Category: Existence

Americana (1971), Don DeLillo’s first novel, has the protagonist by name David Bell. He is a young television advertising executive, who is in search of self- identity. The novel demonstrates DeLillo’s preoccupation with the American culture and the struggle between the individual and chaotic world. In this novel, DeLillo depicts the protagonist as a person who is successful in profession and fails in his personal life. The protagonist feels bored and unsuccessful in his daily routine life. He is unable to make sense of his place in the world. All these circumstances lead to disintegration of self. So, David Bell decides to transcendent his own self. The way he chooses to find his own self is the religious journey. On it, he decides to make a film of his own traumatised past, so that he might be able to find what was wrong in his life. DeLillo portrayed David Bell as a man who is destroyed by the modern American life and is forced to try and find meaning in the core of his own wrecked self.

The first Sartrean concept to be explained in the novel is ‘Existence precedes Essence’. Being in the modern American culture, David Bell wants to find meaning in his life. The particular notion ‘Existence precedes Essence’ is clearly apt for David Bell, since he tries to find essence in life by coming out of his routine boredom life. The way he chooses to create essence in life is filming his autobiography.

In the beginning of the novel, David Bell is successful young televisions execute who is very sincere in his work. He has the freedom to express his ideas for advertisement. In the first part of the novel, though he exists as a successful person in his profession, he wants to create more essence for his existence. He declared this notion by saying “I was wasting my life” (Americana 8). To create essence to his existence David decided to transcendent his self. The transcendence he tries to create is religious: “I’d like to do something more religious. Explore America in the screaming night” (Americana 10). To attain his new idea he decided to make a documentary on Navahos. He says, “I have to go out west anyway in a few, months to do a documentary on the Navahos” ( Americana 10). He made several attempts to get approval for the project. The project is based on Indians. He expects help from his friend Quincy. But he did not help him, rather explained the difficulty in taking the documentary. So everyone in the network office decides to drop the idea of Navahos project. This disappoints Bell. But he tricks Weede, superior to Bell and gets permission to continue with the Navahos project. Though Bell has existence, he tries to create new essence by moving towards the Navahos project along with Sullivan and Pike.

There are several other characters which explain the notion ‘Existence precedes Essence’. One particular nameless character depicts the concept ‘Existence precedes Essence’. This particular nameless character from the network office always sends strange memos to the employers. But the memo contains the real truth of that particular condition in the office. David Bell found a memo and it says, “and never can a man be more disastrously in death than when death itself shall be deathless” (Americana 21). By sending the strange memos the nameless character tries to attain essence for the existence. David Bell calls this nameless person as Trotsky. By giving name to that particular nameless person, David tries to give essence to that person existence.

Another important character which explains the concept ‘Existence precedes Essence’ is Meredith Walker. She was the ex-wife of David Bell. She lived in different places and felt all those life as unreal. David says, “she told me about some of the places in which she had lived and about the unreal nature of life on a military base; it was life without future tense, she said, and there was always the feeling that you would wake up one morning and find that everyone had left except the women and children” (Americana 31). She also adds that her past life is boring life; “I was getting bored” (Americana 31). Though their marriage life began successfully, it ends soon. When Merry realised their unsuccessful life, she decides to leave David and continues life with her parents in an essential ways. Later David see Merry as a successful woman in her profession as well as her own self.

David bell’s father gave three options for job after his senior class. David chooses the network office in order to give essence to his existence. Since the concept gives free will to choose, David bell adds, “Independence is everything, she said, especially when you’re just starting out in life” (Americana 34). David has the free will to choose his profession, his marriage life, and later the identity of his own self.

In the third part David starts his religious journey to attain Transcendent self. There he tries to create essence by deciding about his autobiographical film. Though he starts the journey with the religious notion, he fails to find his own self only at the end. He thinks through movie he can realise his shortcoming in the past and so it helps to know his own self for the future.

The next Sartrean concept of Existentialism is Anguish. Anguish prevails in the modern American society. David Bell is a person who lives in the Anguish prevailed society. Anguish towards the society, his boredom life made him to transcend his own self towards religious journey. Anguish towards his unsuccessful marriage life made him to have illegal affair with many women. When this affair leads to any emotional relationship, he stops that affair and moves towards another. He calls it as ego-moment in his life. Anguish towards the disappointment in the network office made him to drop the idea of taking documentary in the midway of the journey and decides to take his own autobiography as a film. Anguish toward the network office made the nameless person to write strange memos to the employees.

David’s relationship with his mother also reveals anxiety about death. David’s mother Ann dies of ovarian cancer at a relatively young age and it is her death that begins David’s obsession with youth and death. Benjamin bird on his article says about how David is affected by his fear of death. Bird claims that DeLillo uses David Bell to represent an archetype of “ American pathology”, a pathology rooted in “death- anxiety”, which DeLillo presents as “being endemic to American culture and causing Bell to fear and avoid subjective mental experience” (Bird 186). David’s fear of death causes him to close himself off from the world around him, as “his consciousness does not offer him reliable access to the world”, and also “it is impossible for him to create any recognizable form of selfhood” (Bird 185).

