Stories about miracles Essay Example for Free

Stories about miracles Essay Stories about miracles are an obstacle to faith for modern people. Discuss. The whole concept of miracles is rooted in the fantastical, improbable and downright outrageous. So its not particularly hard to see why modern, enlightened people might consider them an obstacle to faith. However, stories about miracles are part of religious lore; so if they are an obstacle, theyre certainly not insurmountable. Indeed, for some they can be said to enhance the idea of a loving, divine God. But exactly how loving can a God that is so indifferent to the suffering of those he doesnt deem worthy of his miracles be? A willingness to believe in Gods benevolence must be present in order to ignore the unfair nature of miracles, and in these literate, informed times, it proves incredibly difficult to have such faith. An important religious perspective on miracles is that of St Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas believed that God can manipulate creation in any way he/she desires. His definition of miracles is those things done by divine power apart from the order usually followed in things. This idea is useful for those inclined towards faith because it encompasses a vast spectrum of events, ranging from a spontaneous apparition of someone dead to an unlikely, but possible occurrence such as a fast recovery from a curable ailment. But this definition of miracles presents some problems. For example, John Macquarie argues that because interpretation of supposedly miraculous events varies, it is nonsensical to ascribe religious meaning to acts that are quite possibly random and lucky. How are we to distinguish between coincidence and an act of God? Surely God cant be responsible for every last one of the unlikely fortuitous events that happen in the world? The Bible appears to fail to provide any answers- it si mply asserts that God exists and his miracles occurred, evidence be damned. In spite of this, the miracles in the Bible can be said to support faith for modern people, as they demonstrate the power and benevolence of God. A prominent example would be Isaiah 38:8, when God stops the Sun for King Hezekiahs benefit. Another would be when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Miracles such as these can evoke powerful religious feeling. The implausible nature of these acts, however, makes them a very real roadblock on the path to faith for many discerning, intelligent people. Rudolf Bultmann addressed this by attempting to demythologise Christ. By doing this, he thought he could both enable faith for modern people while allowing them to maintain their suspension of disbelief. He offered rational explanations for the miracles of Christ; for example, when Jesus fed the 5000, there may have been a concealed cave behind him, or he may have simply inspired the others around him to share. This approach is better than the literal interpretation of Biblical miracles because it offers a logical, contemporary solution for Jesus supposedly divine acts whilst maintaining their essential goodness. But it can also be said that by demythologising Christ you take away the power of his sacrifice- his divinity is integral to Christianity. David Hume provides a less liberal definition of the miraculous. He limits miracles to a transgression of a law of natureby a particular volition of the deity. This essentially means that nothing that happens within nature should be labelled miraculous. Hume does not outright reject miracles, but he instead uses the fact that they are impossible to prove to support his criticism. If we are to adhere to Humes staunchly rationalistic stance, concluding that miracles are an obstacle to faith would be inevitable, as there is no evidence for them. However, Humes argument is not entirely without its detractors. For example, his parameters can be described as too restrictive. He arrogantly claims that the only credible witness to a miracle is a well-educated, reputable person. But if a miracle genuinely occurs, why are the eyes of an academic more reliable than those of a farmer? John Hick also points out that Hume is assuming that we are privy to all the laws of nature. They certainly appear to have been broken before, only for it to be found that certain things thought imp. Hicks conclusion is that observing things we do not understand does not constitute breaking natures laws; we simply need to broaden our understanding of nature. Arguably the most compelling argument against miracles was devised by Maurice Wiles. Wiles premise is that a God willing to perform arbitrary miraculous acts is unworthy of worship, because he/she seems indifferent to the suffering of others. Why does God heal some people, but let others suffer unbearable agonies? The intervening God of Christianity turned water into wine, but remained indifferent to the suffering of six million Jews. Of course, one could argue that greater, celestial rewards await the dead for their pains, but it is my belief that no reward can justify such torture. For some, the concept of a miraculous God allows for a small degree of security and comfort in the knowledge that, despite the dangers of this harsh, brutal world, someone is taking care of you. It would, for them, seem quite cynical to say that miracles are an obstacle to faith. Despite this, I cannot fathom the idea of an arbitrary, indifferent God, saving people based on whimsy. Faith is obviously a very personal thing, but in these enlightened, intelligent times I am forced to conclude that an intervening deity is both illogical and outdated.

Barbie as a Real Woman is Anatomically Impossible Essays -- Female Ide

Millions of girls around the world are dressing their Barbie dolls in skimpy designer outfits and high heel shoes, and slide her slender legs into a bright pink convertible next to her male counterpart, Ken. These same girls will gaze into the mirror, staring at their thighs and hair, and attempt to balance themselves in a pair of their mother’s high heel shoes. They will wonder why they do not look like Barbie. They will wonder today, just as I wondered years ago. As the years of make-believe with the American plastic icon of girlhood nostalgia passed, I discovered Barbie’s hidden effects. Although Barbie lent herself to fond memories of childhood, she also influenced my early ideal image of the female body. As I began to realize Barbie’s false representation of a real woman, I dis...

