...The Divine Comedy represents the mature Dante’s solution to the poet’s task annunciated in The New Life. Its three canticles (the Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso) display a nearly limitless wealth of references to historical particulars of the late Middle Ages and to Dante’s life. Even so, its allegorical form allows these to function as symbols. The Pilgrim’s journey through Hell to Heaven thus becomes an emblem of all human experience and a recognition of life’s circularity. The “Comedy” of its title is, therefore, the situation of life and the accumulation of experience that attends it. Correspondingly, however, chronological placement of the narrative from Good Friday through Easter Sunday, 1300, particularizes the experience even as it implies the death and rebirth that attends a critical stage of any person’s life. The poet tells his readers in the first line of the Inferno that he is midway through life, and indeed Dante would have been thirty-five years of age in 1300. Though he maintains present tense throughout the poem, he is, however, actually writing in the years that follow the events that he describes. This extraordinary method allows the Poet to place what amounts to prophetic utterance in the mouth of the Pilgrim. Dante thus maintains and further develops the thesis of The New Life, that the progress of the Pilgrim corresponds directly to the progress of the Poet. The literal journey that the Pilgrim undertakes toward the Beatific Vision succeeds only...
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...DAY OF JUDGMENT By Amr Khaled Start thinking about Judgment Day! But I don't want to be just telling stories, I want you to start imagining, with all your senses that you are there now. I'll try as hard as I can to draw a picture just as if you were really standing there. But please, forget that I am giving a lecture now, I'm not. We are just sitting together, imagining together what will happen on Resurrection Day (Judgment Day). My aim today is not to scare you. My aim is to tell you the facts about that day. How will it begin? "The Trumpet will just be sounded, when all that are in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except such as it will please Allah (to exempt). Then a second one will be sounded, when, behold, you will be standing and looking on!" "The trumpet shall be sounded, when behold! From the sepulchers (men) will rush forth to their Lord!" Today we will only speak about one topic– the standing on resurrection day waiting for judgment. After the trumpet is blown, your body parts start to join together, and your bones start to merge once more. Your brain starts thinking, your eyes open and you start to have life back again. Imagine what this great blow will do? It will bring back all the sand of earth that you were made from thousands of years ago. Imagine the greatness and power of this blow? The trumpet width is like the width of earth and skies together. Your grave cracks and opens from the mightiness of the blow. Are you visualizing this great...
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...Ingmar Bergman’s film, Seventh Seal, reflects his views on life in an allegorical fashion. Bergman utilizes the setting of a medieval, plague-ridden landscape to metaphorically investigate the existence of god and meaning of life. The film follows the knight, Antonius, as he returns from the Crusades with his squire, Jöns. Bergman uses black and white to enhance the mood. The film’s vivid imagery and powerful score challenge the viewer to interpret the film’s messages and assign them meaning. The film investigates the deepest philosophical questions of humanity. Compared with Akira Kurosawa’s film, Ikiru, the Seventh Seal expresses a darker outlook on the world. Bergman’s cinematic masterpiece remains a relevant work of art in a world that struggles to address the deepest questions of religion and the phenomena of simply being alive. Seventh Seal begins with a shot of the heavens as a powerful orchestrated piece of music plays. A passage from the Book of Revelation is recited, "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour," (Revelation 8:1). Antonius and Jöns lie on a beach of pebbles. The land is framed proportional to the sky, juxtaposing the kingdoms of heaven and earth. A chess set sits to the right of Antonius. The camera pans away from him, zooming in on the chess pieces. It symbolically equates Antonius as a piece of the game. A man cloaked in black approaches, revealing himself to be death. He states that...
