RDB Jesus

In 2 Corinthians 4:6 it is written that, “ For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6). To me, this quote perfectly depicts the reason for Jesus Christ’s life on this Earth. Jesus lived the perfect life in God’s eyes and continues to be an example to millions of Christians around the world today. Although His life ended in His Crucifixion, this final act of ultimate sacrifice and love gives me hope, and allows me to grasp the idea of the type of selfless life I wish to live. I have always known that I want to do something great with my time on this earth, and as I said in class, my greatest fear is running out of time to do it in. I truly want to make a difference in other people’s lives, and have realized over the last couple of weeks more than ever that I want to serve and glorify God in as many ways as possible. Recently, I have started training to become a Young Life Leader, which will allow me to declare my faith to children and help them embark on their own personal religious journeys. I have also volunteered to attend Bigstuf with Netcasters, my youth group back home, which will allow me to interact with the students in the first place that I ever truly felt the presence of God. While I am not certain about exactly what I am going to end up doing with my life, I feel like these things will lead me to where I am supposed to be. I cannot think of a better way to spend my life than by offering love and service to as many people as I can, while hopefully living the life God wants me to live. In 1 John 4:7, 11-12, John says, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God ... Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us"

(1 John 4:7, 11-12). With this mindset, I look towards the future. By seeking out the best in everything and everyone, I hope to come to understand the way God looks down with love upon His creation. I know that I have struggled a lot with my faith being questioned by myself and by others in the past, and I know that many more such instances will present themselves in the future, but I believe that through God my faith will always prevail over these troubles. In 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18, it says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you…16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18).

RDB Isaiah, Psalms, Virgil, Socrates

The Death of Socrates

In Plato’s “The Apology of Socrates” Socrates declares that, “The difficulty, my friends, is not in avoiding death, but in avoiding unrighteousness; for that runs faster than death” (Plato 1). I think Socrates hit the nail right on the head with these famous last words. All too much, people fear the thought of death and let their earthly life consume them. While the question of what I want to do with my life before I die has plagued my mind for many years, I have recently realized that it really does not matter what I do with my life, it simply matters how I live it. When God “breathed into (us)…a breath of life, and (we) became living being(s),” I believe he endowed us with all that we need to make this life full and complete (Genesis 741 B). By creating us in His image, he not only gave us a heart and spirit to evoke His presence and to share His love and compassion with the world, but also provided us with a body through which we can inspire others through our actions. The selections from the works of Isaiah, Psalms, Plato, and Virgil, truly present their reader with a confirmation of God’s omniscience and omnipotence, and challenge believers to be vessels of God’s glory. Though we as humans may consider ourselves the most important inhabitants of this earth, we must remember that we are only an insignificant part of God’s vast creation. As Plato says, “for not caring about what for which (we) ought to care, and thinking that (we) are something when (we) are really nothing”, we should be reprimanded, and it is up to God’s servants to reveal this to us (Plato 3). It is the responsibility of the “chosen few” to uplift us from our present state of unrighteousness and corruption and lead us back to the righteous path. In a world full of violence and hatred, it is sometimes hard to see the original plan of peaceful coexistence that God desired for us all. Edward Hick’s painting “Peaceable Kingdom” is an illustration of Isaiah 11:6-9, and perhaps a representation of how the earth will be restored with the coming of our salvation. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid… they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of knowledge of the Lord, as waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). Someday the world will return to a state of peace, and like the beastly nature within the leopards, lions and bears in Hick’s painting, the evil tendencies of the world will subside, and “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it TOGETHER: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 40:5).

Peaceful Coexistence TOGETHER

ODB Religious Literacy and Asian Religions

Tuesday’s discussion really baffled me. Although I respected everyone’s opinions, I felt like my religion was being targeted more than others. At first, I was really thrown off by it and started to long for a “ seemingly less complicated era when constant questioning of religious beliefs and practices (were) not so apparent”, but then I realized that through all of their questioning, I was forced to reevaluate my beliefs and discover why I trusted in them (292). Last night and all of today, I really contemplated upon everyone’s reasonings and my own, and truly reached a better understanding where I stood in my religious journey. While I am certain that I believe in a Christian God, I also believe that all religion is somehow complexly connected and that although each is distinct from another, the similarities are universal. Sivananda states in “Bliss Divine” that “the one message of all saints and prophets of all times and climes, is the message of love” (114). Love (Ahisma), combined with faith seems to unite all religions across the world. Love and faith “(are) the noblest and best of traits that are found expressed in daily life and activities of perfected souls” (Sivananda 38). Thus, with an understanding of these two concepts, comes an understanding and testimony to the importance of religion. Although the world has constantly been evolving and changing since its creation, religion has remained a constant staple throughout history. In today’s society, however, religion has been cast aside for a more self-obsessed culture. People have begun to drift away from organized religion and possess little faith in anything at all. Many have come to see religion as a threat, an excuse for people to stop doing things on their own, a thing to only turn to in the bad times. An institution that used to be based on faith, love, and community, “in conforming (itself) to American culture, (has transformed) Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism (to) a little more than parallel paths up the mountain of the American dream” (Prothero 7). While some might argue that the demise of religion is long overdue, we must remember “the fact…that for good or for ill, nearly everything in our culture worth transmitting, everything which gives meaning to life, is saturated with religious influences” (Prothero 128). “Music without sacred music, architecture minus the cathedrals, or painting without the scriptural themes would be eccentric and incomplete, even from a secular point of view” (Prothero 128). History beams with the triumphs of those who were spiritually invested while millions around the world today still practice their religions devoutly. I feel that since religion has endured the tests of time, has influenced some of the most widely known names in history, and still remains a widely essential institution worldwide, that there must be some greater purpose for us all. I like to believe that we are all united through the common links of faith and love and that they will continue to guide us into the future as they have our ancestors before us.

