1. One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the major idea of the section.
I think that the main idea from this section is that because Faith is so often subjected to testing by things such as atheism (both positive and practical), science, materialism, etc. it shows why people can so often lose their Faith. Positive atheists, who “make a conscious, deliberate decision that God does not exist” (FRR 107) have for many years questioned and attacked the Church and its teachings/beliefs. Since many positive atheists, such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Thomas Hobbes, are intelligent and educated people, the questions they raise about Christianity are valid questions that can make us evaluate our own Faith. Other atheists who, “might as well be…” (FRR 107) are called practical atheists. Practical atheists are those people who may say they are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, etc. but do not live and practice their faith enough that they should be considered followers of a religion. There are many people who are in fact practical atheists, but few who affirm themselves as positive atheists. Furthermore, science has for a long time (since around 1500 AD) been in conflict with Faith. The two philosophies have been in disagreement because science is a study of facts, numbers, and things that can be measured and proved, while religion is based on each person’s own state of Faith. Also, centuries ago, the Catholic Church was so heavily based on tradition that new thinkers like Galileo, Copernicus, Bacon, etc. threatened the teachings of the Church which led to separation. Finally, materialism is a great challenge to Faith. When items become so important that they become more important than God, we lose sight of what is important in our lives, and we become victims to materialism. There are many other things that challenge our Faith, but I think that these are some of the most important.
2. List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week.
a. Friedrich Nietzsche and the Attack from Atheism - Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most famous atheists in history, due to his passionate way of expressing himself, and the power he gained as a philosopher. First of all, Nietzsche was a nihilist, meaning he believed that truth could not be found by reason, but this did not matter to him because he also believed that that people were more swayed by emotion than reason. Nietzsche believed in relativity of values and morality. He believed that values are solely dependent on the person who questions them. According to Nietzsche’s philosophy, “If you wanted to say revenge is a good thing, they you have every right to say so, and as far as you’re concerned, revenge is good.” (FRR 113) He also believed that because everything is always changing, morality is relative, so what is good in one part of the world fifty years ago may be different that what is good today in the United States. Both of these things contradict Christianity’s teachings, for we believe in a universal code of morals and values that is objective to all places and times. Further, Nietzsche believed one of the most important things for a society is a “superman” (FRR 114) which he describes as people who have awesome will-power and passion to make their dreams come true. He condemned Christianity and Judaism for being too weak for a religion, and that to prosper, they needed strength, power, and will.
b. Science and Religion - The relationship between science and religion has undergone major changes since its emergence in 500 BC. At that time, the two existed in an “unreflective unity” in which science and religion were grouped under the name “philosophy” which included science, mathematics, logic, rhetoric, music, grammar, religion, etc. At this stage, the two existed in a sort of strained co-existence, for the Church had begun to dominate science by means of things like the Spanish Inquisition (“a church-police which persecuted people whose theological or scientific views contradicted Catholic doctrine” (FRR 136)). Eventually, this strain became too strong, and the two split in a “reflective disunity” where by a greater understanding of each other’s differences, they broke the unity between them. In this stage (around 1500 AD) scientists started making theories, scientific laws, etc. that contradicted Catholic teaching. Eventually though, the scientists and Church realized that they each had qualities and aspects that they could learn from each other, which is called a "reflective unity". The scientists realized that they cannot answer the biggest questions of human existence by reason alone, and the Church realized that some of the doctrines they adopted were incorrect and outdated.
c. Materialism in Society - Materialism is the idea that products which have the potential to lead us closer to God become that which we focus most closely on. Products can very easily become our main focus because of the media and society’s pressure to become their view of “successful” which is those people who have the most stuff (e.g. fame, money, etc.). One of the most influential industries which use advertising to promote materialism is the fashion industry. Advertisements portraying people gazing into mirrors, adoring Prada purses, and wearing (more or less) clothing by Giorgio Armani, Donatella Versace, and Gucci all give the impression that you should fall in love with yourself, love your handbag, and focus on looking like the models in really expensive clothes. In fact, these things are nice enough, but shouldn’t be the focus of your life, because they can’t in themselves bring us closer to God.
3. One image that reminds you of key ideas.
A picture of the cast of Godspell presented at Cor Jesu Academy in the Spring of 2005. Picture taken by Christie Kwock.
I think this image is a good example of the Challenges to Faith because it shows so many of the philosophers who are so integral to this whole idea of Faith and how it is challenged, as well as showing the people (though in completely different time periods) who would have conflicted ideas. Nietzsche was an atheist, Socrates believed in God, Luther broke from the Catholic Church, and so on.
4. One question you should keep with you to ponder.
In what ways is my Faith under attack and by what forces in the media and society are affecting it the greatest?
5. What should you try to do to make you a better person, a more faithful person, from this study?
I think that by understanding that there are outside forces acting on me, trying to break my Faith in God so that I focus on what they think is important for me, I am much more prepared to defend myself from these attacks. However, I also think that I need to make sure that I watch myself when it comes to materialism. I can so easily be caught up in buying clothes (which is my worst fault when it comes to consumerism) especially brand-name clothes like Juicy Couture, Seven For All Mankind, and so on, that I can lose sight of the most important things in my life, like appreciating my family for example. I think that with this, I can become a much more Faithful person.
The Cast of Godspell presented at Cor Jesu Academy
Ben Pecher as Buckminster Fuller
Gabe Violett as Martin Luther
Dan Pecher as Jean Paul Sartre
Eddie Jaeger as Judas Iscariot
Lauren Ott as Edward Gibbon
Jon Kwock as Friedrich Nietzsche
Emily Bolt as Socrates
Maria Becvar as Leonardo DaVinci
Michelle Krispin as Thomas Aquinas
Mary Helbling as Friedrich Nietzsche