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...wSelf Interview Throughout this course, I get to understand and become stronger with my core of belief after interview myself with my Christian worldview learning. The learning includes characteristic of God and who He is, the nature of this universe, the human being and what happen to us when we dies, the question of right and wrong, the purpose or pointless of our life, or the consistency of our worldview of each of us or through life-changing. If we want to know or question who is God? Rather try to prove of His existence, we learn who He is through the nature, the work of God, and through his character. All of His characteristic show in omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, justice, love, immutability, and in the Names of God. For example, through nature God exist everywhere and anywhere (Psalm 139:7-12), He is infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), and knows everything (Isaiah 40:28). We might not able to understand of His Works, but He created the world (Genesis 1:1) and judge the world (Revelation 20:11-15). Through the Bible, we know some characteristics of God such as loving, truthful, show compassion, mercy, judges in, and offers forgiveness. As Jesus Christ said “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), why question Jesus identity is so important? The most important is that Jesus is the God, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2), if not for his death we would not have been able...
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...Assignment-sk ‘. . . if we admit the existence of a higher or permanent Ego in us -- which Ego must not be confused with what we call the "Higher Self," we can comprehend that what we often regard as dreams, generally accepted as idle fancies, are, in truth, stray pages torn out from the life and experiences of the inner man, and the dim recollection of which at the moment of awakening becomes more or less distorted by our physical memory. The latter catches mechanically a few impressions of the thoughts, facts witnessed, and deeds performed by the inner man during its hours of complete freedom. For our Ego lives its own separate life within its prison of clay whenever it becomes free from the trammels of matter, i.e., during the sleep of the physical man. This Ego it is which is the actor, the real man, the true human self. But the physical man cannot feel or be conscious during dreams; for the personality, the outer man, with its brain and thinking apparatus, are paralyzed more or less completely. -- Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge, p. 50 Thus,Sleep and death are brothers, according to the old Greek proverb. However, comments G. de Purucker that” they are not merely brothers, born of the same fabric of human consciousness, but are in all verity one, identical. Death is a perfect sleep, with its interim awakenings of a kind, such as in the devachan, and a full human awakening in the succeeding reincarnation. Sleep is an imperfect fulfilment of death, nature's prophecy...
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...modeling and the use of light. The Last Judgment has a large image of Christ in Majesty in the center and by using a raking scale he is larger than the rest of the characters showing his importance. He has a golden yellow tone mandorla which symbolized the coming together of the heavens and earth. Above Him is the army of Angels waiting for Jesus’ judgment. The twelve apostles sit to His left and right. There are two levels divided into the heavens that are painted above Him, and souls that are plunged into the mouth of hell below Him. As you can see Jesus' right hand gestures towards heaven, the blessed are rising up into heaven, and Jesus’ left hand gestures downwards towards hell which the damned are being thrown into the pits of hell for an eternity of suffering, seeing this shows movement in the painting. The painters humor is shown in the tiny soul hiding behind the Cross trying to sneak from hell over to the heavenly side. These characters have more depth than in art of the past. The images of Jesus and of the devil are the most realistic in this piece. They are more rounded than the other individuals who help to instantly draw our eyes to the two most important aspects of the painting, heaven and hell. The painting best fits under the Representational...
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...APOL 104 Week 3 WORLDVIEW Part I The meaning of the term worldview seems self-evident an intellectual perspective on the world or universe. The general beliefs that are my worldview shape not only how I see the world, but also profoundly influence the particular beliefs I come to hold, the judgments and decisions I make. A worldview is built throughout an individual’s lifetime and is comprised of what the individual has seen, heard, learned, and experienced. Part II 1. Christians believe that mankind was created by one and only sovereign God (Genesis 1:27). The Christians worldview maintains that god created the world and everything in it. God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning (Genesis 1:1). God is also sovereign in that he has the power to create the universe in the first place, but also intervene in history to bring about his purposes, as in raising Jesus from the dead. 2. The Christian worldview accepts that mankind is a unique and creation of God. Christians believe that man was made in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). We know that we are God’s own creation and we are set apart from others and ideas such as evolution and then given authority over all of the earth (Genesis 1:28). God intended that mankind would care for both the livestock and plant life. 3. Meaning and purpose are defined and provided by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and rise from the tomb 3 days later. Christians believe that mankind exists to glorify...
