Non-Existence of God and Critiques of Religious Belief Essay Example

Non Non-Existence of God and Critiques of Religious Belief Essay Non-Existence of God and Critiques of Religious Belief Essay Essay Topic: Religion a) Durkheim believed that God does not exist, but is an invention of society. By worshiping God, people are really worshipping society. By worshipping society all its members are controlled, as they have the same set of beliefs and values that gives society order and power, and the ability to control everyone. With out these beliefs and values that people have there would be no society. Religion gives people a reason to keep order, and abide by the laws given to them, however these rules are given by society, not God. By believing there is a God and worshipping him, people keep order and abide by the laws that are set down for them. By using religion, the collective conscience is reinforced. Durkheim used Totemism as an example for a society. This society is divided into clans and each member is totally devoted to its clan. Each clan has a totem, a statue that they use to represent each clan. When they worship this, it represents God and society. It is like a flag or an emblem that represents our country. Therefore by worshipping the totem, Durkheim concluded that they are worshipping their God but they are really worshipping their society. However some say that Totemism is not a real religion. The idea that Durkheim portrays is only relevant to smaller, non-literate societies. Therefore they are not relevant to modern societies such as ours and cannot be generalised. Also people do not set out to become part of a society, they believe in the god and then they are brought into the society by their beliefs. Even thought this argument is interesting, it is not a proof. Durkheim has failed in attempting to prove the non-existence of God. Freud suggested later that religious beliefs are nothing more than illusions, fulfilments of the oldest strongest and most insistent wishes of mankind. In foreign societies, people use religion as a sort of protection against their fears, e.g. flood, fire, death etc and religious beliefs help them stay controlled. By worshipping gods they feel they can control the forces. They give them names, so they can talk to them and worship them. This is an attempt to control the rain and the thunder. Therefore Freud suggested that God is an invention of the human mind. Associated with Freud is the Oedipus complex, where sons banded together to attempt to kill their fathers to gain the love of their mothers. They feel guilty and they realise they cannot all succeed their father. By feeling guilt they have the urge to worship an all-powerful father figure, known as God. They also feel love and awe, as well as guilt before this all-powerful God. Freud has suggested we need to rid ourselves of this psychological crutch. And see the world as it really is. There are many rejections of Freuds description of pre-history, which he took from Darwin. Even though the Oedipus complex is interesting it does seem to be the reason for our actions. In relation to this point there is no empirical evidence that this is the case, it is just Freuds interpretation. This again is not a proof, but again interesting. b) Freud presents an interesting argument however it is greatly flawed. First and foremost, it lacks any empirical evidence. So straight away it cannot be a proof as there is no indication that it is a factual theory. However many do agree with Freud when he has made some claims. The Oedipus complex does seem a little too simplistic and many believe that this is not a substantial verification that this is why men behave the way they do. There is no factual evidence that this is the basis for our behaviour. It is just one interpretation of the information. John Hick Has suggested that inadvertently Freud has compiled an argument as evidence for Gods existence with his idea of this all-powerful father figure. It is a possibility that God has wanted to create this idea in the human mind. He wanted us to think of him as an all-powerful father figure. Hick argues that it is not surprising that humans should think of God as being a powerful, loving father figure who has a wonderful relationship with his children. However many have agreed with Freud when he has suggested Religion has the quality of fantasy thinking. So it is our minds that have created this wonderful being. In conclusion The Freudian theory may be true however it has not yet been shown to be so.

Sample Short Answer Essay for a College Application

Sample Short Answer Essay for a College Application The Common Application no longer requires a short answer essay from all applicants, but many colleges continue to include the short answer as part of a supplement. The short answer essay prompt typically states something like this: Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. Colleges like this type of question because it gives their applicants the opportunity to identify an activity that is meaningful to them and to explain why it is meaningful. This information can be useful to colleges with holistic admissions as they try to identify students who will bring interesting skills and passions to the campus community. Sample Short Answer Essay Christie wrote the following sample short answer essay to elaborate upon her love of running: It is the simplest of movements: right foot, left foot, right foot. It is the simplest of actions: run, relax, breathe. For me, running is both the most basic and the most complex activity I perform in any day. While my body adjusts to the challenges of gravel paths and steep inclines, my mind is free to drift, to sift through whatever needs sorting or disposing- the upcoming days tasks, an argument with a friend, some nagging stress. As my calf muscles loosen and my breathing settles into its deep rhythm, I am able to release that stress, forget that argument, and set my mind in order. And at the midway point, two miles into the course, I stop at the hilltop vista overlooking my little town and the surrounding woodlands. For just a moment, I stop to listen to my own strong heartbeat. Then I run again. Critique of the Short Answer Essay The author has focused on a personal activity, running, not any history-making achievement, team triumph, world-changing social work, or even a formal extracurricular activity. As such, the short answer essay does not highlight any kind of remarkable accomplishment or personal talent. But think about what this short answer essay does reveal- the author is someone who can find pleasure in the simplest of activities. She is someone who has found an effective way for dealing with stress and finding peace and equilibrium in her life. She reveals that she is in tune with her self and her small town environment. This one little paragraph gives us the impression that the author is a thoughtful, sensitive, and healthy person. In a short space, the essay reveals the maturity of the writer- she is reflective, articulate, and balanced. These are all dimensions of her character that will not come across in her lists of grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities. They are also personal qualities that will be attractive to a college. The writing is also solid. The prose is tight, clear, and stylistic without being over-written. The length is a perfect  823 characters and 148 words. This is a typical length limit for a short-answer essay. That said, if your college is asking for just 100 words or something longer, be sure to follow their instructions carefully. Role of Essays and Your College Application Keep in mind the role of any essays, even short ones, that you submit with your college application. You want to present a dimension of yourself that isnt readily apparent elsewhere in your application materials. Reveal some hidden interest, passion, or struggle that will give the admissions folks a more detailed portrait of yourself. The college has asked for a short essay because it has holistic admissions; in other words, the school tries to evaluate the whole applicant through both quantitative (grades, test scores, rank) and qualitative (essays, interview, extracurricular activities). A short answer essay gives the college a useful window into the applicants interests. Christie succeeds on this front. For both the writing and the content, she has written a winning short answer essay. You may want to explore another example of a  good short answer on working at Burger King  as well as learn lessons from a  weak short answer on soccer  and a  weak short answer on entrepreneurship. In general, if you follow the advice on writing a winning short answer and avoid common short answer mistakes, your essay will strengthen your application and help make you an attractive candidate for admission.