Giving is a concept that can be found in most religions – if not all.

It is espoused by both the Bible and the Qur’an. In fact if you look at the following verses you’ll be struck by the similarity of what the two religions tell their believers to do.

Giving shows the believers’ love for their God:

“And they feed, for the love of Allah, the poor, the orphan, and the captive.” (Qur’an 76:8)

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3: 17-18)

Giving in secret:

“If you give alms openly, it is well, and if you hide it and give it to the poor, it is better for you” (Qur’an 2:271)

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3-43)

There are other similarities such as the concept of “tithing” wherein a portion of a person’s earning should be given back to the church.

Generosity is also encouraged in Buddhism and Hinduism. In Buddhism they have what they call dāna, which when translated means generosity. However, it means more than just the word but actually refers to the practice of cultivating generosity. To Buddhists the more they give selflessly in this life the better off they will be in the next life. A belief that even Christians whose “treasures are stored up in heaven” and Muslims also believe.

The question now though is this: With all the teachings of different religions telling us to give are you practicing what you say you believe in? Do you give? In what way? How much? And more importantly, WHY?

You can find more info on giving to HAITI at Google’s Haiti Crisis Response Page.

I just read one of the most interesting takes on “Avatar”. The movie itself is interesting and entertaining from the CG to the storyline. Ok so interesting and entertaining is actually an understatement, at least compared to my initial reaction – and my second and third. Yes I’ve watched it that many times already and will watch it again if someone asks me to go out to the movies with them!

Anyway what I really wanted to write about is not how cool the movie is but how interesting the philosophy of Randy David, a journalist from the Philippines is. Mr. David mentions briefly the different issues the movie touches on.

In such manner do many of us project our disaffection with our own world (and often with our own selves), and the sense of guilt we feel over its current state. James Cameron’s script is, in many ways, the story of Western colonialism’s plunder and destruction of indigenous societies. It is also a parable on human greed and technological violence.

As he said though that “is only the most obvious level at which the movie may be understood.” He then discusses the concept of the avatar and then somehow twists it around to relate it to Jesus, Nietzsche, Marxism, and of course the concept of faith and belief – a topic that will surely make good fodder for conversation anytime.

For a good philosophical read on “Avatar” you can read the full article “In a World of Avatars” here.

In my last post I talked about the “World Philosophy Day” and gave some suggestions on how you can join the celebration. I also listed some topics you and your friends can debate on or you can just muse over. The more I thought about it though, the more fun/interesting topic I came up with. Here’s a longer list of philosophical topics/questions I got from all over the net:

What makes something funny? – Here’s a discussion on the topic from PhilosophyForums.
Is there a God? – If you want a real debate it would be better to get two close-minded but intelligent people who are firm on their beliefs on this topic – a fundamental God believer (doesn’t matter what the religion is) and an atheist. Sit down and enjoy hearing them debate about the topic ALL day long.
Healthcare – This is an especially relevant debate if you are in the US right now. Of course, this won’t make for a light fun day.
What is music? – People enjoy and can’t bear different types of music. So how do we define music? How do we differentiate it from mere sound or even noise? Better yet, ask “What is good music?”
Whose side are you on – Jon or Kate? – I know the answer should be the kids but if you really had to choose between the two who would you side with? Makes for a totally useless but entertaining debate.

For more debate topics go to Conservapedia.

With John Calvin’s birthday coming up in a few days, he was born 500 years ago on June 10, 1509, I though it would be fitting to do a post on the Calvinist theology.

Calvin is best known for the theological system that was named after him – Calvinism. Note that while Clavinist churches are still in existence today not all the churches adhere to all the classical features of Calvinism. As a theology what makes classical Calvinism distinctive is that it teaches the sovereignty of God in salvation and in life. The five points of Calvinism include:

The doctrine of total depravity – The inability of man to follow God and save himself due to inherent sin.
The doctrine of unconditional election – States that God’s choice in who is to be with him is based on his mercy alone and not on foreseen virtue, merit, or faith of the chosen people.
The doctrine of limited atonement – Says that atonement is only for those chosen by God even though he has the power to save everyone he has chosen not too do so.
The doctrine of irresistible grace – Says that those that God has chosen will be brought to faith in time and that these people would not be able to resist the call of the Gospel.
The Perseverance of the saints – Asserts that those that God has chosen has “eternal security” and that those that fall away from the faith are apparently not among the chosen.

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of variations of Calvinism today with modern variations being embraced more and more in North America. With his birthday coming up this would be good news to Calvin were he alive.

The book New Waves in Philosophy of Religion has been published by Palgrave MacMillan last December as part of its New Waves in Philosophy anthology series. The series aims to “gather the young and up-and-coming scholars in philosophy to give their view of the subject now and in the years to come, and to serve a documentary purpose.”

New Waves in Philosophy of Religion, edited by Y. Nagasawa & E. Wielenberg, discusses the “perennial problems and emerging issues from refreshingly new points of view and develop original ideas. It addresses such topics as: divine attributes, the origin of the universe, evolution and design, implications and puzzles of religious doctrines, morality and God, and the meaning of life.”

Contents of the book is as follows:

Many of us have so far been exposed to people who follow a different religion. Along with this comes different customs and traditions. While we may tag them as friends and associates, taking it to the next level such as personal and intimate relationships may not necessarily be a good idea.