RDB 15 Bhagavad Gita II

This whole idea of love with detachment has really puzzled me since we began our discussions on it. I have always believed that if I throw my heart fully into everything that I do that the results will reflect my passion and my effort. At first I was really bummed when people started questioning everything that I believed in, but now I have come to understand their thinking more fully. In my TC class on Friday, we watched a Canadian film titled “Away From Her”.
This movie tells the story of a couple in love torn apart by one spouses fight with Alzheimer’s. Although the husband does everything in his power to keep their love alive and strong, his wife’s deteriorating mind tears them apart. While his wife struggles with the confusion of her memories vanishing before her eyes and begins to take interest in an old childhood friend that lives at the same nursing home, her husband stands beside her and continues to visit her everyday no matter the circumstances. Towards the end, the husband selflessly brings this childhood friend turned sweetheart to visit his wife in order to ensure her happiness. Even though he obviously still loves his wife, the husband realizes his need to move on and to continue living, not dwelling on what could have been. Though this film taught me that love is “an ever-fixed mark” and continues even through the most dismal of situations, it also showed me that love with detachment is a valuable lesson to learn (Sonnet 16). I now realize that from such passion and zeal can come obsession. The Bhagavad-Gita mentions that “passion, engendered by thirst for pleasure and attachment, binds the soul”, and I believe that this is the form of passion that is most present in our world today. But is passion that is not in this form really all that bad? While Krishna is speaking to Arjula, he says, “those who surrender their actions to me…with no thought, save of me” (99). Another time he declares “those whose faith never fails and concentrate their whole nature on me…are my beloved” (103). Thus, I believe that if the nature of one’s passionate actions is to glorify God, then they are just. We must realize that we “are ruled by (God’s) will, and if we surrender ourselves to Him, then pursing our passions is worthwhile (71). When we are selfless and make sacrifices, I like to believe that others can see God through us and it is this idea that gives me hope and reassurance for the future.

RDB 14 Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad-Gita incorporates inspiration and spiritual advice into an epic tale of the soldier, Arjuna’s meeting with Krishna at the forefront of a major battle. While Arjuna continuously questions Krishna throughout their meeting, he finally renounces his doubts and proclaims that he is ready to do God’s will. Though, I have been raised in the Christian Church, I found it intriguing that many of the same principles and beliefs that I possess guided this Hindu doctrine. As said in the discourses between Arjuna and Krishna, “In this world…there is a twofold path. There is the path of Wisdom for those who meditate and the Path of Action for those who work. No man can attain freedom from activity by refraining from action, nor can one reach perfection by merely refusing to act” (29). When Arjuna declares his willingness to put his faith in the Lord, he surrenders his life to God, ultimately partaking in “the noblest form of action, (sacrifice)” (27). This lesson of total submission and faith was the one that I took closest to heart. It offered me hope and made me realize that “even the most sinful (person), if he worship(s) with his whole heart, shall be considered righteous, for he is treading the right path” (75). I believe that the old saying “actions speak louder than words” continues to be true throughout the world today and I try to exude confidence and show my faith through my actions in my everyday life. I strive to glorify God through my existence here on Earth an am trying to understand the concept of “looking upon success and failure with an equal eye ”(19). Although I fear failure almost more than anything, it is comforting to know that even when I make mistakes and fail in my efforts, I will be forgiven because of the path I have chosen and be loved for who I am. In class we discussed the theme of detachment that is present in the Bhagavad-Gita. While I believe this is somewhat true, I actually see more of a lesson about passion and throwing your whole heart into things that you believe in. When Arjuna finally realizes the glory of God, he is immediately ready to do anything according to His will. While the discourses do mention that passion “fetter(s) the free Spirit of all beings”, I believe that putting your passion into action actually serves as an offering to God Himself and helps the soul grow and develop (113). “God dwells in the hearts of all beings” and by being zealous and courageous, we glorify Him in our efforts (149). We only have one chance to become the people we are meant to be, and we do not want to regret not doing it full heartedly.