1. One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the major idea of the section.
I think the most important idea from this section is that the points and characteristics of the Human Condition, being “that situation which every human being finds himself or herself in by virtue of being human” (FRR 10), are just that: shared in varying degrees of severity by every human being. Those points include: the desire for happiness, ignorance, boredom, pessimism, anxiety, dread, neediness, loneliness, alienation, pain, lack of freedom, concupiscence, and death. All of the philosophers and theologians from Faith, Reason, and Revelation in someway discuss one of these points. For example, Marcus Aurelius spoke quite a lot about death in his book, The Meditations; Erich Fromm spoke in depth about loneliness, anxiety, and alienation and their role in man’s purpose in the world. Even Buddha spoke so plainly as to say that “life is suffering” (FRR 12). With examples spanning great amounts of time and distance, I believe it is fairly apparent that these characteristics have and will exist within every human’s existence.
2. List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week.
a. The Problem of Evil - The Problem of Evil is most simply stated through the words of C. S. Lewis:
1. If God is all-good then He wants his creatures to be happy
2. And if He is all-powerful he can do whatever He wants.
3. But the creatures are not happy (a point on the list of the Human Condition)
4. Therefore God lacks either goodness or power or both. (FRR 4)
The question is, therefore, is God not completely good, not completely powerful, or both? The answer is that because God gave us Free Will, He cannot intervene in the bad decisions people make in their lives, also known as sin. All of the problems we have in the world today are a direct result of someone’s bad choice. God does not make bad things happen to us, but he does give people the understanding of good and evil so that they will hopefully make the choice that is God-affirming.
b. The Cause of the Human Condition - The cause of the Human Condition is linked to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. When Eve, then Adam, ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they introduced sin into the world, by which everyone is born with Original Sin. Of course, this is not a historical account, but I think it sheds light upon the idea that somehow, someone began to go against God, and from there on, the quality of life began to decline, and those points of the Human Condition came into existence. Therefore, the original cause of the Human Condition is based on Adam and Eve in Genesis, but the Human Condition prevails in each successive generation because of that first Original Sin, because we are inexplicably drawn toward sin (concupiscence). There is not a way to escape our Human Condition, but by living and loving God, we can make the effects less powerful and prominent.
c. Christian Eschatology - Christian Eschatology is “the study of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.” (FRR 26) It is important because everything about Christianity is based around these things.
There are two types of Judgment: Particular Judgment, which is the personal Judgment of a person which decides whether that person goes to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory, as well as the Final Judgment, which is the “mark of the end of the world as we know it.” (FRR 29) At this Judgment, Jesus decides out of everyone (dead and alive) in the world whether they will be saved and go to Heaven, or damned and go to Hell.
Death is basically the soul leaving the body for another location, and dependent on what religion you are, it could be another body, a final resting place, nowhere, or resurrection.
Heaven, as described in Faith, Reason, and Revelation, is not a place, but rather a state of being with God. It is both awe-inspiring and wonderful, and it marks the day when a person comes “face-to-face with God.” (FRR 35)
If Heaven is a state of being with God, then Hell is a state of complete lack of connection with God. Souls in Hell experience a total lack of God’s presence, which leads them into despair. The reason so many people represent Hell with fire is because of the fiery dump, Gehenna, in Jesus’ time, which he used as a metaphor for Hell.
I think this image is a perfect example of how the Human Condition affects our lives. Amanda from "What the Bleep" goes through many trials in the movie, from her failed wedding to anorexic-type views of herself. She embodies many characteristics of what lots of people are really like.
4. One question you should keep with you to ponder.
How do I experience the points of the Human Condition in my life, and which points do I experience the most frequently and the most severely?
5. What should you try to do to make you a better person, a more faithful person, from this study?
I think that just by learning about the Human Condition makes me more aware of how I experience the aspects of it. By doing so, I understand the reason why I sometimes feel lonely, depressed, etc. And because I understand where it comes from, I can more effectively fight it. If I feel a lot of anxiety about an upcoming test or a big event, I could avoid a lot of the negative consequences of it by praying especially. I believe constant communication with God can ease some of the pain that is associated with the Human Condition, which would make me a more faithful person.
Note: Quotations from the Faith, Reason, and Revelation book are quoted as such: "quote" (FRR Page #)
