Alex Reich 

Junior Theology

December 3, 2007

 

Challenges to Faith journal

 

1.) Challenges to our faith as Christians include conflicts from atheism, science and consumerism. All three of these conflicts are complex subjects, each equally important in the challenges to our faith. Atheism can be divided into several parts based on the different degrees to which people believe or don’t believe in God. These are skepticism (being unsure and having your doubts about God) and nihilism (complete disbelief in God). Some incredibly intelligent and intellectual people think that if you are truly intelligent and educated, that you cannot in anyway believe in God. The controversy between science and the church also steers many people away from believing in God. Consumerism, commercialism and the dehumanization of society also have a drastic effect on the world, especially teenagers and children.

2.) Two things that I really want to remember from this section are the idea that science strengthens your relationship with God, rather than make you choose one over the other, and the power of dehumanization on teens (especially in America). I had always ignored science because I believed in God’s teachings and I didn’t think I needed some other explanation for everything. I put all my trust in God and I didn’t think I needed to know why I had trust in him. Now I know that scientific discoveries show how God’s wonders work and can create more wonder and awe and amazement toward God. Our study on dehumanization, especially the video “The Merchants of Cool”, really helped me to realize how much the media influences me and everyone else. I noticed a very good friend of mine starting to talk like one of the characters on Laguna Beach when it was popular. At the time I just ignored it because I figured I was just overanalyzing the situation—I figured, a lot of people act the same, right? Well, now when I see the way people dance at mixers it makes me wonder if it has anything to do with what we see on TV. I wonder if certain TV shows would be so popular if the characters on the show looked differently than they do. I wonder if girls on TV and in Hollywood weren’t so skinny, would girls still worry about their weight? If Britney Spears hadn’t worn jeans that were too small for her, would low rise jeans be popular?

3.)

FromVoote.com

4.) The hardest challenge of faith for us today, I personally believe, is worrying what other people think about us. I tell people all the time “I don’t care what other people think about me, you shouldn’t worry, why does their opinion matter?” but deep down I really want people to like me. I am getting better about this as I get older. However, there are certain people that I went to grade school with or I know from somewhere that I just feel like I need to prove to them that I have a good life. For some reason or another, these people made me feel insecure in the past by making fun of me and now I still have a hard time coming to grips with that. I think everyone can relate to feeling the need to “measure up” to certain expectations.