Beginning is a Funny Word...: August 2010

i thought i'd post this just for kicks. i had an assignment in political philosophy (one of the best classes i have ever taken) to write a paper using 5 words to describe humanity, using bible verses to back up my claims. this, by far, is one of the most exciting assignments i've ever been given. being a bit of an amateur philosopher, it was right up my alley. i'm (unfortunately) rather proud of this paper, which means it'll probably be ripped to shreds and given a sub-par grade. but, nevertheless, i did enjoy this. anyway, here's what i wrote:

"As I began researching words I might use to describe humanity, I found it difficult to limit my description to five adjectives. The complexity of human nature is overwhelming, but I think can best be examined by dividing our general traits into positive and negative categories. I’ll begin with the negative aspects (our fall from grace, deceitfulness, and fear), which I found to be more obvious than the positive, and conclude with the more inspirational elements of humanity (our capability for courage and compassion).
First, we are fallen. The Bible is abundantly clear on this fact. The first chapters of Genesis chronicle the creation and descent of Adam and Eve into sin. Genesis 2:17 contains the first warning to us, “…but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." This speaks not only of a physical death, but also of the separation of God and mankind. Isaiah 3:8 and Amos 5:2 describe Israel’s fall from God’s favor through their continual rebelliousness and indifference toward His commands. Galatians 5:4 speaks of our separation from God because of our inability to fulfill the requirements of the law. God requires perfection, and we simply cannot attain it in our own efforts.
Second, we are deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Our very core, our heart, is consumed with lies. The psalmist knew the hopelessness of our situation when he wrote, “What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?” But why are we so encumbered by deceit? I believe the next trait I will describe effectively answers this question.
There are many verses in the Bible that warn us against fear. Why is there such a dedication to this one subject? Essentially, as a result of our knowledge of right and wrong and the awareness of our sin, we have become fearful of the discovery of our warped nature. Adam’s first action after the fall was to hide from God. “He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself,’” Genesis 3:10. Of course, his concealment was redundant, because no one can hide from God.
Though the negative aspects of humanity are painfully obvious, we do have our redeeming qualities. Or, rather, we have the capacity to aspire to goodness because of our redemption. The first positive quality of humanity I found is courage. Five times in the book of Joshua (1:6-7, 1:9, 1:18, 10:25) God commands Joshua to “Be strong and courageous.” Obviously, God would not demand something from us if He were not inclined to make us capable of achieving it. However, without the strength God provides we would cower in fear conceivably forever, because it is our nature to be fearful.
The second positive quality I found is compassion. Though compassion is most often used to describe God, as beings created in His image (Genesis 1:27), we too are called to demonstrate compassion. Colossians 3:12 says, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…”
In conclusion, though human nature is multifaceted and often rather ugly, we can aspire to something more than the mess we have become if we allow God to work in us and change our hearts."