Alike Medieval Europe and Japan There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. But does unfamiliarity breed similarity? In the Middle Ages, two civilizations at opposite ends of the globe evolved in a strangely similar manner. Western Eu Continue Reading...
Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre Book: Suicide Cult by Marshall Kilduff In 1978 the suicide-massacre of 900 people in South America shocked the world as Reverend Jim Jones' cult, named the Peoples Temple. In his book "Suicide Cult," Marshall Ki Continue Reading...
Buddhism -- the Heart Attack Sutra The Craziness of the Heart Sutra Before specifically referring to Chapter 1, one should note that the difficulty of a Western mind readily understanding the tenets and nuances of Buddhist thought are made abundant Continue Reading...
Shepherd: Pastor, Elder, Overseer The Shepherd The words elder, overseer, and pastor all describe the same authority of leadership within the universal church. However, since different denominations use these terms as though there are separate enti Continue Reading...
Newton did believe in God, a divine being, whom he cited as the keeper of balance in the universe. In his Principia, he states that "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an in Continue Reading...
As such, it is clear that my own personal belief in God shapes the way I view and experience the world, as well as my decisions in how to act within it. There are both theistic and naturalistic consequences to the act of believing or not believing. Continue Reading...
Salvation in the Old and New Testaments The Old and New Testaments do have a very similar view of the theme of salvation in that is ensured by God through one's faith and righteousness. The connotation is originally defined in the Old Testament, but Continue Reading...
Gospel of Luke According to early church traditions, Luke was a Jewish, Greek-speaking physician who accompanied Paul on his three journeys, and was chosen to write the third Gospel because his knowledge of Greek was better than most of the other wr Continue Reading...
He donated many buildings and temples to other rulers and territories. Within his own kingdom, he also built several cities, of which the most notable is Caesarea, also known as the "capital on the sea." He rebuilt Samaria and renamed it Sabaste, in Continue Reading...
The theme of starting a new and fresh life in the Mystical Body is emphasized as well. The major characters of Ephesians are the receivers of the letter themselves: the husbands, wives, slaves, and masters, children, and parent: all are called to pu Continue Reading...
Fay's purpose is to convince his readers that, regardless of who they are or how much self-confidence they have or lack, they can "share Jesus without fear." Fay not only uses examples of "cowardly" Christians sharing the gospel fearlessly, he also Continue Reading...
The aversive practice of "self-grasping" of both persons and phenomena, the source of all one's problems, can be overcome only by meditating on emptiness. Question 4: What is the significance of Central Tibet to Buddhism? Central Tibet is not only Continue Reading...
Monica was honored for her forbearance in marriage to an undisciplined, often cruel pagan man. Augustine's father suffers by comparison to Augustine's mother, but rather than suggest that she should have left his father because of his mistreatment, Continue Reading...
Now, when we use the word "creation," we are talking about all that God made: human beings, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, mountains, and oceans. In modern terms, we would call this the "ecosystem" or the "environment (Humans Were Given Responsibil Continue Reading...
More recently, reports have begun coming from the Middle East that women will no longer be "expected" to participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca, thereby eliminating women from the holiest rite associated with Islam. Having once done that, it would t Continue Reading...
Old Testament Traditional theodicy The Book of Job presents us several faces of theodicy and all of them make excellent examples of traditional Judaic theodicy. What is theodicy and more importantly, what are the characteristics of traditional Jewi Continue Reading...
Book of Revelation is a unique portion of the New Testament. Unlike the other Books found in the latter part of the Bible, the Book of Revelation is not presented as a historical document or an instructional discussion, but is essentially a propheti Continue Reading...
Biblical Inerrancy Authority, Inspiration and Inerrancy in the Bible There is no greater calling than living by the word of God. As Christians, we have a responsibility to exemplify God's wisdom in the way that we live our lives. This is the knowle Continue Reading...
Christian Toulmin The Politics of Christian Environmentalism Without a doubt, one of the greatest challenges before us as a civilization in the 21st century is the protection and repair of our environment. This is an ambition that cuts across ideol Continue Reading...
Authentic Prayer in Habakkuk The world today offers many challenges, especially for the person who is determined to maintain a sense of faithful love for God. In addition to the many scientific and non-faithful persons attempting to dethrone God fro Continue Reading...
