Post 5

Existentialism is the idea that existence comes before essence. An object is first thought up and has its purpose lined up for it before it is produced. Existentialists believe that the way each person chooses to live is in reality guiding the general people to live. Each person has the responsibility to make decisions that form the basis of what everyone else deems as being suitable or acceptable. They become social norms. The social norms are then what people live by. Kierkegaard is the "father of existentialism". He believes that there is a higher power than the social norms themselves. Kierkegaard acknowledges that God is the one that ultimately decides what is right or wrong. The Christian beliefs are based around the idea that God is the holiest being and has divine power as well as purity to know what is right or wrong. This knowledge is passed on to people through the Bible’s parables and Jesus himself. The churches aim to stick to the moral beliefs shown to humanity through the Bible and Jesus. Kierkegaard believes that God’s ideas of what is right and wrong out way the ideas of the social norms. He also believes that a person with Christian faith has the ability to become who they really are through their faith and the choices they make. He thinks that a person must understand morality before they can choose to be faithful. Kierkegaard based his ehtics on the fact that God is the ultimate judge of values. Christians live in a similar way. They also believe that God is the judge of what is right and wrong. Existenitalism is an idea that people create the social norms for others by making their personal choices. Kierkegaard's input to this was that God is present and the morals from God outweigh the social norms in society.