My Teaching

So I said that I would put the teachings from my last few weeks up, so these are the subjects that have consumed my studies for the last few weeks. Some of the information is incomplete because these are just my teaching outlines and I don't put all of my information on them.

Post-modernism

this world view is the one that would most impact most of the people in this room. If you are a part of this age you will either be post-modern or know someone who is.

1. What is prime reality-the really real? There is a god but you chose your own way of getting to him or her. There is no wrong path to god there is only your path and my path.

2. What is the nature of external reality, that is the world around us? The world is a tool to find out how you will get to god and this only the beginning.

3. What is a human being? A human is here to serve others and to better themselves.

4. What happens to a person at death? You determine what happens to you when you die (by what ever way that you lived your life).

5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? It is possible to know things because we were created by something and that wants us to be able to think.

6. How do we know what is right and wrong? You determine what is right for yourself and there has to be mutual respect for each others point of views. What ever is right for you is right for you, and what ever is right for me is right for me.

7. What is the meaning of human history? History is a means to understanding. It can be used to learn how other once tried to reach god and to learn from them to better yourself and better the world around you.

Modernism

1. non-religious thoughts
2. religious thoughts

1. What is prime reality-the really real?

I. God cannot be proven by standard methods (math, science, etc) so he cannot be real or something that has anything to do with the world as it is.

II. We experience God through methods that are proven to be true.

2. What is the nature of external reality, that is the world around us? We experience the world around us through scientific and mathematical methods the have been proven to be true and impartial.

3. What is a human being?

I. A human is an animal that has developed over millions of years through a process of adaptation.

II. God created humans in 7 literal days.

4. What happens to a person at death?

I. At death a person ceases to exist.

II. A person enters into heaven and eternity.

5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?

· Intelligence is a asset that has been developed through adaptation.

· We were made in the image of God so therefor we posses characteristics of God which would include intelligence.

6. How do we know what is right and wrong?

I. Morals came about through the processes of adaptation and evolution as a mechanism to protect the development of the species.

II. Morals were imparted to us by God.

7. What is the meaning of human history?

I. Time is linear and moving forward. It is a method that can be used to prove or disprove elements.

II. History is used to show us the nature of reality and show us how we got to were we are.

Existentialism

Existentialism is a form of Modernism and has parts of Post-modernism in it

Basic Atheistic Existentialism

1. What is prime reality-the really real? The cosmos is composed of matter, but to human beings reality appears in two forms-subjective and objective.

● Subjective would be what the mind thinks, awareness, freedom. Objective would be the things of science and math.

2. What is the nature of external reality, that is the world around us? N/A

3. What is a human being? For human beings alone existence precedes essence; people make themselves who they are.

● So if a person acts one way that is the way that they are regardless of what they think on the inside. So if someone has cowardly thoughts but doesn't want to be a coward all they have to do is act bravely and they won't be a coward.

4. What happens to a person at death? Each person is totally free as regards their nature and destiny.

● A person determines who they are but not what happens at the end of themselves which is nothing.

5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? The highly wrought and tightly organized objective world stands over against human beings.

● If a person defines who they are in the subjective realm of life then the objective would would exist in direct opposition to that since you wouldn't be able to measure it

6. How do we know what is right and wrong? In full recognition of the absurdity of the objective world, the authentic person must create value.

● A person should create what they believe to be of value and through that create what they believe to right and wrong.

7. What is the meaning of human history? N/A

Basic Theistic Existentialism

1. What is prime reality-the really real? Human beings are personal beings who, when they come to full consciousness, find themselves in an alien universe; whether or not God exists is a tough question to be solved not by reason but by faith.

· This world view start with the fact that you are here and does not start with God at the center. So you start with yourself and upon self reflection you decide who and what God is.

2. What is the nature of external reality, that is the world around us? The personal is the valuable

· only what you yourself have experienced is worth anything. So a summary of a book simply will not do you must read the book yourself for it to be worth any thing

3. What is a human being? N/A

4. What happens to a person at death? N/A

5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? Knowledge is subjectivity; the whole truth is often paradoxical.

· Knowledge is something that is for you and in that way it is subjective and if you knew the whole truth it would contradict it self and would only be able to be resolved in the mind of God

6. How do we know what is right and wrong? N/A

7. What is the meaning of human history? History as a record of events is uncertain and unimportant, but history as a model or type or myth to be made present and lived is of supreme importance.

· We don't know if history is true or not because we weren't able to experience it. But we can use the principles to teach us and learn from it.

Eastern Pantheistic Monism

1. What is prime reality-the really real? Atman is Brahman; that is, the soul of each and every human being is the Soul of the cosmos.

· Atman is the soul of every individual, Brahman is the soul of the Cosmos and the cosmos is God.

· the cosmos is in everything, separation is only an illusion.

2. What is the nature of external reality, that is the world around us? Some things are more one then others.

· Plant life is closer to being one the mineral life, animal life is closer then plant life and human life is closer then animal life. But even in human life some people can be closer to that oneness then other based on their understanding of oneness.

- Part 2: many (if not all) roads lead to the One.

· The eventual end of life is oneness

3. What is a human being? To realize one’s oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond personality.

· Once you truly understand your oneness you will pass beyond the need to define your personality

4. Why is it possible to know anything at all? To realize one’s oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond knowledge. The principle of non-contradiction does not apply where ultimate reality is concerned.

