This section, Challenges of Faith, explores the reasons we sometimes find it hard to have faith or why we lose faith. It gives three major challenges of faith: atheism, scientism, and consumerism. Some people reasonably decide to believe that there is no God. Friedrich Nietzsche is a famoous atheist who believes that humans are destined for greater things and must take control of their destiny to live a full life. He looked down upon Christians and Jews becuase to him it represented "slave morality," that showed no will to power or control. Another famous atheist is Thomas Hobbes. He believed that nothing transcended the physical realm. He had a "what you see is what you get" mentality. He, like Nietzsche believed in relative morality that depended upon a circumstance. These two atheists were compared to St. Ignatius Loyola who expressed Christian virtues. Next, scientism was presented as a challenge of faith. During the Renaissance and the period between 1500 through 1900, the Church and science were in "reflective unity." Science and religion were at odds and it was thought one or the other had to be correct. Science, though, has its limits especially because it does not always give us certitude. Last, consumerism, explained by Father Kavanaugh, is a challenge to faith. The consumerist culture shapes and molds society and can cause products to inadvertantly be the object of idol worship.
Two things that are important in this section are four choices to make when it comes to religious faith and how consumerist culture and corporations form society.
First, the four choices possible when it comes to religous faith are: 1) Beleiving in God, 2) Atheism- which is the total opposite. Atheists make a conscious decision not to believe in God. 3) Agnosticism- the decision that it is impossible to answer the question of the existance or the non-existance of God. 4) Indifference- which is the least reasonable choice of not caring if God exists or not.
The large corporations of Ameica have the power to totally form youthful and popular culture. This was illustrated in the Merchants of Cool, which shows how corporations commercialize and form our culture. This documentary talked with major corporations who researched and found new ideas. They used this information to commercialize a new image through media. In turn, society imitates what they see and become what they see. This is especially seen through the MTV's creation of the mook, a totally crude male obsessed with sex and very immature, and the midriff, the image of a woman who must sexually impress people with looks and permiscuity.
This picture illustrates one of the challenges of faith described in the section. This picture comically illustrates overcoming that challenge of faith. Science and faith can work together to answer the most perplexing questions of life.
My most prominent challenge of faith is probably the third mentioned in this section, consumerism. I really enjoy buying things that are new nd popular. Seeing the Merchants of Cool and Fr. Kavanaugh's video showed how I may be formed and influenced by American consumerism. I hope that I do not put products ahead of my religious faith, becuase conumerism would dominate my thoughts and I would be in an extreme predicament. When products become that important to a person, that person must choose the product or their faith. I do not ever plan for my mild consuming challenge to go that far.
