...Christianity developed from the Jewish faith in the person and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. The Christian religion, as with the ancient Greek religion, was first generated through the oral tradition. Jesus was believed to be the only Son of God by the early Christians, and this belief has endured in the modern Christian world. The Holy Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testament, is the basic scripture for Christians, and although Christianity and Greek Mythology are very distinct, they are similar in many interesting ways. Statement of Purpose I am a Christian, and in writing this piece I am in no way saying that Christianity is a myth. It is my intention to point out how Greek mythology and Christianity are similar, and nothing more. It is interesting to learn how ancient people lived and worshiped, and psychology finds mythology useful in classifying modern modes of action. Three Major Ways Greek Mythology and Christianity are Similar Although the gods and heroes of Ancient Greece are not worshiped today, this ancient religion is still comparable to modern Christianity. Greek mythology and Christianity are similar in that they: (1) teach a moral way of life; (2) teach that a woman (Pandora or Eve) caused the downfall of mankind; (3) and both have a savior figure. Although Greek mythology and Christianity are similar, they differ in their concept of sacrifice, punishment, and doctrine, and I will discuss this in a separate piece. A Moral Way of Life To begin, Greek...
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...Religion to me is a part of everyday life. The decisions and judgments I make on a day-to-day basis are created based upon my upbringing and what religion I was taught being raised as a child, which is what was instilled in my parents from their parents and so on. I was raised Catholic and try my very best to attend Church on a weekly to monthly basis. I went through the ranks having been Baptized, First communized and Confirmed. I don’t consider myself a “religious” person in the sense that I am an avid member of the church, but I do believe there is a being that exists that looks over us. I think it’s important to have religious beliefs because in a time of need or desperation, there is a supreme being that you can instill your faith in and ask for help when needed. For me, Religion officially kicked in and made me a little bit more faithful during my time in the United States Air Force. From Basic training to deployments on the front line, Religion was something that gave me solace during concern and fear. Basic training was so in your face that on Sunday’s the military gave you some time for you to escape a few hours each day from the constant stresses the Training can provide. Sundays were a day that you looked forward to and each an every day, the harder you pressed on, the closer you were to a few measly hours of peace and quiet away from the Technical Instructors that wanted to make your life unbearable. Religion offered me a time then, to get closer in touch...
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...European publication: It is a rationalistic effort to use philosophy in order to "vindicate the ways of God to man" (l.16), a variation of John Milton's claim in the opening lines of Paradise Lost, that he will "justify the ways of God to man" (1.26). It is concerned with the natural order God has decreed for man. Because man cannot know God's purposes, he cannot complain about his position in the Great Chain of Being (ll.33-34) and must accept that "Whatever IS, is RIGHT" (l.292), a theme that would soon be satirized by Voltaire in Candide.[1] More than any other work, it popularized optimistic philosophy throughout England and the rest of Europe. Pope's Essay on Man and Moral Epistles were designed to be the parts of a system of ethics which he wanted to express in poetry. Moral Epistles have been known under various other names including Ethic Epistles and Moral Essays. On its publication, An Essay on Man met with great admiration throughout Europe. Voltaire called it "the most beautiful, the most useful, the most sublime didactic poem ever written in any language". In 1756 Rousseau wrote to Voltaire admiring the poem and saying that it "softens my ills and brings me patience". Kant was fond of the poem and would recite long passages of the poem to his students [2]. However later Voltaire renounced his admiration for Pope andLeibniz's optimism and even wrote a novel, Candide, as a satire on Pope and Leibnitz's philosophy of ethics. The essay, written in heroic couplets...
