We Have No Right For Happiness - 1167 Words

Gabriel Esparza English 300 Professor Marks March 8, 2016 We Have No Right To Happiness In C.S Lewis essay, â€Å" We Have No Right To Happiness, he argues that we the people within the world don’t have the right to happiness. In my right being who can accuse such a thing. Everyone has the right to be happy in my opinion. Perhaps look for instance even our Declaration of Independence says â€Å" We have the right to pursue happiness.† I find it somewhat fascinated and yet nothing has changed in our culture since such as author C.S Lewis has wrote this short essay. I truly believe that people know how to be happy and express it, but perhaps they just assume on having a good reason to not be satisfied with their daily lives. I nessaccly feel†¦show more content†¦Unlike C.S Lewis example of Mr. A deserting his wife and family, for Mrs. B as doing the same leaving her crippled veteran husband for Mr. A seeking a happier life, never did I picture my parents doing such a thing. As for personal life, my father sticked with my mother till the very as s he was diagnosed with cancer. Don’t intended to be a downer but isn’t true marriage till the end if im not wrong. Lewis quotes â€Å" When two people achieve lasting happiness, this is not solely because they are great lovers but because they are also I must put it crudely good people.† Having reading such a passage I consider my father â€Å"good people† sticking his morals and what s right, on not abandoning his family even as widow at end of it, as unlike C.S Lewis example of Mr. A who broke moral laws. But, again who am I too say, about marriage, as I never once was. Moreover a second reason, why I give inn on disagreeing are the mentions and ideas of â€Å"sexual impulses†. Lewis addresses his meaning to such happniess through sexaul impluse. He proclaims â€Å" happiness is really only sexual happiness†, in my right being what is he trying to say? Clare one’s character in Lewis essay, speaks on her behalf only using happiness when describing sexual happiness. Clare tends to speaks, in support of the desire of sex to encounter such happiness. Providing such statements â€Å"that not to promote alcoholismShow MoreRelatedEssay on Review We Have No Right to Happiness713 Words   |  3 PagesReview on We have No â€Å"Right to Happiness† By: C.S. Lewis In class we read three different essays including ‘The Dying family’ by J.H. Plumb,’ Does Fatherhood Make You Happy?’ By Daniel Gilbert, and ‘We Have No Right to Happiness’ by C.S. Lewis. Though the purpose of these essays can be very controversial to some, after reviewing all three essays I have picked my favorite, or the one I agree with and disagree with most. ‘We have no Right to Happiness’ makes a very good argument on the pointRead MoreAnalyzing CS Lewis We Have No Right to Happiness and Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House648 Words   |  3 Pages 1. In We have no Right to Happiness CS. Lewis claims that the right to happiness is chiefly claimed for the sexual impulse. Because Nora in Ibsens A Dolls House does not leave Torvald for another man, the principles upon which C.L. Lewis bases his essay are moot and do not apply. Lewis exhibits a disturbing amount of gender bias, sexism, and stereotyped assumption in his essay, but he might indeed understand that Torvald has emotionally and psychologically abused his wife throughout theirRead MoreHappiness Is A Feeling And A Choice995 Words   |  4 PagesHappiness is a feeling and a choice rather than a state of being. Happiness comes within us, we chose to be satisfied or not. People that are optimistic compared to others that are not, are happier and care free. When we are happy, it is considered a moment of perfection, of joyfulness. Happiness does not all come at once, nor does it stay, happiness comes one moment at a time. People usually say, â€Å"I’ll be happy whenâ € ¦.† Individuals are picking and choosing when to be happy. We are so fortunate toRead MoreThe Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas By Ursula Leguin1693 Words   |  7 Pagessociety in Omelas is able to ensure happiness and perfect lives while one child suffers. This is the price that they pay, seemingly unknowingly unless they are a certain age, to have a utopian society. When someone finds out about why they live in such bliss, they are left with a choice; stay in Omelas knowing that the child must suffer for their, and everyone’s, happiness, or, to leave Omelas unknowing of what their life might entail. Today, society shows ways that we truly fulfill the idea that WilliamRead MoreIs It The Right Thing For Me? Join The War After College?1064 Words   |  5 PagesIn life, we are constantly faced with situations and scenarios where we have to make choices. Deciding which choices we make is often times determined by what we deem as right and wrong. There are no clear-cut, black and white answers to these questions, so we have to take it upon ourselves to do our best to make the right choices. Imagine this, your country is heading to war, and you want to help serve your country against the terrorists attacking your