David’s death anxiety manifests itself in his anxiousness over his physical appearance. He is obsessed with the ages of his fellow employees in the work place. He has to be the youngest in his level of authority at the network. David wants to be physically healthy and strong man. He constantly asks women to judge him based on his physical appearance and becomes upset if he feels de- valued by their opinion. He calls himself as “I was an extremely handsome young man…I was blue-eyed David Bell. Obviously my life depended on this fact” (Americana 11). His obsession with youth and appearance is one of the major reasons he does not change at the end of the novel, as he begins and ends the novel by checking a mirror to see if he has any dandruff. Reference to dandruff appears three times in the novel demonstrates how David is unable to change on his spiritual journey of self-discovery. American pathology of death anxiety becomes a physiological handicap for David.

The next Sartrean concept taken to examine is Forlornness. Forlornness implies trusting instincts and choosing our own being. In the novel Americana (1971), the main protagonist David Bell trusts his own instincts and creates his own being. In the first part David felt boredom of his present life and decides to choose something new for his own being. There he comes up with the idea of making documentary on Navahos. When it comes to marriage life, David felt that both Merry and he are not matured enough to handle problems. By trusting the instincts David choose to get divorced for his own wellbeing. During his childhood days, David’s mother and father decides Virginia and California as a place for his further studies. David trusted his own instincts and chooses to study in a small school outside his city. For his own being, he left his family and came out of the city. When David started his religious journey, he aimed to make documentary on Navahos. But his instincts insisted him to drop the idea of Navahos. Rather his instincts made him to choose the idea of taking an autobiographical film. Though he divorced his wife Merry, his instincts allowed him to re-join with her at the end of the novel. He adds, “At Love Field I turned in the car and bought a gift for Merry” (Americana 377).

The main protagonist in the novel Americana (1971) is a man who dissatisfied with life and embarks on a spiritual journey of self-discovery. Don DeLillo created David Bell as a representative of the modern American protagonist in the effect of “inventing the primitive” (Americana 283). The concept of Sartre’s transcendent self is clearly examined through the character David Bell. The concept of inventing individual is spoken by David twice in the novel. First it appears as David recalls his work on the filmed autobiography:

The illusion of motion was barely relevant. Perhaps it wasn’t a movie I was creating so much as a scroll, a delicate bit of papyrus that feared discovery. Veterans of the film industry would swear the whole thing pre-dated Edison’s kinetoscope. My answer to them is simple. It takes centuries to invent the primitive (Americana, 238).

The second appearance of the concept inventing individuals occurs when David responses “I’m inventing the primitive” (Americana, 238) to Austin Wakely, actor in David’s film, who criticises the Autobiography. David by re-defining and re-creating his own past shattered self, tries to create transcendent self for the present and future.

Don DeLillo links David with James Joyce’s protagonist, Stephen Dedalus. At Leighton Gage College, David identifies himself as Kinch, the nickname of Dedalus in Ulysses. He says, “…I wanted to be known as Kinch” (Americana, 143). He also claims that the book Ulysses “…was our sacred scroll” (Americana 145). Dedalus is a person who tries to find his own self in religious ways and later realises that only art gives him pleasure. Similarly, David tries to find his transcendent self in religious journey and later found it by creating an autobiographical film.

As a modern American representative, David wants a single answer for his unhappiness and boredom in life. He searches for ‘absolute truth’ in his life. David’s obsession of creating autobiographical film is the key to find his own self. He re-interrupts and re-configures his own memories along with fictitious narratives to find the notion ‘absolute truth’. In order to find ‘absolute truth’, David creates some untruth incidents such as the scene of his father retelling his involvement in the Bataan Death March. David’s father never shared these events with him. Rather David collects the historical background information for this scene from a local library and invents a narrative that simulates what a retelling of the event by his father have looked and sounded like. As an autobiography, David’s film should be historically accurate. But it is not as David re- invents his personal history for the film, putting in fictitious narrative. By re-creating his past memories, David simultaneously creates a simulacrum of his past and equating his past experiences with fiction.

David’s autobiography fails because David’s scripted film effectively replaces his own memories. Hence David’s use of film as a means to find his own self ultimately fails. David Cowart in an article examines the inability of David Bell to find his own self. Cowart claims that Americana represents a re-thinking of identity and alienation as a theme in American Literature after the end of the World War II. DeLillo’s David Bell has to deal with the fact that “postmodern identity is not something temporarily eclipsed, [and not] something ultimately recoverable” (Cowart 602). DeLillo uses David Bell as “a postmodernist exemplar, a dazzling demonstration of the subject’s inability to know a definite version of itself” (Cowart 604). David Bell in his failure to find his own self can thus be understood as an indicative of a longer American reality, a reality in which the traditional notions of self no longer exist.

The inability to achieve self- knowledge is tied with consumerism. David is very much a part and a contributor of American commercialism and consumerism. David’s first introduction to consumerism comes at an early stage as his father exposes him to American consumer culture and mass media. David’s father as an ad agent spent time with his children by allowing them to watch and analyse commercials. After college, David with the help of his father attains the job at a television network as a young television advertisement executive. David continues his participation in American mass media culture through his job. David’s job and his experiences with his father as a young boy influenced David to use film as the central tool to find his transcendent self. David feels disconnected from his father. By creating his father’s involvement in Bataan Death March, David not only attempts to understand his father, but also to understand a part of his own self.

Film is a part of American culture. But for David, film takes a religious connotation. As a young boy, while going to the film, David remarks: “I was glad I had not asked anyone to come to the movies with me. This was religion and it needed privacy” (Americana, 135). That is why, David uses film as the medium to find his own self. DeLillo considers consumerism as “a form of mass anaesthesia. It has its own artificial and dulling language, its four- color mosaic of images and patterns. It causes unfulfilled desires to rise above the rooftops. It makes people lonely” (DeLillo 27). The consumerism prevailed in America and the commercial job David underwent made him to create his own autobiography. Through that David tries to find his own self. But finally fails in finding his own self. Though he chooses religious connotation for films, but he is still unable to escape the commercial and technological connotation of film making.