Middlefield Hospital

As the Chief Executive Office of Middlefield Hospital, it has been brought to my attention by the Chief Financial Officer that our financial performance has been deteriorating for the past six (6) months. It has also been brought to my attention that the new facility has been admitting more new patients and our admissions have been declining. The number of uninsured patients has increased over this period of time. The management team has identified some other interesting facts that are possibly hurting the reputation of Middlefield Hospital. My determination is that the financial performance of Middlefield Hospital needs to be improved.Research has shown that hospitals are operating on tight budget all over the world, and they need to find way to reduce their costs and also try to manage productivity in all areas and job categories. I have developed some strategies and recommendations for Middlefield Hospital that will help us to improve the financial performance of the hospital. I w ill individually address each of the facts discovered by the management team and discuss the proposed recommendations for each. The payer mix of Middlefield Hospital is comprised of more and more Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured patients and fewer patients have commercial insurance.This has caused a decrease in the net income of the hospital. Therefore, I think we should considering more advertising to increase the new come. Advertising should and will attract more profitable patients. The nearby hospital that competes with Middlefield has opened a wellness center that offers a comprehensive array of preventive and wellness services to the community. Wellness centers can offer services that are very useful and convenient to the community. Some of these services are skin care and body services, which include fitness services, personal training and nutrition consulting, chiropractic, holistic medicine, and acupuncture.  (http://www. salonbuilder. com/info/wellness-centers. html)I a lso think we should open a wellness center that offers a full service fitness center to accommodate the community. We should look into the services that this other nearby hospital is providing in their wellness center, and we should extend our services to the ones they are not offering. Our wellness center should also include a retail store to allow the patients to purchases the products that we use on them. I know this will require a specially trained staff, and we will make sure that the staff is qualified with all certifications needed.Also, in lieu of the wellness center, we should offer a monthly health fair for new and existing patients. This monthly health fair will also draw new patients to the clients. Most of Middlefield’s managed care contracts are more than 2 years old. In hopes of getting a handle on the managed care contracts, I would like to assign a team of personnel to specifically handle and maintain the various managed care contracts. I would like for this team to make sure that we are getting the best out of these contracts. The team will know what our goals are before deciding on a managed care contract.Some of the goals that would be considered are: Increasing or protecting revenue Aligning with other practices that already contract with the specific Managed Care Organization (MCO) Fostering a relationship with certain MCOs Increasing/protecting our patient panel The Joint Commission survey is scheduled for next year, and there are significant problems with the hospital’s quality improvement program. To improve the quality program, each department will be assigned a staff member to follow-up with patients after their hospital stays or visits via email or telephone.We will also send out surveys to all patients for feedback on their visits. Surveys will also be available to visitors for feedback on their visiting experience at the facility and their interaction with the personnel of the facility. Follow up will be very importa nt for providing good quality care. The health plan offered to employees is getting more expensive each year. The benefits director has been asked to look for more cost effective health care plans that are more affordable to our employees. I am working on some financial incentives that I can offer to the employees to help curtail the cost of the health plans.The benefits director will also work with the health care plan providers to ensure that we are choosing the best health plans for our employees. With the strategies and recommendations I have suggested, it is hopeful that Middlefield Hospital will overcome its poor financial performance. I am looking for Middlefield Hospital to supersede its competition and excel with its reputation and performance to the communities and areas that it serves. We strive to provide outstanding health care services to all who utilize our facilities.

Political Apathy And The Threat Of Democracy - 1315 Words

What is political apathy and does it pose a threat to democracy? In 1950, voter turnout for the United Kingdom General Election peaked at a respectable 83.9% of the population. This number has dwindled steadily since then dropping to 72.7% in 1972 and in more contemporary times in the most recent UK General Election in 2015, this number drops to a worrying 66.1%. (House of Commons Research Papers, 2015) Does this statistic and blatant political apathy of 22.5 million people spark a threat to democracy? In order to assess whether political apathy poses a threat to democracy, the terms â€Å"political apathy† and â€Å"democracy† must first be defined. Apathy as defined by Oxford Dictionaries means a â€Å"Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern† (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). Applying this to politics, political apathy can be defined as the lack of interest in actively taking part in politics either by voting or having no share in political activities. DeLuca puts political apathy into perspective: â€Å"X (a person) is apathetic with respect to Y (politics) if he or she is content with and/or uninterested in present political decision or arrangements. X freely chooses not to vote or participate in electoral activity.† (DeLuca, T. 1995 pp.78). The latter term â€Å"democracy† can be defined as a complex concept that centres on ensuring freedom for all citizens within a state or country. There are a number of strands of democracy: Protective, Plurali st, Developmental and Participatory - of whichShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"Democracy Is Popularly Conceived As Government Of The1547 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"Democracy is popularly conceived as government of the people, for the people and by the people† (Hassan, 2003). The term is used to describe a political process by which all citizens and the nation have a direct involvement in the creation of running a country and creating the policies within it. 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