home. So you go to school majoring in the enimesRead MoreUtilitarianism : Bentham And Mill766 Words   |  4 PagesUtilitarianism: Bentham VS. Mill Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that holds the morally right course of action in any given situation is the course of which yields the greatest balance of benefits over harms. More specifically, utilitarianism’s core idea is that the effects of an action determine whether actions are morally right or wrong. Created with philosophies of Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), Utilitarianism began in England in the 19th Century. Read MoreActions and Their Labels of Either Right or Wrong Essay1204 Words   |  5 PagesActions and Their Labels of Either Right or Wrong In this academic essay there will be an in depth look at the words of Mill, in terms of actions and their labels of either right and wrong, and those connotations to happiness and, so to speak the reverse of happiness. There will be an attempt through various different channels, to illustrate the absurdity of utilitarianism, in the sense of its mere provisional assessment of promoting happiness. Furthermore this essay willRead MoreUtilitarianism : A Look At J.s1731 Words   |  7 Pagesconsequentialism and happiness. So in order to understand utilitarianism we must first understand what consequentialism is, and then understand how happiness is related. Consequentialism is a philosophical view in which morality means to produce the right kind of consequences. This could lead one to ask what the right kinds of consequences are. Since utilitarianism is based on consequentialism, and consequentialism is based on morality, we would look at morality to define the right kind of consequencesRead MoreUtilitarianism Vs. Mill Utilitarianism1004 Words   |  5 Pagesanism: Bentham VS. Mill Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that holds the morally right course of action in any given situation is the course of which yields the greatest balance of benefits over harms. More specifically, utilitarianism’s core idea is that the effects of an action determine whether actions are morally right or wrong. Created with the philosophies of Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), Utilitarianism began in England in the 19th Century. BenthamRead MoreIs Happiness the Purpose of Life?1317 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"We’re not happy and we can’t be happy; we only want happiness.† So, what’s the purpose of life? Is it to be happy? Everyone has that desire, to have happiness. We even base our decision we by how it will affect our happiness. In our life we experience happiness and unhappiness, but we are oblivious as to what happiness is. What comes to mind when thinking of happiness? Is it pleasure, the tho ught of the good life, prosperity, or is it something else? We won’t be able to have a response to that question

Essay about The Man Who Counted - 1450 Words

After reading the book The Man Who Counted by Malba Tahan, I learned a lot more about mathematics and how it can be viewed as an art form. The two main characters, Hanak Tade Maia, the man that became friends with the man who counted, and Beremiz Samir, the counting man, talk about their adventures and their jobs they both get with royalty. The book is basically filled with the stories and adventures of the Counting Man told by him and what Maia views. The book is told in sequential order starting from a memory of how Maia and Beremiz met, which was when Maia found him dressed in rags on the side of the road in the desert blurting out random seven digit numbers. This book was very well written and interesting enough to keep the reader’s†¦show more content†¦I already have told a lot of my friends about this book because even though it’s a bit confusing, it’s also fascinating to think that someone like this young man (who is only 26 years old) can be so p henomenal when it comes it math. He really sparked and kept my interest, I think that I was most intrigued by the authors writing style. This book made me see math more as a subject that one could actually look into more than just numbers, I can see the actual attractiveness to mathematics because of the stories that were told throughout this novel. When it comes to this book, I didn’t think I could learn much from a fictional novel. I did find out that even though this book was fictional, I learned a great deal. I learned to appreciate math as an art form, and how number correlations are so fascinating. The counting man shows the reader what â€Å"perfect numbers† are, how to get the perfect correlation, and why he is so good at math. At one point, the counting man estimated the amount of birds in a giant bird cage, correctly to come out at some absurd number of 500 and something. After being told to tell his employer how many birds there were in the cage, which he di d without any trouble at all, the counting man convinced his employer to set them free because than their numbers will soar. He meant literally and figuratively, literally because the birds will soar, and figuratively because than they will be