In this essay, I am going to argue that Komuso was a factual group. And I will explore the evidence for the actual existence of the Komuso and describe the fictionalisation of this group and why this might occur.

The Komuso were a group of monks who weared a straw basket on the head and wandered around Japan in the edo period. Although the existence of the Komuso is kind of mysterious and contradictory in modern studies of Japanese history, there are many evidences indicating that the group actually existed.

First of all, there are official documents about Komuso issued by the government at that time, Tokugawa bakufu. The Tokugawa government issued a series of licenses to the Fuke sect which was the institution consisting of Komuso monks (Blasdel, 2005). This provides direct evidence to the existence of Komuso. Also, from the Tsurezure-gusa-nozuchi written by Hayashi Doshun Razan, the advisor of Tokugawa Ieyasu, there are descriptions of some mendicant monks that have many similar characteristics with the Komuso.

Secondly, the image of Komuso was highly visible in various arts of the time. Depictions of the group existed in literature, theatre and woodblock prints at that time. For example, one of the most well-known Japanese kabuki plays, Sukeroku, set its protagonist as a Komuso monk wielding a shakuhachi since the eighteenth century (Blasdel, 2005). The popularity of Komuso theme in different kinds of arts of that time suggests the significant influence of the Komuso and gives evidence to the existence of Komuso indirectly.

Thirdly, the existed shakuhachi music Honkyoku in fact witnessed the existence of Komuso monks in history. As an important part of the suizen practice, playing Honkyoku was actually a unique feature of the Komuso monks in Fuke sect. The Komuso played Honkyoku for enlightenment and alms. The pieces they played were demonstrated in the lists in the late nineteenth century (Deeg, 2007).

However, there are still some mysteries in the history of Komuso. The only source recording the foundation legend of the Fuke sect is called Kyotaku Denki. It was produced under the pressure from the Tokugawa government. The Fuke sect wrote this history statement to seek more freedoms and privileges from the authority (Blasdel, 2005). Thus, the trueness of the statement remains to be doubted based on such background.

Another suspicion is that the reason why the Tokugawa government was willing to give privileges to the Komuso was because the Komuso were actually spies for the government. Taking advantage of the basket on the head, the Komuso could easily eavesdrop on the conversations in various occasions without exposing the identity and could report the secret information to the government later. It is reasonable to infer that the Tokugawa government might have such precondition in exchange for the privileges of the Komuso as Tokugawa wanted to unify the country at that time. Though there are no clear evidence to confirm this suspicion.

Reference List

1. Blasdel, C. (2005). Shakuhachi fantasy and fact. In, C. Blasdel. (2005). The single tone: A personal journay into shakuhachi music. Printed matter press: Tokyo, pp. 33-47.
2. Deeg, M. (2007). Komuso and Shakuhachi-Zen: From historical legitimation to the spiritualisation of a buddhist denomination in the edo period. Japanese Religions, 32(1&2): 7-38.

There is one simple question that is presented among many people, educators, scholars, teachers, and many others—Is God real? Does God exist? Can the existence of God be proven? The answer to these questions are yes. There is a God who is real and loves each and every human being regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, or language; there is no difference to God. The existence of God can be proven through the Holy Bible, prophecies, and nature.

The Bible has been a massive influence on literature and history. As you may already know, it is arguably the most popular book of all time, with about 5 billion copies sold in total. It is considered to be the most influential and best-selling book of all time by many people, scholars, educators, etc. Even today, the Bible is still selling 100 million copies annually. The Bible is composed of 66 books by 40 different writers over millenniums, yet it has one consistent storyline going all the way through, and it has just one ultimate author—God. How could this book be written by so many people, but just have one author? Well, God is very unique, and is unpredictable in many different ways. The Bible was written mostly by regular people of all kinds such as doctors, fishermen, tax collectors, and they were all inspired through God. Each writer of the books within the Bible had their own style and touch. They used their own minds, yet all of them were guided by the Holy Spirit, which also meant that there was no error in their work. By this, the Bible is understood by Christians to be a book without error. Throughout history, God provided a “map” for us through the Bible. Many signs were shown through His prophets. With all things considered, the Bible is one of the most reliable pieces of writing to this day, and it is a piece that proves God’s existence.

Every prophecy has come true exactly the way it was presented in the Bible. One major feature that separates the Bible from any other book is its ability to correctly predict upcoming events in the future. For example, the Old Testament is the part of the Bible written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, but still contains over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled throughout His life including His death and resurrection. An example of a prophecy that was fulfilled was when Jesus predicted His own death. “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31 NIV) Jesus simply predicted that he would be rejected and killed, then come back to life after three days. This actually occurred in the Bible, when Jesus was crucified by the Romans. The prophecies show the reliability of the Bible, which are not sent by men but by God.