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...political theory and philosophy and poses acute questions about the basic moral foundations of liberal societies. Lord Plant focuses on the role that religious belief can and ought to play in argument about public policy in a pluralistic society. He examines the potential political implications of Christian belief and the ways in which it may be deployed in political debate. The book is a contribution to the modern debate about the moral pluralism of western liberal societies, discussing the place of religious belief in the formation of policy and asking what sorts of issues in modern society might be the legitimate objects of a Christian social and political concern. Raymond Plant has written an important study of the relationship between religion and politics which will be of value to students, academics, politicians, church professionals, policy makers and all concerned with the moral fabric of contemporary life. r ay m on d pl an t is Professor of European Political Thought at the University of Southampton and a Member of the House of Lords. He was a Home affairs spokesperson for the Labour Party from 1992 to 1996, and Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford, from 1994 to 2000. Lord Plant's main publications are Social and Moral Theory in Casework (1970), Community and Ideology: An Essay in Applied Moral Philosophy (1974), Hegel (1974), Political Philosophy and Social Welfare (with H. Lesser and P. TaylorGooby, 1979), Philosophy, Politics and Citizenship (with A. Vincent, 1983)...
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...Here I am on Earth trying to determine if the people here are religious or not?? Here I am on Earth trying to determine if the people here are religious or not. Three things I am looking for are prayer to a higher entity, sacrifice, and public acknowledgment of their god in ways other than prayer. The clues I am now assessing include people attending their houses of worship, people wearing crosses around their necks as jewelry, and people with their heads bowed in prayer. These people with their heads bowed in prayer have so many variations in their actions. Some people are at their dinner table praying, some people kneel on the ground in a line with other people five times per day to pray, and some bow their heads and put their hands together, and use a string of beads to pray with. The earthlings seem to practice sacrifice openly and variably. They are not, perhaps, killing a goat, burning it, and attempting to give it to the deity, but instead, people are sacrificing personal actions. The man who used to steal does not steal anymore, hoping this sacrifice will please his god. So it is with the woman who used foul words heavily in speech. She now, however, is trying to give up (sacrifice) her obscene language because she feels like she cannot reap the benefits of being a servant of her god if her language is not pure. She does not want to grieve her higher being, so she sacrificed her abhorrent language. Sacrifice occurs in Buddhism when practicing Sutra and one...
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...finding out who you are personally, what background you came from that makes you who you are. Also there’s national identity, if you are third generation born you may want to know what your first generation was like, here you can decide if you would like to revolve your life around that culture or step aside from it. Allowing you to live the lifestyles they have live & follow the religion they decided to follow. Personal identity comes in many forms, what we believe in a person, what we wear and what religion we are born into. We as people can be born into a religion in which we have the choice to abide by that religion or have no religion at all. Things like where you come from as far as your background in your family is more personal, but I believe it’s also determined who you are such as male and female. In some religions, not all, most women are born into a religion where they are expected to be pure and give their innocence to the God they praise. Men, in religious views, are built to uphold their women and provide for them no matter how hard the situation can be. This is dependent on their religion and their faithfulness lies within one woman or more than one woman. In my opinion personal identity and national identity coincide because national identity is a part of a person’s identity that belongs to a nation that share common beliefs. Relating back to Alvarez’s story “Once upon a Quinceanera” she explains how every Latino girl should have a quince because it’s a part...
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...Response • Recognize ways in which organized religion influences people’s lives. • Define common terms related to the study of religion. Week Two: Indigenous Sacred Ways • Describe the importance of relationships to indigenous religions. • Identify examples of roles and observances held sacred by indigenous peoples. Week Three: Hinduism • Describe the Hindu philosophical systems and forms of worship. • Explain the origins of Hinduism. Week Four: Buddhism • Explain the origins of Buddhism. • Describe Buddhism’s theological foundations and spiritual practices. Week Five: Daoism, Confucianism, and Judaism • Compare and contrast the theological foundations and spiritual practices of Daoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. • Explain the origins of Judaism. • Describe Judaism’s theological foundations and spiritual practices. Week Six: Christianity and Islam • Explain the origins of Christianity. • Explain the origins of Islam. Week Seven: Monotheistic Religions • Compare and contrast the theological foundations and spiritual practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Week Eight: New Religious Movements & Religion in the 21st Century • Compare and contrast new religious movements with well established religions. • Estimate the impact of religious pluralism and the interfaith movement on the future of organized religion. Week Nine: Making Connections • Communicate with people of different religions about their beliefs and practices. Course...
