...time again, and still stand very strong to this day. In the short story “The Old Man” by Isaac Bashevis Singer, one Jewish man's struggles are documented as he attempts to escape from poverty and return to his homeland. Through the use of the Jewish holidays, allusions to the Old Testament, and diction surrounding certain places, Singer illustrates how the Jews resilience and faith in God allows them overcome adversity. The timing of the Jewish holidays within story symbolize the rise and fall of Reb Moshe Ber’s struggles. The first holiday to be mentioned is the “Passover,” which occurs when Reb Moshe Ber is “discharged...
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...of God creating Adam and Eve. When God created the Garden of Eden and creatures, he created Adam, a man. Eventually, God created Eve, a woman to accompany Adam. The monster asks Victor to “create a female for [him] with whom [he] can live in . . . (page 174),”. The monster asks Victor because he calls Victor “[his] creator (page 174,)”. The monster can be considered to be Adam, the hypothetical woman would be Eve, and Victor is God since he created Victor and has the possibility of creating Eve / a companion for the monster. 6. Most of the travel takes place by boat. Victor takes a boat to “descend the Rhine . . . from Strasbourg to...
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...There were discoveries of tens of thousands of texts that were excavated, translated and studied. Many of these tablets and texts did coincide with the Bible. Walton outlines comparative study which is the study that attempts to understand things when compared to their broader cultural context. The goal in this case is to understand the Old Testament compared to the ANE. There have been many debates on comparative study and the way in which is executed. Comparative studies deal with the cultures, myths, religions, worldviews and literature of all the people living in the ANE. A comparative study acknowledges that cultures are separate, but that these separate cultures are aware of and understand the religions and rituals of the other surrounding cultures and at times even engages in those rituals. Many of the Scholars were so biased that they tended to argue for the importance of the Old Testament, or vice-versa defended the mythology concept of scripture so vehemently that the cultural comparison was lost. Not until Friedrich Delitzsch, who was the son of the famous biblical commentator Franz Delitzsch, did a more focused and unbiased approach to comparative study begin to take place. Delitzsch created controversy with the evidence that the Old Testament was a secondary piece of literature to the ancient texts of the Mesopotamia. Delitzsch suggested that the Old Testament was not only borrowed literature but was dependent on the ancient Mesopotamia texts. This created a huge...
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...subject. To know if one can attain happiness in this life, Aquinas first analyzes different possible sources of happiness to determine whether or not man’s happiness consists in these sources. Aquinas asks if any created good could consist of man’s happiness. St. Thomas says it could seem as if happiness consists of created goods because “man is made happy by that which lulls his natural desire”(1). Created goods satisfy us because they are what we crave, so when we attain them we could achieve happiness. Aquinas argues that while this is so, created goods cannot possibly be the source of man’s happiness. This is mainly due to the fact that created goods are “less than the goods of which he is capable, as of an object, and which is infinite. And the participated good which is in an angel, and in the whole universe, is a finite and restricted good” (2). What this means is that it does not make sense for man to solely derive his happiness from created goods because they are finite; there is only a set amount of these things in existence. Man would always have to worry about whatever good that is fueling his happiness from running out, because it is not eternal. For Aquinas, this means that our happiness cannot possibly consist of created goods because by definition, happiness is that state in which nothing is left to be desired. One is completely satisfied and at peace in a true state of happiness, yet with created goods one is always stressed and worried about them running out. ...
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...exposed to. For many of us our surrounding culture influences our worldview and we have never had to think about why we believe what we believe and we wouldn’t be able to defend our beliefs to others. Within the Christian/Biblical worldview, the question of origin is entirely rooted in God. This worldview believes that God created all that there is and he rules over it sovereignly. We believe that God is infinite and there was never a time that God did not exist. God is not part of creation, and he affirms that what he has created is good (Genesis 1:31, 1Timothy 4:4-5). God created man in his own image, male and female (Genesis 1:27). In the Christian/Biblical world view, the question of identity is not figured out through our surroundings but by understanding who we are in God’s eyes because we are created in His image. God created us to go out in the world and tell of His works (Matthew 5:15-16). I am a child of God and I belong to him (John 1:12). In the Christian/Biblical worldview, the question of meaning/purpose is “Why do I exist?” We are to be followers of Christ and in doing so we are fulfilling God’s plan for our life. We are to use the bible to help reach others to tell them of His saving grace (Ephesians 3:9-10). We are to have an intimate relationship with Christ and serve him faithfully (1 Samuel 12:24). The question of Morality/Ethics is “How do we know what is right and what is wrong?” We need to follow the 10 commandments that God has given to us....