· Knowledge has no value once you become one but here while you try to find the oneness there are truths which are more valuable then other.

5. How do we know what is right and wrong? To realize one’s oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond good and evil; the cosmos is perfect at every moment.

· There is a system in place that make sure that you don't hold someone back from doing wrong and the is karma

6. What happens to a person at death? Death is the end of individual, personal existence, but it changes nothing essential in an individual’s nature.

· A person just goes back around for another go of it

· maybe at some point pass beyond this world and become completely one with everything

7. What is the meaning of human history? To realize one’s oneness with the One is to pass beyond time. Time is unreal. History is cyclical.

· Time just goes around and around and around

There are different types of this world view but they are based on this basic frame.

Hinduism

Background:

• most Hindus refer to their religion as “sanatana dharma” one of many meanings is “eternal moral order”.
• Hinduism developed in 4000 BCE from an earlier religion called Vedic which contains many elements of Hinduism.
• In the 20^th century Hinduism was blended with Indian nationalism to become a political force.

God:

• Brahman is everything. The goal of every person is to reach a higher plain of existence.
• Women show Brahman's female characteristics.
• all of the gods of Hinduism or fake (like the Roman gods or like worshiping Hamlet or Sherlock Holmes), which is recognized by most Hindu scholars.

Shiva:

• Shiva is one of the gods that Hindus would worship and the reason that Hindus have the dot in the middle of their foreheads is because she is suppose to come back and destroy the earth except for the people who have dots on their body.

Reincarnation:

• the only way to pass beyond this world is to find spiritual enlightenment, if you do not you will be reincarnated.

- the way that you achieve this enlightenment is through Yoga.

· There are four main types of Yoga (good works, knowledge, devotion [relying on the gods to release them], and meditation).

- the measure of how enlightened you are is through your Karma.

Caste system:

• there are 4 main castes in Hinduism (Brahmins or priests, Kshatriyas or warriors and rulers, Vaisyas or merchants and farmers, Shudars or Laboring class), salvation is only available for the top 3 and the Shudars are considered the outcasts or untouchables.
• The Hindus believe that if you are part of the lower class it is because of past actions in a previous life.

Buddhism

Background:

• Buddhism has 400 million followers
• it was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha meaning “enlightened on” in the sixth century BCE
• the Buddha achieved enlightenment in 535 BCE
• before Buddha left he gathered together a group of people (the Sangha) to carry on his teachings on how to leave Reincarnation.

The 4 noble truths: the doctrine of Buddha

· Diagnosis: suffering is always present in life.

· Cause: Desire and craving cause suffering.

· Prognosis: desire and craving can be overcome and then reincarnation ends.

· Treatment: with an 8 fold path, broken up into 3 categories.

· Wisdom

· Right View

· Right Thought

· Right Speech

· Morality

· Right Action

· Right Livelihood

· Meditation

· Right Effort

· Right Mindfulness

· Right Contemplation

Taoism

Background:

• Taoism was founded in the 604BCE in China by Lao-Tze which means “old philosopher” or “old boy”, but his real name was Li-Uhr.
• IN 440 BCE Taoism was adopter as a state religion of China.
• It is pronounced Dowism
• Taoism currently has about 20 million followers
• 30,000 Taoists live in North America and 1,720 in Canada according to a 1991 Census
• It is primarily centered in Taiwan

god:

• Tao is not a person but a force, a principle
• “Tao” is basically indefinable. It has to be experienced. It “refers to a power which envelopes, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the universe. It embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. There would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)”
• Tao translated means “the Path” and is the force that flows through all life and is the first cause of everything, the goal of everyone is to become one with the Tao

- The priesthood views the many gods as manifestations of the one Dao, "which could not be represented as an image or a particular thing." The concept of a personified deity is foreign to them, as is the concept of the creation of the universe. Thus, they do not pray as Christians do; there is no God to hear the prayers or to act upon them. They seek answers to life's problems through inner meditation and outer observation.

People:

• Taoists believe that everyone is basically good at heart and that everyone should be good to others because it will probably be reciprocated
• When a person is in perfect balance they will become a perfect human and will pass beyond this world

Yin Yang

• The yin yang was born 1,500 years before Taoism

Death:

• Each person, after death, wants to be an important ancestor...in their Heaven, where they can help the living...but there is Hell, like “Purgatory”, with 9 stages of punishments, each one governed by a demon king; and the prayers can help them to get out of there.

Two different ways to live:

For Confucius "human conduct" must be righteous, and the man's relation with God and the universe would take care of itself... for Lao-Tze, man must establish himself in harmony with the universal principle, with Tao, through his own Tao, and good human conduct will follow...
- Which way will be better to become a good person?... to try to be good, or to try to unite with God?...
For Christianity the way is to live in Christ and Christ in you... because all persons are essentially "selfish", we love ourselves, which is the opposite of the real "love"; but if Jesus is in you, then you are going to feed the hungry, help the sick or the one in need... but it is "not you", it is Christ "who lives in you" (Gal.2:20)... however, when Christ is in you, you do not become a "robot", you are still the only one responsible for yours actions, and you have to strive to be pure and good, living every minute of your life with faith in Jesus, who lives in you, without fear to nobody and to nothing... the greatest sin of a Christian is to do something without faith in Christ, trusting in himself or in money or in humanpower instead of trusting in Jesus Christ (Rom.14:23).