When it comes to the possibility of God’s existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen enough evidence to believe in Him. For example, in 1947, Bedouin shepherds discovered some scrolls carefully placed in ten tall jars. Many of the documents contained biblical texts. Either fragments or complete copies were found of every book in the Old Testament. They had been placed in these caves around the middle of the first century AD, and the amazing fact is that they had lain there undisturbed for 1900 years! But why are these Dead Sea Scrolls so important for us? The reason is that before this discovery the earliest manuscripts of biblical texts dated from the ninth century after Christ. On the other hand, for those who want to know if God is real, he says, ‘You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you.’ (Matthew 7:7-8) Before the facts surrounding God’s existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know Him? If so, here are some reasons to consider His existence. The complexity of Earth leads towards a divine, intelligent, and deliberate Designer who not only created the universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples in nature today lean towards a God/Creator. For example, the Earth; its size is perfect. The Earth’s size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, extending about fifty miles above the Earth’s surface. If it were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible and nonexistent. Earth is the only known planet with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life. If it were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze, and if we were any closer we would burn up. Even a fractional difference in the Earth’s position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun allowing it to rotate on its axis, making the entire surface of the Earth properly warmed and cooled every day. All this evidence has to point to singular God. Everything was created with such precision and accuracy that could not have occurred on its own. It was designed by God in such a specific manner that the creation of all this was definitely not just a coincidence. Some examples of nature created by God is water, the brain, the eyes, etc. Water is colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. The human brain processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, and much more. The eye can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages.

Whereas, a belief like evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms, yet alone it does not fully explain how the eye or the brain came about, or what the source of it was. Evolution suggests that the start of living organisms are from nonliving matter, but how could something come from nothing? It is irrational to think that something came into existence from nothing, which completely violates causality. There had to be an intelligent designer to all this. The fact that there is a universe tells us that we need a creator. Creation demands a creator. As stated by astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, ‘The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion…The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen.” Scientists don’t even know how the Big Bang happened, therefore they have little evidence to back that idea up. The Big Bang is just a theory, and nothing more. The universe, energy, and all matter has a beginning, and therefore requires a cause. There is a God who exists and loves each and every human being regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, or language. The existence of God can be proved through the book of the Bible, prophecies, and nature.

Works Cited

1. Adamson, Marilyn. “Is There a God?” EveryStudent.com www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html.
2. Collins, Francis S. The Language of God a Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Pocket Books, 2007.
3. Collins, Jon, and Tim Mackie. “What Prophecy Is For.” The Bible Project, 15 Apr. 2019, thebibleproject.com/podcast/what-prophecy/transcript/.
4. Feynman, Richard P. The Meaning of It All. Penguin, 2007.
5. Publishers, Moody. The Wonders of God’s Creation. Moody Publishers, 2005.
6. ‘Seek and Find’: Matthew 7:7. Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1987.

In Paul Tillich’s book, Systematic Theology, he talks about the belief that humans have a quest for the New Being and meaning for Christ. Our existence is considered finite in terms of freedom and as a “bondage of will”, as proposed by Martin Luther. It is said to be only applicable to man and not nature because we have freedom and are spontaneous. Even though we are free and filled with the fulfillment of joy, people cannot live out their lives without God. There must be an established union with God. Religion is considered to be one of the most significant functions of life where we seek a New Being and the truth for Christ. The personal connections and reunion with God are at the basis for a religious belief. Religion specifically, is classified as a function of life that provides a sense of meaningfulness where hope rests. It is a source of hope that always helps followers seek beyond the hardships that are endured on a daily basis. As humans, self-salvation is an opportunity and gift that is given to humans from Jesus dying on the cross. It is a gift of sacrament; however, it becomes distorted when you put yourself before God. It ends up becoming an artificial relationship.

In terms of the meaning of Christ, Jesus or the “Messiah” was the one chosen by God to save humans from sin. He can be classified as the one that confirms an expectation for a new being or reality. A Messiah is defined as the anointed one or the one who conquers the enemies, and establishes peace and justice. Traditionally, the Messiah transforms the existence of history and is embodied by a group, or in similar terms a religious affiliation that share common beliefs. Followers of Christ believe that a New Being is achieved through Him. He is the bearer and mediator in a relationship with God where one seeks a New Being. Christ is the one who represents God to humanity and shows God what humans ought to be. Jesus was made in human likeness and takes on the human form that mankind can relate and connect with. God is shown to humans as the saving unit in the predicament of sin that is rested with since birth. Tillich provides an in-depth understanding of the meaning behind Christ, but the symbol of Christ is often left unnoticed and often avoided. Historically, humans have used light or a human figure for example to symbolically represent God but there is still little reasoning according to Tillich as to why.

In addition to the meaning of Christ, Tillich also emphasises the use of revelation, how God makes himself known, as answers for the existence of our life. He believed that there was some sort of correlation between God’s existence and the signs that are told through the Bible. In regards to systematic theology specifically, it is an area that focuses on how the religious truths of the Bible and other forms of scripture can directly be related to our own lives. The brief twenty pages of Systematic Theology, stresses the importance of reason for its use when explaining how God’s existence is necessary for the purpose of humanity. It is considered as a condition of existence according to Tillich. He defines reason, in terms of the mind and reality, as “the processes of being, existence, and life” (Tilich 81). Therefore, if people establish a sense of reason in their own lives, their meaning of life can be tied to the reason for existence; that being Jesus Christ. God is the main figure that humans praise and thank solely because of his role as the one that shapes the world. He reveals himself to us in a way that is recognized by those who believe in Him and understand the commitment that is placed before oneself if they are willing to sacrifice one’s own life for believing in Him.