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...exposed to. For many of us our surrounding culture influences our worldview and we have never had to think about why we believe what we believe and we wouldn’t be able to defend our beliefs to others. Within the Christian/Biblical worldview, the question of origin is entirely rooted in God. This worldview believes that God created all that there is and he rules over it sovereignly. We believe that God is infinite and there was never a time that God did not exist. God is not part of creation, and he affirms that what he has created is good (Genesis 1:31, 1Timothy 4:4-5). God created man in his own image, male and female (Genesis 1:27). In the Christian/Biblical world view, the question of identity is not figured out through our surroundings but by understanding who we are in God’s eyes because we are created in His image. God created us to go out in the world and tell of His works (Matthew 5:15-16). I am a child of God and I belong to him (John 1:12). In the Christian/Biblical worldview, the question of meaning/purpose is “Why do I exist?” We are to be followers of Christ and in doing so we are fulfilling God’s plan for our life. We are to use the bible to help reach others to tell them of His saving grace (Ephesians 3:9-10). We are to have an intimate relationship with Christ and serve him faithfully (1 Samuel 12:24). The question of Morality/Ethics is “How do we know what is right and what is wrong?” We need to follow the 10 commandments that God has given to us....
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...Topic 1: Young Lives How do our surroundings impact our lives? The situations that we face each day are what make up the context of our lives. The places you live your life pose a huge impact on your behavior and actions. The path that our lives take is greatly affected by our experiences and if you think of where you are now and how you got there, it puts that into perspective. In class we have been discussing films that show how young lives are affected by their surroundings and experiences as they grow up. In the film Motorcycle Diaries, Ernesto and Alberto travel from Brazil to Peru by motorcycle. As they traveled from place to place they saw corruption, poverty, illnesses, and more. It was Ernesto’s reaction to want to help anyone that he could. They started to stay at facilities and help nurse people back to health and to give diagnoses. They learned how each city worked and what their culture and economic standing was. They became well educated by their experiences and their surroundings. They witnessed the great disparities in South America, discovering poor peasants and being exposed to the exploitation of workers by wealthy industrialists. Once they made it to Peru they discovered a colony of leprosy patients. This changed Ernesto’s values so much that he took side with the patients, forgetting his own comfort. Being surrounded by these people changed him. He completely devoted himself to helping these people and making a difference in their lives. He could have used...
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...and the Hebrew belief as compared to the surrounding ANE. Oswalt’s views, thinking and direction have changed completely over his 50 years studying the ANE and the Bible. This book will show the similarities and differences in thought between the Hebrew Old Testament and the ANE. Oswalt will define what a myth is and argue why the Old Testament is not and cannot be considered a myth. The Bible, when compared to ANE literature, has a completely different understanding of creation and how the spiritual and natural realms interact and exist. There is not a continuous existence that just repeats itself over and over, but rather a series of single events that lead to a greater purpose. It is Oswalt’s position that the Bible is an accurate historical account of a people who received their relevance of belief from a single living transcendent God. The historical basis is important as God reveals himself through humans, in non-recurring human-historical events, to impose God’s will and direction to affect the will of humans. Chapter 1: The Bible In Its World In this chapter Oswalt addresses different beliefs on the existence of the world. Specifically how the Israelites and Greeks viewed the world in relation to their neighboring cultures. The Bible is the most important source of all contributing factors in today’s Western culture, especially when combined with Israelite monotheism and Greek philosophy. The Hebrew transcendent living God along with Greek thought helped to organize...
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...interpretations. Worldview could be that of good or bad decisions depending on one’s lifestyle and upbringing. A person’s worldview is affected by the way they were raised, educated, friends, surroundings and environments (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011). In Biblical/Christian worldview the origin comes from God the creator which is the first cause. Genesis 1;1, concludes that god created the heavens and earth, meaning that God created them from merely nothing which is why there is something. Psalam139:1316, David said that God is his creator meaning that God is the origin of life itself (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011). In Biblical/Christian worldview the identity comes from Mankind. It is considered the creation of god above all matters except for the angels and God is eternal which in good practice leads to eternal life in the heavens above. Psalm 8:5 states that God created mankind above the animals and below the angels so therefore it is mankind that is the protector of the animals and angels of mankind, as does Genesis 2:15 states that we should take care of the animals and protect the earth by using its natural resources (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011). In Biblical/Christian worldview John 17:3 uses the bible as the way to reach out to mankind. The purpose is to become closer with God and build a relationship by using the words of the bible and Jesus Christ (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011). In Biblical/Christian worldview morality comes from God’s own holy standards of what is right...
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...in instituting religious change was to reestablish absolute authority as a king. His heretic views of Egyptian religion increased the power and influence of the king, which had been gradually suppressed over the course of centuries. Specifically, he regained this power through the careful characterization of the Aten. This ensured that he would be the sole interpreter of the god’s wishes, making him a powerful figure. This was reaffirmed by the establishment of a new capital, which purposefully centralized the political power of Egypt. Through these means, Akhenaten introduced a level of authority that had not been implemented in centuries. Akhenaten’s reign was preceded by many cultural and political factors that made it necessary for him to reassert his influence. • In the establishment of...