free to mate and have spawn so theirShow MoreRelatedTheme of Success in Yuset Komunyaka ´s Glory and Emily Dickinson ´s Success is Counted Sweetest539 Words   |  3 PagesSuccess is Counted Sweetest by Emily Dickinson share the theme of success. Success is the achievement of an intention that was planned or attempted. Success not only requires bravery and courage, but hard work and determination. The theme of success in the poem, Glory, comes from the success achieved by the young men playing baseball. The theme of success in the poem, Success is Counted Sweetest, comes from the achievement of victory in battle. The theme of success in Glory and Success is Counted SweetestRead MoreMark Twain Emily Dickinson1045 Words   |  5 Pagesmany examples of writers that have originated in America. Mark Twain wrote Extracts from Adams Diary a playful short story of how man met woman. Emily Dickinsons Success is Counted Sweetest is a poem on how when one succeeds it brings joy into the effort that was put forth. One may learn a great deal from reading works of literature. The poem â€Å"Success is Counted Sweetest† by Emily Dickinson is a poem that may bring back childhood memories of a competitive rivalry. The poem speaks about havingRead MoreThe Six Functions Of Rhetoric1482 Words   |  6 Pagespoem. Incidentally, Dickinson’s poem also contains multiple characteristics and functions of rhetoric. From the data collected and interpreted, we may categorize Lincoln’s â€Å"Second Inaugural Address† as a rhetorical speech and Dickinson’s â€Å"Success Is Counted Sweetest† as a poem containing rhetorical characteristics. Lincoln’s speech announces to announce to his people, the Union, the Civil War, was unavoidable. In his first few paragraphs, the President claims that he has no new knowledge of the warRead MoreAnalysis Of Longitude By Dava Sobel1356 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscovery. As you read through this paper you will get an understanding of the topics Sobel talked about in her book such as, the shipwrecks and tragedies that occurred without longitude at sea, the two competing methods to find longitude and the man who discovered it. The first part of the book Dava Sobel focuses on why all of a sudden there was a push for a method of finding longitude. Sailors were always able to find their latitude, which was always parallel lines that were parallel to each otherRead More The Role of Women in Judaism Essay1154 Words   |  5 Pageswithin the religion they are considered as equals. In Judaism, God is not viewed as a male or female. They believe that God has both masculine and feminine qualities. Some Jewish people refer to God as a man only for convenience, not because they actually believe that he is a male. Both man and woman were created in the image of God. Some even believe that women were created with higher role of importunacy because they were built (Gen 2:22) rather then formed (Gen 2:7). In traditional OrthodoxRead MoreThe Role of Belonging in Film and Print Essay921 Words   |  4 Pagesexemplified in the final scenes of conflict between Proctor and the courts. The conflict is between the two groups the court and Proctor who is counted as against the court. It is evident that two groups have been established when Danforth exclaims to the Salem court â€Å"that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.† As Proctor has been counted against the court, he has been accused of being a witch. Throughout the play, Proctor has been portrayed as a non conformist. Read MoreThe Civil War Essay947 Words   |  4 Pagesto Emily Dickinson’s Success Is Counted Sweetest Both The Second Inaugural Address and Success is Counted Sweetest were referenced about the Civil War. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address took Socrate’s rhetorical approach in that Lincoln tried to influence the souls of his audience. Dickinson’s Success is Counted Sweetest was less direct to her audience but nonetheless conveyed her message go triumph being more significant to he who failed rather than to he who attained victory. The Civil WarRead MoreFederalist Paper : The Federalist Papers1399 Words   |  6 Pagesa part of the Constitution. Of these, the Three-Fifths Compromise, the Electoral College, and the Bill of Rights were the some of the most important and most controversial. Madison who wrote the 54th Federalist paper discussed the Three-Fifths Compromise at length, defending the addition of this clause. Hamilton who wrote 68th Federalist paper defends the process that the Constitution institutes for electing a president. The Bill of Rights were discussed in the 84th Federalist paper which was alsoRead MoreHe Needs This Money Badly876 Words   |  4 PagesI responded. Once dad parked the car, we got out and started to walk to the doors of the building. As we approached the doors, there were three men. One man had a baseball bat, the other had a steel bar about 2 feet long. The last man had a fur coat on that made him look like Babe Ruth. At that moment I knew who they were. They were the men who gave dad the money, and they wanted it back. â€Å"Hey kid, go up to your father’s room, he’ll be up in a couple minutes.† The guy in the fur coat told me crackingRead MoreRonald Reagan s President Of The United States1129 Words   |  5 PagesWar II. For all practical purposes, Ronald Reagan was a president who accomplished more than he set forth to do and did so famously; some would say infamously. Nevertheless, Reagan accomplished more in his eight year presidency than most presidents of the 20th Century. He is widely hailed as the man who ended the Cold War and will forever be remembered as the man who led to the conservative resurgence in America. He was a man of profound ability and charisma and America is better off for having

