Abstract
This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of whether man is naturally ordered to know the Divine, assuming man is comprised of body, soul, and spirit. Using the work of numerous theologians and philosophers, the essay argues that man is capable of knowing the Divine if his body and soul are harnessed in a way that opens them up to the transcendence of spirit.

From the Paper
"For all religions, whether Christian, Jewish, Islamic or even pagan, the belief in Providence encompasses belief in a superhuman being who governs the universe and directs the course of human affairs with definite purpose and beneficent design. Providence is also understood as practical reason that adapts the ways of man to an end. In this line of thinking, God orders all events in the universe so that the end for which it was made can be..."

Tags:Aristotle, Plato, Saint Augustine, Saint Aquinas, Rene Descartes, God, Catholicism, Judaism, belief, faith, knowledge, essence, existence, universe, Creation, Bible, Saint John, Paul

Abstract
This paper describes the Catholic creation myth and how it is a sacred narrative that explains the order of the world. It explains the purpose of the creation myth and then focuses on the creation myth of the Eucharist. The paper discusses the powerful symbolism of the creation myth of the Eucharist and its meaning for Catholics and Catholicism.

From the Paper
"The creation myth of the Eucharist pervades the lives of all Catholics, and provides the basis for worship that brings Jesus to Catholicism in his earthly form as a means of re-enacting the vision and seeing the presence of Jesus Christ on earth at all times. The creation myth is the means of bringing Jesus to earth for Catholics, and is the source of the of the most positive, moral and holy aspect of the Catholic faith. The creation myth provides fundamental rituals that unify and elevate Catholics in the creation of sacred time through the re-enactment of the creation myth, and most of all allows Catholics to give thanks."

Tags:worship, supernatural, divinity, holiness

Abstract
This paper explains Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth") and numerous writings from the other books of various religions led creationists to believe that man, the earth, and the rest of the universe were originally created by a divine force. The author points out that, there is a complete absence of such proof for creationism; instead, there is irrefutable scientific evidence that the creationist beliefs are in direct conflict with the current scientific theories about how the universe started, such as the "Big Bang" hypothesis, and how life was first formed and evolved through the "building blocks" of life, as in the theory of evolution. The paper relates that scientific evidence, such as geological records, inter-tidal, and terrestrial deposits indicate that, at no recorded time in the past, has the entire planet been under water, as suggested by the story of Noah's flood, which supposedly happened just a few thousand years ago.

From the Paper
"There are several categories of people who advocate "creation science" but can be broadly grouped into the "young earth creationists" and the "old earth creationists". The former contend that the earth is no more than 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. The more rigid (or "fundamentalist") creationists go further. They believe that the heaven and the earth were created on 4004 BC. The more flexible, "old creationists" concede that the universe could have come into existence a lot earlier but argue for an "initial or first cause" arguing that "Someone" (a divine power) initiated the cataclysmic events for creating the universe and then evolution was used as the process by this divine power to guide the subsequent events. The other major belief of the "young earth creationists" is about a worldwide flood that occurred during the time of Noah, when waters rose for 150 days and went down for the next 150 days and that all existing species of life are the ones that were taken aboard the Noah's Ark."

Tags:evolution, genesis, noah, divine, cataclysmic

From the Paper
"The influences of nature and nurture have been at the heart of much controversy for many years. In recent years, it has focused on examining the effects of genetic inheritance and those of the environment in which individuals are raised and live.
In Darwin=s time, a similar argument raged, but with different views of what constitutes Anature@ and what constitutes Anurture.@ This paper will examine these issues.

Section one:
Nature usually refers to what is innate in the individual, i.e. the genetic inheritance from the parents. In Darwin=s time it had a slightly different meaning. Nature had a much broader meaning then. Nature, at that time, covered a broad spectrum of factors. It embraced all of the natural world - land, sea, air, flora..."

Tags:evolution

Abstract
This paper explains that, although native to different civilizations, Noah to the Hebrews and Utnapishtim to the Babylonians, these two stories are very similar to each other, with only specific details being different. he author points out that these similarities have brought some people to believe that one of the stories developed from a copy of the other story. The paper states that these stories tell of the power of the all-powerful God or god of the people and how the people are afraid to displease their divine power.

From the Paper
"There are many similarities between the two flood stories. In both stories, the divine are annoyed with humanity. In the book of Genesis, God notices man has become sinful and wicked in their actions and thoughts. In Gilgamesh, the divine assembly find humankind too numerous and noisy. In an effort to rid the earth of humankind, both stories tell of a flood that will destroy everything including animals.
However, in each story, a righteous man finds favor with God and has his life spared. In the book of Genesis, God finds favor with Noah and warns him of his plans to destroy the world. In Gilgamesh, Ea does not agree with Enlil and his plans to flood the earth so he warns Utnapishtim, through a dream, of Enlil's plan. After finding out about the flood, Noah and Utnapishtim both build arks using the specifications provided to them and bring in every living creature into the ark."

Tags:ark, babylonians, hebrews, message, birds

Abstract
This paper addresses Gottfried Leibnitz's comments on the need for wisdom, practical reasoning and taking total responsibility for all one does, for one has moral choice within a framework of divine creation. Comments on Leibnitz's belief that moral reasoning was practical reasoning, given a mystical sense of creation to be made through moral goodness, promoting harmony and self-direction.

