The eighth paragraph of David Dockery’s Faith and Learning discusses the New Criticism in Literary Christian Theory. The main feature of this perception of the literary text is that the reader should not look for the secret meaning of the writer (Dockery 281). Thus, the perception of the reader himself did not play a role because the meaning of the text was entirely consistent with what was written. The paragraph also discusses poststructuralism and deconstruction. Both phenomena are explained by the dynamism of literary theory, including within the framework of New Criticism. Poststructuralism and Reconstruction emphasized the aesthetic belonging of the text and did not consider the ethical aspects. These movements also reinforced the overconfidence of critics to understand the meaning of the text correctly. The author also describes the attitudes of Christians themselves toward the New Criticism. Many of them saw it as a congenital form of literary criticism. The main reason for this was that many saw the practices of New Criticism and the practices of biblical exegesis as interrelated.
In paragraph thirteen, the author discusses the relationship between Christianity and art. The author says that many Christian philosophers have always given the arts an important place in the life and learning of the Christian. Some of them also believed that creativity and imagination were a gift from God to men (Dockery 446). The text also emphasizes that the arts are necessary for people who want to strengthen their connection with God. Art played an essential role in the history of Christianity because it gave a visual representation of the lord’s teachings. The author also calls the craving for art the hallmark of Christians. At all times, parochial schools have had a place for art instruction. To this day, it holds an important place in the hearts of Christians around the world and serves to demonstrate the diversity of faith.
Work Cited
Dockery, David. Faith and Learning: A Handbook for Christian Higher Education. B&H Academic, 2012.
When learning about religions and philosophies, I find that origins or backgrounds are essential in interpreting the context and content of a religion. For Jainism, it was vital to learn that it is substantially older than a more well-known and contemporary Sikhism. Though both have close ties with Hinduism, Sihkism’s origins date back to only about 500 years ago while Jainism has a history of nearly 2500 years (Molloy 191). Sikhism exhibits a more militaristic approach to monotheism despite being more modern. As such, the Jainist belief that no Creator exists and that the universe is simply guided by natural forces becomes especially interesting as it rejects a very traditional integration of deities into theology.
Following this, it is also interesting to me to observe in what ways a religion interacts with the world through its perspective. As mentioned above, Jainism rejects the belief in a Creator or God. This belief is held up by several philosophical questions that are even asked in atheistic circles. These include contradictions in typical monotheistic religions such as God being both perfect and creating an imperfect world or God loving all life but still allowing suffering. Jainism even poses a logical fallacy, which suggests that if everything in the universe had to be created, would God not also need to be created? This worldview is surprisingly modern and potentially controversial for its time.
Ethics is another vital component of any philosophy or belief system. Jainism establishes five distinct principles of ethics which are Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Astheya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (chastity), and Aparigraha (non-possession). I am especially interested in Ahimsa which is the core of Jainist ethics. This is because I believe that many religions excuse violence due to their beliefs, which is inherently immoral to my values. Jainism proposes that non-violence is a priority and therefore inexcusable.
Work Cited
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. McGraw Hill, 2010.
Augustine, Canning, R., & Ramsey, B. (2006). Instructing beginners in Faith, the Augustine series. (1), 1-121. Web.
Author’s Stated Research Question and Thesis
The main thesis of this book is how to provide relevant instructions to the new converts. According to Augustine, new converts should always be guided and trained on the best approaches to improve their faith. In what the scholar refers to as “de catechizandis rudibus,” he manages to provide comprehensive and brilliant ideas on how young converts can achieve growth in Christianity (Augustine et al., 2006, p. 75). Therefore, he focuses on three main areas of motives, structure, and attitude of the catechist.
Major Argument and Refutations
Augustine (2006) argues that converts came haunted by varied visions and dreams. He states that some of these members are highly learned and earnest, others are arrogant and half-educated, while the rest are humble and illiterate. Augustine believes that the general nature of Christian relies on their motives. He states, “we should say much of his to God rather than saying much of him about God (Augustine et al., 2006, p. 100). He refutes the idea of young converts boasting of themselves except for the glory of God.
