealing with patients, the Scriptures will be the central component in counseling for the examples they contain: examples of righteous suffering, but suffering with a purpose. Suffering with a purpose is bearable, suffering for no reason is not,. There is not a major figure in the Scriptures that is not persecuted for one reason or another by a world that does not understand te godly life. For us as counselors, nothing can be more important, useful or inspiring.

North Korean Human Rights Violations - 1162 Words

The cruel and unruly torture that is done to the prisoners in North Korean concentration camps, are a reminder of the horrors that occurred during the holocaust by the Nazis and other Axis power. In these North Korean prison camps many prisoners die because of mistreatment, and lack of supplies; The United States and South Korea have estimated around 200,000 people imprisoned within many of these North Korean concentration camps. There is also an estimated 400,000 people who have died in these concentration camps from torture, starvation, and execution. North Korea’s Regime which controls all governmental aspects of North Korea created concentration camps for political prisoners and the family member of the political prisoners who have†¦show more content†¦The three dogs killed five children. Three children died right away the other children were barely breathing and the guards buried them alive, the next day the dogs were awarded and fed â€Å"special food.† If the guards kill prisoners and bring back their body, the guards are awarded and given the opportunity to study at college. There is a complete loss of sympathy within these camps, children, men, and women killed simply for entertainment or for personal gain. Testimonies from North Korean refugees are arrested on criminal or political charges and tortured aiming to elicit confession, extract bribes, and information. Forms of torture that are used in these camps are sleep deprivation, beating with iron rods, kicks, slapping, enforced sitting or standing for hours. Pigeon torture is a common form of torture in such camps, prisoners are forced to cross their arms behind their backs and are handcuffed then hung in the air tied to a pole and then beaten with a club. Many women prisoners are raped by the guards. The camps also commit collective punishment which means that a group of people are sent to labor camps and deprived of their family. Born into a prison camp Shin Dong-hyuk old had witnessed the terrors of North Korean prison camps day in and day out. But he never understood why he had to starve, and be tortured daily. Shin never knew that there was a worldShow MoreRelatedNorth Korean Human Rights Violations1249 Words   |  5 PagesNorth Korea has become infamous for its many atrocities to humanity. This country is well known for its fear-inducing communist political structure which has oppressed the entirety of its people for many years and still today under the rule of the Kim family. Food shortages, movement restrictions, and strict bans on media are some of the major ongoing issues today. 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