Atomic bomb Essay Example For Students

Atomic bomb Essay Word Count: 1690 Just before the beginning of World War II, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Urged by Hungarian-born physicists Leo Szilard, Eugene Wingner, and Edward Teller, Einstein told Roosevelt about Nazi German efforts to purify Uranium-235 which might be used to build an . Shortly after that the United States Government began work on the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was the code name for the United States effort to develop the Atomic bomb Essay before the Germans did. The first successful experiments in splitting a uranium atom had been carried out in the autumn of 1938 at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin(Groueff 9) just after Einstein wrote his letter. So the race was on. Major General Wilhelm D. Styer called the Manhattan Project the most important job in the war . . . an all-out effort to build an atomic bomb.(Groueff 5) It turned out to be the biggest development in warfare and sciences biggest development this century. The most complicated issue to be addressed by the scientists working on the Manhattan Project was ;the production of ample amounts of enriched uranium to sustain a chain reaction.;(Outlaw 2) At the time, Uranium-235 was hard to extract. Of the Uranium ore mined, only about 1/500 th of it ended up as Uranium metal. Of the Uranium metal, ;the fissionable isotope of Uranium (Uranium- 235) is relatively rare, occurring in Uranium at a ratio of 1 to 139. ;(Szasz 15) Separating the one part Uranium-235 from the 139 parts Uranium-238 proved to be a challenge. ;No ordinary chemical extraction could separate the two isotopes. Only mechanical methods could effectively separate U-235 from U-238.;(2) Scientists at Columbia University solved this difficult problem. A ;massive enrichment laboratory/plant;(Outlaw 2) was built at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. H. C. Urey, his associates, and colleagues at Columbia University designed a system that ;worked on the principle of gaseous diffusion.;(2) After this process was completed, ;Ernest O. Lawrence (inventor of the Cyclotron) at the University of California in Berkeley implemented a process involving magnetic separation of the two isotopes.;(2) Finally, a gas centrifuge was used to further separate the Uranium-235 from the Uranium-238. The Uranium-238 is forced to the bottom because it had more mass than the Uranium-235. ;In this manner uranium-235 was enriched from its normal 0.7% to weapons grade of more than 90%.;(Grolier 5) This Uranium was then transported to ;the Los Alamos, N. Mex., laboratory headed by J. Robert Oppenheimer. ;(Grolier 5) ;Oppenheimer was the major force behind the Manhattan Project. He literally ran the show and saw to it that all of the great minds working on this project made their brainstorms work. He oversaw the entire project from its conception to its completion.;(Outlaw 3) Once the purified Uranium reached New Mexico, it was made into the components of a gun-type atomic weapon. ;Two pieces of U-235, individually not large enough to sustain a chain reaction, were brought together rapidly in a gun barrel to form a supercritical mass that exploded instantaneously.;(Grolier 5) ;It was originally nicknamed Thin Man'(after Roosevelt, but later renamed Little Boy (for nobody) when technical changes shortened the proposed gun barrel. ;(Szasz 25) The scientists were so confident that the gun-type atomic bomb would work ;no test was conducted, and it was first employed in military action over Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945.;(Grolier 5) Before the Uranium-235 ;Little Boy; bomb had been developed to the ;point of seeming assured of success,;(Grolier 5) another bomb was proposed. The Uranium-238 that had been earlier ruled out as an option was being looked at. It could capture a free neutron without fissioning and become Uranium-239. ;But the Uranium-239 thus produced is unstable (radioactive) and decays first to neptunium-239 and then to plutonium-239. Planet Warming Essay Groves reason for choosing Oppenheimer to run the Los Alamos lab was we (are) not going to find a better man. When the Los Alamos lab was built, all the people involved with the atomic bomb, physicists, mathematicians, chemists, engineers, skilled metalworkers, and every type of person needed to create such a complex weapon, were moved there, along with their families. Pretty soon, 120,000 people were .

