'David Hocking’s book The Nature of God in Plain Language Essay\r'

'It has to be said that the concept of religious belief has taken quite a lb in society in the ago twenty years. During this time we hurl seen a host of previously considered â€Å"credible” nation such(prenominal) as politicians, priests, childcare workers, teachers, babysitters and more(prenominal) exposed in the media as liars, cheats and criminals so is it any wonder that we efficacy hurl trouble believing in an entity that has neer actu solelyy been seen by anyone †someone the like beau ideal for example. David Hocking examines this issue of entrust in relation to faith in his retain The Nature of divinity fudge in plain Language.\r\n One of the key occurrenceors illustrated in Hocking’s book is the incident that the Bible take inably states that divinity fudge made man â€Å"in his own sign”, so and so graven image should be viewed as we qualification view other bulk slightly us, or perhaps more specifically in the way we view ourselves. Hocking makes it muster out that perfection is non some leap of â€Å"force” only if that sooner he jackpot be viewed to be a person like us, and therefore if we involve to learn more approximately God hence we trick learn round him through looking at ourselves. Hocking writes, â€Å"He possesses life, self-consciousness, freedom, purpose, intelligence and emotion” (65).\r\nOne of the problems that stems from this standstill is that many people walk approximately with a very low confidence of themselves so it qualification be troublesome to meet that while God is non ‘better’ than us, and therefore be considered as some paragon of perfection, he is an image of the very â€Å"best” that we could be to ourselves, for ourselves and to others. Hocking reinforces the fact about existence a â€Å" lifter of God” and points to the example of Abraham in the out of date Testament who is cited as world a person who did look upon God, and did consider God to be his fighter.\r\nWe are not open(a) of being friends with a force, or root word of higher power, which is why it is important for non-believers to understand that God does have elements of humanity, which we as human race share. But the outer space that is a lot perceive between God and man does facilitate perpetuate the elements of mistrust about God as a creator of life, God as a loving pay off and God as the keeper of all men, especially if our own experience with bank other human undivideds has left us so cynical or weary about the good in serviceman\r\nHocking believes that our growing cynicism is why trust is such an important concept when discussing a affinity with God. We should be able to trust our friends, our partners, and our family and this said(prenominal) trust needs to be shew in God if he is to set up a positive invite in our own lives.\r\nHocking illustrates the common problem we have as tru sting individual’s when he explains about a womanhood that had been ab physical exercised and let down continually by the authoritative people in her life including her parents that placed her in an institution, to friends and signifi locoweedt others she met throughout her life. If she had been let down by so many people in her life it would be virtually out of the question for her to consider that an unseen and un bopn friend like God could care for a person he had never physically met, at least in her eyes, and is manifestly unknown to her.\r\nHocking believes this lack of trust can be overcome through troika main factors that should be indicators of a whether or not a person might be certain. These three elements, telling the truth, doing what is decent and fair, and being reliable, should provide the standards we measure the accepted nature of our friends and family, and Hocking explains how these same three factors can influence the aim of trust we might have in God.\r\nThe Bible illustrates interminable examples of where God has proven himself in toll of these three measures of trustworthiness. Hocking describes God as being â€Å"morally pure” and therefore it would be im practical for God to lie, to be unfair or be someone that could not be depended on. Hocking refers to the Old Testament that showed how the people of Israel came to trust in God as they walked through the desert, and the New Testament that support the fact that God could be counted on as a faithful being and one who is always with us. If these ideas can be understood by an individual then with the passage of time it would be possible for all of us to trust in the one being that will never let us down.\r\nHocking’s sales booth on God being an accessible, trustworthy and righteous being, who can have influence on an individual in fresh life is not a rising concept, but intellect the importance of understanding ourselves so that we may understand God more clearly is not a common idea. Many religious found Churches strive to create a distance between God and man and use concepts such as man’s inclination to sin on humans and generally be considered unworthy in God’s eyes as a way to maintain that distance.\r\nThe fact that this distance between God and ourselves only serves the purpose of the Church as a governing body, rather than the individual is often overlooked by many theologians, but Hocking, despite his own religious affiliations, seeks to take down away the negative perceptions that the Church has upheld about man and God throughout the ages and instead paves the way for a life that can be had by any individual who could understand that God can be a friend in all sense of the word.\r\nThe one stumbling block to this level of understanding is the level of mistrust that is perpetuated in modern society between individuals and groups. The exchange premise of Hocking’s book is that to know G od we have to know ourselves; to understand God we have to understand ourselves as individuals and to trust in God, we need to trust in others and ourselves. Stripped of religious chew and forewarnings of doom and gloom that is often manifested by Church groups worldwide, Hocking’s book shows us that it is possible to have a kinship with our Lord, and that this relationship can be base on trust, regardless of the actions of others in our lives.\r\n whole shebang Cited\r\nHocking, David. The Nature of God in battlefield Language, Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1984\r\n'