Comparing Christianity and Stoicism Essay - 3244 Words

Introduction Over the course of human history every society, even the most culturally isolated of civilizations, has developed some form of faith-system for interpreting and understanding the spiritual and material worlds. Thousands of such systems have existed over the centuries, and as tribes and cultures expanded, these faith-systems inevitably met each other face-to-face and clashed. Two thousand years ago there was a particularly important collision; one between the Roman stoic and the gentile Christian. At this time in Western civilization, Christianity was just planting its seeds and beginning to grow, whereas stoicism was already legitimate in its foundation and strong in its following (Stavrianos 100). One might wonder†¦show more content†¦In doing so, some fundamental conclusions can be drawn pertaining to the eventual succession of Christianity over stoic thought. Christianity and Stoicism: Logic, Physics, and Ethics In terms of logic, Christianity can be understood in three parts. Initially, there is the undeniable doctrine of â€Å"the Trinity,† which teaches that God, as revealed in the Old and New Testaments, actually exists in three persons. In essence, God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all at once. However, Jesus is not the Father, nor is he the Holy Spirit; He is separate, and yet they are all God. Mathematically this makes no sense. If one considers that God=A, God=B, and God=C, it logically follows that A=B=C. An intellectually honest person questions if the Trinity is truly logic at all. As a matter of fact, this particular dogma has no true Biblical origin. The concept of the Trinity does not even arise until the formation of the Nicene Creed (Metzger 90). This is interesting to note though, for it was primarily used to falsify the so-called â€Å"heretical† systems that rivaled it (Metzger 782). A second main tenant of Christian logic is the idea that the Bible is inerrant. In other words, all scripture is â€Å"God-breathed,† and as such, what is written was done so in accordance with His will, and thus, must be true (2Tim 3:16). This argument is often usedShow MoreRelatedThe Influence Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles1785 Words   |  8 PagesHellenism, and the New Philosophies of Nature. (Renaissance Philosophy). Aristotle was one of the mentioned Grecian philosophers, perhaps the most renowned. With more access to his works, Renaissance minds began to study his school of thought, comparing it to the dominating Christian theology and ultimately dissenting from that theology in favor of Aristotle. The major ideas that were born and spread because of renewed Aristotelianism were: the soul dies with the body, human will may not be freeRead MoreCultural Diversity and Awareness in the American Healthcare System1397 Words   |  6 Pageslanguage. 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