Salvation is a gift from God through faith as it is depicted as ability one has to "quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (6:16). In 6:18, prayer is viewed as an activity connected to the taking up of God's armor. The author also prays on Continue Reading...
They reminded readers that Father Cutie joined the priesthood under those rules, with full knowledge of the requirements of priesthood, but that he placed himself above church law (Mayo, May 14, 2009). Still earlier, in 2006, the Catholic Church in Continue Reading...
Prophet Mohammad understood the importance of implementing sharia and therefore as soon as any conquest was made, he and his companions would first focus on enforcing shariah. Shariah law was a way of uniting Muslims so they would all stand united u Continue Reading...
"The final third are an estimated 10,000 "people group," or 2.1 billion humans, who for reasons of language or geography have never heard about the Christ of Christmas. And reaching them, missionaries say, involves crossing physical, political, and Continue Reading...
Also, from Herodotus's books we see that some of them, obeying the famous oracle of Delphi, or using its predictions as an excuse, decided to surrender, and give "earth and water." This is particularly relevant on the influence of religion in that Continue Reading...
Dante, Boethius, And Christianity Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy, of which the Inferno is the first of three books, called Boethius, an early Christian, "The blessed soul who exposes the deceptive world to anyone who gives ear to him." Continue Reading...
Dead Sea Scrolls According to Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, the Dead Sea Scrolls, since their discovery in the Judaean desert and their arrival at the various institutions that retain them today, have created "a contradiction. . . between the J Continue Reading...
First Edict of Iacolesamun I, the Great Priests of Priests and King of Kings, solemnly charge you my people beneath the gaze of the RE the Immortal God, the Sun and Light, by whose all-seeing eyes the world is held -- it is He who set me upon the h Continue Reading...
Buddhism Compare and contrast Siddhartha Gautama's (Buddha's) "going forth" into the monastic life with that of Maechi Wabi, based on the reading of "Journey of One Buddhist Nun." In his account of the story of Buddha, Jonathan Landaw writes "As Si Continue Reading...
Evil The free will defense suggests that God permits, but does not cause evil. Therefore, it is possible to live in a universe in which good and evil continually coexist. Human beings are blessed with the ability to make a choice that can further th Continue Reading...
The Buddhist ideals of Nirvana/Enlightenment are an existence that are free from Tanha, Upadana, and therefore also Dukkha. The deepest truths in Buddhism are not absolute or completely objective, but rather any teaching that helps one to reach Nirv Continue Reading...
The film thus shows an ordinary man, who, for the love of a woman, committed an extraordinary act of personal courage and selflessness. It shows much like Steven Spielburg's "Schindler's List" how ordinary people -- businessmen and husbands alike - Continue Reading...
Lithuania's worldview. A brief history is given, regarding the country, as well as cultural aspects. Then the Lithuanian culture's worldview is discussed. And, finally, how their cultural communication has affected their views. Lithuania Worldview Continue Reading...
This apathetic sentiment even envelops the narrator, as the following quotation demonstrates by showing that Eliezer knew that "the child was still alive when I passed him." Despite this fact, the narrator does nothing to help the child due to his e Continue Reading...
The consul was wounded in the battle. It was here that the one who will become Hannibal's greatest rival, the consul's son Publius Cornelius Scipio, did his first deed of valor, when he helped save his father (Livius also gives the alternate account Continue Reading...
At the same time, the presentation of his work, the lives of the community in which he lived and the way in which he succeeded in forming a family must be relevant for the actual depiction of the historical background, the environment, and the custo Continue Reading...
Using what the Germans did is not intended to be a typical example of how mentally handicapped people are treated as part of the healthcare industry's approach, or the strategies taken by schools and other institutions under whose care emotionally Continue Reading...
This belief came in response to the realities of the time that saw corruption and lust for riches as the main interests in the political life. Both Gandhi and Machiavelli saw self restrain as an important quality, even though the reasons deferred. Continue Reading...
This completely stunts their growth and freedom. The authoritarian and the automaton psychology are seen in Nazism and democracy. Nazism is both an economic and political problem, which has to be understood on psychological grounds. During the Nazi Continue Reading...
Those who could work, mostly men, were sent the other way and "processed" into the camp. They were stripped naked, all their belongings confiscated, and shaved from head to toe, given worn-out rags to wear and shoes that did not fit. There were no Continue Reading...
