Bellwrite: Respond to the guest speaker from the Constitution Day assembly.
We discussed Arthur Miller's worldview. In his discussion of American Christian culture on pages 31-32, he indicates he thinks that a belief in a devil is a weapon for keeping the ignorant subject to church powers and governments. We noted that similar arguments have been made by such thinkers as Freud and Marx. We began considering ways in which Arthur's beliefs may be the result of a limited understanding of Christianity.
We considered the puritan (and Calvinist) worldview, including the doctrines of man's total depravity, grace, and predestination. This worldview has a limited scope--involving earth life, death, and heaven or hell. We then noted that a belief in God's utter respect for agency completely transforms our understanding of man and God.
Homework: Reason about why a Supreme Being might value agency above all else. What does a Supreme Being desire? Write your thoughts in preparation for class tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment