Faith Vs. Fanaticism - 1774 Words

Formal Paper #1: Faith vs. Fanaticism The story of Genesis 22 is a famous example of a test of faith. In this story, Abraham is instructed by God to offer his son Isaac an offering. In the end of the story, an angel stops Abraham and he is rewarded with many descendants for his display of faith. Many people today have taken this story too literally. There have been several reports of parents harming their children in the name of God. These modern-day acts of attempted homicide are not acts of faith but acts of fanaticism. Genesis 22 was intended to be a story about a trial of faith. God promised Abraham that if he had faith in Him, he would be provided a son. Abraham was doubtful of God’s promise and wondered â€Å"Can a child be born to a†¦show more content†¦God is pleased with Abraham’s dedication to Him and tells Abraham â€Å"I will indeed bless you and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore † (Gen. 22:17). Abraham was able to meet his ultimate concern through God. God wanted to be sure that Abraham was worthy of ultimate fulfillment so He tested his faith and, after He was satisfied, gave Abraham ultimate fulfillment. As Paul Tillich stated in Dynamics of Faith â€Å"â€Å"In true faith, the ultimate concern is a concern about the truly ultimate†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (13). To the deeply religious nothing is more ultimate than God. In the past few years, people have taken this story too literally. A woman from Montgomery was recently imprisoned for attempting homicide on her three daughters. She believed that her children needed to be pure to because â€Å"her husband, Vaughn Christensen, had left messages on the phone telling his wife that the world was ending and that she needed to prepare the family to meet Jesus† (Wurst 2014). This story differs from Genesis because the woman not only actually harmed her children, but was never contacted by God in the first place. She acted on her based on her own thoughts and the words of her husband. God did not intervene in this crime because he was not involved in any way with this woman. Because of this woman’s fantasy that the world was ending three children were severely injured and probably emotionally damaged for life. Their own motherShow MoreRelatedGothic Horror : The Epic Battle Of Good Versus Evil2409 Words   |  10 Pagesun-earthly and nonreligious and is against the power of Christ. Dracula is also a strong connection to religion. He wasn’t always evil. In reference to religion MacArthur says â€Å"When fanaticism and religion are mixed, we have a very potent and dangerous brew that can sustain itself for centuries unlike non-religious fanaticisms like Nazism and Communism which die out when the ringleaders are defeated. 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