The study of God is Theology and God is the Supreme Being. For a rich and extensive field, theology contains certain in its fundamental principles. Theology fills most of the humanities and stays as applicable as always since five centuries ago. Its devotion assists guarantee to a solid journey through a vital and extraordinary field of study. The fact that theology is the study of God, His words holds an authority and does make sense to Christianity. The doctrine in Christian theology is the biblical inspiration with all the concerns of the Bible’s divine origin; where in different groups have different ways to understand the meaning and details of the Biblical inspiration. A scriptural reflection on the human experience of embodiment connected as an erotic desire and longing for union is the theology of the body. Pope John Paul II teaches about the meaning of being a male and a female with respect to sexuality and desire; that is the theology of the body. A man that is alone is not good. the word of Genesis 2:18. The chapter of the book of Genesis is an introduction to the narrative of woman’s creation. The sense of original solitude with the narrative is part of the meaning of the original unity; it is the key point that seems to be precisely the words of Genesis.
The theology of the body is divided in two main parts. Firstly, Pope John Paul II builds up an adequate anthropology that is based on the Christ’s words. A person must look on his experience of embodiment in the beginning in order to have a total vision of man (Mathew 19:8), his history (Mathew 5: 27-28), and his destiny (Mathew 22: 30). Secondly, Pope John Paul II applies personal uniqueness in Christian humanism to vocations of celibacy and marriage. In addition, he includes the moral issue that is raised by Pope Paul VI, the encyclical Humanae Vitae; it is the Latin word of “Of Human Life” written by the Pope Paul VI himself.
What is Theology?
Theology is the study of God. God is the only Supreme Being in the entire world. Theology is originated from the Greek words, theos, that means God, and logos, that mean word. It has the richest traditions in all of academic world. The primary source in the study is the Holy Scripture. The Bible or the Holy Scripture is written by authors as guided by the Holy Spirit. The doctrine in Christian theology that concerns with the divine origin of the Bible and what the Bible teaches is a biblical inspiration. In the study of Christian theology, there are subcategories such as the study of God, the Holy Bible, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, man, the fall, salvation, demons, church, and events. In addition, Christian theology is to study God’s nature, will, and its application to individuals. The reason why Christian theology is the study of man is that God deals with humankind, loves humankind, and grants salvation. Through Christian theology, other religious systems are examined; the religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and the non-Christian cults such as Mormonism, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and more. Biblical interpretation or critical explanation, rational analysis, and arguments are used by Christian theologians. The arguments are used to explain, observe, comprehend, expound, review, protect, or uphold Christianity. One way for the theologian to understand better Christian belief is to study theology. Theology helps how to make evaluations between Christianity and other practices, protect Christianity against oppositions and disapproval, and assist improvements in the Christian church. In addition, theology helps in the promulgation of Christianity, represent on the resources of the Christian belief to deal with various current situation and needs of different other reasons. It preserves the work of the authors from error with no elimination on detailed apprehensions, circumstances, or methods. According to some disagreement, Biblical inspiration substantiates by examining the influence of the moral teaching of the Bible, which includes its prophecies and its fulfillment. Its confirmation is a Christian repentance. This maintains the influence of the church and the principle of inspiration is carried upon its counsels. The meaning and details of inspiration is understood by different groups in different ways. Evangelicals and Catholics genuinely see the Bible as the product of human creation guided by the Holy Spirit.
Theology of the Body
In the teaching of Pope John Paul II, in February 20, 1980, the body and it alone has the capability to make the invisible visible, the divine and spiritual visible as well. The visible reality of the world, the unseen anonymity concealed in God, thus to be a sign of it is created. This is the teaching about what male and female means with respect to desire and sexuality. In the body, people see God made visible because we are made in the image of God. The trinity or the three persons exist in a perpetual love and destined to share the love because God is love. Both male and female are created by God. The reason of this creation is that, people could image God’s love through a sincere gift with each other. People sexual love is destined to represent the unification of God in humanity according to Pope John Paul II.
Christ has made many sacrifices so that people become one flesh with him. First, He left his father in heaven. Second, He left the home of his mother on earth and last, He offers his body for the Church as His bride. The Eucharist as the sacrament of the bridegroom and bride is described by Pope John Paul II. In the beginning, God has made people, a male, and a female to express the relationship between man and woman; that is to live in a holy communion foreshadows the Holy spiritual union amid the Church and Christ. God desires to marry His people and to saturate the people with His divine life and lives with the people in an eternal exchange of love.
Pope John Paul II begins his teaching with Adam and Eve’s marriage in Genesis and it ends with Christ and the Church’s marriage. According to the Pope, the morals of the people are twisted at present because of the original sin. In order to have a happy life completely, people have to disregard media, companions, the entire society, and turn back the lusts to the beginning to the way people are created. God as Christ, the people’s Groom offers His complete love as a gift without restraint. While His Bride, the Church receives the gift and returns the complete gift to God without restraint. If the people are faithful and the gift is fruitful, it saturates the people with the love of God and His salvation. Both men and women image themselves with God. The man as a gift, offers himself to his wife faithfully; the wife receives the gift and in return offers the gift faithfully.
As the will of God, the man and the woman bears fruit or have a child of their own. In addition, this teaching applies to celibates, whom offer themselves as gift to God. For example, the priests are the fathers, the congregation, and children; if the gift is fruitful then the people grow in faith and true love. The Pope emphasizes that Christ did not come to impose restrictive rules, instead Christ did come to free the people from the rules; this is not to break the rules but to fulfill the rules freely. For example, if a person does not intend to murder anybody, then the person does not need the civil law or the commandment that says; “thou shall not kill.” Through a thorough understanding of the teachings about the body and sexuality, people find the rules in the Church as freedom to live a happy and abundant life and not a restriction to anybody.
References
The Catholic Premier (2013). The Theology of the Body by John Paul II: The Redemption of the
Body Retrieved from http://www.catholicprimer.org/papal/theology_of_the_body.pdf
SJ Curcillo (2013). The Theology of the Body. Retrieved from
http://www.sjcursillo.org/theology%20of%20the%20body.pdf
Concordia Theology. (2010). Theological Symposium and Day of Exegetical Reflection.
Retrieved from http://concordiatheology.org/2010/09/theological-symposium-and-day-of-exegetical-reflection-sept-20-22/
Concordia Theology. (2013). Theological Symposium. Retrieved from http://concordiatheology.org/2013/07/theological-symposium-sept-24-25-2013/
Christian theology also examines other religious systems such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as the non-Christian cults like Mormonism, the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., and compares them with Scripture because by knowing what is true about God we can identify what is false about other gods and beliefs.
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