Case for the Resurrection of Jesus Book Review Essay Example for Free

Case for the Resurrection of Jesus Book Review Essay Case for the Resurrection of Jesus By Gary R. Habermas, Michael R. Licona Zerrrouk (pen name) The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, was written by Gary R. Habermas, and co-authored by Michael R. Licona. Haberma is a distinguished professor, and the chairman of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, in Virginia. Habermas, using a minimal amount of facts, gives a provoking argument for the historicity of the Jesus Christ’s resurrection. This book was not meant as a 100% sure way of proving the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection, as Haberma even admits, there is no way to prove for sure that it actually happened, but based on the information that he has compiled, he believes that it is completely and entirely probable. Habermas starts out this book by bring to light five historical facts that will accomplish his goal to provide provoking proof for the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection. First, he states the fact that Jesus died on the cross by crucifixion; secondly, that the disciples believed that Jesus had risen from the dead and had appeared before them as a bodily figure; thirdly, that Paul, as a former persecutor of Christians, was converted when he bet Jesus Christ; fourthly, that James was also converted in the same way that Paul was; and lastly, that the tomb was empty (although there were some theologians who have challenged this last point as an historical fact, therefore, not considered to be necessarily widely accepted as the other four points). With these five facts, Habermas includes a wealth of scholarly research to back up his main thesis and argument. In my general opinion, I found the second-last chapter of this book to be the most interesting. In a neutral and non-argumentative fashion, Habermas has focused this chapter on giving insight, for teaching Christians how to engage non-believers on the topic of Jesus’ resurrection. He includes how, as Christians, we must be Christ-like in our approach towards non-believers; by talking through love, humility, truth, and passion; and that we must avoid being argumentative in our approach, or else we lose the audience that we are trying to minister to by creating conflict. I found this book to be very useful for many different things. This has an excellent source to use in Christian apologetics and evangelism, by using Habermas’ non-conflict approach. He has articulated a very clear and resourceful account of Jesus’ resurrection, without pushing too much facts upon the reader so that he would not lose their attention, or automatically have them conclude that Jesus was never resurrected; therefore, he avoided very eschatological sourcing and arguments. He stuck to this focus from the beginning of the book, and he carried on with it throughout the entirety. Lastly, this book is an excellent source for people who do not acknowledge the Bible as an authoritative piece of writing.

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The people around us make experiences great and unforgettable. I was oblivious to this fact before my first completely independent summer trip for three weeks. In the past, I always traveled with my parents. They were all great vacations but they were not planned or controlled by me. It was all up to my mom. This time, however, I was the one who found the opportunity to go to the seaside with a group of young people and spend 21 days there. My parents were happy to let me go on this trip; as they also saw it as an exciting opportunity. It was up to me to plan it all on my own. I learned about the surroundings of the area I was to go to, the organization which planned the trip, got to know the people and found a way to get there. You could say that this was part of my road to independence. The deadline to get everything ready was quite short, so I was mostly just trying to get all of my things together and not building any expectations for the trip. This was probably also an important part of why it had influenced me so much. I was open for anything. Nevertheless, the trip ended up a bit expensive for my family and on my road to the seaside, I was feeling very doubtful about having made my family spend so much money on me. Then I arrived†¦ One may think that three weeks is not that long, but three weeks with 50 new completely different people from different parts of the world is quite something. It took almost a whole week to only remember their names. The very first evening we had together, we all went to a cafà © in the center and it had karaoke. After having sung in a choir for a big part of my childhood, this is something I totally enjoy. I was the first brave one to come out and sing â€Å"Mamma Mia† by Abba. It has become a trad... ...y life. It made me more independent and taught me the true value of relationships. There was much discussion among participants about the organization of the trip. Many negative sides and mistakes were brought up. Regardless of all of this, the trip even now seems completely amazing and breathtaking to me. It was not because of the accommodations we had or the food we ate. The people made the trip what it was. The people gave me unforgettable memories and let me experience completely new emotions. Thank you to each and one of them for being part of that summer for me. Once I got home, my life started to change bit by bit. I continued long conversations with the guy I met and by spring the next year I got a job. That job allowed me to visit over six people from that summer’s trip. This experience inspired me to change my life and thus changed the inevitable future.