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...How can we answer questions about creation and origins? Learning from religion and science: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Humanism – Year 9 About the unit This unit suggests activities that can be used in teaching and learning about creation and origins. It can be adapted to local circumstances and for different age groups. It illustrates the provision of the non-statutory national framework for religious education (RE) and can be used or adapted to deliver an agreed syllabus or other guidelines. This unit focuses on creation and origins of the universe and human life and the relationship between religion and science. It aims to deepen pupils’ awareness of ultimate questions through argument, discussion, debate and reflection and enable them to learn from a variety of ideas of religious traditions and other world views. It explores Christianity, Hinduism and Islam and also considers the perspective of those who do not believe there is a god (atheists). It considers beliefs and concepts related to authority, religion and science as well as expressions of spirituality. Pupils have opportunities to discuss, question and evaluate important issues in religion and science. They also have opportunities to reflect on and evaluate their own beliefs and values, and the beliefs and values of others, in relation to questions of truth and purpose. This unit can be adapted for other religions – using responses from other religious traditions to the key questions, including accounts...
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...When people ask me about my religious background, I often describe myself as growing up Jewish but that I’m currently “between religions at the moment.” If that response peeks the asker’s interest, I will usually go on to say I’m an Agnostic Theist and explain that while I hold the belief that there maybe some divine supreme dude or dudette (or something else entirely) watching over me, I just don’t know who or what they are just yet. I grew up in what I would describe now as a Humanistic Jewish family. We identified ourselves as Jews in the sense of culture and history but attending temple or practicing Judaism’s religious customs were a rare occasions. I attended Hebrew school not as a matter of learning about faith, but preparing for my Bar Mitzvah. In fact, the last time I spoke Hebrew was at my Bar Mitzvah. Still, not being content with being told by others what to believe, I did explore what it meant to be a Jew to some extent. Even today, I consider a part of myself Jewish in a historical sense, just not in a religious sense. I have a deep respect and curiosity for religious faith and sometimes feel a little envious of those who have found and settled on their spiritual path. From my observations, religion can be valuable tool in shaping someone’s overall wellbeing and sense of connection with those around them. Organized religious faith does help quite few people find meaning in their lives and provides avenues for deep personal growth. This is wonderful thing....
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...I am a person with strong morals who desires to do the right thing to the entire humanity. My life challenges and experience since childhood have given me an opportunity to develop a good understanding of the person I am. I believe that all people deserve just treatment and equal opportunities irrespective of their background. In addition, I value hard work, honest, commitment and kindness which are sometimes so hard to be achieved in the current society. This essay may not be in a position to comprehensively define who I am because as I grow there is the unfolding of my character due to dynamic nature of life. However, it will capture in details the overall perception of my life and the relations that I have with other people in the society.I am the second born in a family of two siblings and my parents. The environment of my upbringing was a typical of strict parents who did not leave anything to chance. My siblings and I were to live strictly by what they said and any deviation could earn us a thorough disciplinary action. I was supposed to be home very early and avoid any collusion with my colleagues at school and the neighborhood. My father always warned me that he should never hear that I ever quarreled with any person. He would advice me settle any disagreements in a consultative and if need be I inform the authorities. On the other hand, my mother taught me the values of being honest and trustworthy. She could tell me that I should never lie to anybody in order to get...
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...THE HANDY RELIGION AN SWE R BOOK JOHN RENARD Detroit The Handy Religion Answer Book™ C O P Y R I G H T © 2002 BY VI S I B LE I N K PRE SS® This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper. All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended. Visible Ink Press® 43311 Joy Rd. #414 Canton, MI 48187-2075 Visible Ink Press and The Handy Religion Answer Book are trademarks of Visible Ink Press LLC. Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, at www.visibleink.com or (734) 667-3211. Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski Typesetting: Graphix Group Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Renard, John, 1944The handy religion answer book / John Renard. p. cm. ISBN 1-57859-125-2 (pbk.) 1. Religions--Miscellanea. I. Title. BL80.2 .R46 2001 291--dc21 Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved ...