Implications of the Research
This research work has a great implication in guiding and training the new converts. Augustine proves to be one of the most powerful coaches on matters related to Christian growth. Through his work, most of the trainers can have an opportunity to show the new members how to improve. The book has a powerful effect on developing the right link between the varied members of the convention.
Critique of the Author’s Work
Even though the book’s author manages to elaborate on the subject sufficiently, Augustine fails to take care of the converts with multiple characteristics. Augustine flops to capture the cases when the convert is learned, humble, and haughty at the same time. The lack of such provision may make the entire proposed method to fail in the long run. Therefore, an alternative suggestion should be provided to help teachers cope with such learners.
Research Questions Raised
Some research questions raised in the paper include: how the new guiding principles will improve the faith and the holistic nature of a person? How effective is the approach on the special converts? Ideally, Augustine has failed to provide the readers with how the methods will improve the convert’s fundamental nature. Therefore, improvements should be made to help in addressing the situation in most of the Christian conventions.
Reference
Augustine, Canning, R., & Ramsey, B. (2006). Instructing beginners in Faith, the Augustine series. (1), 1-121. Web.
I approve of Keller’s thesis statement suggesting that the knowledge of biblical teachings on cultural practices of the society influences Christians in a way they appreciate the social choices of their non-Christian neighbors (Keller, 2014). Humankind must engage themselves with both faith and work as part of their daily duties. The relevance of a Christian’s positive view of the sociocultural practices of other people is biblically supported by the story of creation. The Bible portrays God to have worked for seven days before considering the seventh day as holy or people. Contemporary society must, therefore, integrate faith and work into their daily activities. Aligning religious teachings with other non-religious engagements fulfills God’s purpose for creating humans. An individual is obligated to unite with God in fellowship and to love one another (Buszka & Ewest, 2020). Similarly, Christians should glorify God and foster the culture of serving Him by appreciating other non-Christian beliefs. God’s intention of loving people is, therefore, seen as an example to enlighten humans in loving one another. This love addresses the conflicting issues surrounding the ideas behind sacred and secular practices.
The diverging opinions between faith and work should not form the basis of defining a Christian and non-Christian. They were both equally created by God and are supposed to serve Him and be servants of others. Living a meaningful life must not, therefore, depend entirely on human spirituality but also on advocating for benevolence in seeking to influence others to conform to spiritual teachings (Buszka & Ewest, 2020)). The church can create a career opportunity to engage non-believers in fellowship. Vocational discipleship will fulfill God’s purpose of creating a responsible society that responds to the needs of others. As such, Christians must embrace the charitable works of non-believers and live an integrated life that accommodates the beliefs of all members of a community. The Christian worldview should, therefore, accept the cultural engagement of other beliefs in living a meaningful life.
References
Buszka S.G. & Ewest T. (2020). The Faith and Work Integration Spheres of Influence Model (FWSI). In S. G. Buszka & T. Ewest (Eds.), Integrating Christian Faith and Work (pp. 85-104). Palgrave studies in workplace spirituality and fulfilment.
Keller, T. (2014). Every good endeavor: Connecting your work with God’s work. Penguin.
Modern Christianity largely agrees on what heaven and hell are. In many ways, these concepts are the foundation for Christian ethics and morality, although they are not the only underpinning point of the religion. The most important difference is found in the two books of the Bible called the Old Testament and the New Testament. In fact, “the Israelites of the Old Testament have become the Jews of the New Testament, and much has happened to them and to the world in which they live” (Powell, 2018, p. 39). It is in the texts and names of the two Bibles there are differences in what is hell and what is paradise, but in reality, all this is part of the general.
The Concepts of Hell and Heaven in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, paradise is a certain spiritual plane of being, where the soul goes after the body’s death. Hell, called Sheol in the Old Testament, is interesting from the point of the entire Bible. The early biblical texts of the Old Testament view Sheol as the dwelling place of all the dead, regardless of their way of living on earth, making it a literal place, a plane of existence. At the same time, paradise, the heavenly kingdom of the Lord, is also His kingdom, a place where the righteous and those close to Him arrive. It is worth understanding that Sheol also has a more metaphysical meaning associated with the death of the soul, that is, betrayal, violation of the commandments of the Lord, and the fall of the human soul. The Old Testament Sheol is both the plan of dead souls in the direct and the state of the fallen soul in the figurative sense.
