One of the things that I found to be interesting in this weeks textbook reading was the section on page 155 that was about Chinese Characters. Seeing the Chinese words broken down into individual components that pointed back toward the Bible with things such as the forbidden tree, the flood, righteousness, and sacrifice was definitely awesome to read. I have been recently studying apologetics and I have been reading about how we can't prove that God exists, but we can show evidence that supports whether or not God exists. So it was neat to see that there is evidence for God and the flood and the Garden of Eden in languages.
The greatest theme I gleaned from reading about the ancient Asian cultures this week was witnessing man’s innate desire for truth and some god. Each ancient oriental culture came up with some religion to satisfy their inborn desire for hope. All of this proves that man has inherent sense of right and wrong. Paul talks about this whey he says in Romans 1: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made...For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God...but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” He goes on to say in chapter 2 that: “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law... even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness.” What God is saying is that we inherently have a sense of right and wrong, because God has ingrained consciences in us and has revealed himself through Creation. So without the truth of Christ, man will do whatever he can to fill that inherent void. The Ancient Asian cultures are a powerful testament to man’s futile search for truth without the real truth of Christ.
I find it interesting that nearly all of the ancient cultures deified their rulers to some extent. We saw this with the Egyptians, and we also see it with the far Eastern cultures. For example, the Japanese claiming that their first emperor was a direct descendant of the sun, the elaborate Tomb and Terra-Cotta Army of China's first emperor, and the fact that the Mongols called Temujin the "universal ruler".
What I found interesting this week was learning about Confucianism and Taoism. Both beliefs are striving for a perfect society, but in different ways. Confucianism attempts to make peace by being proactive in solving the problems of society, while Taoism believes that living a simple lifestyle and becoming passive would lead to a perfect society. Some Chinese people were silent and some were outspoken, but both were attempting to make a better Chinese Society.
I found it interesting that, as opposed to the Confucianism and Taoism of China and the shamanism of the ancient Mongols, the Shintoism of ancient Japan bears some resemblance to the religions of other western cultures we have studied. Their pantheistic beliefs have much in common with the mythologies of Greece, Egypt, Sumer, and even that of Hinduism in India. Each religion has a multitude of gods mostly acting like normal people, but with supernatural abilities. Each pantheon also has a collection of stories written about the gods which tends to explain natural phenomena. I found it interesting that an island nation so far removed from middle eastern culture could have a religion so close to theirs.
. The Chinese families were large and close, they were the center of Chinese society. The fathers were the highest patriarch on earth, but the honor went to generations before. They worshiped their ancestors because they were honorable. The worst offenses you could bring to your family were dishonor. The Chinese concept marriage is based on continuing the family line and not based on love. I find it interesting that the Chinese language is even more complex than then English. Having strong family ties is an excellent thing to have. But as Christian you shouldn’t worship your own ancestors, but you should worship God.
I found it interesting that the same word could mean many different things depending on the pitch of a person's voice. It makes me think back to when i was little (and maybe some of you made this assumption too) and thought that all languages were the same, the only difference was the words. Hola means hello, this means that, end of story. But really, there is the pitch, grammar, and a multitude of things which differentiate languages from each other. I certainly would have a hard time speaking Chinese! It makes me wonder how they use inflection, sarcasm, and similar things. Or if they do at all! If anyone knows, feel free to share!
On a completely unrelated note, I thought it was ironic that Timur the "Lame" was a conqueror.
One of the things that I thought to be interesting in this weeks reading was the section about the samurai. On top of having supreme skills in fencing, archery, and horsemanship, the samurai also took education very seriously. They studied history, literature and the art of writing.
What I found interesting from the reading was all of the different religions that influenced ancient Africa. Frumentius brought Christianity to Aksum. Islam came to Africa from Eastern Europe. Christianity was the main religion in Aksum until they fell under attack by Muslim invaders. This attack seriously hurt Aksum, because they could no longer make contact with Europe. North Africa was now under Islamic control. Unlike Aksum, the Islamic tribes may or may not have been truly Islamic. Muslims that visited these tribes were disappointed, because they used it as a structure but did not actually believe in the teachings. These tribes structured their education, currency, and government around Islamic principles.
I thought that I would share some themes that would seem interesting to comment on. The first theme I noticed was how even when empires were changing and fighting over time the cities that formed then are still around now. An example would be how Moscow originated and is still here today. Even though borders between rival empires and tribes kept shifting and changing and they destroyed so many civilizations and cities yet Moscow remains. Another example is how the Mongols wrecked the city of Delhi, so I am surprised on how many things from those times are still here today. Another good example is how the Great Wall of China is still intact, even though it has been in the middle of many battles. The second theme I noticed is how so many different cultures and places have similar ways. A good example would be China and Japan. Japan based mostly everything on what the Chinese did such as their religions and cultural ideas. India has a caste system and Hinduism, China has Confucianism and ancestor worship, and Japan has Shintoism and generations of passing down traditions. They each have a way of structuring their societies.
If you have an item that you think we should post on this blog, write it up and click here to send it to us. New entries are reviewed at least once a week.