Tillich also discusses connections between essence and existence. According to him, human beings exist and have essence, and the world is an expression of the essence of God. In terms of the Fall, it is the transition from essence to existence in which he ties in the involvement of Adam and Eve. The biblical reference shows that nature is a piece that participates in good and evil, not just the creation of man. It is said that existence is the state where the relationship with God has been ruptured through sin. With sin in the world, it is up to us humans to transform man’s very being. Jesus Christ, who was sent down from God, is the bridge between essence and existence. Because of this, faith is a necessity for a “New Being” in a personal life. Those who commit themselves and participate in faith are those who are transformed. The state of being human is the beginning of what is expected with eternal life after our time runs out on Earth. It is encouraged that humanity follows and praises Christ in the things that we do, further providing a reasoning for our existence.

While staying on this topic of sin, it is common to see how sin removes us from Christ and God. Tillich defines sin as “a state of things in which the holy and the secular are separated, struggling with each other and trying to conquer each other” (Tillich 218). Sin is a common theme discussed by Tillich throughout his book and my designated section of choice. He explains how God is Holy, but humans separate themselves from God since we are born sinners. However, God is the one who reaches out and helps restore and bless the connection we have with him. It is up to each individual to develop a relationship with Christ so that it is not a one way accord where we are the ones breaking it off. That is why we are called to Him and glorify him in our lives. This was hinted and talked about thoroughly in the previous paragraphs.

Systematic Theology was a common concept used by Tillich in explaining how God’s existence is meaningful for humanity. As a matter of fact, he even wrote a book on the whole concept of it with three different volumes. Systematic theology is defined as the “application of God’s Word by persons to all areas of life” according to John Frame as referenced by Stephen Wellum. Systematic theology requires that we interpret scripture and apply it to the various forms of life. There is a construction process that allows us to interpret our meaning for life and connect with God that gives a better understanding for why each and every one of us were created. Systematic theology gives us the ability of interpretation. We are able to have beliefs about who God is and how we should live as Christians. What people believe directly influences how they live out their lives. Scripture, in terms of systematic theology, is the source of Christian doctrine. Our class discussion tied in Felker Jones and how church traditions, human reason, and our experiences stand under the authority of scripture.

Revelation was an area of discussion used in Tillich’s use of systematic theology that is directly tied to God’s existence. It is defined by Tillich as how God makes himself known to us without directly speaking to us. This directly ties in our lecture discussion on Revelation and the area of importance on the supreme manifestation of nature and the purpose of God. He reveals himself to us and shows us what is true and needed. He is expressed to us in a way that reflects his own being. This is in terms of giving yourself up with the basis of love in the community around you. In terms of its connection to how God’s existence makes life meaningful, Thaddeus Metz and Richard Swinburne both provide some sort of insight to this question. Metz’s area of focus is towards a God-centered theory where he attempts to explain what makes a human life meaningful. According to the idea of his views and those of the purpose theory, it is understood that God holds us to a certain degree of purpose that will ultimately be a part of a larger picture in the world. An individual’s life would be considered useless if he or she does not pursue a life directed toward God or with some sort of meaning behind it. Swinburne has a similar approach where he talks about the meaning of life of humans before death if there is a life after death. He asks the question in regards to why humans were created and what would be the purpose to the existence of humans. It is understood from him that God created us for the existence of life. God is the one who gives us reason for the nature of things and the understanding as He attempts to satisfy our needs.

Lastly, Tillich vaguely touched on the image of Christ in terms of a symbol. He touched on the concept of the cross and incarnation, and how God saves people from their sins. Experiences of despair or “sin” might lead one to believe that God does not exist and therefore would not contribute to the meaning of life. Suffering is something that all human beings encounter in their lives; however, Christians believe that suffering has a sense of meaning to it. The Bible is a perfect source that shows how God is to be perceived and is shown to us. 1 John 1:5 directly tells us that “God is light” and that light is the nature and character of God. Therefore, God is everything light and darkness is everything that is essentially evil and filled with sin. In terms of our class discussion on Christian art, it shines a “light” on how the image is perceived as seen in historical paintings. The paintings early on in history showed God taking on characteristics and qualities. Later on as time progressed, it was a common theme to see Him taking on the form of a bright light coming down from the heavens. This takes on the biblical meaning that is seen in 1 John 1:5, Genesis, Proverbs, Psalms, etc.

After conducting various forms of research, I would accept the arguments put forth by the texts of Paul Tillich, Thaddeus Metz, Richard Swinburne, and Erik Wielenberg all supporting my topic of God’s existence making life meaningful for humanity. Before this research project, I had a very vague understanding of our existence. I had attended a Catholic church my entire life, went to Mass, occasionally read the Bible, but I truly didn’t understand the meaning for why God chose me to be a part of the world that He created. This project allowed me to tie in my curiosity of existence with theology. Paul Tillich gave me a deeper understanding and interpretation for the correlation between the Bible and the belief that God exists through systematic theology. Beforehand, I hadn’t known that I had been using this type of theology my entire life with the beliefs of the church and scripture. Tillich also tied in biblical references, especially those of The Fall, in order to enhance a stronger connection for Christ and God’s reasoning. When originally brainstorming about a topic, I wouldn’t have thought that Adam and Eve would be used when talking about our existence on Earth.

On the contrary, Tillich writes about the New Being and Jesus being a paradoxical. However, I don’t truly agree with the fact that paradox is not a necessity for the New Being to be revealed to humans. Tillich’s views on incarnation do not necessarily align with mine. He believes that incarnation is a characteristic of paganism and not Christianity. Tillich believes that phrases such as ‘the Son of God’ are dangerous and have no meaning or don’t necessarily make sense in relation to God.