The Concepts of Hell and Heaven in the New Testament
The New Testament calls Sheol with the Greek word Haïdēs that is, Hell and carries much of the same ideas and concepts of perception of this phenomenon. The New Testament declares in Matthew 25:46: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (The Kings Bible, n.d.). This speaks of confirmation of the metaphysical phenomenon of hell, saying that the souls of sinners will forever burn in the flame of their sin while the righteous will find rest. However, over time, an older principle of perceiving Hell and Paradise not as states of the Christian’s soul but as immediate plans appeared in Christianity.
An idea arose about Lucifer as the incarnation of the greatest evil reigning in hell. Originating more in the cultural and mythological European environment than in the Bible itself, a similar perception of suffering has contributed to the controversy among theologians. However, in the new covenant, where Jesus Christ, being the Messiah, saves the world from sin, laying the church’s foundation and thereby beginning to build Heaven on Earth. Paradise in the New Testament is understood not as a separate plane of being or a state of mind, but in essence, everything that exists in the Kingdom of God because Heaven is His Throne. Thus, the heavens are identified in the Bible with the Heavenly Jerusalem, where the family of David rules its valley. The heirs of David themselves ruled from Jerusalem the valley of Israel, and just as they did, the Lord rules from his Heavenly Jerusalem, that is, the throne of heaven, the valley, here meaning the earth.
Conclusion
Based on the preceding, the interpretation of Paradise and Hell in the new covenant is spiritual and philosophical development of these ideas, which began from the superficial plane of mortal souls after the death of the body. As a result, with the coming of the Messiah, these concepts have become much more harmonious and developed. Thus, Paradise is a state of soul of righteous souls, and the Kingdom of God on earth, His Heavenly Jerusalem, and Hell is a place of eternal torment that rejected the Lord and His commandments.
References
The Kings Bible. (n.d.). King James Bible – Matthew Chapter: 25. Web.
Powell, M. A. (2018). Introducing the New Testament: A historical, literary, and theological survey (2nd ed.). Baker Academic.
Among the thousands of belief systems followed around the world, omnism is among the most fascinating. This belief is mesmerizing because of its unique maxim and principles. The main principle of omnism is all religions contain an element of truth and should be respected. There are over 4200 religions globally, and all vary from one another to a certain level (Waltner, 2020). Claiming that a person can learn something and respect all is hard to grasp, especially for individuals with inflexibility in their religious stand. Although, in theory, omnists believe in all religions, they only follow a few sets of practices of the major faiths while following more rituals of their childhood faith. Discussed below are the definitions, historical context current perspectives and controversies associated with omnism the belief of all religions.
Definitions
The practice of omnism has been in here for a while, but the definition of the term is quite young. Omnism can be defined as a spiritually uniting philosophy of religious oneness & peace, respecting all faiths as equal and valid (Gandy, 2018). However, most people who support this view are unaware that the term exists and has less religious affirmation. Religious affirmation is the denominational membership or religious identification of an individual (Aji & Dharmmesta, 2019). There are many omnists around the globe as a person who respects the country’s laws and follows a particular religion can be referred to as an omnist. Most researchers and authors on examine one’s cognitive belief about religion and exclude behavioral aspect (Aji & Dharmmesta, 2019). As a result, omnism which has more intrinsic orientation than extrinsic remains under researched.
Secularism, also being a set of beliefs that is practiced by many alongside a particular religion, could make the person be referred to as an omnist. The term Omnism was first coined by Philip James Bailey, a poet, and has been used to define the practice of believing many gods since. Like many other religions omnism is in many ways an heritage (deWildt & Aupers, 2020). The omnist religion is classified under imagistic mode of religiosity (Paolucci, 2020). An imagistic religion is practiced by small groups and is infrequently performed. The oxford dictionary defines the term Omnism as a person who believes in all faiths or creeds; a person who believes in a single transcendent purpose or cause uniting all things or people, or the members of a particular group of people. Despite that, the term is not popular to even people who practice this deity.