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...shortly after MTC enforced the new production shift policy in January 2009, which included rotating weekend shifts (Saturday and Sunday). Sendak bases her claim upon the position [that] as a Seventh Day Adventist, Saturdays are considered “religious holy days” and the enforcement of such a policy by MTC subjected her to religious discrimination. Applicable Legal Principles to the Claim After consultation with MTC’s Human Resources and Legal Counsel, the following Equal Employment Opportunity Commission legal and regulatory requirements have been cited as applicable to the claim: 1. Under Title VII, it is unlawful for employers to discriminate against an applicant or employee (or former employee), based upon that person’s “race, color, religion, sex or national origin or protected activity”. 1 2. “Religious discrimination involves treating a person (applicant or employee) unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs”2 or practices, where the person’s moral or ethical beliefs influences their ideals (principles of right and wrong), which may be upheld by traditional views.3 3. In order to remain in compliance with the laws enforced by the EEOC, it is the employer’s responsibility to “reasonably accommodate the religious practices of the employee (or prospective...
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...Religious Field Research Joe Carter Bob Andrews Religion 212 June 4, 2012 Report on Religious Field Research Religion is defined by Brodd (2003) as a collection of beliefs concerning the existence of nature, the purpose of the universe, the existence of human beings, and deities. Religion is usually related to the cultural beliefs systems, which are connected to humankind, spirituality, and the moral values. There are different types of religions in the world that have different signs, beliefs, descriptions, ethnicity, and, sanctified accounts that explain the meaning and origin of life and the universe. Through the accounts ideas, principals, morals, sacred laws, and the way of life are generated in addition to the existence of the universe and the human nature. Examples of religions include Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and atheism. Among all the religions, atheism tends to be different from the others as it is not similar from any of the others. I watched a program on atheist and this encouraged me to conduct a research on atheism through interviewing an atheist and through books to gain a complete understanding of atheism. According Neilson (1985), atheism is said to have a great connection in the lack of beliefs of God’s existence. This situation occurs due to a purposeful choice of not believing or from a natural failure to believe the religious teachings of a certain religion, which literally seems unbelievable. For the...
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...job of focusing on R.S. Thomas and his poetry. This source also allows readers information they might not have known about the poet. For instance although he was of Welsh nationalism he wrote in English because he wasn’t comfortable enough to write poetry in his native tongue. The article briefly touches on different time frames in the poets’ life and doesn’t stay on one topic too long. By using that approach the author was able to move quickly along and give a little background history that might make a reader understand more about the man behind the poems and why he wrote them with so much intensity and passion. David E. Anderson: “R.S. Thomas: Poet of the Cross” Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Web 20 April 2011. This article shows a different perspective of R.S. Thomas and his poetry. The main focus is religion and what his poems mean to the religious community. There are a few poems the author has chosen to use as examples, “In a Country Church” and “In Church”. Some of the poetry used is very powerful, beautiful and complex. The source talks about Thomas’ priesthood...
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...Morally Sound In the article “Some moral Minima,” Lenn Goodman argues that moral actions, which in which come with alternative motives, are the only meaningful actions. Looking for attention and praise from after doing something that is morally right in itself takes away from the act from the beginning. To disagree with the opinion of Goodman would raise an argument of human nature and reasoning. Goodman argues that certain things are without a doubt wrong. In my personal opinion, Goodman is absolutely correct. Things like slavery, polygamy, and incest are just a few of the long list of things that Goodman argues are in fact wrong. Goodman starts her argument by saying a phrase that kept playing in my mind over and over again as I read her arguments for moral and relativism. She said, “certain things are simply wrong” (insert citation). Arguing with the Goodman in her efforts to explain how some things are certainly wrong would be nearly impossible. Killing just to kill, or raping an individual for instantaneous desire, or taking the rights of an individual for prosperity is just plain wrong. By debating that everyone person whether it be man, woman, or child wants the desire to live and be free without the free of not being understood or to be judged based on things that are not morally correct. I believe that all individuals are equal and should have the right to be treated and create their own lifetime of joy. People who violate the moral compass,...
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