If I were to write a research paper knowing the effort it took to put together this research project, I would spend more time digesting the primary source. This will give me more concrete information that I can pick and take topics that support and contradict my own views furthermore. In terms of the research project, I found it very difficult to transfer the information and the concepts written by Paul Tillich into writing. It was hard to grasp his reasoning on some of the claims he aimed to make. With more time, I could really put concrete information into written text. In the end, I felt that this project built on and strengthened my ability to research and pick out information that was useful for the area of discussion in my paper. This project was surely beneficial to in terms of my research, writing, and understanding of theology.

Is proving God’s existence possible? There are many ways that God’s existence can be proven. One that is referred to the most is how the universe was created. Some say it was a big bang, but who created the big bang? God’s existence makes sense when considering the origin of the universe, the meaning of life without God, the fact that without god we live with no hope, and in terms of the historical facts concerning life.

Why does God’s existence make sense for the origin of the universe? Have you ever considered what it would mean if the universe never had a beginning? It would mean that the number of past events in the history of the universe are infinite. But mathematicians recognize that the existence of an actually infinite number of things leads to self-contradictions. For example, what is infinity minus infinity? Well, mathematically you get self-contradictory answers. This shows that infinity is just an idea in your mind, not something that exists in reality. David Hilbert, considered by some to be the greatest mathematician of the twentieth century, states, “the infinite is nowhere to be found in reality. It neither exists in nature nor provides a legitimate basis for rational thought. The role that remains for the infinite to play is solely that of an idea.” Have you ever asked yourself where the universe came from? Why does everything exist instead of just nothing? Typically, atheists have said the universe is just eternal, and that is all. As the physicist P. C. W. Davies explains, ‘the coming into being of the universe, as discussed in modern science is not just a matter of imposing some sort of organization upon a previous incoherent state, but literally the coming-into-being of all physical things from nothing.’

What is the meaning of life without God? According to Pastor Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, “Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.” Many worry that religion’s loss of influence will result in nihilistic societal values—a loss of the sense of purpose, meaning and morality. Despite many seemingly convincing arguments in favor of a grand design, modern science tells us otherwise about the nature of reality. A powerful scientific worldview has been steadily constructed over the last four centuries, at a pace that has been accelerating almost exponentially in modern times. In the last decade or two, several key parts of the overall picture have been snapping into place. We now have highly compelling and entirely plausible models for how our world, life, and consciousness could have emerged entirely spontaneously and unguided—all the way from the universe’s origin to its present complexity. No external or first cause is required, no intelligent designer, and no guiding hand.

Without God we live with no hope, and would have no goals in life. Ordinarily, many people today use the term atheist to refer to those who do not believe in a supreme being of any kind. Yet that is not how the word was used in the first-century Roman Empire. Many pagan apologists in that day labeled the early Christians atheists, not because they were unaware that the Christians believed in a Creator God but because the Christians did not worship the gods of the Roman Empire. According to these pagan apologists, true theists served the deified emperor and other gods in the Roman pantheon.

Introduction

The subject of demons and whether they exist or otherwise attracts a lot of attention across the societal framework. Particularly, it has attracted interest in the Academy and across all religious traditions that form a crucial part of the global order. This debate results from the whole idea of demons and their existence or lack thereof. The study of demons is covered under the umbrella of demonology. Religious conceptions hold that demons exist. On the other hand, scientific conceptions claim that demons do not exist. In this paper, I will argue that demon hauntings, exorcisms and possessions fail to prove that demons exist because the hypothesis ‘demons did it’ of the existence of demons fails to do a better job in predicting this evidence than the competing hypothesis: demons do not exist.

Demon Haunting, Exorcism, and Possession as Evidence that Demons Exist

The evidence of demon haunting is largely premised on story-telling. The story starts when a member of a particular society begins to exhibit weird behavior. The strange behavior of that person is then followed by odd occurrences happening around his or her life to the extent that other members of the society take notice (McCraw, Benjamin and Robert 241). It is at that point that word starts passing from one individual to the next on the alleged demonic attack on person X. There are a wide variety of strange things that a person who is allegedly possessed by demons does.

The strange behavior ranges from the possessed person hearing scratching sounds to things strangely moving around him or her. The strange movement, while occurring throughout the house, also heavily presents itself in the room the possessed person resides. The element of the alleged demon communication to the possessed individual culminates the whole scenario. Another way in which the demon may choose to communicate to the possessed individual is through ‘knocking’ or even through an Ouija board. The aspect of the demon communicating to the possessed individual is seen in various ways. To begin with, words written in blood start appearing in rooms of the house and again, more specifically in the room the possessed resides. In addition to writing in blood on the walls, the individual who is possessed also may start seeing words written in blood on their own person.

The aforementioned occurrences cause the people observing them to get worried call in a doctor to diagnose the health condition of the possessed person. However, the doctor fails to eradicate the situation. The failure by the doctor to fix the situation often leads to the invitation of a priest and eventually an exorcist who struggles with the possessed. As a result of the possession, the individual is given abnormal strength by the demon to the extent that the exorcist is not in a position to physically handle him alone. As a result, the stories indicate that the exorcist is hurt in the process. In addition to the abnormal strength, he or she tends to start speaking in a strange language—Latin, more often times than not. Another tell tale sign is when he or she starts levitating in the air.