Since there are no clear written guidelines for practicing omnism, sematic memory gathered from various fields is vital to this type of faith. All omnists agree that all religions should have a common goal which is seeking the truth for the common good for all people. Most believers of the world’s popular religions practice omnism without consciously knowing it. The cultural environment is the biggest predictor of being part of a religion (Willard & Cingl, 2017). This means people who live in diverse cultures are likely to integrate different religions and follow them. Many coexist with people of differing faiths, accept some of their traditions, and respect other people’s religions, meaning that they practice omnism. The fact that omnism is practiced by more people than what statistics show means it is an under-researched topic.
Historical Context
The term omnism came into use in the 1800s, but believing all religions is an older practice. The custom can be traced back to pre-historic times when religion began (Walsh, 2017). The fact that the term religion is itself very young suggests that people intermixed beliefs seeing the good in everything. For thousands of years, the merging of religious doctrines from the dark ages to modern times made it to be tolerated as it enhanced interaction and cohabitation between members of different religious groups. It should be noted that from pre-historic times to now, omnists do not describe themselves as belonging to a particular congregation. However, a few religious organizations have set up coordinated omnism units.
The term Omnism as we know it today originates from a verse by Philip Bailey, the poet, not the musician. In his long poem “Fetus,” Bailey used the word in the poem in 1839, and it has been in use, gaining popularity ever since. In the poem, Bailey wrote that he is an omnist and believes in all religions. Omnism has never been adopted by anyone as a religion. The term instead is used to express spirituality. The exact opposite of the term is antireligion, which denotes a person who does not believe in any religion to contain truth. The word was later popularized by Ellen Burstyn, a believer of the religious doctrine. Ellen Famously stated that omnism is a spirit opening to the truth that lives in all religions (Power, 2017). This definition makes a person who describes themselves to be as religious but not spiritual to be an omnist.
Omnism as a religion is relatively younger compared to other religions. There are a few omnism religious institutions in the world, with one of them being the Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The institution was founded by opposing institutions who agreed to sort their differences and form one institution. When a new member wishes to join the group, they usually allow them to join the group. They typically claim that the member can join them as they wish. The congregation does not want to know the religious stand of any new member. The Unitarian Universality Association believes in more than one thing in which they mention that they think for themselves but flex together (Renfrew et al., 2018). They have a set of written doctrines or guides which include, among others, the inherent worth and dignity of every person. They believe in the responsible search for truth and that everything created in the world is important.
In China, the omnism religion was established in the 1920s when Caodai, a Supreme Being institution, was formed, and AAA was its official symbol. The goal of this congregation was to unite all of humanity to promote peace and a shared vision. Other Chinese Minh societies later appeared in Vietnam in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (Jammes & Palmer, 2018). Africa and the African diaspora have historically been sites of tremendous religious pluralism (McIntosh, 2019). In Japan, an omnism religion is called Kokyo was formed in the 1800s, and the mission of this group was to unite all people as brothers and sisters.
In the 19th an omnism religion grew out of Islam in central Iran. This religion referred to itself as Baha’i and believed that God sent them many educators in the past, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, Buddha, Krishna, among others (Renfrew et al., 2018). The founder of this religion was Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí Núrí, who took the title Bahá’u’lláh, which translates to “the Glory of God” (Stockman, 2021). Baha’u’llah preached for peace and unification of all religions (Stockman, 2021). He was arrested when it was discovered that he had a large following but converted more people to prison.
