Religion Class At Nazareth College Essay - 909 Words

Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.† Prior to taking my Exploring Religion class at Nazareth College, I will admit that I was pretty religiously ignorant, even in the religion that I identify with! It was not that I did not want to learn about religions, I just was never very motivated to do my own research, and because these topics are so touchy in schools, we never went in depth, in high school. I am beyond thankful that a religious studies class is a requirement at Nazareth because after taking it, I feel that it is very important to be educated on religion as it is so controversial in our society, today. Preunderstanding as defined by Robert VanVoorst is, the existing state of one’s understanding of a topic before a new experience that calls for interpretation. Our preunderstanding changes and grows as we learn new things and alter our beliefs over time. Personally, my preunderstanding was challenged almost everyday in this class, but with that my knowledge of religion grew. The basis of religion is the beliefs and practices of a community and what that community must do in order to live a life of meaning, purpose and fulfilment. Questions that religions seek to find that answers to include; Why am I here? What does it mean to be human? How can what is wrong in the world - and in me be corrected? Where am I - and the rest of the world going? Although the roots and goals of many religions seem to be practically theShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Societies Of Today And The Environment921 Words   |  4 PagesIndividual Major, during the Junior and Senior years at Emmanuel College, I aspire to attend Environmental Forum provided every spring by Colleges of Fenway. As a capstone experience I foresee myself undergoing an internship in a locally based Education Outreach Program2. On this matter, I would like to accentuate that driven by my interest I am already participating in the Urban Food Project, the current project that Emmanuel College is conducting with a financial support of New Balance FoundationRead More What is Religion Essay1321 Words   |  6 Pages World Religion What is Religion? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;According to the American College Dictionary, religion is a noun defined as the quest for the values of the ideal life. This definition is vast and general, allowing for a variety of interpretations by people from all cultures. There is no single path to follow in order to lead an ideal life, only personal beliefs and experiences. Religion is non-finite so there is no way of determining a boundary (Smart, 5). In my quest for a trueRead MoreLongfellow- Writing Incorporates Religion1470 Words   |  6 Pagesdepression as a reaction to his wives deaths. During these times of sorrow, Longfellow turned to his faith which helped him move through the mourning process. In Longfellow s pre-poet days, he served as a priest and went to college attending a religious class. Longfellow took his religion seriously, and expressed his fealty through his work. Christus, although thin and disorganized, was Longfellow s attempt at a religious epic. Longfellow loosely employs the virtues of faith, hope and charity as theRead MoreQ1) How Did You Come To Faith In Christ?. My Earliest Memory1372 Words   |  6 Pageswhat he and his family believed. One day, during morning break, I went to the school library and picked up a copy of the Bible. I tried to read the first few verses of Genesis and immediately got bored. Strangely, I can remember sitting in History class thinking about Genesis 1:3, I can’t remember what I thought the verse meant, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. At age 16 I began to write poetry. I thought poetry could be helpful form of self-expression, especially in an attempt to find theRead MoreThe Origins Of Western Civilization1547 Words   |  7 Pagesworld. Their devilment began with a great sense of competition among social classes, individuals and cities, as every Greek tried to gain advantage over the other Greek. Competition extended to every aspect of Greek life, including politics, warfare, religion, athletics and art. (Book) Greek life revolved around the polis, or city-state. â€Å"The polis arose from the Dark Ages which followed the fall of the Mycenaean civilization in Greece and by the 8th century BCE a major process of urbanization had begunRead MoreSocial And Cultural Interactions Of Diversified Population Of New Yorkers1994 Words   |  8 Pagesthe world, versus just the United States. Accordingly, since I began attending Vaughn College, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of cultures from friends and classmates. More importantly, I have been introduced to religions that I most likely would not have known about, if I was back at my home in Philadelphia. For example, one of my best friends and roommate at Vaughn College is Muslim. Before I came to Vaughn, I had little idea what the Islamic faith consistedRead MoreJane Addams in Action Essay3556 Words   |  15 Pagesenemy of wrong and of wrong doing. He was a leader as well as a safe and fearless advocate in right things in public life (Davis 26).