Apologetics

The following is an edited version of my final essay for a class I took at Harvard Divinity/Law school. In this class we explored various religions and the implications of them on society. In addition, one of the professors (Prof. Unger, as mentioned in the essay) had his own opinions on the matter. In this essay I compare the ideas explored in class to Christianity. I do this by identifying all non-Christian religions as man-made, as must be the case when assuming Christianity is true. In the first part of the essay I identify common characteristics of man-made moral frameworks and in the second part I give specific examples of religions studied in class and how Christianity contrasts them.

This essay is rather long, so if you want to read just a few parts, then I might suggest the Introduction, Commonality 1, Commonality 3, Examples of Commonality 2, Examples of Commonality 3, and Conclusion.

This is a poem addressing the common argument that a good, almighty God cannot exist because there is evil and suffering in the world. In my opinion, this problem has already been solved many times over, and is actually quite easy to answer—logically. The real issue is that, even if the answer is logically sufficient, it may not be satisfying. The real challenge of the problem of evil is appealing to the heart and emotions; to soften the defense mechanisms, pride, and ego that prevent one from seeing clearly. Hence, I feel that a poem is a suitable medium with which to tackle this issue.

This poem presents a series of questions that, in my opinion, if meditated on and wrestled with seriously, very well could aid one to have peace in their heart and to have trust in God while acknowledging the existence of evil in the world. Personally dealing with such questions could take months, years, and even lifetimes, but earnest struggle is always fruitful. The questions are meant to challenge assumptions we tend to take for granted about God and to encourage humility in the way we approach the problem of evil. The tone constantly shifts between challenging and comforting questions to highlight both God’s transcendence and love.

This article was written for the MIT et Spiritus Spring 2018 Issue. I wrote this after a season of debating throughout college with many atheists and agnostics concerning the existence of God. I wanted to reflect on how such discussions could be made more fruitful in the future. In this article I discuss two insights that I believe may contribute to better conversations. First, I discuss how epistemological uncertainty should yield humility in both Christians (for better empathy) and non-Christians (to be open to faith). Second, I discuss that the belief-making process for humans is not solely based on rationale but is deeply connected to each person’s life as a whole.