From the Paper
"Gottfried Leibnitz (1646-1716) was a strongly Aristotelian thinker who also gained from the philosophy of Thomas of Aquinas, towards an idea that although God made each agent in Creation `everything that it will ever be' that each was completely responsible for its own actions. In effect, he refers to a mass creation of beings that should then learn to exercise the practical reasoning that others associate with being among the different processes of free will. Roinala's Leibnitz on Rational Decision-Making is a starting place for what can be determined of the thought of a remarkable..."

Tags:leibnitz, moral reason, responsibility

Abstract
This paper discusses how Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" is one of the greatest allegorical poems ever written in English and how the religious symbolism connected with the poem is practically the key of the entire allegory. In particular, the paper examines how the way in which Spenser represents nature in his poem is very significant precisely because the text is an allegory in which the real, natural setting is symbolic. Furthermore, the paper attempts to show that Spenser represents nature in two adverse ways which illuminate his vision of the world. The paper concludes that Spenser represents nature as a sympathetic force which is part of God's divine creation and which is moreover able to reflect the spiritual qualities of a certain being.

From the Paper
"Nature is therefore itself a part of the great allegory. In fact, Spenser's allegorical poem is a synthesis of his vision of the world, comprising the forces that drive the world and human behavior at the same time. The poem relates mainly the adventures of Redcorsse, the errant knight of Holinesse, and Una, his female companion and the symbol of truth. The Faerie Queene is no less than Queen Elizabeth of England, whom Spenser regarded as a holy person because she was the defendant of Protestantism against the corrupted Catholicism. The allegory opposes these two religions, making it clear that Protestantism is the right religious view. In the first Book of the poem, nature is depicted in its entirely luxurious wilderness. There is a great array of mythological characters and beasts which are met, in turns, by the wandering knight. The divide between the natural and the unnatural forces obviously corresponds to that between good and evil. Although natural law is condemned by Puritanism, Spenser did not reject it. "

Tags:god, Redcorsse, Una

Abstract
This paper discusses Herman Hesse's book, "Siddhartha", and explains that, in it, Hesse touches on the life and teachings of the Buddha Gotama while going beyond those teachings. Hesse tells us that the knowledge found in religious texts and stories, whether they be Hindu, Buddhist or whatever, is different than wisdom which can only be gained through direct experience. The paper also explains that the book goes beyond religion as it incorporates some of the ideas of Freud and Jung about the psychological development of the individual and the collective unconscious. Furthermore, the paper tells us that, being the creation of one man, rather than the accumulation of lore of the millennia, the book has a simplicity and coherent structure which the Buddhist legends lack.

Tags:buddha, siddhartha, hesse

Abstract
This paper is a comparative analysis of two poems "The Lamb" by William Blake and "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen. Both poems deal with the subject of life and death from differing avenues of symbolism. In Blake's poem, we see that the way through to God is the divinity of creation as seen in a lamb. In Owen's poem the symbolism in discussing the path to God is through death and glory on the battle field.

From the Paper
"This tells us in a single sentence that the subject is not necessary a lamb in the physical sense, but a young and innocent creature, the poet may be talking to a child equally as he may be talking to another young creature from a kitten to a foul, or even a lamb. The idea of a power greater than ourselves in introduced in line two, where the lamb is questioned in a rhetorical sense about their creation. Johnson looks at this and in some ways and it can be seen that this is indicative that their presence is more than simply a question of nature, and that it is as a response to a power we do not understand, otherwise the question would not be in such a rhetorical manner. (Johnson 115)"

Tags:symbolism, glory, god, battle, field, christ

Abstract
This paper explains that one of the most famous and controversial historical inquiries in natural science was propagated by Charles Darwin, who hypothesized the theory of man's evolution and the origin of species. The author points out that Darwin was not swayed by the masses' acceptance of the Bible's version of creation. The paper relates that Darwin spent years doing quantitative research through experimental breeding of animals and plants and depended on the professional judgment of specialists in the natural sciences as an ingenious way to give authority to his concepts and theories.The paper states that, although Darwin's theory has been substantiated as scientifically sound, there is still a rift for many between science and religion when it comes to the theory of evolution. The author concludes that Darwin's critical inquiry has demonstrated that, although one may face criticism and ridicule, giving up on a hypothesis or a valid theory is not an option.

Table of Contents:
What Was the Example?
Did the Example Occur Inside or Outside the Paradigm of Prevailing Belief?
What was the Plan of Inquiry Followed by the Investigator, Scholar, or Artist?
How did the Example Demonstrate Insight and Higher-Order Learning?
What Lessons from the Example can be Applied to Your Own Graduate Work

From the Paper
"Prior to Darwin's investigation into the origin of species, most did not dare examine man and nature in such a way for fear of persecution. As stated, questioning God and creationism was considered taboo, yet Darwin had the insight to look beyond such machinations of society and investigate the natural selection he observed around him during his travels. It is this insight that assisted Darwin in noticing patterns in nature, correlations between these patterns, and interactions between events that suggested that his hypotheses had validity. This is how Darwin came to design his projects involving animal and plant breeding."

Tags:revolutionary, divine creation, quantitative research, projects, social phenomena