Task Instructions Essay Example

Task Instructions Essay If God made the world, then he must be absent without leave! Write an essay examining the evidence that both supports and rejects the belief of the existence in God. Introduction Since the beginning of time, people have always been mystified as to whether God exists or not. This is a very vital question that occasionally lurks in the mind of every human being, because it informs us as to what our purpose to life is, and above all, who created us. Our curiosity has driven us to search deep and far for evidence for and against the existence of God. However, as yet Science has not been successful in providing us with satisfactory answers for either case, which is why people have not yet reached an answer that they can trust, though Scientists are determined to provide a reliable answer very shortly. We will write a custom essay sample on Task Instructions specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Task Instructions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Task Instructions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Ever since it has been known, the majority of people have always believed that God is responsible for the creation of the universe. This is because many people have found it impossible that the entire human race as well as the animals and plants that this world contains have originated from a so-called coincidence. Throughout the stone ages, many people wondered as to what Gods appearance would be like. In order to show their beliefs, ideas and views, they painted pictures on caves. They also drew pictures to portray heaven and hell. However, in comparison to the Ancient times, many people are no longer in favour of the existence of God, because they want evidence to support their beliefs. My assignment will hopefully provide information that both supports and rejects the belief of God. Throughout my essay, I will try my utmost hardest to remain in a completely neutral position, and not be biased in any way whatsoever, despite the fact that I have firm belief in God. The Cosmological Argument There is a famous saying; Something cannot be made out of nothing. This is the view of Thomas Aquinas, a religious scholar. He is also reported to have said, Everything in the universe has a cause. Trace those causes back, and there must have been a first cause that triggered everything else. God is that first cause. The above quotation denotes that without a God, everything else is non-existent. If Science has so far been successful in providing a reason for practically everything, then why has it not been successful in providing us with a believable reason for the non-existence of God? This view leads on to The Big Bang theory, which is that once, everything in the universe was simply dense mass, smaller than the eye of a needle. Due to an unknown cause, it began to expand 15,000 million years ago. From that point onwards, to this day, the universe is said to have continued to expand. However, Scientists opine that one day the universe will stop expanding and begin to contract. Although The Big Bang Theory is the only possible explanation contradicting the existence of God, many people do not believe in it, because there are too many coincidences. For example, if there were too much energy used to create the Earth, then the Earth would not even exist, due to the speed of the force. Similarly, If there was not enough energy, even then the Earth would not exist, because the speed of the force would be too less. Therefore, exactly the accurate amount of energy is needed. In the same way, if the universe were one hundred miles closer to the sun, or even one hundred miles further away from the sun, the world would be completely non-existent today. This is because if our planet were one hundred miles closer to the sun, we would die of the extreme heat, that us, as humans cannot possibly endure. If our planet were one hundred miles further away from the sun, we would die of the extreme cold that us, as humans, and other animals cannot possibly tolerate. Many people refuse to accept the above-mentioned facts to be coincidences. They believe that the only possible explanation regarding all these coincidences would be the existence of God Many atheists and even some agnostics are in favour of the Big Bang theory. They believe that the occurrence of the Big Bang was just pure chance, and thus, there is no God. There is a well known African proverb, No rain, no mushrooms, No God, No world. This saying denotes that for the existence of the world, God is a vital ingredient, without which the world would not exist, just like without water, it is impossible for mushroom to grow properly. The Argument from Design The argument from design is that there is such complex, fascinating patterns and design in the natural world, that it seems as if someone must have designed the world. Everything in this world, as well as the human body is so intricately designed that it seems rather unlikely for this to happen by mere chance. Two famous people, namely Sir Isaac Newton and William Paley have firmly expressed their personal views over this matter: Newton And The Thumb Sir Isaac Newton, a founder of modern science, who lived in the seventeenth century is reported to have said, In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of the existence of God. This view is very interesting because it is amazing that every single human on