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...occurred. First, Christ sent his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God to the people upon given authority and power of casting out demons. Their mission was expected to spread the word in every home they were welcomed. The results of such a mission caused confusion to the Galilean ruler, Herod Antipas. He was wondering who Jesus was, because he was given many names like John the Baptist, Elijah or some of the past prophets who had risen from the dead (“The Transfiguration (Luke 9:27-36)”). The other event before the transfiguration was the feeding of five thousand people. When the disciples had returned from their mission as seen earlier, they relocated to a quiet place for a talk with Jesus; however, a multitude of people followed them upon their prevue to the information. Jesus used five loaves of bread and two fish to feed them after a day’s preaching. Later, when they were alone with Jesus, following the miracle Peter gives his declaration on what he thinks who Jesus was. The last event of the transfiguration was the prediction of Jesus about his death and warning the disciples not to inform people of his true form and nature. After the transfiguration, Jesus was also involved in many other activities. First, He heals a boy who is possessed by a demon upon intervention from the father. He also predicts his death as seen earlier but this time, He tells them in public. After the prediction, Jesus informs disciples of the greatest person in the Kingdom of God when He finds them arguing...
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...Jehovah’s Witnesses were also victims of Hitler’s plan. In recent years, events like The Twin Towers terrorist attack in 2001 and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami have brought enormous suffering to the world, suffering that can somehow be compared to the one lived during the Holocaust. Continuing is the analysis of Elie Wiesel’s horrific experiences during the Holocaust. Did these experiences affect his faith? Was his perception of humanity ideas impacted? The book Night starts describing Elie’s faith as one indestructible. As young as he was he had deep knowledge of Jewish mysticism studies. Elie believed in God; a God of love and unlimited power. He was told that God is the master creator of all world’s wonders and that these wonders where the emanation of the divine world. Elie concluded that if God was the creator of everything in the physical world and God is a God of love then the world should be a reflection of him, a world of good. Unfortunately, Elie discovered at a very young age that the world is not only a world of good; evil exists. He could not believe all the cruelty and evil his eyes were seeing. On top of all the violence the Nazis brought to the Jewish community they also...
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...Putting a person in a specific, parallel environment will define how they will grow and change to adapt to their new surroundings. Some will change and adjust rather easily while others may not be so lucky and have to struggle to make their lives better. In times of hardship and poverty, the determined will do anything they can for relief, money, power and overall success. Three films that demonstrate this are The Grapes of Wrath, El Norte, and City of God. In these films, characters struggle to find their idea of “paradise” or their “Promised Land”. The Grapes of Wrath is a film about a family who is forced off of their farms and out of their home due to the immense draught that has plagued the Midwest during the Great Depression. The actors in this film were not made up to look like the typical perfect Hollywood type. They look like real farmers and hardworking people and the lighting is manipulated to show this. The family, the Joad’s, travel from Oklahoma all the way to California when they hear about the jobs and opportunities out there. Throughout their journey they face a lot of difficulties in keeping their supplies and money at a constant flow. They stop to work small farming and harvesting jobs along the way but never make enough money. They keep their hope alive and the family close so that no one is left behind as they finally reach a dreary camp for people to find work. The main character, Tom, who was just released from prison, gets into a fight with...
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...color etc. What about our social behavior? Genes explain anatomy of a human being but they don’t explain why some people act the way they do. It can’t explain why some people are smarter then others, why people are more violent then others or why some people choose to be homosexual. Those types of social characteristics are determined strictly by your surroundings. Our society, environment, education and parental/neighborhood behavior are part of what makes us who we are. Genes can determine how you look but can’t determine how you act. Homosexuality is a hot topic of debate among us in today’s world. From same-sex marriage to Gays and Lesbians adopting children with their partners; there is a lot of ethical questions to be answered when it comes to those topics. When trying to answer these questions we need to get to the root of the issue, is homosexuality a choice or is it something you are born into? Nature or Nurture? Some popular arguments that I will be critiquing in this paper in support of gay marriage are as follows: 1. Homosexuality is a result of genetic and biological factors. 2. Homosexuality is god-given. Homosexuality is a result of genetic and biological factors that result in a child being gay. Children are born gay and have no choice but to live with it, its not a choice to be made, its something you are born into and stuck with. Being gay is part of your genes, why would someone choose to be gay if so many people were opposed to it and...
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...that historic event. Using the pieces chosen, I will show how two views: a young Native American taking a religious journey, and a European farmer in America going through a revelation, can create a better picture on how religion took part in the colonization of America. Neolin, a young Indian part of the Wolf nation set out on his journey to Heaven to see the Master of life. He traveled for a couple days more than a week came across a tall White Mountain. Here a woman instructed him to leave everything and strip his clothes, she showed him...
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