How Mass Media Affects Adolescents

We’ve all heard the expression, â€Å"Well if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too? † from our parents, or other adult figure-type person. In today’s society, adolescents seem to be taking this phrase to a new level. As the media continues to abuse the popularity of the too-thin actors and actresses, exploit famous persons’ suicides, and portray ‘problems’ in general as being ‘cool’ with TV shows focused on rehab circles featuring those popular people our culture knows and loves, more and more young people are finding reasons to copycat these problematic ‘role models’, resulting in a crisis within the youth. The depression, low self esteem, eating disorder, and suicide rate disaster within the youth can all be traced back to the media, which tends to glamorize such problems, so that they appeal to adolescents as being the next ‘in’ thing. Suicide is a tremendous issue that is heavily influenced by the media. Yourannual List of Ins and Outs, an article which periodically lists tends and fads, listed one year suicide as an â€Å"in†. â€Å"The ‘In’ Way to Look for Help†, 1) Most emotionally secure people would understand that the listing of suicide as an â€Å"in† was a joke and not take it seriously – but mental health practitioners like David Shaffer of Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons, have done research to prove that the â€Å"adolescent suicide rate may rise when the media glamorize suicide†. (â€Å"The ‘In’ Way to Look for Help†, 1) Suicide is a serious issue, and although this was meant as a joke, there are some children who actually take things like the previously mentioned article literally. Although such people/youth may be emotionally unstable already, this bit of â€Å"pressure† from society adds to the imbalance. The media has also taken advantage of the celebrities who have killed themselves, making them seem â€Å"chic†, or â€Å"cool†. Exploitation of such events gives some less stable individuals the impression that these sort of actions are socially acceptable, and that if they feel the need to â€Å"escape†, they may commence with taking their lives while seeming â€Å"hip† at the same time. In a study done at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, a study was done to find what the youth believed the leading cause of suicide to be was. The â€Å"most frequently cited cause was pressure to conform and/or perform†¦as a consequence of peer pressure†. (Edna Heled, 1) Later, when the subjects were asked to specify the degree of their agreement with 29 possible reasons, two of the most agreed upon items were hearing a lot about suicide in the media, and believing that suicide is acceptable or cool. Edna Heled, 3) When asked for possible solutions to reduce the rate of suicide, there were no suggestions to lessening the coverage of suicide in the media. The adolescent view on body image has become a tricky subject. Television, magazines, and the general media have set a standard for both male and females that is difficult for most to achieve. It is now popular for girls to be scary-skinny, and â€Å"straight as a board†. In a study by Hargreaves and Tiggermann, it was found that watching appearance-related commercials â€Å"heightened appearance schema activation in early adolescent girls†. In another unnamed experiment covered by Meghan Sinton and Leann Birch, it was found that some girls – although not a large percentage of them – were found to be very affected by the commercials. In the same experiment, it was discovered that mass media was especially influential with girls who were already body self-conscious.