this Earth has a different fingerprint. Hence, this means that the six billion people currently inhabiting the earth have a unique fingerprint. However, as if that was not fascinating enough, the thing is, that ever since it has been recorded, everyone has had a different fingerprint. To even ponder over this fact is perplexing. It would be extremely difficult to calculate how many different types of fingerprints there have been ever since the beginning of time, and to speculate how many there will be in the future. Paley And The Watch Approximately one hundred years after Sir Isaac Newton voiced his opinion over the existence, or the non-existence of god, a philosopher William Paley used a watch to justify his belief in God. William Paley compared the world to an eighteenth century watch, which was made with amazing architecture, and compared the watchmaker to God. He explained that if he was ever walking across a street, and he found an eighteenth century watch simply lying there, he would presume that the watch belonged to someone, and due to its complex structure, was also made by someone for a purpose, in this specific case, to tell the time with. This is because from a watch with such intricate design, it is apparent that many different materials have been combined together to produce the watch, and even if one part of the watch failed to work, it would affect the working condition of the entire watch. Hence, it is unreasonable to assume that the world was brought into existence through chance, that there is no God, and no purpose to life, because just like a watch, we do have a purpose, just not the same kind of purpose. However, although some leading scholars and scientists of the seventeenth and eighteenth century did believe in God, many did no. For example, Nietzsche, a German philosopher, Epicurus, a Greek philosopher, and Charles Darwin, a scientist, were all strongly opposed to the idea of the existence of God. The German philosopher Nietzsche was famous worldwide for saying God is dead, signed Nietzsche. He believed that the world has no laws, no order, no purpose, and above all, no God. He initiated the belief of Nihilism, which is to believe that there is neither any absolute truth in the world, nor is there any ultimate purpose to life. Unfortunately for Nietzsche, his own words turned their back on him when he was on his deathbed. His sisters sold tickets to people to come and see her brother who was in terrible pain and helplessness and mock him, because the world has no rules. Following the death of Nietzsche, an anonymous person wrote over Nietzsches notice with Nietzsche is dead, signed God. The Greek philosopher Epicurus also did not believe in God simply due to his Problem of evil, which is as follows: If God cannot stop evil in the worldthen God is not all-powerful If God can stop evil, but he chooses not tothen God is not good If god can stop evil, and chooses tothen there would not be any evil. But there is. Why? Because God does not exist. Many religious people have found it very hard to compete with this theory, due to the fact that there is not really much to say in defence, as illness, suffering and pain do exist in the world today. The great scientist, Charles Darwin also did not believe in God, because the views of creation, and the actual creation in the bible contradicted the scientific theories of creation and evolution in the following ways: * Time scale: According to the bible, the process of creation took only six consecutive days, whereas the process of the Big Bang and Evolution took millions of years. * Status Of Humans: Evolution suggests that the human race has evolved from apes, thus belittling the human race, whereas the Bible dignifies the human race by saying that we were purposefully created last by God, after everything else had been brought into existence, so that everything would be prepared for us. It also describes the human race by being very good. * Process: Darwins natural selection was an unguided process, through the survival of the fittest, whereas the Bible shows that God was firmly in charge of the entire process of creation. Religious Experiences Miracles A miracle is an event believed to have a supernatural cause. Even if people do not believe in such occurrences, they often use the word miracle to describe an amazing thing, which seems to have violated a law of nature. Many people who are members of a religious faith believe that a miracle is when God decides to break a law of nature. Hence, miracles are performed by God. For example, when John Rajah fell ill, specialists told him that he was suffering from colitis. Near the end of what doctors called his life, he claims to have received a vision, which he believes was sent by God. In this vision, he said that he saw two tunnels of light. He chose a tunnel, and was brought back to life again. Following this experience, he went to Alpha Classes, in which the priest who was conducting the service asked the sufferer of colitis to come forward. Surprised at the priests knowledge, he went forward, and the priest requested that the entire congregation pray for his recovery. John was so convinced of the return of his perfect health once again, that he stopped taking his prescribed medicines, and converted to Christianity. Miraculously, when John awoke the next morning, he did not feel any pain, and there was no bleeding remaining on his body either. Due to his amazing recovery, his