Three dead bodies, angry Gods, and a bad omen foreseen by a prophet come true. Such are the effects of a foolish king's actions. In Sophocles's Antigone, Creon fails as a statesman because of three primary faults: he makes governing decisions without taking advice from others, he abuses ...

Rousseau's, "The Social Contract", published in 1762 after the success of his of several of his previous works, became one of the most influential pieces of abstract political thought in Western tradition. Many historians have in fact argued that Rousseau's abstract theories on t...

In Dostoevsky's work, the Inquisitor presents his case with many wordy arguments. He cleverly discusses the issue of Catholicism, the freedom inherent in oppression and the joy and peace of submission to the iron will of another. The Inquisitor speaks from the position of a dictator; an entit...

The problem of 'free will' and the responsibility for exercising 'free will' have been among the central issues of philosophical and religious thought since ancient times. In Christian theology, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Soren Kierkegaard among others have ...

Derived from the Greek word for tiny, nanotech (short for nanotechnology) is one of today's most intriguing fields of science. For the uninitiated, the field of nanotech involves manipulating matter at the molecular level, allowing nearly absolute control over it. Unlike other technologies se...

Who is God? A theme that Gerard Hopkins seems to have spent his life exploring and attempting to answer through his poetry. By exploring nature around him, Hopkins adds insight to God's relationship with and essential role to man-- that of creator and redeemer. In his poem "Windhover&quo...

CAN WE PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD? 1. Introduction The question does God exist, is the most controversial issue of serious debate over the centuries. What is the answer to this question? Many contributed their ideas and views to this challenging question from the time of the Greek philosophers to ...

There are hundreds of religions present in the modern world today. The differences in these religions are very distinct, but there is one thing that ties them all together: the presence of a higher power. Because there are so many differences in these religions, people may think that the differenc...

In Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, Ralph and Jack are two distinct characters whose leadership qualities contrast so much that they become pitted against each other. Ralph and Jack come to symbolize the good and evil in life. Their leadership views are also very different, as Ralph signifie...

The speeches of Moloch, Belial, Mammon, and Beelzebub represent particular ways of looking at life. Milton derived these views from I John 2:15 and 16 which says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the w...

God's Purpose for Us God Corrects His Children when they bring circumstances upon themselves and sends a Deliverer once they have repented. Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know fr...

Contemplation in a World of Action When Merton wrote "Contemplation in a World of Action", he considered the purpose of his writing was to try to examine the basic question of meaning. (1) Merton attempted to achieve a certain degree of spiritual harmony and balance in his ow...

The Role of Fate in Beowulf The battle between fate and free will produces a lopsided victory by fate in Beowulf. A continuous reference is directed to fate by context as well as in elements of theme, plot, and character. The most prominent relation to fate is seen with Beowulf. From his earl...

Not only that there will be a redemption, but that there must be a redemption act present in several ways in John Milton's poem "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity". The redemption act--not being a reaction of God to Humanity's Fall, for such a dependency on Humanity by God is not ...

The Bible is an incredibly complex, interesting compilation of stories. Viewed as both a historical record of events and a measure of moral rights and wrongs, the book, particularly the Old Testament, has served as the foundation the three biggest religions in the world. Perhaps one of t...

"Religion does more to hide God than reveal God." I agree with Hauerwas when he stated: "Religion does more to hide God than reveal God." He makes this statement because in the Bible Matthew takes the approach that there is a lot of religious diversity in the world, and the only w...

Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer, written by Patrick Süskind, is a novel based in 18th century France that explores the concept that olfactory sense as sovereign over any other factor of life, and is the channel towards supremacy. The protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, possesses a superhuma...

Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince examines the nature of power and his views of power in the leadership that he observed in his time. Machiavelli discusses power over the people, dictatorial power, and the power with the people. The struggle to retain, hold, and apply one power is human nature and ...

Proof Of The Exsistence of God Either God exists or He doesn't. There is no middle ground. Any attempt to remain neutral in relation to God's existence is automatically synonymous with unbelief. It is far from a moot question, for if God does exist, then nothing else really matters; if He does not e...

God is Dead? My grasp of Nietzsche's statement "God is dead" fluctuates between an almost enlightened comprehension of what he means to a virtual stupor of confusion. However, during my more lucid moments of understanding(which I like to believe outweigh the moments of stuporhood...

The Danger in Self-Sacrifice In his second novel, To a God Unknown, John Steinbeck explores his protagonist's relationship with and worship of the land. While the use of the land as a character in itself is nothing unusual in Steinbeck's work, this novel is somewhat different in that it explores...

Alfie Johnson 3/20/00 Addiction and Grace I think Dr. Gerald may have done a marvelous job as to the writing and format of his book Addiction and Grace. As a psychiatrist and teacher with years of experience, I totally agree with his statement that all human beings have an inborn desire of ...

Christianity and Islam: Salvation It is beyond doubt that Christianity and Islam have many similarities. Yet each maintains its own unique characters which distinct one from the other. Both religions belong to the monotheistic family. Christian and Muslim believe only in one God, the creator an...

What is a Human Being? There are three main viewpoints in argument on what a human being is. Those viewpoints are empirical, rational and metaphorical. Empiricists base their views on observation and experimentation. Rationalists rely on reason as the best guide for belief and action. A me...

The ancient Mediterranean world, as well as some modern primitive societies, maintained a strong belief in the reality of a spirit world which continually interacted with the human world (Pilch, 20). They populated their surroundings with gods and goddesses of various natures in order to come to ...