The Mind Machine, By Robert Nozick - 1558 Words

What is real? While this may seem like a simple question at first glance, within a few minutes of analysis, many would not be able to answer. Those that do answer would provide an answer lacking of argument or philosophical reasoning. The greatest minds in philosophy and science alike have not been able to answer this existential question. While there may be no true answer, there are many theories on reality and what it truly means to exist. Arguments and theories spanning through time by the voices of philosophers from centuries ago are still widely taught and accepted due to their strong philosophical reasoning. The Experience Machine, a thought experiment proposed by in 1974 by Robert Nozick features a machine which can simulate reality†¦show more content†¦What separates the living from the nonliving is perception, being able to take in sensory data, analyze it and, come to a conclusion. What separates humankind from other living or rational beings is the ability to be self-aware; being able to recognize one’s self a being individual and different from others and the environment. For example, animals lack the ability to know they are animals. Take for instance a cockatoo, a rather intelligent bird looking itself in the mirror. Like most animals, the bird lacks the ability to recognize itself and attempts to play with the â€Å"other bird†. To the cockatoo, there is another bird when really there is not. Humans have the ability to recognize themselves and be aware of their own being. Early philosophers toyed with existentialism and self-awareness. Aristotle explains, â€Å"†¦we are conscious that we perceive, and whenever we think, we are conscious that we think, and to be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious that we exist†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ross 158). In other words, the fact that an individual think, can also think about thinking, that they indeed exist and are conscious (or in other words, are self-aware.) Rene Descartes more concisely said, â€Å"I think there for I am†. To better illustrate this, John Locke had stated in â€Å"An Essay Concerning Human Understanding† that, â€Å"If the same Socrates waking and sleeping do not partake of the same consciousness, Socrates waking and sleeping is not the same person.† ToShow MoreRelatedEthical and Psychological Hedonism Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pagesnormative. Neither ethical nor psychological hedonism is perfect, I believe, though each has important strengths which offer the basis for discussion. Additionally, some arguments and ideas presente d by Robert Nozick in his essay â€Å"The Experience Machine† prove relevant to the discussion of hedonism, where Nozick concludes by disagreeing with the hedonist’s ideas. I will start by defining the two versions of hedonism so far presented and follow this up by exploring my own personal views of two branches, payingRead MoreEssay on Robert Nozick ´s Happiness and the Experience Machine585 Words   |  3 Pages Robert Nozicks Happiness Many theorist believe that happiness is the only important in peoples life, and all that should matter to a person is being happy. The standard of assessing a good life is how much or quantity of happiness it contains. This openness of happiness, its generosity of spirit and width of appreciation, gets warped and constricted by the claim pretending to be its greatest friend—that only happiness matters, nothing else. 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Why would a person want to sit and contemplate whether they’re a living and breathing being or just a ball of mush in a machine that creates a virtual life that feels and looks perfectly real. Therefore, humans stray away from the questions that are of importance except for authors like Robert Nozick, Renà © Descartes, and NickRead MoreHedonism, By Robert Nozick1272 Words   |  6 Pagesexperience machine, Issues on morality, and the paradox of pursuing happiness. We will see there are many flaws with this way of thinking leading it to be a poor choice for the well-being of mankind. The first argument against hedonism is Nozick’s experience machine. Robert Nozick an author and philosopher first thought of this machine was in his book Anarchy, State, and Utopia thus the title of Nozick’s machine. 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The rational soul represents the mind, the spirited soul acts in accordance with the rational soul, and the appetitive soul represents a person’s emotions. Plato believed justice would materialize when all of the elements were working in harmony with one another. He also believed thatRead MoreEssay about Sexual Ethics: Gay Marriage Should Not Be Allowed1343 Words   |  6 Pagesmere illusion of true goodness since one does not go searching for empty pleasures but rather desire to having meaningful relationships with others. The â€Å"illusion of sex† is in close relation to the example of the experience machine which was first thought up by Robert Nozick since it is the illusions that provide pleasurable or desirable experiences but is not the real experience, so to speak. Pruss believes that acts such as oral sex, masturbation, anal sex, extra marital sex, and contraceptionRead MoreAnalysis Of Robert Nozick s Experience Machine2339 Words   |  10 Pagesall it was for the children, I just put my mind to it and the rest was easy! That is correct, for the year 2016 I will be running for president. I actually just surpassed all the other candidates running in the poll this morning! Can you believe it? I’m ecstatic! Oh thank you, you are too sweet Ellen. It was such a pleasure being here on your show with —.† My eyes open up and I am back in a world of reality, stepping out of Robert Nozick’s experience machine. While in this device, wires are connectedRead MoreExplain the Difference Between Narrow and Preference Hedonism. Which Is a More Plausible Theory of Happiness?2995 Words   |  12 Pagestwo schools of thought here, Narrow Hedonism and Preference Hedonism, each with its own definition of happiness. Narrow Hedonism deems happiness a homogeneous state of pleasure, while Preference Hedonism expands the definition to include any state of mind favored by the individual, including pain (yes, pain is happiness, for some). However, the two schools are united in their focus on mental states, which as you will see is a silly idea. Hedonism is a way of life, characterised by openness to pleasurable