Clarence Darrow (1928)(1973) (In Brief/PhD Edit)

Bermuda-trekearth

I spent part of Sunday after church out west in Vancouver advising Mr. Matt on his blogs. I learn more myself and there is always much to learn. Here are his two blogs that he has listed with me presently. Please have a look.

Matthew Smed

Dolphins

Some of my advice to Mr. Matt was to start off with a humourous blog with good quality images and add in some intellectual, theological, spiritual value.

Once he has one thousand or more pageviews a month he could consider writing a serious religious, theological, spiritual blog also with good quality images.

Of course I did the opposite, but now I also am familiar with the pageview numbers…

Thank you

Once again a post on this blog from my PhD for balance from a different perspective.

I must admit Clarence Darrow also puts a smile on my face…

On the resurrection

Clarence Darrow (1928)(1973) writes that resurrection of the body is purely a religious doctrine.[1]  He reasons that few intelligent persons when faced with evidence would hold to a doctrine of resurrection.[2]  He deduces that those within the New Testament era had little scientific knowledge, and therefore resurrection doctrine is a product of those with blind faith, wild dreams, hopeless hopes, and cowardly fears.[3]   Darrow’s assumption[4] would more likely be correct if the Hebrew Bible and New Testament were written by persons that were clearly writing mythological literature with the primary use of metaphorical language.[5]  However, as noted there are those within both conservative and liberal Christian traditions that would reason the historical writers of Scripture wrote what they saw and experienced, and therefore  many of these modern scholars accept a doctrine of physical resurrection.[6]

On the afterlife

Those such as Clarence Darrow, who wrote ‘The Myth of the Soul’ in The Forum,[7] would disagree claiming belief in the afterlife was a product of blind religious faith, ignoring facts.[8]  Phillips and Roth raised similar objections against Hick’s view, claiming there was no good reason to think that the human condition would become better after death.[9]  For those that deny the existence of the human soul, soul-making would seem untenable and ‘wild dreams’ and ‘hopeless hopes’ as Darrow states.[10]  However, for those within mainline, liberal Christian traditions and other religious systems that believe in a spirit or soul that exists after death, an improved quality of life for all persons after this earthly life,[11] can be a thing to be considered and welcomed. 

Clarence Darrow (1932)(1973) writes that the best one can do is hold on ‘to the same speck of dirt’ as we proceed ‘side by side to our common doom.’[12]  Phillips doubts that there is a God that works things out in the end times in order that there is a reality on earth that consists of happiness[13] and perfection.[14]  Phillips reasons his criticisms will fall on ‘deaf ears.’[15] 

Clarence Darrow doubts there are proofs available for life after death,[16] and states there is strong evidence against the idea of personal consciousness after death.[17]  For Darrow the immaterial soul does not exist and cannot be reasonably conceived.[18]  It is true that a culminated Kingdom of God is not presently empirical,[19] but has been presented as Biblical teaching and theology in academic circles for two millennia.[20]   As noted earlier in this work, Darrow writes the best one can do is basically cling to life on earth as we head toward ‘a common doom.’[21] 

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

ERICKSON, MILLARD (2003) What Does God Know and When Does He Know It?  Grand Rapids, Zondervan. 

DARROW, CLARENCE (1928)(1973) ‘The Myth of the Soul’, in The Forum, October, in Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap (eds.), A Modern Introduction To Philosophy, New York, The Free Press.

DARROW, CLARENCE (1932)(1973) ‘The Delusion of Design and Purpose’, in The Story of My Life,  October, in Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap (eds.), A Modern Introduction To Philosophy, New York, The Free Press.

GEBARA, IVONE (2002) Out of the Depths, Translated by Ann Patrick Ware, Minneapolis, Fortress Press. VERMEER, PAUL (1999) Learning Theodicy, Leiden, Brill.

HICK, JOHN (1970) Evil and The God of Love, London, The Fontana Library.

HICK, JOHN (1978) ‘Present and Future Life’, Harvard Theological Review, Volume 71, Number 1-2, January-April, Harvard University.

HICK, JOHN (1981) Encountering Evil, Stephen T. Davis (ed.),  Atlanta, John Knox Press.

HICK, JOHN (1993)  ‘Afterword’ in GEIVETT, R. DOUGLAS (1993) Evil and the Evidence for God, Philadelphia, Temple University Press.

HICK, JOHN (1993) The Metaphor of God Incarnate, Louisville, Kentucky, John Know Press.

HICK, JOHN (1994) Death and Eternal Life, Louisville, Kentucky, John Knox Press.

HICK, JOHN (1999) ‘Life after Death’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press.

MOLTMANN, JÜRGEN (1993) The Crucified God, Minneapolis, Fortress Press.

PHILLIPS, D.Z. (1981) Encountering Evil, Stephen T. Davis (ed.),  Atlanta, John Knox Press.

PHILLIPS, D.Z. (2005)  The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God, Fortress Press, Minneapolis.

ROTH, JOHN K. ‘Introduction’ (1892-1907)(1969) in The Moral Philosophy of William James, John K. Roth (ed.), Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York. 

ROTH, JOHN K. (1981) Encountering Evil, Stephen T. Davis (ed.), Atlanta, John Knox Press. 

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[1] Darrow (1928)(1973: 266).

[2] Darrow (1928)(1973: 266).

[3] Darrow (1928)(1973: 266-267).

[4] Darrow (1928)(1973: 266-267).

[5] This as opposed to writing historical based religious history with the use of plain literal and figurative literal language.

[6] Moltmann (1993: 160-199).  Erickson (1994: 1194-1204).  Excepting that there are those that reinterpret such as Gebara with her feminist views.  Gebara (2002: 122-124).

[7] Darrow (1928)(1973: 266-267).

[8] Darrow (1928)(1973: 267).

[9] Phillips in Davis (2001: 58).  Roth in Davis (2001: 62).

[10] Darrow (1928)(1973: 267).

[11] Hick (1978: 13). 

[12] Darrow (1932)(1973: 453).

[13] Phillips (2005: 265).

[14] Phillips (2005: 266).

[15] Phillips (2005: 273).

[16] Darrow (1928)(1973: 261).

[17] Darrow (1928)(1973: 261).

[18] Darrow (1928)(1973: 261).

[19] It is predicted to occur within Scripture, but has not as of yet.  Moltmann (1993: 171-172).  A non-traditional and metaphorical understanding of this concept may view a literal Kingdom of God as a reality where all souls eventually evolve to a place of belief and trust in God.  Hick in Davis (2001: 51). 

[20] Moltmann (1993: 166-196).

[21] Darrow (1932)(1973: 453).