† Addams’ life was also shaped by her womanhood. As a member of one of the first generations of women to attend college, Addams was confused and frustrated by the possible paths she could take in life. She was highly educated and privileged but lacked any useful enterprise to pursue (Brown 213). Additionally, she believed that, as a woman, she had a responsibilityRead MoreMy First Memory Of A Young Girl1955 Words   |  8 PagesI wrote was called ‘the Day of Judgement’ based on an End times DVD I found at my grandmother’s house. I posted the poem on Facebook and it was well received by my college friends. Looking back I’m surprised that my non-Christian friends could praise a poem about eternal judgement. During this time, a girl from my Year 11 English class got in touch via Facebook. We had spoken quite a bit in the past, particularly about our mutual love for the Harry Potter series, but this recent interaction was strangeRead MoreFactors Affecting the Career Choice of Senior High School Students9169 Words   |  37 Pages_____________________ Date Signed Date Signed Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Education CESARA. LIMBAGA JR., Ph.D. Collge Dean College of Agricultural Sciences Southern Philippines Agri – Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), Matti, Digos City ____________________ Date Signed CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction Career choice is one

Climate Change The World Of Politics - 870 Words

Recently President Barack Obama recently unveiled what he described as â€Å"the biggest most important step we’ve ever taken to fight climate change†. Americas clean power plan sets a series of guidelines, rules and regulations to cut the amount of carbon emissions from our nations power plants. (AFP) â€Å"We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the Greenhouse Effect. It may not take much to destabilize the earth’s climate, to convert this heaven our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell†- Carl Sagan (Sagan) Climate change has become one of the most hotly debated topics in the world of politics in recent years. It is an issue that if not addressed by the global community could lead to a much harsher world for our descendants. One side will argue that climate change is merely a natural process that our planet goes through over time, and human beings have little to no effect on these atmospheric changes. The other side would argue that through the increased use of fossil fuels (fuels derived from the remains of long dead plants, algae and other organisms compressed over millions of years into coal or oil) in recent decades is the main contributor of carbon dioxide (CO2 a naturally occurring gas vital to life with the ability to absorb and redirect heat from the sun back to the surface of the earth) increases since the start of the industrial revolution. So what is climate change? Why was it so cold last winter if climate change is real? Well looks likeShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Global Politics1523 Words   |  7 PagesWhat do you believe to be the most pressing issue in global politics today? â€Å"Climate change is a large-scale, long-term shift in the planet s weather patterns or average temperatures† . 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Endurance of the Human Spirit Free Essays

Endurance Of The Human Spirit The Iliad and the movie Precious, based on the novel Push by Saphire, both share a common theme where the main characters depict an uncommon endurance of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Although in The Iliad, war is horrible and bloody, the spirit of Achilles is never broken by this adversity because, like Precious, who suffers physical, mental, and sexual abuse at the hands of her parents, their human spirit is the driving force behind their desire to overcome their challenges. As a result, the endurance of their human spirit is strengthened and they emerge victorious. We will write a custom essay sample on Endurance of the Human Spirit or any similar topic only for you Order Now These two characters reflect the uncommon strength of the human spirit because when their body is defeated, or their mind is loaded with emotion, this drive within them pushes their limits. A character analysis of Achilles and Precious is farfetched because they are two very distinct characters in two very different worlds. According to Greek Mythology Achilles’ character existed long before the biblical Jesus Christ. This means he lived more than 3000 years ago, whereas Precious, is a an illiterate, obese 16-year-old girl with two children who lives in the New York City ghetto of Harlem. However, these two distinct characters have commonality when we look beyond their physical being and look within their souls. Here, Achilles and Precious possess an unyielding human spirit that serves as an engine that keeps them moving forward in the face of impossibility. From a superficial analysis, Achilles and Precious are both warriors in their own ways. It is obvious that Achilles is a warrior because he is one who fights in the armies of Kings and battles enemies for gain. He is no ordinary fighter, but a fearless and skilled one who is recruited for his physical strength and