12 comments:
Hi everyone,
One of the things that I found to be interesting in this weeks textbook reading was the section on page 155 that was about Chinese Characters. Seeing the Chinese words broken down into individual components that pointed back toward the Bible with things such as the forbidden tree, the flood, righteousness, and sacrifice was definitely awesome to read. I have been recently studying apologetics and I have been reading about how we can't prove that God exists, but we can show evidence that supports whether or not God exists. So it was neat to see that there is evidence for God and the flood and the Garden of Eden in languages.
Hello all!
The greatest theme I gleaned from reading about the ancient Asian cultures this week was witnessing man’s innate desire for truth and some god. Each ancient oriental culture came up with some religion to satisfy their inborn desire for hope. All of this proves that man has inherent sense of right and wrong. Paul talks about this whey he says in Romans 1: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made...For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God...but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” He goes on to say in chapter 2 that: “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law... even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness.” What God is saying is that we inherently have a sense of right and wrong, because God has ingrained consciences in us and has revealed himself through Creation. So without the truth of Christ, man will do whatever he can to fill that inherent void. The Ancient Asian cultures are a powerful testament to man’s futile search for truth without the real truth of Christ.
Cheers!
~Christopher
I find it interesting that nearly all of the ancient cultures deified their rulers to some extent. We saw this with the Egyptians, and we also see it with the far Eastern cultures. For example, the Japanese claiming that their first emperor was a direct descendant of the sun, the elaborate Tomb and Terra-Cotta Army of China's first emperor, and the fact that the Mongols called Temujin the "universal ruler".
What I found interesting this week was learning about Confucianism and Taoism. Both beliefs are striving for a perfect society, but in different ways. Confucianism attempts to make peace by being proactive in solving the problems of society, while Taoism believes that living a simple lifestyle and becoming passive would lead to a perfect society. Some Chinese people were silent and some were outspoken, but both were attempting to make a better Chinese Society.
I found it interesting that, as opposed to the Confucianism and Taoism of China and the shamanism of the ancient Mongols, the Shintoism of ancient Japan bears some resemblance to the religions of other western cultures we have studied. Their pantheistic beliefs have much in common with the mythologies of Greece, Egypt, Sumer, and even that of Hinduism in India. Each religion has a multitude of gods mostly acting like normal people, but with supernatural abilities. Each pantheon also has a collection of stories written about the gods which tends to explain natural phenomena. I found it interesting that an island nation so far removed from middle eastern culture could have a religion so close to theirs.
. The Chinese families were large and close, they were the center of Chinese society. The fathers were the highest patriarch on earth, but the honor went to generations before. They worshiped their ancestors because they were honorable. The worst offenses you could bring to your family were dishonor. The Chinese concept marriage is based on continuing the family line and not based on love. I find it interesting that the Chinese language is even more complex than then English. Having strong family ties is an excellent thing to have. But as Christian you shouldn’t worship your own ancestors, but you should worship God.
I found it interesting that the same word could mean many different things depending on the pitch of a person's voice. It makes me think back to when i was little (and maybe some of you made this assumption too) and thought that all languages were the same, the only difference was the words. Hola means hello, this means that, end of story. But really, there is the pitch, grammar, and a multitude of things which differentiate languages from each other. I certainly would have a hard time speaking Chinese! It makes me wonder how they use inflection, sarcasm, and similar things. Or if they do at all! If anyone knows, feel free to share!
On a completely unrelated note, I thought it was ironic that Timur the "Lame" was a conqueror.
And somehow I forgot to explain... I'm talking about the Chinese language in my other post.
Hi everyone,
One of the things that I thought to be interesting in this weeks reading was the section about the samurai. On top of having supreme skills in fencing, archery, and horsemanship, the samurai also took education very seriously. They studied history, literature and the art of writing.
Hi Everyone,
What I found interesting from the reading was all of the different religions that influenced ancient Africa. Frumentius brought Christianity to Aksum. Islam came to Africa from Eastern Europe. Christianity was the main religion in Aksum until they fell under attack by Muslim invaders. This attack seriously hurt Aksum, because they could no longer make contact with Europe. North Africa was now under Islamic control. Unlike Aksum, the Islamic tribes may or may not have been truly Islamic. Muslims that visited these tribes were disappointed, because they used it as a structure but did not actually believe in the teachings. These tribes structured their education, currency, and government around Islamic principles.
Aaron Mihic
Week 15 Reading Journal
I thought that I would share some themes that would seem interesting to comment on. The first theme I noticed was how even when empires were changing and fighting over time the cities that formed then are still around now. An example would be how Moscow originated and is still here today. Even though borders between rival empires and tribes kept shifting and changing and they destroyed so many civilizations and cities yet Moscow remains. Another example is how the Mongols wrecked the city of Delhi, so I am surprised on how many things from those times are still here today. Another good example is how the Great Wall of China is still intact, even though it has been in the middle of many battles.
The second theme I noticed is how so many different cultures and places have similar ways. A good example would be China and Japan. Japan based mostly everything on what the Chinese did such as their religions and cultural ideas. India has a caste system and Hinduism, China has Confucianism and ancestor worship, and Japan has Shintoism and generations of passing down traditions. They each have a way of structuring their societies.
Post a Comment