For one, the count of people who get along without conflicts of interest such as religious practices or customary family traditions are rising in numbers. The ability to adjust accordingly and fit in is often the most criticized aspect of it all. There are some people who lower their pride and hit it off but the question of sincerity will often follow suit. In short, adjusting to one another is one thing but prolonging it is another.

Most people today have to deal with this, particularly for people who get drawn into the opposite sex for one reason or another. But you will see through divorces and separations that many people fail to work it out, particularly because they don’t want to give way. Hard as they may want to fend it off, it remains that such issues are easier said than done.

There is no philosophical belief that would rescind people from wanting to be with one another. There will always be barriers and often the challenge is to break them down. In marriages and relationships, that is a tough task to conquer. But there are exceptions and all of these are overcome in time.

Upon conception, we will always have a default religion. Normally Catholics, Protestants and Christians will have their base religion up and while this is deemed as the set religion for anyone upon birth, it remains that some shift to a new one at some point, particularly when they start to mature and enter the actual world.

Many change religion for the sake of improving themselves. Some practices are different while others find something fascinating in them. But in the end, they will find that religion barely has something to do with overall personality. It is just a tag that we all want to try out. Chances are if things don’t work out, you will be reverting to your actual religion or even find a new one.

But based on philosophical beliefs, religion is not something that one should change. Each group have their own set of beliefs and once christened to one religion, is it not close to Blasphemy if you use the Catholic way of beliefs? Some people don’t believe in it and could care less.

There are various gods we believe in. Practices may differ but worshipping is something that is the main essence of religions. With that said, each religion is said to be unique. But generally, religious philosophies normally adhere towards worshipping a god.

This is not to hit various religious groups. It is just something to highlight that shifting from one religion to another carries a lot of hang-ups. But in the end, we just follow a certain worshipping practice.

A person cannot be forced to follow another religion if he is not fully willing. We see the number of people shifting religious beliefs these days and you have to wonder if it is indeed wholeheartedly or just because their attention has been touched. Indeed, one may thing that religion is the last thing that people would qualm about. But sad to say, it has become an issue, especially if two people come from different sets.

Religious beliefs are rampant and different. There are certain standards and laws set forth to which religious philosophy always takes the heat. Indeed, it may seem like a petty thing but as far as taking their respective philosophies in consideration, you will be surprised at how it can escalate if the proper way to handle and mediate them is not done.

Let us take marriage for example. For every religion, there are beliefs to be followed. It can go as far the actual wedding ceremonies which for two people coming from different religions can be a cause for dispute. So how does one handle these situations?

There are instances where compromises are made. Sometimes, one of them even gives way. But as far as living together, unless one converts to the other, it will be quite a hellacious ride. This is not to say of course that these marriages will fail. They are merely cases wherein much of them is a reality.

Eventually, it all depends on how people would handle the gravity of such conflicts. For some it may not matter but for others, a lot has to be done and normally it goes as far as involving both families.

We all know Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the UK who was replaced by Gordon Brown at the helm of the UK government. He was loved by some and scorned by many, but we’d all have to agree that he played his part in our recent history. A staunch ally of the US when they invaded Iraq, he fought to bring justice to those killed in the London bombings that killed many people. Much so that he continues his work as the official envoy of the West to the Middle East as he continues to play his part in the world of politics which he has come to realize has been utterly changed by religion in one way or the other.
In his many years as the Prime Minister of the UK, he has suffered blow after blow as to why the UK got itself involved in one of recent history’s most devastating blunder, going to war after people who are motivated by religious beliefs and fundamentalism. Fundamentalism that has incorporated violence as part of their basic concepts and that without it, no victory would be possible. Many soldier’s lives were taken by such fundamentalists in Afghanistan and Iraq which the invading forces say would take a year or two to mop up. Now, five years after the initial invasion and long after the dictator Saddam has been executed as retribution for his crimes against humanity, the war rages on.

Much so is the effect of the two terms that being labeled evil invokes our primitive instinct to treat that person differently, as society has associated and branded people who are called to be evil as those who deserve persecution. Society labels anyone who does harm towards his fellow man as evil and being evil warrants punishment. Our judicial system is based on this premise that an evil doer must be punished as his form of payment for his evil acts.
Other societies as the ones in the Middle East offer a more brutal form of judgment which they claim follows the laws laid down by their holy scriptures, “An eye for an eye, A tooth for a tooth” has resulted in many well publicized horrific executions of criminals who were rendered judgment by their courts. If you kill somebody, then you are to be killed and so on and so forth.
Many question this approach to justice and the definition between good and evil for they say it is inhumane and undignified. But some argue that who are you to counter laws and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation by a people who have developed in parts of the world deemed to be the seats of civilization.
The debate goes on and on so the definition as well as the scope of such debates continues to expand and delve into the deepest recesses of human thoughts and ideology. Ask anyone and they will have their own unique definition of good and evil which would give you an idea of how hard it is to come up with a universally accepted definition of the concept. People are still labeled evil to this day and they are still being punished for their being such. Good on the other hand demands praise and remuneration as everybody knows which is in accordance of the basic concept that the sole purpose of man on this earth is the pursuit of personal gain and excellence regardless of what society says or does.