More often, the attempt by the first exorcist to get rid of the demon fails which creates room for the invitation of a second exorcist. In the end, the demon typically leaves. The demon may leave only to come back later to disrupt the life of a new victim or to permanently disrupt the lives of the next family (McCraw, Benjamin, and Robert 241). These events pretty much end up in all stories that revolve around cases of demon haunting, possession, and exorcism as evidence of the existence of demons. The stories predictably end with the words ‘demons did it.’ An ideal example of a story that is premised on demon haunting, possession, and exorcism is the 1849 case of a boy who was just identified as ‘R.’ The case was deemed to be a true case of demon possession and inspired the writing of a book by William Peter Blatty that he gave the title “The Exorcist.” The same book went on to inspire a horror movie that was regarded as “The Exorcist.” The horror movie was released in the year 1973. In summary, the cases of demon haunting, possession, and exorcism serve to prove the hypothesis that demons exist because that is allegedly the right and logical way to explain the events that follow such happenings. According to believers, demonology is the only explanation as to why demons are talked into existence and why and how they are capable of doing such things. The religions summarily look at such cases and preach that ‘the demons did it.’

How the Existence of Demons Fails to Align with the Evidence of Exorcism, Possession and Demon Haunting

The stories of demon haunting are often alluded to in an effort to prove that demons exist. As a result, the strange behavior of the person who happens to be allegedly possessed by the demons is only explained in one way ‘demons did it.’ That is how the story ends. Whether the story has sufficient evidence of the existence of demons is something that is highly questionable.

Let me analyze the contentions of such stories and their probability of being accurate in proving the existence of demons. To begin with, such narrations need the audience to believe the story as told. The audience may also proceed to narrate the same story to another audience that is still expected to believe it as told. To that end, one can easily conclude that such stories cannot be conclusive evidence of the existence of demons. That is so because the story is bound to get tainted in the cause of its narration. The evidence of the existence of demons through the telling of such stories expects the evidence always to assume that the witness gives an accurate explanation of all that transpired during the event when someone was allegedly haunted, possessed and exorcized due to him or her being occupied by demons. That is expecting too much. It is asking the audience to believe what qualifies to be regarded as heresy.

The worst thing which completely undermines the legitimacy of storytelling as a way of proving the existence of demons is the means that is often used to tap into the events that occur when demons haunt an individual. One of the ways that such information is tapped and relayed for the purposes of storytelling is through an Ouija board. As things stand, this is not an accurate means of getting the intricate details of such a crucial event. Having said that, the communication of an Ouija board merely happens because of an unconscious ideomotor effect. That element makes the ‘communication’ between the demon and the haunted individual even more suspect.

The other means to detect the alleged communication are equally suspect. The use of the senses of human beings is the other way through such communication is detected and relayed for the purposes of proving the existence of demons. In relation to this, it would be good to note that the senses of human beings are prone to making errors. As a result, the use of information acquired through the use of human senses to detect crucial details to be used in a attempt to show that demons had haunted and possessed a particular person and, thus, they do exist is suspect. That is so because human beings often see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. Meaning, they might see or perceive the existence of a demon simply because their minds are conditioned to do so. However, the reality might be showing otherwise. Put simply, human senses are not reliable means to get the evidence meant to prove the ‘demons did it’ hypothesis.

How Inexistence of Demons does a Good Job in Debunking the Evidence of Exorcism, Demon Haunting, and Possessions

If stating demons do not exist is the only logical conclusion that one can make, then the evidence presented through cases of demon haunting, possession, and exorcism is not something to go by. This is the case due to the evidence being collected through all the wrong means that are averse to making errors. If the data is collected through suspect ways, then it follows that the conclusion that it arrived at after such data is analyzed is also suspect– fruit of the poisonous tree. More specifically, the hypothesis of the inexistence of demons succeeds by pointing out the grave errors that form from the evidence that is offered in an effort to prove the ‘demons did it’ hypothesis. In relation to this, the evidence cited to claim the ‘demons did it’ hypothesis are largely collected through two broad ways that have been discussed here.

The first method in which the crucial information that is meant to prove the above hypothesis is collected through the Ouija board. The Ouija board was designed in an endeavor to tap and relay the communication that allegedly occurs between the person who happens to be haunted by a demon and the demon itself. It presupposes that at a given point in time in the cause of the exorcism process the victim and the demon have to start communicating. The alleged communication that is observed through the Ouija board is highly suspect because the board itself is prone to making errors. Most importantly, the data it gives cannot be conclusive evidence that may be adduced to prove that demons exist.

The second method that the information that is used to prove the ‘demons did it’ hypothesis is collected through the senses of the people that happen to be around when an exorcist is dealing with the case of the possessed person. On that note, it would be good to note that the senses of human beings tend to be highly subjective as opposed to being objective. They are highly swayed by the perception that already exists in them. In line with this argument, a person who happens to be indoctrinated in religious beliefs and values can only make one conclusion in case he or she happens to be present when the exorcism activity is being carried out. He or she is bound to see what has been put in his or her mind by religious doctrines and dogmas. Briefly put, the evidence that is collected through human senses tend to be highly suspect. That is the same case in the case of proving the ‘demons did it’ hypothesis. If the ‘demons did it’ hypothesis fails, then the opposite of that hypothesis succeeds.