Current Perspective and Controversy
Currently, omnism serves several functions in society. First, it leads to a peaceful and productive interaction between members of different religions. Since most people who practice omnism do it unconsciously, it facilitates social unity in these other groups. Apart from enhancing agreement, omnism makes people live a meaningful and purposeful life by providing guidance based on different religions’ comprehensive advice. Omnism can also promote psychological and physical wellness by guiding a person to live more enriching lives by offering a wide range of guidance (Steward, 2017). The controversy concerning omnism is that it is not a natural religion with a well-set religious gathering. Omnism is more of a spiritual body than a religious institution. It encourages multiple religions in a setting, letting people divert from their traditional religion, culture, and traditions. Modern nationalism can be perceived as akin to religion (Bowen, 2018). They take a stand of all religions to be true and worthy of respect. Since omnism tries to find truth in all faiths, some argue that this makes it false as not all religions are the same.
Conclusion
This study may seem pointless for a person who does not believe in omnism or is not interested in spiritual matters. However, a close look at omnism in theory and practice may prove that the approach could be one of the most important in the current diverse world. With religious conflicts and religion-based terrorism being on a high, learning how to live and accept other people’s beliefs could help avoid a lot of friction. Nevertheless, as stated in the opening paragraph, there are more than 4000 religions. Some of these religions may seem crazy and stupid to an outsider, but as omnists claim, having a close look could reveal some hidden advantages that make the religions gain followers.
References
Aji, H.M. and Dharmmesta, B.S. (2019). Subjective norm vs dogmatism: Christian consumer attitude towards Islamic TV advertising. Journal of Islamic Marketing.
Bowen, J. R. (2018). Religions in practice an approach to the anthropology of religion. Routledge.
de Wildt, L., & Aupers, S. D. (2020). Eclectic Religion: The flattening of religious cultural heritage in videogames. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 1–19. Web.
Gandy, K. (2018). Coracle an introduction to Omnism and interspirituality. LULU COM.
Jammes, J., & Palmer, D. A. (2018). Occulting the Dao: Daoist inner alchemy, French spiritism, and Vietnamese colonial modernity in Caodai translingual practice. The Journal of Asian Studies, 77(2), 405–428. Web.
McIntosh. (2019). Polyontologism: When “syncretism” does not suffice. Journal of Africana Religions, 7(1), 112. Web.
Paolucci, P.B (2020). Marx’s experiments and microscopes: Modes of production, religion, and the method of successive abstractions. Brill.
Power, T. P. (2017). Confronting the idols of our age. Resource Publications.
Renfrew, C., Morley, I., & Boyd, M. (2018). Ritual, play and belief, in evolution and early human societies. Cambridge University Press.
Steward, S. (2017). History of religion. Alpha Editions.
Stockman, R. H. (2021). World of the bahá’í faith. Routledge.
Walsh, G. (2017). The role of religion in history. Taylor and Francis.
Willard, A. K., & Cingl, L. (2017). Testing theories of secularization and religious belief in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Evolution and Human Behavior, 38(5), 604–615. Web.
The gospel is a work that allows a person to learn how the soul’s salvation takes place despite sins committed. In my opinion, the gospel has served as a guide for society and has skillfully guided it along the path of virtue. It has significantly changed life for the better, and ennobled humanity; it has brought much good into the hearts of men. Millions of people have drawn the strength to live for good and truth from it. It seems that the gospel teaching makes me feel free to serve God. I became kinder, more righteous, and wiser as I began to deepen my understanding of the Nature of things. These changes in me have made me more open to people, and this characteristic is consistent with God’s moral teachings.
I first noticed the influence of the gospel when I had to make a difficult decision. It involved a conflict with my friends, and I needed to take one side. It was a tough choice, so I considered two possible outcomes. I was surprised that I was calm and balanced in my decision, trying to avoid making a mistake with my words. Another example from my life is family relationships: after deepening in the gospel teaching, I began to love my parents and relatives more. I saw that my support was people who believed in me. I now realize that my new worldview resulted from understanding the gospel as a doctrine.
I think the gospel also allows me to perceive culture and history differently. Culture is constantly changing, and I used to be suspicious of sudden cultural upheavals in society. However, I now understand that cultural transformation is expanding consciousness and changing world perception. The gospel teaching made me realize that change is a driving force in historical events. Moreover, culture generally becomes another spiritual component of the human person.