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...Belief in Heaven and Hell Christopher Shane Inlow CGD218: Visual Literacy in Business Professor Felicia Maxwell October 31, 2010 I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement II. Religion and History A. Definition Heaven and Hell B. Heaven and Hell in many religions. III. Heaven, Hell, and Culture Influence A. Cultures around the world B. C. IV. Conclusion Heaven and Hell, the belief in the existence of both realms has influenced human society throughout history and most likely before recorded history. “Many people follow a religion because it promises them happiness in life or in some kind of life after death, or they believe it will save them from eternal damnation. The prospect of an afterlife also offers hope to those who suffer in this life.” (World Book, 2010). After life is a thought process that helps eleminate the fear of nothingness that often accompanies the thought of death. This life is often seen as a precursor to eternity. Many view this life as a test. The score determines where the after life will be spent, Heaven or Hell. Religion and the concept of an afterlife has affected and been affected by both culture and history. The belief in Heaven and Hell has been held and is still held today by various cultures and religious sects. Therefore, the definition and name of the afterlife are influenced by the respective culture or religious affiliation it belongs too. The religious...
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...Visions of Heaven and Hell CONTENTS 1. Planning Suicide 2. Beyond the Sun and Stars 3. Elijah Explains 4. The Happiness of Heaven 5. We Shall Know Each Other 6. Conducted to Hell 7. The Tortures of Hell 8. A Lost Soul Speaks 9. Further Conversations 10. An Atheist in Hell Chapter 1: Planning Suicide When evil persons have gone in a life of sin, and find that they have reason to fear the just judgment of God, they begin at first to wish there were no God to punish them. Then little by little they persuade themselves that there is no God, and look for arguments to back their opinion. I had the unhappiness to know someone like this, who would always be telling me there was neither God nor devil, and no heaven or hell. It was with fear and trembling that I first heard him speak about these topics, but he spoke of them so often that I felt I must consider what he said. From this time I found my mind so confused that I could not remember the truths about God which had appeared so clear to me before. I could not think there was no God but with the greatest horror, yet I questioned the truth of His being. I would not have parted with my hope of heaven for all the riches of the world, yet now I was not sure whether there was any such place. In my confusion I went to my false friend to see what comfort he could give me. He only laughed at my fears and pretended to pity my weakness. His talks only made me more confused, until life became a burden to me. It is impossible to tell you the...
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...constantly changing unlike the immaterial world. Hence, bodily existence is less perfect than disembodied existence. Christianity also believes in an immortal soul and that death is a transition to disembodied existence, however it carries the idea that this disembodied state is temporary until the act of resurrection performed by God (he creates a new body for the soul). Thus Christians believe the human person is mortal and death is the extinction of consciousness, but at resurrection God re-creates the person, raising the person from the dead to continue its embodied state. Christianity holds the view of predestination, the idea of salvation where one receives everlasting life in heaven. Salvation is due to god; a human can do nothing to bring about their own salvation and is saved (goes to heaven and not hell) only if God saves them. It’s impossible to change your...
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...three of these groups are similar in that they believe that upon death the soul will face judgment for his or her actions while on earth, they each have their different perception of when and how it will happen. These in-between states mentioned above are classified into two planes, Heaven and Hell, within the New Testament. Even though Hades appears in both the New Testament and in the Revelation, to express the concept of hell, the idea of hell does not derive from the place in Greek mythology that is the underworld the place of the dead. This is due to the fact that it is a place that consists of the undead both good and bad. Therefore to better understand hell one talk’s about Tartarus a place in the underworld even lower than Hades were the wicked go. Hell is described to be a place or state, were souls who have not repented for their sins and/or have rejected Jesus Christ as their savior, suffer eternal damnation. In biblical teachings it is said that the soul passes into hell after God has judged them irredeemable for their actions while on earth. Hades also consist of Elysium, a utopia were those who have lived worthy lives go. This is known as the kingdom of God or Kingdom of heaven, discussed mostly in Revelations in the New Testament. It is considered a place or state that is inherited by the righteous a place of paradise and eternity with god. Although the...
