Thomas Merton

Directions: Your answer to these questions should be at least one paragraph long (6-7 sentences). When you reply to another student, you can reply to any student's answer to any one of these questions. You do not need to reply to another student's answer to all of these questions. Just reply to another student's answer to one question. Your reply to another student should be one paragraph (6-7 sentences) as well, and make sure your reply to another student includes some type of question about that student's post.

Post using the Anonymous Profile and be sure to type your Full Name in all posts. You will not receive credit for any posts without your Full Name.

Also, remember that if your posts are very long, you may need to break up your post into two or most posts. 

Last, remember to type your work first in a Word document before posting it and then copy and paste it to post it. If you have any trouble posting your answer to my questions or replying to another student, then print off your work and bring it as a hard copy to class the day it is due.

1. In class, we have spent a good amount of time just trying to understand Thomas Merton's biography.  What strikes you as particularly interesting about Merton's biography?  Also, why do you think that so many people found and continue to find Thomas Merton to be such an interesting and important religious figure?

2. Start of by explaining Clarke's distinction between a dependent being and a necessary being that we covered in class when we talked about some of the arguments for God's existence.  Next, look at pages 185-189 from The Seven Storey Mountain.  Here Merton talks about some of the thoughts/ideas he came across that led him to convert from his wild ways in the past to Christianity.  One of these ideas involves a particular idea about God that he learned from a book written by a French philosopher, namely, Etienne Gilson's The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy.  What concept did Merton learn about God from Gilson?  Moreover, do you see any similarities between this concept from Gilson that Merton talks about and Clarke's idea of a necessary being?  If so, explain.  Last, Merton talks about how this concept regarding God made a "profound impression" on him and how it "revolutionized" his life.  Why do you think that this concept made such as "profound impression" on him and "revolutionized" his life? 

3. Look at pages 346-364 of The Seven Storey Mountain.  Here Merton talks about what it was like to visit The Abbey of Gethsemani for the first time in his life.  The first time his visited The Abbey of Gethsemani was for a retreat around Easter time during 1941.  Before he visited Gethsemani for the first time, Merton researched a bit about different types of Christian hermits.  Starting on page 346 Merton talks a bit about what fascinated him about the life of Carthusian hermits and some of their hermitages at Camaldolese.  Explain in your own words what Merton found so fascinating and refreshing about the Carthusian hermits and some of their hermitages at Camaldolese.  After this, Merton goes on to talk about his first trip to Gethsemani, and he goes into great detail about this.  What stands out to you as interesting, significant, and important in Merton's account of his first visit to Gethsemani.  At one point, Merton says this about Gethsemani, "This is the center of all the vitality that is in America.  This is the cause and reason why the nation is holding together.  These men, hidden in the anonymity of their choir and their white cowls, are doing for their land what no army, no congress, no president could ever do as such: they are winning for it the grace and the protection and the friendship of God" (356).  What do you think that Merton is saying here?

4. Look at pages 140-142 of Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.  Here Merton describes his famous "4th and Walnut" epiphany that happened in downtown Louisville.  We will be visiting this spot on our trip to Louisville, because it was extremely significant in Merton life.  It is so significant that the state of Kentucky has put a landmark there to Merton that we will see.  Describe in your own words what happened to Merton at 4th and Walnut.  Also, do you think the insight Merton had was a good one?

5. I have given you Merton's preface to his book Faith and Violence.  He starts off telling a provocative story.  Summarize the story he tells in your own words.  Last, he uses this story as a way to make some provocative and fiery comments about "faith."  Explain what you take Merton to be saying about "faith" with this story.  Last, do you agree with Merton?  Why or why not?

6. I have given you a short essay from Merton called "Target Equals City."  Here Merton talks about some of his views on the wars of his time.  One thing he talks about throughout this piece is the dropping of the atom bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II.  From what Merton says in this piece, do you think that he believed dropping the atom bomb was ethical?  Why or why not (be sure to include a quote or two to support your view)?  Last, do you agree with Merton?  Why or why not?

Theistic Arguments

Directions: Your answer to these questions should be at least one paragraph long (6-7 sentences). When you reply to another student, you can reply to any student's answer to any one of these questions. You do not need to reply to another student's answer to all of these questions. Just reply to another student's answer to one question. Your reply to another student should be one paragraph (6-7 sentences) as well, and make sure your reply to another student includes some type of question about that student's post.

Post using the Anonymous Profile and be sure to type your Full Name in all posts. You will not receive credit for any posts without your Full Name.

Also, remember that if your posts are very long, you may need to break up your post into two or most posts. 

Last, remember to type your work first in a Word document before posting it and then copy and paste it to post it. If you have any trouble posting your answer to my questions or replying to another student, then print off your work and bring it as a hard copy to class the day it is due.

1. In class, we saw that Reformed Epistemologists leveled three criticisms against Clifford's view that we need hard evidence for all of our beliefs to be rational.  Explain two of the criticisms that we covered in class that Reformed Epistemologists leveled against Clifford (you can pick the two you discuss).  Also, look at page 62 of our book Reason and Religion Belief.  On page 62, there is a criticism against Clifford involving the "lack of time" that many people have.  I didn't talk about this objection a lot in class, but this objection on page 62 is another one that Reformed Epistemologists make of Clifford.  Explain this objection that our book raises on page 62.  End by stating who you think has presented the stronger case here.  Do you think that Clifford is right that we must have hard evidence for all of our beliefs to be rational, or do you think the Reformed Epistemologist is right that we do not need to have hard evidence for all of our beliefs to be rational?  Be sure to express clearly your reasons for favoring one side of this debate over the other.

2. Start off by defining the sensus divinitatis.  After defining the sensus divinitatis, explain why the Reformed Epistemologist thinks that the sensus divinitatis can make it rational for a person to believe in God even if that person has no hard evidence for their belief.  End by stating whether you think that the Reformed Epistemologist's view is plausible.  Do you think they are right that the sensus divinitatis can make it rational for a person to believe in God even if that person has no hard evidence for their belief, or do you think that this claim is implausible?  Be sure to state clearly the reason for your position.

3. Start off by defining a cosmological argument.  We looked at a number of cosmological arguments for God's existence: Aquinas' Cosmological Argument, Clarke's Cosmological Argument, and the Kalam Cosmological Argument.  Do you find any of them plausible in terms of showing it is plausible that God exists?  If so, state which one or more of these arguments you find plausible.  Moreover, if you find one or more of them plausible, then pick one of the arguments you find plausible and explain it in your own words and why you find that particular argument plausible (Note: you don't have to explain all of the different versions of the cosmological argument you may find plausible; instead, you just have to pick one of them you may find plausible and explain that one and why you find it plausible).  If you don't find any of these cosmological arguments plausible, then explain your objections to them.

4. After thinking about God's existence, the next topic we are going to move into involves the implications that God's existence and religion may have for how someone thinks about issues of ethics and morality (i.e. issues of right and wrong).  Right now, what are your thoughts on this issue?  Do you think that believing in God and a particular religion like Christianity could influence a lot how someone thinks about ethics and morality?  If so, explain how you think that believing in God and a particular religion like Christianity could influence a lot how someone thinks about ethics and morality?  If you do not think that believing in God or a particular religion like Christianity has any implications for how someone thinks about ethics and morality, then explain why you adopt that position.