Holy Spirit’s Role in Holiness, Discipleship, and Advent
How Does the Holy Spirit Guide Us to Holiness?
God the Holy Spirit guides us to holiness by working within us to transform our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live according to God’s will, convicting us of sin and leading us toward repentance and renewal. Through the Holy Spirit, we receive spiritual gifts and the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which enable us to exhibit Christ-like virtues
Read MoreImmanuel Kant: Life, Context, and Philosophy
Immanuel Kant, a pivotal author, was born in Prussia. His life and intellectual context are deeply rooted in the 18th-century Enlightenment. Prussia, at the time, was a collection of small states that would eventually become a powerful German nation under Frederick II, a representative of “enlightened despotism.” His successor, Frederick William, hindered the spread of Enlightenment ideas through religious and educational censorship. Kant himself faced restrictions, particularly in teaching and
Read MoreUnveiling Historical Mysteries: Cargo Cults to Witchcraft
The Phantom Cargo
Native theories about the evolving position in response to continuously changing conditions. It was not that they did not understand the principles of the system, as the Europeans believed, but that were unacceptable to them because they could see that great men did not work while they adapt to the system meant to work for a pittance. The natives believed they were entitled to the wealth they saw but did not enjoy since the produced work for the white man, and that was the secret
Read MoreMajor Schools of Philosophy: From Socrates to Epicureanism
Philosophy
Philosophy (from the Greek philo, meaning “love” or “attraction,” and sophia, meaning “wisdom”) is a totalizing science that moves all the curiosity of the human being to find the reason for their existence. It is based on reason and is fundamental. It intends to make a better world.
Thales of Miletus was the first philosopher. His philosophical thesis was that everything comes from water because everything needs water. Anaximenes believed that everything comes from air. Empedocles, a pluralistic
Read MoreCampbell’s Hero’s Journey: 5 Key Stages
Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: Five Stages
In Joseph Campbell’s book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the author uses stories from different cultures, religions, and myths to explore the hero’s journey. He identified a common pattern of 15 stages in stories of heroes across cultures and religions. In the classic Greek sense, a hero means a person of distinguished courage and noble character who serves as a role model for behavior. Heroes exemplify the values of a culture. Myth is from the Greek word
Read MoreSaint Augustine’s Philosophy: Achieving True Happiness
Saint Augustine of Hippo: Life and Faith
Saint Augustine (354 AD) was born in Tagaste to a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lived during the decline of the Roman Empire, a period marked by significant cultural and religious transformation. Christianity, initially a persecuted religion, was gaining acceptance. In 313 AD, it was officially recognized, and by 380 AD, it became the state religion.
This shift led to a blending of two distinct traditions: Greek culture, the initial foundation of
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