Journal 5
1.) There were three challenges to Faith that were covered in this section. We covered how Atheism, science, and the power of dehumanization all lead to having weak Faith. During the challenges of Atheism I learned that there are different types of Atheism. I learned that Nietzsche belived that "life is what you make of it", that human beings can't use reason and induction to discover truth about the world, that people choose what the want they think is right, and eventually humans will evolve into super-beings. Although Hobbes was an Athiest, his views of human beings were very different from Nietzsche. Hobbes believed that humans only acted out of self-interest, that humans can gain knowledge of the universe using reason, and that morality is up to the individual. Unlike either of these two, St. Ignatius of Loyala believed in God, believed that everyone is destined to be with God, and that there is a definite right and wrong. From the challenges by science I learned that science and Faith can co-exist although it has been a journey through unreflective unity, reflective disunity, and reflective unity. This has lead them to realize that Faith can work to find the truths about morality while science can work to find the cause of gravity, and together they can discover the truths of the universe. And through movies and the reading book I learned that the power of dehumanization is a strong challenge to Faith, through its roots of attracting our desires to be happy, cool, and fit in. Overall, the power of dehumanization, the challenges of science, and the challenges of Atheism, are all things that we must overcome in order to have strong Faith.
2a.) One thing that I would like to remember from this section is the idea that science and theology can coexist and that I can believe in the ideas of both of them. I think that the way the book explained the journey of the Church and science, unreflective unity, reflective disunity, and reflective unity, really made sense to me. I often have trouble adhearing to the specifics of the Bible and believing the scientific details it proposes. I think that Mr. Sciuto might have put it the best, "the Bible is only infallible when dealing with matters of salvation." This really hit home with me because I often lean toward thinking that science is ultimately correct. Since the Bible sometimes is inaccurate, (geocentric theory) I sometimes characterize the enitre thing as being inaccurate. By remembering that the relationship between science and Faith is a growing process I think that I can strengthen my Faith in the accuracy of the Bible.
2b.)The movie about Fr. Kavanaugh and "The Mercahants of Cool" was really interesting to me. Whenever I see an advertisment I immediately look for imposing values or ideas. I think that these movies helped me to recognize that these practices are out there and that I am vulnerable to them. As a male teenager I am being bombarded with advertisments trying to tell me what to do and what will happen if I buy their products. By remembering these movies I will be able to control my tendencies to give in to the media's will and fall into their trap, and will be able to make my own decisions about what I feel is morally right and virtuous.
2c.) One of the most important things that I would like to remember was the notes that we put up onto the board as a group during the first week of the section. These boards covered topics such as the challenges to a good life, Faith, faith, and reason. It is important to recognize the challenges to all of these things in order to avoid falling into these habits and not being able to have a good life, Faith, faith, and reason. By remembering that being bias, not having an open mind, and giving into instant gratification can all lead to poor reason, faith, and Faith, I can work to try and avoid these faults and traps and ultimately live a happy life.
3.) There are many challenges in my life right now to Faith. As a teenager I am being bombarded with advertisments saying that I need to become materialistic. The Church is trying to tell me I need to become a priest, or not sin, while my body is telling me I need to develop relationships with the opposite sex. In school itself my friends are trying to tell me what's cool and what I nned to do to fit in. Classe and teachers are also trying to implant their political views and world views upon me. Even my parents are trying to tell me that I need to have Faith or that I need to decide for my own. All of this becomes overwhelming and I think that this is why as we get older, especially from Sophomore to Junior year, the mixed messages and ideas all get confused. Mr. Sciuto said it best today at confession, "why do less Juniors go to confession then Freshman?" Ultimately I think that we need to slow down and decide what we believe in and sort through all of the conflicting ideas.
