Sartre

*n.b.-my treatment here is rather elementary and basic. A more thorough and academic answer to the questions and problems Sartre poses for Christians will follow in the future.

Recently I finished reading a lecture by Jean-Paul Sartre (noted French Existentialist) on Extistentialism and Humanism (and their corresponding ideas in French Existentialism). While I came away with a greater understanding of his approach to this, I also came away amazed that he didn't want to shoot himself in the head...so much of it, to me, was rather depressing. Simple enough theory-existence predates essence, and therefore man is constantly defining himself and the world around him (in a sense, as I understand it, always in creation of himself and others)...seems like a lot of responsibility to me (and undue stress...He argues that this makes us responsible, because of our individual choices, for mankind). All in all, rather depressing to me. Makes me glad that our beliefs aren't set up this way-that we were created with an essence, or simply-a purpose, in mind. Glorify God. That validates our existence. And that makes our decisions and actions much less stressful-we aren't, in every decision, responsible for all of mankind. And we aren't trapped by anguish, despair and abandonment...so all in, I'm pretty glad that God doesn't think like Sartre.