sister, who is a doctor, was also persuaded to attend Alpha Classes, and soon afterwards, she also followed in her brothers footsteps and accepted Christianity as her religion. Although a theist would opine that the above incident was a miracle, an atheist, and even an agnostic may strongly disagree in regarding this as a miracle, due to the following reasons: * The priest may have been informed of Johns critically ill condition by a close relative, friend, or physician prior to the Alpha class. For this reason, the priest did not have a manifestation from God informing him of the condition of the patient; but instead, he had received information from someone else. * It has been scientifically proven that when a person has firm faith in something, it can be obtained, though it seems impossible. Thus, John Rajah must have had full conviction in recovery, and so in due course, he was cured of his illness, which otherwise could have cost him his life. * In reality, John Rajah may not have been as seriously ill as he was thought to be, so as a matter of fact, his condition was not life threatening at all. * John rajah may have been slightly ill, but by taking numerous forms of drugs as medicine, his condition may have deteriated. This is why he felt much better after he had stopped consuming the prescribed medicines. Other types of Religious Experiences At some time in our lives, most of us have experienced feelings of wonder and admiration at the beauty of nature. Other people can feel the presence of God around them. This is classed as a numinous experience. Many religious leaders have experienced God in places of great natural beauty and power. For example, the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) was in a desert cave when he received the first revelations from Allah. In the same way, Moses was on a mountaintop when the Ten Commandments were revealed to him. Some people experience God in their lives in quite a sudden and dramatic way, which usually results in a significant change in attitude and lifestyle. At times, God speaks to people through thoughts and visions. At other times, God shows guidance through a holy book. For example, Kriss Akabusi, an athlete, converted to Christianity after reading the New Testament cover to cover. He said, I made a decision to dedicate my life to Jesus Christ, something that I have never regretted since. Another example is of Cat Stevens. He was a successful pop star who gave up his career after converting to a religion of peace and obedience, namely Islam. His conversion came after his brother visited Jerusalem, and purchased a copy of the Holy Quraan in the English Language. Although his brother did not accept Islam, he knew that Cat Stevens would be interested in this religion, as he was looking for something to dedicate himself to, because although he was very wealthy, he did not feel peace and tranquillity. His brother gave him the Quraan, and immediately after reading it, he knew that it was time to alter his lifestyle. After entering the fold of Islam, he said, A feeling of belonging ran through me. That day, I was a stream that had just found its ocean. The above two experiences are known as conversion experiences. No matter how persuading such experiences may seem to many people, Atheists claim that these experiences still do not prove that God exists. Some atheists believe that the majority of the miracles mentioned in the bible did not really occur at all, but in order to emphasize the power and superiority of Jesus, such myths were passed down by the disciples of Jesus from generation to generation. Some even explain the incident of the splitting of the ocean in two as the result in the change of the direction of the wind. However, owing to the coincidence of such a thing to happen at such a specific time, not many people are taken in by this theory. Near Death Experiences Many people have claimed to have experienced a near death experience throughout their lives. As yet, there is no proof as to whether near death experiences are scientifically possible or not, though the victims of near death experiences describe them with such intimate detail that they are very hard not to believe. Conclusion Having considered all the evidence and arguments for and against the existence of God, I have still not been persuaded enough to reconsider my firm belief in God. This is simply due to the fact that there is not enough evidence contradicting the belief of the existence of God to incline me to believe that the occurrence of the Big Bang was simply a coincidence. In fact, I do not believe that the Big Bang ever occurred. On the contrary, I believe that God created the entire universe in a period of 6 days. I am in favour of the theories of both Sir Isaac Newton and William Paley, because they both make a lot more sense than the theories of Nietzsche and Charles Darwin. Although I do understand the logic in Epicuruss problem of evil, I am not in favour of it. This is due to the fact that I believe that God has sent us down to this world in order to determine our fate after death, i.e.- heaven or hell. People who believe that the universe came into existence by chance, everything has such intricate designs by chance, every human has a unique fingerprint by chance, every animal has features which adapt to its habitat by chance, miracles occur by chance and near death experiences occur by chance, such people must believe in an awful lot of coincidence!