Faith is a tool to influence scientific research, becoming either a catalyst to action or stopping the process. Faith drives researchers to uncover the characteristics of human beings’ physical and psychological worlds. Consequently, science develops through the gradual expansion of its fields, so faith raises those questions that prove relevant to research. Faith enables researchers to continue to explore the physical world from a new angle, establishing that the physical world is just as important as the spiritual world (Poe 114). Science becomes nobler and directed, so beliefs allow the spiritual and physical connections to be evaluated together.
The naturalistic worldview is based on the idea that the human will and consciousness are tools for achieving righteous service to Nature and comprehending her law. In this sense, faith creates the conditions for realizing this worldview because it points to the need for recognition of the physical world (Poe 132). This recognition is achieved through the pragmatic and naturalistic approaches that often underlie scientific research. Understanding the laws of Nature and considering the influence of external space on behavior are the points at which science, faith, and naturalism come together.
In every epoch, there are unique common goals, the pursuit of which keeps the spiritual forces of society in a state of tension. The more general goals are discussed and disseminated in society, the easier the spiritual and material ideals are achieved. One might think that the scientific approach to the world becomes part of these aspirations because, like faith and naturalism, the research seeks to serve society and nature.
Work Cited
Poe, Harry Lee. “The Gospel, Worldview, and Christian Higher Education.” In David Dockery (eds.) Faith and Learning: A Handbook for Christian Higher Education. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2021, pp. 106-134.
The passage describes the qualities and circumstances that should be present in true believers. It talks about how they will be wealthy and remembered forever, and how good will come to them. Furthermore, the passage notes that if any harm comes to believers, it is part of God’s design and temporary, as righteous people will always be victorious in the end. The psalm concludes by noting that wicked people are destined to fail and have their ambitions come to nothing.
It should be noted that the passage associates religious belief with righteousness. Inline 3, it explicitly indicates that followers of God are righteous, and in line 7, it describes righteous people as “trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112). In doing so, it ascribes qualities such as generosity and perseverance to the followers of the religion while indirectly denying them to others. Ultimately, the passage appears to be saying that true goodness can only be found if one fears and obeys the Lord and that non-believers will eventually meet their downfall.
Church and Parishioners
The passage can provide some indications of how a church or other religious organization should treat its parishioners. For example, the generosity it associates with followers of the Lord can be interpreted to mean that such institutions should not demand money or resources, as those will be granted freely if the need is known. Furthermore, the church should exhibit the same qualities, offering shelter to the poor and continuing its operations regardless of the severity of its situation.
In regards to interacting with attendees and providing sermons, the psalm suggests that the church constantly remind the people that they are righteous and generally better people than the non-believers are. It should adapt to the overall situation and change the nature of the speeches to reflect that the people’s righteousness was the cause of the good times and that their perseverance would help them overcome the difficult periods. Furthermore, the psalm is not opposed to inciting negativity towards non-believers and claiming that they are wicked and doomed to fall.
Market Opportunities
While knowing about the customers, the competitors, and the state of the market, as well as that of the environment, is essential to understanding market opportunities, the information alone is insufficient to succeed in the task. According to Mullins (2013), one should be able to compile the data and analyze it together from a broader perspective. Furthermore, a marketer should be aware of the capabilities of their organization and plan accordingly to avoid overextending.
Many religious organizations have existed for a much longer time than the majority of the world’s companies, which are the focus of the modern marketing development, and have an established image in the minds of the majority of people. As such, it is usually unnecessary to spread awareness of a religion’s existence or its crucial tenets. Furthermore, according to Juravle, Sasu, and Spataru (2016), if a person has been aware of religion for a long time but has not joined it, he or she may have a substantial and private foundation for those choices. As such, a careless and aggressive promotion campaign could lead to backlash and negative results.
Nevertheless, a marketing campaign for a religious organization can succeed, and the proposition deserves consideration. However, traditional methods can be challenging to apply, as this variety of organization does not have the appeal of tangible benefits, like for-profit companies, or of satisfaction, like charitable institutions. A marketer should evaluate the primary attractions of his or her organizations, such as the community or the spiritual support, determine the appropriate population categories, and advertise to them in a non-intrusive fashion.
