INTEGRATION PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

Description: This paper is the capstone project of the course, and it will describe your approach to the relationship between psychology and Christianity. You will classify your approach and note the strengths (3) and limitations (3) of your view as well as reflect on different factors that led to your position.

Purpose: This course has presented several models of the relationship between Christian faith and the discipline of psychology. Your view of the relationship between psychology and Christian faith will guide your practice of psychology, both professionally and personally. This paper provides an explicit avenue for you to articulate a coherent view of the relationship between psychology and Christianity.

Details:
1. Papers will be graded on the quality of thinking, defense, organization, clarity, and grammar…not on whether you agree with the instructor’s position.
2. Begin with an introductory paragraph that describes the importance of examining the relationship between psychology and Christianity. The last sentence of the introduction must be your thesis statement that guides the rest of your paper.
• Example: Upon consideration of the evidence from various disciplines of study, it seems like the (model chosen) best captures the relationship between psychological science and Christian faith.
3. In writing about your position (you will need to classify your approach), be sure to touch on the following (and remember to cite Entwistle and Johnson when you use their ideas):
• What methods of knowing are appropriate for Christians and why (this will actually help you classify your approach);
• A thorough description of the model and how it views the relationship between psychology and Christianity;
• How your model views the two books concept;
• Strengths of the model (at least three);
• Limitations of the model (at least three); be sure to include critiques offered by those who hold other positions; and
• Remember to use transition statements as you move from one main idea to the next.
4. End with a conclusion.
5. Avoid using 1st person.

Paper format:
• Paper text must be 5 pages, excluding references, title page, and abstract.
• Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1” margins.
• Sections:
o Title page
o Abstract on separate page, mentioning thesis and summary of the paper. To get the maximum points, be sure to clearly mention the thesis and provide a summary of the main ideas and conclusions.
o Body (5 pages): See above; must use APA headings
o References:
? Make sure to use current APA format.
Be sure to cite Entwistle, Johnson, and the Bible (but remember that the Bible does not appear in the References section).
• Check the current APA style manual for details.
• You must use Microsoft Word.

The two books used for the class: “Integrative Approaches To Psychology and Christianity” by: David N. Entwistle “Psychology and Christianity Five Views” by: Eric L Johnson

Sample Solution

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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