Critical Reflection
In “The sense of wonder” the article describes more of the beauty that is found in the environment that surrounds us. Baby Roger is said to have experienced the laughter after meeting the Oceanus commotion in the first visit to the ocean.
In the second exploration to the ocean Roger had glimpsed some sand-colored which lead to the search of the ghost in the evening even though it was exiting there is lose of excitement which develops all through up to adulthood where the beautifulness of nature is eventually lost. “A child’s world is flesh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement… beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood” (Gottlieb 23).
There are things which lose meaning especially in reference to the environment that surrounds us as people grow up and come to learn new things. In my position, I agree that at early ages the environment seems to be beautiful and a place where we would all love to be but as one grows up the attitude towards environment is changed
In the “experience of grace” Dennis Edward refers to the grace as that which is surprisingly attained as a gift even though it is not something new. This graces his therefore given a point of reference in religion on the supernatural experience from God. All life is lived though the experiences of grace. Different experiences have been related with the grace which includes: childbirth, creativity, and forgiveness.
Grace also brings about peace such that there is always a hope of facing the future in which its full control is not laid in human. Grace is not only meant to be present in positive life aspects but also in negative life aspect, for instance of failures like that of Jesus, “however the major pattern in the life of Jesus is failure. His mission fails, his friends fail him, he dies an outcast and a failure” (Edwards 36).
The main agenda which is presented in the essay is to show that it is impossible to live without grace as grace is everywhere. It is true that there is always grace in every situation where the grace is supposed to enable someone overcome the negative experiences. At the same time I completely disagree on the idea that Jesus failed by the fact that through His death according to Christian teaching all should receive salvation.
Moreover, in “Our God-stories: sharing images” there are different images of whom God is presented as depending on the daily experiences. “But the image of God that makes the most sense to me is the electronic circuit” by Mud Flower Collective. Rituals such as prayers which are conducted by Christians are good but when done without a full understanding of what they bring about they create little or no meaning at all.
This essay was meant to show that there is no visual image that can be said to present God whereas He is supposed to be visualized in the realities on the things which we can see. It is completely impossible to have an image that truly is a representation of God. I acknowledge the idea of God being like an electronic circuit by the fact that God created everything and thus through Him we can get the access of all where as without Him, it is impossible to attain anything.
“Speaking about God” is one of the articles that have drawn more attention in the relationship between the feminine nature and God… In the pluralistic way, God has been described as the one who owns many names which represent Him which include “Yahweh, Elohim, and Allah” (Kwok 67).
Sexism has a big role in religion by the fact that in the bible God is represented as a Father – He- thus more of male dominancy even though all names and terms that are used in the representation of God has complete nothing to do with the male nature. God has however been presented in female images especially in the divine nature in the attempts of the move from the idea of God being a man into the representation of Him being also a woman.
The initiative of the essay was to show that kind of God that people speak about is not the same God who is supposed to be. God has the representation of women image and therefore women look like God. In my understating in reference to Christian teachings, no one who has ever seen God and therefore it is not in order to represent God in any image be it be a woman or a man.
God is everywhere as it is illustrated in “God is inside you and inside everybody else”. In this sense, God is referred as “it” without any form of gender reference. God is inside everybody where there necessities one to search inside also by the notion that “God is everything. Everything that is or ever was ever will be” by Alice Walker. God has however power over all be it earthquakes or lightening. The pronoun “it” is solely for the purpose avoiding any undermining aspects of any gender where God is represented as a Father.
The thought that might have led into thus argument, is to show that God has all powers and therefore no one can limit His powers. God is therefore everywhere and inside everybody and so there is a section of God in all human beings. In my reasoning however, if God is inside human being, then He must be something that is living, therefore, it is not right to refer to Him as “it” which is a representation of something that does not have life.
Everything that is said to exist must have a body structure where in “The body of God: An ecological theology,” one of the theologians made a response on “The model of the body.” According to him God should never be said to take the aspect of Him being a man and having the characters that resemble man as this is like undermining the feminine class and since Christianity claims to bring life to all, it should therefore treat women and nature in a special way.
There is due respect that is supposed to be offered to all including women “we ought to honor the body, our own bodies, and the bodies of all other life-forms on the planet,” by Sallie Mcfague. Ecologically God is presented as the body which takes the universe model.
The reason as to why God is related with the nature is to reject the idea of God being a man where women are undermined. Women have a great relationship with environment also just as God has therefore they have characteristics of God. In my opinion, much respect is supposed to be given to both woman and man instead of generalizing into all life-forms as human beings have power and authority to control other things in the environment.
The big question lies on whether God is male or a female. In the “feminist perspective of God” the issue of God being presented as a Father thus being more of male dominance is highly criticized by the feminine theologians. The issue of God been presented in trinity is a big issue.
In the Nicene Creed and Apostles Creed there is a common believe of the holy trinity in Christian faith of God who is the father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit where many feminine theologians argue that the Holy Spirit is the representation of female image in God since the three are one.
The purpose of this essay was to show that women also have a part in the representation of God therefore they should never be undermined. Therefore, women should be viewed as equal as men and holding the same position in Godly matters. It is however not right enough to undermine women in matters of God but I do not hold any opposition when God is referred as a Father since in my reasoning He does not represent the earthly father.
However, there is a reality of whom God is as illustrated in the “God the heart of reality,” (Borg Ch. 4). The same studies indicate that without the relaity of God as well as his character christianity fails to make sense.
God is himself a spirit in the supernatural and therefore He cannot be described as a human being by the fact that “we are in God; we live in God, have our being in God….all around us.” God cannot also be said to be presented by gender that is, either a man or a woman. It is however not right to represent God as “it” by the fact that He is present in the many of His qualities and has less qualities of non personal aspects.
All this is meant to show that, even though God is not supposed to be represented as a man or a woman, at the same time it is not reasonable enough to refer God as a thing “it,” because he has qualities of a living being and He has what human beings have like hands. In regarding to this essay, my opinion is just the same such that when God was creating human being, He did so in that man represented His own image as it is written in the bible. Therefore, it is right to refer to God as a He or a father.
All these articles happen to relate especially on the major theme which is illustrated in them even though some have contrasting aspects. The major theme is based on the understanding “who is God.” In this theme there is a wide critic on the representation of God as a Father meaning taking more of male dominancy while undermining women on the feminine perspectives. The articles with such critic include: “feminist perspective of God,” “The body of God: An ecological theology,” and “Speaking about God.”
In the attempts of trying to understand on who God is, He has also been represented to be everywhere and a super natural being at least in almost all articles who never fails except in the article “experience of grace” which indicates the failure of Jesus who is the son of God and God Himself in reference to the Holy Trinity which is presented in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds.
Some contrast is illustrated in the articles on the representation of God as a person or a thing “it” in “God the heart of reality” and “God is inside you and inside everybody else.” God is supposed to be presented as a person where as the other indicates that God is “it” respectively. All these arguments are however symbolically presented in the article “The sense of wonder” where as the last article describe on who God is.
Works Cited
Edwards, Denis. Human experience of God. New York: Paulist Press, 1984. Print.
Gottlieb, Roger S. This sacred earth: religion, nature, environment. Nwe York: Routledge, 1996. Print.
Kwok, Pui-lan. Introducing Asian feminist theology. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000. Print.
Borg, Marcus. The heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith Volume 1. New York: HarperSanFrancisco. 2004. Print.