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...The play unfolds as he wrestles with his own qualities, whether they be good or evil. The way Everyman reacts to these qualities is impressive as they morally obligate him to do good or tempt him to do evil. Everyman can be pulled towards Heaven or Hell and it is not until Death knocks at his door that he begins to follow the path towards Heaven. Every character represents a different characteristic of the main character, Everyman. The characters are symbolic. For example, Beauty, Strength, and Discretion are some different characteristics that were expressed in Everyman. It is true that these characteristics make up a person, but they are not the most important. The most important characteristic in a person is doing good deeds. Knowledge also makes up who a person can be. Everyman had many important characteristics in his life, but, when Everyman went to the afterlife, the only thing that went with him was his knowledge, and good deeds. Death was an important character in Everyman. Death symbolized a messenger of God. He was the figure that went down to earth to retrieve Everyman and take him to the afterlife. Death was a significant part of Everyman because he motivated Everyman to find something to accompany him on his eternal journey to heaven or to hell. All of the characters that Everyman pleads with to be his companion forsake him. Only one character, Good Deeds, holds true to his word to accompany Everyman. When Everyman makes his reckoning to God, his good deeds are the...
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...Greece. These poems depicted the events and the ideas of the time they were written in. One such epic poem was Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Written in the early fourteenth century the Divine Comedy takes on an allegoric view of the Christian and of the political beliefs held by Dante at the time. Dante was part of a political group in Italy known as the White Guelphs, who favored the Pope as leader over the Holy Roman Emperor. This held influence in the Divine Comedy. In trying to get these ideas out the people Dante wrote the epic poem in the vernacular of the Italian people. The Divine Comedy is centered on Dante and his two guides. The poem takes the reader on a journey with Dante and his guides through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. This is accomplished through the poem being broken up into three main canticles. Each one of these canticles contains thirty-three cantos. The number three is an important Christian symbol as it symbolizes the Trinity. This is important to Dante in his poem due to his religious beliefs. As the reader gets a literal description on Dante’s travels, the reader symbolically gains insight on how people viewed the progression of a person’s soul toward God. The first canticle is about Dante’s and his guide, Virgil’s, descent through the ten circles of Hell. As they descend through Hell the reader learns about the 10 circles. The deeper in Hell the worse your sin is considered. The sins that represented the circles included lust, gluttony...
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...The Wolf of Wall Street: A Sermon on Luke Luke 16: 19-31 depicts Jesus telling a parable directed to those who view themselves as loftier than others. Jesus discusses two men in his story- a man named Lazarus and a rich man. One man leads a comfortable life, while the other struggles through poverty. The parable teaches us the way the men live their lives on earth will affect their lives after death. One man resides with Jesus in the kingdom of God, while the other suffers in Hades. The ultimate message of this parable is that not everyone is rewarded with the kingdom of God, but only those who follow Moses, the prophets, and him. This message is applicable in everyday life and is demonstrated in many modern day situations, such as those that arise in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. Jesus’s message not only applies to the rich man and Lazarus, but to every one of us in our daily lives. To put this in perspective for younger minds, I have examined Luke 16: 19-31 in the popular movie The Wolf of Wall Street, a comedy that dramatizes life of a stockbroker who is obsessed with greed and money. In the beginning of the film, the main character, Jordan Belfort, starts a career on Wall Street and loses his job soon after on Black Monday. At this point of the movie, he is unaware of the “rules” of Wall Street, representing a character of humility, innocence, and modesty. He starts from the bottom, digging for jobs and finds one selling low value stock by deceiving his customers...
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...our children? What is He saying? Jesus was speaking to the crowd about discipleship. He was stressing the importance of putting God first above everyone, including family. Humans have a tendency to idolize their family and so he was saying that anyone that would become Jesus’ disciple must count the cost and it is supremely high and if a believer is to trust in Christ, they should renounce everyone and everything for His sake, even family. When Jesus was speaking to the crowd one man told him that his mother and brothers wanted to see Him but Jesus said “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matt 12:48-50). The point Jesus was making about hating our own family was that in comparison to him, we must love him above all everyone, and if need be, renounce them for his sake. What Jesus is...
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