success. Agamemnon enlists him to fight for his army when he goes to war with the Trojans because he is aware of his exceptional skill. Therefore, in his own eyes and in the eyes of others, Achilles is a warrior. This characterization is not as obvious when we analyze Precious. Precious is a warrior even though she does not know it and others do not regard her as one. She became a warrior because she was born into a family of physical and sexual abuse. At the age of 3, her father started to sexually abuse her and her mother’s constant humiliation only served to degrade her. However, it was due to this unfortunate circumstance the she developed into a warrior. Precious is battling her drug addicted, alcoholic, and emotionally unstable mother. In the movie there is a scene where she is at the top of the stairs in her home, with her mother below tossing a pan at her while telling her that she is â€Å"stupid bitch (Precious). † In this case, her parents are the enemies she has to defeat to survive. This can destroy you unless you have a strong will. Each has a reason to develop a drive to prevail. It is this strong desire to overcome in the face of physical impossibilities that sets them apart from ordinary people. Achilles and Precious have an inner human spirit that drives them to overcome the obstacles in their lives. Achilles continually strives to be a great fighter because he wants to be remembered after one-thousand years. This is partially his motivation and he demonstrates this when he utters, â€Å"You talk of food. I have no taste for food – what I really crave is the slaughter of blood and the choking groans of men. † (Homer 495). Here, after a successful battle, Agamemnon is commanding that a feast be prepared for the soldiers. Achilles strongly rejects his gift and says that there is no time for eating when he has rage for fighting in his heart. Achilles has only one thing on his mind and that is to fight because his drive is his desire to be recognize. This does not completely characterize Achilles because towards the end of the movie, when he kills Hector, and Priam is begging Achilles for his body, he says, â€Å"No more, old man, don’t tempt my wrath, not now! Don’t stir my raging heart still more. Or under my own roof I may not spare your life, old man †¦ suppliant that you are †¦. † (Homer 606). It is obvious that Achilles has many characteristics. Here, he is fearless, selfish, and at the same time compassionate. Unlike Achilles, whose human spirit was driven by selfish reasons to be grand and recognized, Precious was motivated by a desire to be remembered. Initially, Precious is an insecure, weak and helpless person. Her father rapes her and cannot depend on anyone to defend her. This incestuous relationship is a heavy weight for her to carry. However, she does eventually gather the strength and stands up for herself. This is very evident when she states, â€Å"The other day I cried. But you know what? Fuck that day. That’s why God, or whoever, makes other days. â€Å"(Precious). Here, we have a powerful statement by Precious who has endured so much emotional and physical abuse. By the time she makes this statement, she has given birth to two children by her own father and has endured enormous mental abused by her mother. Her mother states, â€Å"Don’t nobody want you, don’t nobody need you. (Precious). This type of abuse can cause anyone to commit suicide. It is a crippling experience for most people, but Precious build up the strength to defeat the abuse and believes there is another day. Even though she has given up on the notion of God, she still believes in herself. This is Precious’ reflection that her human spirit will survive anything. It may appear that Achilles and Precious do not h ave anything in common because almost everything about these characters is different, but as their characters develop, we learn otherwise. First, we have one character who physically survives and the other one dies. However, each one is a warrior in their own way and in their own world. As warriors they must choose between fighting or giving up. What makes both of these characters extraordinary is their inner will to fight challenges that appear insurmountable. Achilles is recognized as a great warrior, but his spirit develops even stronger than his own physical body due to his experience in the battlefield. Precious also develops into a warrior as she fights the sexual and physical abuses of her parents. She demonstrates that she is a strong person because she ends up being a survivor and not a victim of her parent’s abuse. Both of these characters demonstrate that the human spirit does not surrender and will overcome just about anything in life. Works Cited Precious. Dir. Lee Daniels. Perf. Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey. 2009. Film. Troy. Dir. Wolfgang Petersen. Perf. Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom. 2004. Film. How to cite Endurance of the Human Spirit, Essay examples

Abu Jafar Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur free essay sample