Conclusion

The debate of whether demons exist or not is not argument to take lightly. The debate is being carried out in the philosophical field, in the academia, within the religious circles and so forth. That said, the belief in the existence or inexistence of demons affects the way things are done in the world. This is the very reason why this debate is worth being given particular attention. Saying that demons do exist is something that is largely held by various religious doctrine and dogmas. That said, various hypothesis and supporting evidence are used in attempt to show the world that it is true that demons exist. Stories of demon haunting, possession, and exorcism are particularly used in an attempt to make the world believe that demons do exist. These stories always end by claiming all that happens during exorcism activities serves to reinforce the ‘demon did it’ hypothesis. However, the evidence of demon haunting, possession, and exorcism tend to be rampant with weaknesses. As a result, it fails to prove that demons actually exist authoritatively.

Abstract

This paper looks at the occurrence of concrete and the arch. It expands to give the significance of both in addition to their benefit in the existence of Rome.

Introduction

The composition of concrete includes water, extrusive stones, extrusive ash,.and sedimentary rocks (Wayman, 2011). The creation was established by firing up sedimentary rocks into calcined lime and then add some water to it to achieve a burnt lime glue. Afterward, the extrusive ash which has parts in three was now added to the burnt lime glue thereby transforming into a lasting mortar. Mind you, extrusive stones would now be included in the lasting mortar to arrive at the concrete of Rome. The substance can now be molded to form an arch by selecting a cast of any sizing. This commixture of crunched extrusive ash, with calcined lime in that time, was known as cement. But the significance of the concrete in the day to day activities of Rome could be seen in construction for structuring out aqueducts for water supplies, the construction of walls, bridges, and vaults, etcetera, etcetera. Another significance resorted to the construction of secure buildings such as the Roman Pantheon and the Colosseum respectively. It also substituted for rubbled that was being used to fill-up walls including the construction of durable buildings structurally. Such buildings included personal houses, the amphitheater the triumphal arch, the massive aqueduct, the building for grains as well as the Roman basilica to name a few (Cartwright, 2018, para. 1).

Each arch is indeed a construction that is elongated at the edge and thus is backed on each corner either by a support beam, wall, or handrail to bear the weight of a building or construction in a particular way (Collins, n.d ., para. 1; Muscato, n.d.). The construction was established by initially creating structures and sometimes even walls mostly on opposite wings. After having to stand on concrete slabs, fiberglass members within the size of an arch were made seen at the epicenter of the two opposite ends. After which builders constructed it now by casting concrete into the timber bracing or structuring to align the facade adequately while using rocks, and placing cemented paste in between the stones or rocks. However, the cuneiform rocks mounted in the middle were still that which barricaded in position the latter rocks which mean that in a nutshell automatically, everything indeed just holds no sway. But also this is the one which the other way round distributes the same load upward and descending. Not only that but, it was placed in the end but known as the cornerstone after construction was completed.

This arch assisted the Romans in quite some ways including permitting them to employ less construction material items across a vast expanse such as in the constructions involving connecting highways bridges and dams to name a few. The arch also reflected the love of the ruler the emperor to the masses indicating their significance to him. The arch also reflected the love of the ruler the emperor to the masses indicating their significance to him. This is seen in the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre alternatively known as the Colosseum as Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasian built it with the people the masses in mind demonstrating how significant they were to him (Chappine, n.d., para. 2). The Roman arch is significant also because it improves structure durability. This durability of structure also leads to another significance of the arch which allowed the construction of significant structures such as durable homes, the Roman basilica, the Roman Colosseum, dams, roads, and connecting highway bridges. Another significance of the Roman arch was to make merry from warfare (Midford, 2014, p. 11, para. 1). For example, on its dedication on 25 July 315 CE, the Arch of Constantine was built by the Senate to honor the Great Emperor Flavius Constantine as a symbol of his victory over the tyrannical Maxentius (Midford, 2014, p. 22, para. 3). The sense of victory in and of itself is partly the reason why it is also known as the triumphal Roman arch to add to this. Even more, the triumphal Roman arch also showed off how affluent the emperor and his empire were worth (Midford, 2014, p. 12).

The consequence of employing the arches brought about the construction of dams, connecting bridges. This allowed for durable structures to be erected in Rome. Roman Architecture was also a consequence of employing the arches as well. Another consequence of employing the arch allowed for ordinary people such as artisans and the wretched ones in Roman society to being able to build more durable houses than they would have otherwise been able to. Employing arches also allowed for the construction of the aqueduct a dam-like structure that allowed the Roman polis to possess fresh clean water. The other consequence of employing arches allowed the construction of connecting highway bridges to transport and connect both people and places.

In a nutshell, the concrete and arches were extremely significant in the daily living of the Romans. It allowed for constructing durable structures. Such structures included dams, bridges, roads, highways, personal living houses, and so forth. They were made to be long-lasting structures. Today, we can find similar applications as either replicas or prototypes in our different societies where we find ourselves around the world without a doubt.

References

1. Wayman, E. (2011, November 16). The Secrets of Ancient Rome’s Buildings. Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-secrets-of-ancient-romes-buildings-234992/
2. Cartwright, M. (2018, March 14). Roman Architecture. Ancient. https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Architecture/
3. Collins. (n.d.). Definition of ‘arch’: arch. CollinsDictionary. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/arch
4. Muscato, C. (n.d.). The Roman Arch: Definition, Construction & History. Study. https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-roman-arch-definition-construction-history.html
5. Chappine, P. (n.d.). The Roman Colosseum: History & Facts. Study. https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-roman-colosseum-history-facts-quiz.html
6. Midford, S. (2014). Roman Imperial Triumphal Arches. Journal of the Classical Association of Victoria, 27, 11-26. https://classicsvic.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/midford.pdf