Church Organization Capabilities
Depending on their nature, religious organizations can offer numerous marketing benefits that can be used both as points of attraction and as tools for advertisement. One quality of religion, as opposed to commercial organizations, is that their audience is usually loyal and exclusive, adhering to the belief system for most of their lives and refusing to follow others. Another is the not-for-profit nature of the organizations that lend credence to their message, as there are typically no ulterior motives such as profit behind the attraction of new parishioners.
Depending on how tightly knit the religious community is, it can be used as a source of attraction for new members. It can provide people with the opportunity to socialize and network, qualities that are becoming more relevant nowadays. Furthermore, the community can provide a means of passive and active marketing. The former can be achieved by having members interact with people and be active on social networks, where the topic of religion will sometimes appear. The latter may be expressed as various social gatherings and charitable events organized by the church, which help spread awareness of the community and the organization.
The not-for-profit nature of religious organizations can be used to adapt their marketing to better suit modern tendencies. Past precedents have convinced many people to avoid giving the church power and to associate its traditional messages with gathering influence. As such, religious organizations should adapt their marketing to reflect the purely consensual and spiritual nature of their message and underline the independence of each member. A noticeable change would significantly contribute to overcoming prejudice and convincing people to join.
References
Mullins, J. W. (2013). Marketing management: A strategic decision-making approach (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Many people believe that faith is an unnecessary relic of the past. Modern people must be logical and look for their answers in science and contemporary philosophy. However, a person’s desire for spiritual self-knowledge and connection with something greater than themselves is ineradicable. Plenty of people look for this connection in various pseudo-religious and near-magical practices. This shows how strongly the human soul is drawn to God despite modern views on religion and atheism propaganda.
I strongly believe that faith helps a person on their path, removes the disturbing feeling of senselessness, and gives guidance in life. In his book, Your Grown-Up Faith, Professor of theology and former Benedictine monk Kenneth Parker gives people of all ages a perspective on faith development throughout life. He describes three main stages – the Child’s Way, the Youth’s Way, and the Adult’s way, showing how a person can make life more fulfilling through belief (Parker, 2012). The author shows the importance of the spiritual path in avoiding the traps of pseudo-spirituality and mysticism.
Parker describes the Child’s Way as the path of primary exploring the world by a pure and naive being. Therefore, it is so important to connect children’s feelings with the proper life guidelines (Parker, 2012). They are very susceptible to influences that can corrupt them and ruin their lives. For example, the modern culture encourages the development of deviations and mental illnesses, which leads to further years of struggle to restore normal life. Faith creates a solid foundation that connects a person with his spirituality and makes young people less susceptible to harmful concepts.
The Youth’s Way is a challenging stage of doubts and searches for a place in the world and destiny. Growing up, people often get lost on their way, living miserable lives without purpose, wondering why they are so pathetic. Many people start searching for a proper solution for their spiritual struggle in the material world, which only can worsen their situation. The answers must be searched in the right direction then the person can develop and grow inner independence, not destruct it further. Parker writes that to mature, people “must take a further step, beyond the authorities who guide our lives” (Parker, 2012, p. 55). Thus, faith strengthens the inner core of a person so that he can make the right and good choice for themselves.
Finally, the Adult’s way should lead to accepting life, its understanding, and the ability to navigate it independently. Without this, people remain lost; they cannot give anything to others and only harm their loved ones. Developed faith allows people to understand the logic of being, imbue with the divine plan, and therefore get the opportunity to deliberately converse life (Parker, 2012). Therefore, having faith makes sense in the modern world because it allows people to explore the world without succumbing to temptations and without completely destroying themselves. Furthermore, it helps find the true self, become a creator in own life, and not be a part of a crowd influenced by others.
Reference
Parker, K. L. (2012). Your grown-up faith: Blending the three elements of belief. Liguori Publications.
Displaying holiness to encourage parishioners to follow the path of virtue is an important role of a church leader. Therefore, the latter needs to adhere to the crucial standards of holiness and virtuous behavior. The described goal can be attained by incorporating key virtues into one’s behavior choices and decision-making. For this purpose, one may need to consider the principles of holiness as they are stated in Book 1 of Peter.