Abu Jafar Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur had lived between 712 and 775 AD.   Though he was born of a slave woman, he was regarded by the Islamic people for being the second caliph and founder of the Arab Abbasid dynasty.   He was his brother (Abu al-Abbas al Saffah) successor in the quest to destroy the Umayyads dynasty and the founding of Abbasid dynasty during 749 AD.[1] Abbasid Movement was originated from Iraq, which came about as early as eight century when these group of people through the leadership of Muhammad ibn Ali and Ibrahim ibn Muhammad thought of placing the caliphate in the hands of Prophet’s family.   This was accounted by Matthew Gordon in his book, which says, â€Å"Authority over the umma belonged to the chosen one from the family of the Prophet.†[2] Many became leaders of the Movement but Ja’far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur was given much account for his accomplishments in the history of Arab countries. Where, when and into what family he/she was born? Abu Jafar Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad through his uncle who came from Alid family.   He was born in 712 AD at al-Humaymah by a Berber slave woman; his father was a great grandson of Abbas.   Very little were accounted in the life of Al-Mansur as a young boy.   However, the existing cultural values of that time molded his life as a boy who never learned to give up or surrender.   He had some pride being a descendant of the Prophet, and possessed valiant character because of the influence of Islam faith on him; for them dying for what you fight for is a kind of heroism. His free-spirited consciousness was from his mother who was a Berber slave from North Africa. What were his accomplishments? Al-Mansur though a transitional figure of that significant event, carried out the final destruction of the Umayyad clan in 750 AD.   Abu Ja’far al-Mansur in his reign from 754 to 775 AD was recognized for being the proper person who established the new dynasty.   According to Matthew Gordon, he was responsible for â€Å"the consolidation of Abbasid authority.†[3]   He was also seen as the leader who established Baghdad as the capital of the region in 760s. This transformation of the region had complement in the new image of the area as the premier commercial and cultural center of the Near East and Mediterranean worlds being â€Å"fitting site for the dawn of a new imperial era.[4] Al-Mansur was also successful in restoring order in some areas where Umayyad family resided such as in North Africa in 772.   Within his reign, he was able to reorganize his administration; he created different offices and ministries under his authority.   There was great order during his rule although, many attempts of siege had taken place but to no avail. Other accomplishment he had during his sovereignty were the improvement of the economy of his dynasty and flourishing of Persian literature. What was the relationship between your character and society in which he/she lived? Living during that era was like survival of the fittest; in which if one wishes to continue to exist he must be strong.   There were conflicts all over to expand territories and kingdoms.   This part of the world was as well in great effort for survival.   In one instance, they had to clash against Byzantines to defend their territory. Aside from that, their faith had contributed to his ideology.   For them, killing an enemy is god’s will, and he will reward those who do for the sake of protecting the faith and country. Discuss the major challenges your character faced and how he/she overcame them (if he or she did in fact overcome those challenges). Throughout his time in power, he struggled hard to take control of the supremacy of the region, and with that, he had to face battles against numerous forces who tried to overrule him.   However, the most challenging event in the life of Al-Mansur was his dealing with rebellions inside his administration.   At first, he had many allies who turned to be his enemies due to envy.   Most prominent to these names were Al Muslim and Muhammad b Ibrahim, while Shiite group and his uncle were also among them.   Throughout his struggle to establish peace in his empire, he had to be vigilant and unyielding in his judgment. The first man of his army who turned against him was Jahwar for fear of punishing him for collecting treasures from the camp.   Al-Mansur then killed him after many attempts to escape.[5] Abu Muslim was assassinated at Al-Mansur’ command, which he exclaimed, â€Å"Keep hitting! May God cut your hands off (if you don’t)!†Ã‚   In one source Abu Muslim cried, â€Å"Commander of the Faithful, spare me for your enemy’s sword.† But Abu Jafar retorted, â€Å"For what enemy have I more treacherous than you?†[6]   However, Al-Mansur did everything to win back the loyalty of Abu Muslim’s army.   This event as recorded by McAufliffe, was to present Al-Mansur’ intelligence to maintain his kingdom in the midst of struggles. [1] Kennedy Hugh. The History of Al-Tabari: An Annotated Translation. Volume xxix (New York: State University of New York, 1990), p.2.   [2] Matthew Gordon. The Rise of Islam (Connecticut, USA: Greenwood Press, 2005) p. 46.   [3] Matthew Gordon. The Rise of Islam (Connecticut, USA: Greenwood Press, 2005) p. 47. [4] Ibid. [5] Jane Dammen McAuliffe. Abbasid Authority Affirmed (New York: State University of New York, 1995) p. 30.