Theodicy And Epistemology Assignment

Theodicy And Epistemology AssignmentWEEK 3 WORLDVIEW QUESTIONS AND CHAPTERS 7-9 ANSWERS 2Name: ______________________________Follow the instructions highlighted at the end of each of the following sections!
Worldview Questions
1. What is the nature of the other things that exist? Are we ideas in the mind of God? Is matter something different from spirit or mind? Is there even such a thing as spirit? (Schenck, 2014, p. 5)In addition, ask yourself these questions:a. How many different parts to reality are there? (E.g. body, soul, mind? Natural or supernatural?)b. What is the difference, if any?c. Give an example of something that is true that is not material, and that is not provable by a scientific method/standard.2. What is a human being? Am I simply a biological machine? A being created in the image of God? (Schenck, 2014, p. 6)In addition, ask yourself these questions:a. Have you ever tried to define yourself as a human? What would that include?b. What does the Bible say about who humans are?c. From what you know about psychology, how does science describe a human being?d. Is humanistic existentialism a direct opposite of the biblical concept of the image of God in humans?Chapter 7 Questions
Key Questions1. To what extent would you consider yourself a friend or foe of science? Are you consistent? For example, do you think of mathematicians and scientists as some of the smartest people and yet tend to reject what they say?2. In practice, what, if any, distinction do you make between the actions of God in the world and natural “laws” such as gravity and friction? Do you think God is pulling all the strings, even the ones scientists have captured as mathematical laws, or has God created the world to a large extent to run on its own without direct involvement? Give reasons for your opinion.3. If you had to peg yourself as a materialist, idealist, or dualist, which one would you pick? Do we really have any way of picking between these options, or would you agree with those who say we have no way of knowing what ultimate reality is?4. Of the three—commonsense realism, pragmatic realism, and critical realism—which do you find most attractive and why?Chapter 8 Questions
Key Questions1. What is the author’s definition of myth? In that light, do you agree or disagree that scientific theories are a kind of very detailed myth? Why or why not?2. To what extent do you agree with Kuhn that science is as much about social movements and personalities as about truth? Explain.3. Do you think a theory needs to be verifiable or falsifiable to be meaningful?4. Do you think that evolution and Christianity are potentially compatible? Why or why not? What about process theology or pantheism? Why or why not? What do you think are the bottom-line Christian beliefs on the issues of creation? Explain.5. Evaluate the author’s proposal for a critical-realist hermeneutic. With what points do you agree or disagree and why?Chapter 9 Questions
Key Questions1. One theme in this chapter is the degree to which we can correlate thinking, emotions, the will, memory, personality, even spiritual experiences to particular regions of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease and physical accidents can fundamentally change all of these faculties, showing a strong connection between our brains and these functions that since Descartes have often been attributed to the soul. In this light, what role do you think the soul might play in human personhood? Do you think belief in a detachable soul is an essential Christian belief? What do you believe about the resurrection of our bodies and how would you relate this event to the human soul?2. What aspects of the way you think about yourself and others around you come from your cultural and family background? How distinct would you say your sense of yourself is from that of those around you? Take into consideration the fact that we can also create ourselves as a kind of “anti-self” to those around us; here our context is still creating us, only in reverse. What legitimate role, if any, might stereotyping or prejudging play in our sense of ourselves and others?3. What do you make of existentialism? To what extent would you say this movement that emphasized choice influenced the spirit of the late twentieth century—or is existentialism itself a reflection of a broader zeitgeist? To what extent would you say that contemporary atheists are aware or unaware of the meaninglessness and nonexistence of moral norms that seem to follow logically from their position?4. What do you make of the shifts that flowed inadvertently from Descartes’s “Copernican revolution” in which he turned the focus of truth from “out there” to inside our heads? Do you think the impact of this inward turn can be avoided, once the issue of certainty is questioned? Do some research on the many voices out there that currently decry Descartes.5. How do you think you would live, act, even vote differently if you took this as your fundamental conception of the human person: someone created in the image of God, a neighbor whom God expects you to honor, respect, and love, whether near or far?Submit this entire document into the appropriate dropbox for grading purposes.WEEK3WORLDVIEW QUESTIONS AND CHAPTERS7–9ANSWERS1Name: ______________________________Follow the instructions highlighted at the end of each of the following sections!Worldview Questions1.What is the nature of the other things that exist? Are we ideas in the mind of God? Ismatter somethingdifferent from spirit or mind? Is there even such a thing as spirit?(Schenck, 2014, p. 5)In addition, ask yourself these questions:a.How many different parts to reality are there?(E.g. body, soul, mind? Natural orsupernatural?)b.What is the difference, if any?c.Give an example of something that is true that is not material, and that is not provableby a scientific method/standard.2. What is a human being? Am I simply a biological machine? A being created in theimage of God? (Schenck, 2014, p. 6)In addition, ask yourself these questions:a.Have you ever tried to define yourself as a human?What would that include?b.What does the Bible say about who humans are?c.From what you know about psychology, how does science describe a human being?d.Ishumanistic existentialism a direct opposite of the biblical concept of the image ofGod in humans?Chapter7QuestionsKey Questions1.To what extent would you consider yourself a friend or foe of science? Are youconsistent? For example, do youthink of mathematicians and scientists as some of thesmartest people and yet tend to reject what they say?2.In practice, what, if any, distinction do you make between the actions of God in the worldand natural “laws” such as gravity and friction? Do youthink God is pulling all thestrings, even the ones scientists have captured as mathematical laws, or has God createdthe world to a large extent to run on its own without direct involvement? Give reasonsfor your opinion.WEEK 3 WORLDVIEW QUESTIONS AND CHAPTERS 7-9 ANSWERS 1Name: ______________________________Follow the instructions highlighted at the end of each of the following sections!Worldview Questions1. What is the nature of the other things that exist? Are we ideas in the mind of God? Ismatter something different from spirit or mind? Is there even such a thing as spirit?(Schenck, 2014, p. 5)In addition, ask yourself these questions:a. How many different parts to reality are there? (E.g. body, soul, mind? Natural orsupernatural?)b. What is the difference, if any?c. Give an example of something that is true that is not material, and that is not provableby a scientific method/standard.2. What is a human being? Am I simply a biological machine? A being created in theimage of God? (Schenck, 2014, p. 6)In addition, ask yourself these questions:a. Have you ever tried to define yourself as a human? What would that include?b. What does the Bible say about who humans are?c. From what you know about psychology, how does science describe a human being?d. Is humanistic existentialism a direct opposite of the biblical concept of the image ofGod in humans?Chapter 7 QuestionsKey Questions1. To what extent would you consider yourself a friend or foe of science? Are youconsistent? For example, do you think of mathematicians and scientists as some of thesmartest people and yet tend to reject what they say?2. In practice, what, if any, distinction do you make between the actions of God in the worldand natural “laws” such as gravity and friction? Do you think God is pulling all thestrings, even the ones scientists have captured as mathematical laws, or has God createdthe world to a large extent to run on its own without direct involvement? Give reasonsfor your opinion.