Journal 2

Rory Faust

9/29/05

1.) One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the major idea of the section.

     This past week in theology class, we have been studying the Human Condition. This Human Condition is "the situation, or condition, in which every human being finds himself or herself by virtue of being human." (RB p.10) That is, there are certain things that all people experience in life just by the fact that they are human. Famous writers throughout history such as Blaise Pascal, Marcus Aurelius, and Buddha have pondered about the Human Condition and tried to make sense of it. Pascal stated that mans' condition is "inconsistancy, boredom, anxiety," (RB p.10) and developed a theory that "all men seek happiness." (RB p. 11) Aurelius wrote about man's smallness in the universe while Buddha reasoned that all life is simply suffering.There are many more elements of the Human Condition such as birth, death, ignorance, concupiscense, loneliness, and fear. It is important to realize that all men have the Human Condition and possess the traits of the Human Condition by no choice of their own. Men also deny the possibility of the Human Condition, but, in a sense this just adds to the proof of the existance of the Human Condition because men are ignorant of this fact.

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

  1. First of all, I want to remember the Human Condition and what it is. All humans live in this condition of having many of the same experiences as other humans. We can not escape this condition. It is better to know of the Human Condition or at least be open to the possibility of the it rather than be ignorant of and deny its existence.
  2. Secondly, I want to remember what the problem of evil is. It is a philosophical approach that many take in attempt to find reason for evil. Many humans either end up denying God's goodness, power, or that evil exists. Saint Augustine of Hipp looked at the problem in this way:

    1. If God is all good, He would desire nothing but good.
    2. And if God is all-powerful, then He can have anything He wants.
    3. But evil exists as well as good.
    4. Therefore, either God is not all-powerful or not all-good, or possibly both.
  3. Lastly, I want to remember M. Scott Peck's article about our maps. We must come to realize that we do make maps in our lives and that these maps can be false and must be redrawn. It is often painful and difficult to redraw your "map", but a new map will pay off as you get closer and closer to your destination. With an accurate "map" it is easy to go through life, knowing where we are headed in the future.
    -St. Augustine of Hippo (RB p.3)

3.) Images that remind you of key ideas.


This photograph is a picture of a magnified water crystal labeled "Love and Gratitude" which noticeably affected the crystal's physical form. The image demonstrates that our thoughts can control our realities.
Image from "Dr. Emoto's Study on Water Crystals"


This photograph is a picture of a magnified water crystal labeled "You Make Me Sick" which noticeably affected the crystal's physical form. This shows how our thoughts truly can manipulate our realities.
Image from "Dr. Emoto's Study on Water Crystals"

4.) One good question you should keep with you to ponder.

    Why is there evil in our world? I want to develop my thoughts more on the problem of evil which asks how a good and powerful God can allow evil in the world. Right now, I don't have a firm stance on the possibility of God not being all-powerful. However, I do not believe that God wills evil to occur nor do I believe Him to be something other than all-good. I need to think about what God is.

5.) What should you try to do to make you a better person, a more faithful person, from this study?

     In order to be a more faithful person, I will try to apply what I have learned about the Human Condition in my life. I now realize that everyone in the world shares some of the same experiences as I do. We all feel pain, mess up sometimes, and want to be happy. I know that it is OK to talk to others about my problem because they know how I feel. This will help me gain faith in myself as a person and in others by knowing about everyones' Human Condition.

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