What Is Predestination? Predestination (Latin præ, destinare), taken in its widest meaning, is every Divine decree by which God, owing to His infallible prescience of the future, has appointed and ordained from eternity all events occurring in time, especially those which directly proceed from, or at least are influenced by, man’s free will. It includes all historical facts, as for...
Man Between Fall and Ascension This article covers the relationship of man between fall and ascension. Ibn Sina, called Avicenna in the West, summarizes man’s earthly life in his poem on the human soul as follows: It descended upon thee from out of the regions above, That exalted, ineffable, glorious,...
Ancestral Sin Ancestral sin, generational sin, or ancestral fault, is the doctrine that individuals inherit the judgement for the sin of their ancestors. It exists primarily as a concept in Mediterranean religions (e.g. in Christian hamartiology); generational sin is referenced in the Bible in Exodus 20:5. The classical scholar Martin West draws a distinction between an ancestral curse and inherited...
Human Fall Human Fall or The Fall of Man, also called simply The Fall, is a theological doctrine describing the change of humankind’s state from sinlessness to depravity. In Christian tradition, the Fall took place when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit and were expelled from the Garden of Eden, as recorded...
Justification In Christian Theology Justification in Christian theology is God’s righteous act of removing the condemnation, guilt, and penalty of sin, by grace, while, at the same time, declaring the unrighteous to be righteous, through faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The means of justification is an area of significant difference amongst the diverse theories of atonement defended within...
Justification Justification (Latin justificatio; Greek dikaiosis) is a biblio-ecclesiastical term; which denotes the transforming of the sinner from the state of unrighteousness to the state of holiness and sonship of God. Considered as an act (actus justificationis), justification is the work of God alone, presupposing, however, on the part of the adult the process of justification...
Occasions Of Sin Occasions of sin are external circumstances–whether of things or persons–which either because of their special nature or because of the frailty common to humanity or peculiar to some individual, incite or entice one to sin. It is important to remember that there is a wide difference between the cause and...
What Is Contrition? This article covers the meaning of contrition (Latin contritio–a breaking of something hardened). In Holy Writ nothing is more common than exhortations to repentance: “I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11); “Except you do penance you shall...
Free Will Explained The question of free will, moral liberty, or the liberum arbitrium of the Schoolmen, ranks amongst the three or four most important philosophical problems of all time. It ramifies into ethics, theology, metaphysics, and psychology. The view adopted in response to it will determine a man’s position in regard to the most momentous issues that...
Desire Desire has been the subject of religious and philosophical speculation in most cultures. The problem of desire has been a fundamental obstacle to the attainment of personal happiness as well of social harmony. The problem of desire has been the problem of which desires are appropriate to personal and social morality as well as...
Youth And Peer Pressure This article covers the youth and peer pressure in today’s social environment. How should we, especially those of us who are young, interact with the world? Today’s social environment is overrun with temptation and desire. Although it is hard to imitate the Prophet’s sublime qualities and...
A Season To Weep This article is about weeping for sadness, joy, and compassion. Time has always made this poor Zihni weep, I went to the orchard, and saw the keeper weep, Hyacinths are just wretched, roses sadly weep Since the beloved nightingale left this orchard. Zihni Tears manifest feelings...
What Is Temptation? Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals. In the context of some religions, temptation is the inclination to sin. Temptation also describes the coaxing or inducing a person into committing such an act, by manipulation or otherwise of curiosity, desire, or...
Contrition In Christianity, contrition or contriteness (from the Latin contritus ‘ground to pieces’, i.e. crushed by guilt) is repentance for sins one has committed. The remorseful person is said to be contrite. A central concept in much of Christianity, contrition is regarded as the first step, through Christ, towards reconciliation with...
Eternal Sin In Christian hamartiology, eternal sins, unforgivable sins, unpardonable sins, or ultimate sins are sins which will not be forgiven by God. One eternal or unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) is specified in several passages of the Synoptic Gospels, including Mark 3:28–29, Matthew 12:31–32, and Luke 12:10. Jewish doctrine Judaism teaches that no sin can overcome God’s forgiveness of sins. In Deuteronomy...
Christian Views On Lying This article covers Christian views on lying. Lying is strongly discouraged or forbidden by most interpretations of Christianity. Arguments for this are based on various biblical passages, especially “thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour“, one of the Ten Commandments. Christian theologians disagree as to the exact definition of...
Hell In Catholicism (The Catholic Encyclopedia) This subject is treated under eight headings: Name and Place of Hell Existence of Hell Eternity of Hell Impenitence of the Damned Poena Damni Poena Sensus Accidental Pains of the Damned Characteristics of the Pains of Hell Name and place of hell The term hell is...
Hell In many world religions, the concept of Hell refers to a literal or symbolic place (or sometimes an existential condition) of damnation where the wicked and unrighteous are punished for their transgressions. The concept of hell is prevalent in many religions although its exact description varies from one religion to another. In traditional...
Argument From Nonbelief An argument from nonbelief is a philosophical argument that asserts an inconsistency between the existence of God and a world in which people fail to recognize him. It is similar to the classic argument from evil in affirming an inconsistency between the world that exists and the world that would exist if God had certain...
Venial Sin According to Catholicism, a venial sin is a lesser sin that does not result in a complete separation from God and eternal damnation in Hell as an unrepented mortal sin would. A venial sin consists in acting as one should not, without the actual incompatibility with the state of grace that a mortal sin implies; they do not break...