Particularly, one will need to be in a sober mind and free of the shackles of ignorance that restricted one’s choices in the past. Therefore, to display holiness in dialogue with a potential parishioner in the organizational market, one should focus on maintaining one’s holiness as opposed to following any other principles.
The specified decision is based on the need to believe in the intrinsic source of holiness as stated in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Thus, one’s judgments should be impartial, and one’s goals should be geared toward personal salvation and not personal gain. By recognizing money and other types of assets, be they physical or intangible, as perishable, one will be free from the biases that the consumerism-driven society imposes on people. Thus, one will become a role model for potential parishioners in the organizational market and make an important statement about the immortality of the human soul.
To display holiness when communicating with a potential parishioner, one should also strive to show sincere love for one’s brethren as told in 1 Peter 1:22. Promoting love to each other is an important idea that is often dismissed in the competitive realm of the organizational market. Therefore, people have to be reminded of the need to treat each other with due respect and humanity. Being forgiving of the flaws of human nature and the mistakes that people make under the spur of a moment and when being overwhelmed by emotions is the best way of showing a potential parishioner that holiness is achievable.
Academic Content
Gaining new knowledge is essential for the progress of the parish and the promotion of well-being among its members. Market-related theory, in turn, is one of the essential elements of a knowledge system that allows a community to evolve. In the context of a specific parish, one will need to encourage the promotion of parishioners’ education to ensure that they are aware of the key market principles.
Thus, the members of a community will be able to build an economically and financially sustainable environment, where Christian values and church-related activities will become the core of the community’s activities. Compared to the environment in which secular concerns dominate the lives of community members, the described setting will be much more beneficial for parishioners since they will become immersed in the Christian philosophy and accept the relevant values (Moberg, 2017). As a result, they will not have to face the negative influence that business organizations may exert on the parishioners.
The impact that business companies have on the set of values by which parishioners are guided is ample. With the active promotion of corporate philosophies and the associated values, organizations may disrupt the process of spiritual growth that community embers choose to experience. The described problem may be caused by the lack of focus on spiritual development in most business companies and the difficulties that may arise when aligning corporate goals with the needs of parishioners employed in these firms.
In contrast to these businesses, a church will be able to not only encourage both spiritual and economic growth within a community but also connect corporate, community-related, and spiritual values into a single philosophy to which parishioners will adhere (Mullins & Walker, 2013). The identified opportunity necessitates the promotion of market-related knowledge development among parishioners. Their education will help a church to build a strong community where spiritual growth is deemed as a priority and where Christian ethics is established as the guiding principle.
Furthermore, the active encouragement of building new knowledge within a parish will help one to promote happiness and positivity across the community. With a single set of values and the focus on the development of Christian values, parishioners will feel that each of them is a part of a grand design and that each of them has a unique purpose and role in it. Thus, parishioners will be motivated to contribute to the evolution of the community and the continued spiritual growth thereof. The specified outcomes, in turn, will lead to a rise in the levels of happiness and content among the target population (Rudnyckyj & Osella, 2017). Moreover, with the rise of awareness concerning market operations, people will feel that they have grown professionally and are ready to explore new opportunities.
Introducing education regarding market organization for parishioners is an important step in furthering community development. Thus, the church will be able to retain its influence and shield people from the negative impact that corporations may have on their spiritual growth. Acquiring new knowledge and skills will boost their engagement and enthusiasm rates, thus making them more involved in the community development since they will be aware of its economic nature and key processes occurring in it from a market organization perspective. As a result, parishioners will become more motivated and overall more satisfied with the quality of their lives. Thus, market-related education is critical for a developing religious community.
References
Moberg, M. (2017). Church, market, and media: A discursive approach to institutional religious change. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Mullins, J. W., & Walker, O. C. Jr. (2013). Marketing management: A strategic decision-making approach (8th ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Rudnyckyj, D., & Osella, F. (2017). Religion and the morality of the market. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.