Here begins a sequence of posts made up of response papers. There are so many I wanted to share that I'll be posting two at a time. The order means nothing; these are chosen essentially at random from the papers I picked.
Mystery and Formation of Religion
by SUOMYNONA
Humans are undoubtedly thinking beings seeking knowledge, understanding and meaning about everything. Humans create or think of a problem, and then search, discover and prove the answer. However, a mystery does not have a single correct answer that can be discovered, tested or proved beyond a doubt. A mystery does not necessarily have an answer. Others who search for the answer to the same mystery will come through with a different answer. Therefore, many answers develop for the same mystery, whereas the same problem will still only have the same answer.
One mystery that will forever plague humans is the mystery of death. Death comes to all yet none know what death truly. The mystery of one death (and resurrection-maybe that’s the real cause for mystery) of the one called Jesus of Nazareth has, in particular has resulted in many answers. Eventually whole groups of people began thinking and believing in the same answer and thus religions formed from it. Religion, the same set of belief structure, rituals and ideas (or answers) to mystery forms.
How strange. One event, one “trauma” (Smyth. The Trauma of the Cross). Countless interpretations. And more are forming even though the event occurred over two millennia ago. How can humans discern which answer is most correct? Especially when their holy texts, writings, oral traditions etc. come from another person’s interpretation/perspective? It’s not possible. Hence the mystery, but why form religion? I suppose because we are social beings as much as, if not more, we are thinking beings, it is only nature to desire and form the social connections of a common belief system.
Response 1
Anonymous
In class we discussed the differences between problems and mysteries particularly according to Christianity and its authoritative written source – the Bible. Problems arise rather frequently in our present world in such that an answer pops up whenever the questioner seeks the solution whereas a mystery relies on the questioner’s diligence in seeking the possible answer by means not normally associated with problem-solving. There is a particular procedure which most people follow in order to find a conclusion to something puzzling such as how to get from A to B or approximately when were the Christians persecuted or how much weight can that bridge withstand. Unfortunately life’s mysteries seem to occupy more space than life’s problems in that the former remain so because we humans cannot explain such topics that deal with the internal, the otherworldly, the unseen et cetera. We still have not contrived a way of delving into the minds of individuals, of resurrecting the dead so as to discover what lies beyond life on earth. Even in our own unique lives, we have not uncovered why each of us has this chance to live on earth; in my own life, I ruminate upon this subject nearly everyday.
The biggest mystery in my life revolves around my purpose here on earth. I constantly think about why I am here, what God intends for me and what talents God has given to me. Searching within ourselves requires much work that could possibly take days, weeks, months or even years! I have changed my major four times in the past year because I felt as if every time I began to settle down with a certain study, i.e. Mathematics, I still could not see much in front of me on my path (my life). Since this made me feel rather unsatisfied, I challenged myself by working in different areas, in various places and asking for advice from those that I admire. Opportunities appeared here and there but none gave me the feeling that this led the way to my purpose (yet everything did affect me positively in that they have all aided me on my quest for my purpose). I realized that it was necessary to look into my faith in Christ and how the holy scriptures help us Christians in times of need.
Through Christianity’s teachings and usage of the Bible, I have learned that unlocking the keys to my own existence and purpose will remain a mystery yet will not remain engulfed in darkness forever. My motivation itself helps me discover the benefits of my talents to others, along with my blessings and experiences as a young adult. God intends for us all to search for our purpose here on earth as a whole and individually. We all have to step back from our lives and look deep within ourselves selflessly – a perspective that many of us are unfamiliar with. This manner of approaching the meaning of our lives can also be compared to the definition of theology as learned in class which is that of exploring reality from the perspective of a religious background, specifically having God as the foundation of that reality. Theology utilizes such sources as the Bible, contextual history surrounding the Bible, oral tradition, and personal reflection; all of these sources can also be used on our journey towards our purpose as described above.
This similarity reveals the uniqueness of trying to learn about mysteries in that they all constitute of comparable ways: various written works, advice, self-reflection, experiences and so forth. The person attempting to unveil a mystery must have plenty of patience, dedication, and time so as to research and contemplate over many sources and potential evidence. When one works hard to learn of the mystery at hand, the possible answers become more apparent and the overall pictures becomes less fuzzy. When we are in the right direction the lamp that we follow becomes brighter in that what lies ahead does not appear to be completely illogical or surprising.
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