Religion and Theology - Essay Example

Religion and Theology Q1. The Christians view of God can be used to help understand why Christians would see the environment as important to preserving for some reasons. Christians believe that it is God created the earth and all that is in it. This is to mean that it is the Trinity that created the environment. One of the reasons that Christians are obliged to preserve the environment is that the environment preceded man’s creation. This means that man was created last and the environment before him so that he can rely on that environment for his survival. With that reason in mind, there is no way that Christians can destroy the environment. Notably, the first man to be created by God did not till the ground. On the contrary, the Lord God let all the vegetation to grow and gave the man the permission to feed on all that He had created apart from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis, 2: 7-9). From the reading, Christians are authorized to preserve the environment and make it a better place to live in. As a Christian, one should preserve the environment to ensure its survival. The destruction of the environment always results in the suffering of human beings. For instance, deforestation has caused desertification in many parts of the earth. On the other hand, desertification has led to drought and consequently famine in which many humans end up losing their lives. From this discussion, Christians should preserve the environment tirelessly as a way of saving humankind and the rest of God’s creation. Q3. The Christian belief in evil is that anything that is evil does not come from God. Evil is anything that causes suffering to humans as well as their environment. For instance, wildfire is seen as being evil since it causes deaths to many animals while others are forced to migrate from their habitats. Similarly, war is seen as evil by Christians since it results in many people dying while others migrate to other places where they might not be welcome. To the majority of the Christians, one inherent characteristic of God is that He is good (Chopp, Rebecca &Taylor, 198-217). As such, goodness flows from God while evil comes from Satan. Notably, the Bible states that God is good, and His love endures forever. This is one belief that Christians have maintained for centuries and has kept them to stick to the Christian faith. Since goodness flows from God, then Christian’s belief that nothing evil comes from Him. Similarly, Christians believe that since God is their Creator and the Creator of all living things, He is the source of all that is good. On the other hand, they believe that Satan is the source of all that is evil. For instance, Satan used the serpent to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden. Consequently, humans lost their first land and that that was the genesis of their sufferings. God created all creatures and made them be under the command of man. From a Christian’s point of view, God humbled all other creation and let it subdue to man (Genesis 2: 15). Also, God gave the man knowledge that was denied to all other creations. This is a sign that God is not evil. Therefore, Christians belief that all evils are as a result of rebellion against God resulting in injustice, violence, and greed. Also, all sins are evil, and they cause sufferings to Christians. For instance, it is through the rebellious and sinful nature of humans that God decided to destroy the earth with water during the time of Noah. Similarly, man sinful nature angered God in Sodom and Gomorrah that He decided to kill them with fire. Therefore, Christians belief that sins and evil separate them from the love of God, and that is the reason that they suffer while on earth. Q5. The two aspects that are experienced as postmodern reality are openness and tolerance. In the postmodern world, humans believe that they have the right to being open. Therefore, one has to be open in their thoughts, actions, and living. This is to mean that everything that one does should be in the light. This is to mean that postmodern era does not accommodate any limits in the form of questioning or blurring (Chopp, Rebecca &Taylor, 126-138). This is the reason most of the actions that were deemed anti-human and could not be conducted in the presence of the entire society are now being presented to the courts of law. For instance, it was an abomination for same-sex marriage in the earlier eras but the gay marriages have now been legalized. Therefore, it has become a normal spectacle for one to see same genders as couples. However, openness is interpreted differently by Christians. It is used to mean being clean in everything that one does. In other words, a Christian has to conduct him or herself in the right manner at all times. Notably, not all Christians have embraced gayism and abortion despite the law legalizing them. This means that not all Christians have joined the postmodern era completely. The postmodern era has embraced tolerance. By being tolerant, one has to accommodate people of all religions, social, economic, and political inclinations (Chopp, Rebecca &Taylor, 126-138). Therefore, Christians are obliged to accommodate such people without discrimination. The same is followed by the commandment “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Hence, Christians have no choice but to oblige to being tolerant of people of all walk rest they are accused of discrimination in the society. From this discussion, it is clear that Christians are somehow oppressed in the postmodern era since they have to act beyond their capacities to avoid being prosecuted. Hence, the postmodern era does not necessarily leave Christians fully satisfied. Q8. Christians believe that God is a creator. This belief is derived from the creation stories. These stories are found in the book of Genesis whereby God is the sole creator of both the universe and the earth, with all their inhabitants. After God had created the heavens and the earth with all that lives in them, He concluded the works of creation by creation man in His image. The fact that God is the one that created everything influences the way Christians think about the reality of life. Also, it affects the way that Christians behave in their day to day lives. By being the creator, the Christians are made not to believe in any other ideology of other creators. Christians have come to accept and live with the reality that there is only one God, who created them. According to the book of Psalms (104), God is attributed as the creator of everything that exists. For instance in Psalms 104 verse 16 it says that “the trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.” This is an indication of the reality that God is the creator. On the other hand, this reality influences Christians beliefs in that they believe in one God. Also, it makes the Christians try and live lives that are pleasing in the eyes of the LORD. As such, Christians are mandated with caring for the environment. They do this by ensuring that there is no destruction of the environment in the form of pollution, deforestation, logging and many other activities that result in environmental degradation (Chopp, Rebecca &Taylor, 54-67). Similarly, there are environmental laws that have been set whereby the Christians ensure that people of different religions follow them to the letter. In conclusion, the Christians belief that God is the creator has made them live in peace with their environment. Works Cited Chopp, Rebecca S., and Mark Lewis Taylor, eds. Reconstructing Christian theology. Fortress Press, 1994. New International Version. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2015. BibleGateway.com. Read More