The Glory of God

According to Kepler, studying the natural world is comparable to worshipping God. He considered astronomers and scholars to be custodians and transcribers of the universe and its ambiguities, which he also considered divine creation. People who study the book of God’s Works can apply this sentiment in various ways, including learning how to approach learning with humility. It is crucial that one accepts that the human mind is depraved and distorted and that the task is not only extensive but also complex, way beyond one’s comprehension: The Glory of God.

Entwistle (2021) states that as people read the book of God’s Word and the book of His Works, it is crucial to remember that their viewpoint is narrow and that their opinions are susceptible to error. With this approach, one recognizes that individuals’ intellects are like an empty canvas and that as they study God’s Works, the canvas is written.

This is very much like the Tabula Rasa theory in psychology, which states that everyone is born with a blank slate, and who they become is formed by what they learn as they grow up (Uzoigwe, 2022). This same approach should be taken when studying God’s work. One must recognize that they do not know anything and should be ready to learn. More importantly, one must recognize that there will be things beyond one’s comprehension.

Second, Kepler’s sentiment applies to one’s commitment to the truth. When studying God’s Works, one must uncover the truth no matter how hard it is to accept. Notably, people fall victim to various fallacies, such as confirmation bias, whereby people nitpick information so that it can reinforce their preconceived beliefs and notions while ignoring everything that goes against these beliefs (Peters, 2022). This is just one example of bias that someone can have when studying this book, preventing them from accepting the truth.

On the question of how one can heed Kepler’s warning not to take into consideration the glory of our intellects but instead God’s glory in one’s educational and disciplinary pursuits, one can start by being led by humility throughout the process. No matter what level of academic achievement one gets, one must not get conceited or feel better than others.

Rather, these achievements should be taken as the progress on a journey to understanding the universe even more. In addition, rather than gaining a sense of superiority over those who have not had the same accomplishment, it would be prudent to take up the role of an educator to others so that the knowledge one has gained can be multiplied through sharing.

This would make for an even bigger accomplishment than keeping the knowledge to oneself. Being able to gain this knowledge should be taken as a blessing that many do not have because individuals face different circumstances. Therefore, having the opportunity for such a pursuit and the capability to achieve a lot should be considered an honor, and these blessings should be shared with others.

Another good use of these achievements is finding ways to make society a better place for everyone. All the knowledge gained can be applied to many problems that society faces today, especially regarding stewardship of the planet. One of the huge challenges today is climate change, which has been resulting in unpredictable weather patterns and numerous natural disasters. By understanding our roles as stewards of God’s creation, we can take up more active roles in protecting and maintaining sustainable ecosystems and teach others how to do it.

All this plays into the glory of God because, as humans, we were tasked with the role of taking care of His creation as described in Genesis, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (New International Version, 2011, Gen. 2:15). To conclude, through his sentiments, Kepler emphasizes that learning should be approached with humility and honor for what is true, he also advises individuals to avoid arrogance from gaining intellectual but rather use it for good and be humble even with all one’s achievements.

References

Entwistle, D. N. (2021). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: An introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Peters, U. (2020). What is the function of confirmation bias? Erkenntnis, 87(3), 1351–1376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-020-00252-1

The Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV). (2011). Biblica, Inc. (Original work published 1973).

Uzoigwe, E. I. E. (2022). An evaluation of John Locke’s concept of Tabula Rasa in the light of Plato’s Theory of forms and its relevance for post-contemporary philosophy. GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 5(07), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6906861

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Essay Assignment Instructions

Overview

The Essay Assignments provide you with an opportunity to incorporate research and demonstrate course-related knowledge in a written context.

Instructions

You are required to write 5 Essay Assignments in response to a provided prompt in the Essay Topics document. You may use the course textbooks, scholarly articles, and the Bible as sources. Please include a title page and reference page.

Essay must include the following:

• At least 500 words in length.
• Must include at least 3 in-text or parenthetical citations in current APA format.
• The Entwistle textbook is the only required source and must be cited in the text and on the reference page.
• Direct quotes are not permitted.

Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.