1) Summarize the key idea from the section

The idea of this section is to show that one can defend their faith through the use of apologetics. Apologetics is a defense for faith that takes evidence from science, nature, empirical knowledge, and reasoning to favor Christianity. The Reading Book does this through using teleological arguments, such as The Kalam Argument or The Anthropic Principle, evidence from nature and evidence from the human person

2) List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this section

One of the things that has stuck with me from this section is one of the quotes from LaDainian Tomlinson. When asked whether his work on the field or off the field (charity work), he replied, "Off the field definitely." He truly believed that it was his work in the charities and hospitals that would be remembered by the world, not his feats of speed and strength on the football field.

Another important thing I would like to remember is the argument from conscience. This says that the existence of a personal conscience points towards the existence of God. For me, this simple argument is one of the most convincing because I have not met a person who does not feel that tug from their conscience when they are faced with a moral problem. I too experience this, and I think that this definitely does point to an objective morality in the universe.

The last thing that I would like to remember from this section is the argument known as The Degrees of Perfection. This argument was introduced by Saint Thomas and says that there is a natural progression that points toward the existence of the divine. His argument begins with a state of non-being, moves to matter, vegetation (which has the additional characteristic of life over matter), animals (adds conciousness), humans (adds reason, free will and abstract thought), and then says that a Pure Spirit or Being is the next in line. The reason I would like to remember this argument is because out of all of the teleological arguments that we studied, this one is the easiest for me to see as valid. One question that this argument raises for me, however, is how do we know if this progression only stops at the Pure Spirit. What if this ladder only continues? With my current understanding, I do not think it is possible to know this, but it is still interesting to think about.

3) One image that reminds you of Jesus.

This picture reminds me of Jesus not only because it is a powerful image showing hope for the future by Jesus being present at the 9/11 disaster, but also in the phrase. "In God We Trust," is a motto that almost every person in the United States carries with them in their pockets without even thinking about it on their coins and bills. This reminds me of Jesus because he is the ultimate example of of trusting in God, to the point of sacrificing his life to abide by His plan for our salvation.

4) Who is Jesus to you?

To me Jesus is one of the greatest moral teachers in all of history, and the Son of God who, through his resurrection, gave us the opportunity for eternal life in heaven. But more so than these, I think that Jesus reveals himself to the world through those people around us. By the good will that we show one another, I think this reveals the true nature of Jesus more than reading about his story in the Gospels. Here I am going to quote the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which says "it is in giving that receive." That is who Jesus is to me. He gave his entire life for his friends and enemies alike, wanting to be with them and love them eternally, not because it was his "job" or "duty" on this earth, but because of the desire to help mankind and develop a strong relationship with them.

Home