...Lexi Allan Ascending: The rise of post-Western Empire society May 30th, 2018 The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE, a time that corresponded with growth in the number of Christians. As a result of the fall, Germanic tribes acquired power from the Romans and Christianity thrived under a newfound sense of freedom. Centuries later, critics asserted that the fall of the Empire damaged law, economics, and culture in the Western World. But what beneficial aspects did these critics ignore? To start with, this paper discusses politicians being allowed to marry out of their faith. Next, it examines non-Roman’s respect for the Romans and the desire to sustain their culture. Moreover, the paper discusses the benefits of the Roman use of symbols and...
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...argue that economic growth is the primary means to reduce poverty but there are multiple ethical principles that can drive this conversation. Christianity, liberal egalitarianism, Thomas Aquinas’s natural law and unequal development are prime ethical pillars that can inform debates on poverty. Christianity provides interesting insight on poverty and ones attitude regarding those in need. The absence of material goods is the rudimentary definition of poverty. Christians believe that “Humans are created in the image and likeliness of God.” This infers that people...
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...African Christianity: A case study on Theology in Africa Today Christianity is a term that is used very broadly. Over the past few decades Christianity has mainly been predominate in the West and looked upon as a Western religion. For example, one would not expect high number of Christians in places overseas like Indonesia where it is a Muslim majority country. But as times have gone on the number of Christians throughout the entire world have drastically increased since then. According to the Phew Form, the top countries with the largest number of Christians are the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Germany, Philippines, China, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia. In fact Indonesia actually contains more Christians than the combined 20 countries within Middle East-North Africa region (Phew, 2011, 13). According to Barrett, within multiple graphs and statistics shows rapid growth of Christianity in the developing countries of the Global South, in places like Asia, Africa, and Latin America (1970). About 90% of Christians live in countries where Christians are in the majority leaving approximately 10% of Christians worldwide living as minorities (Phew, 2011). Christianity is a religion that is found everywhere throughout the world. The religion today can definitely be said to be nothing at all alike as to what it was like a century ago. Christianity has truly become a global faith accepted by people, communities, and homes across the entire world....
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...One well known philosophical dilemma, that causes much of humanity significant grief and frustration towards religious beliefs, is the problem of evil. John Hick explains in his essay, “The Problem of Evil”, that this ‘crisis’ so to speak is based on three characteristics that Christians claim God has. Christians believe that God has infinite knowledge, power and love. The question that is then raised is: Why is life on earth filled with vast amounts of suffering, pain and evil if God has never-ending abilities to embrace those three characteristics? John Hick provides two answers to this question. He believes that evil is essential to soul making. Hick explains that evil provides humanity with important qualities such as appreciation, compassion and unselfishness. His essay suggests that pain and suffering is beneficial for humanity because through evil, individuals become worthy of being God’s children and worthy of an eternal life after death. Hick concludes his argument by stating human creation is incomplete and that it is each human’s responsibility to work for perfection by learning morals and values through suffering. Hick’s second answer is based on the concept of free will. God creates humans in such a way that they are free. Hick claims that for this to be true, humans must have the freedom to choose between right and wrong, good and evil, and whether or not to embrace God in life. Humanity must be completely free from God’s control, in order to truly...
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...Religion overview week 4 Theravada Buddhism | Mahayana Buddhism | Hinduism | Traditional Judaism | The Gospel | Meaning of birth | We are reborn from a previous life until we reach nirvana (extinction of all desire and release from suffering). The cycle of death and rebirth is called samsara. | We are reborn from a previous life until we reach nirvana (extinction of all desire and release from suffering). The cycle of death and rebirth is called samsara. | We are reborn from a previous life until we realize our "oneness" with Brahman. The cycle of death and rebirth is called samsara. | We are made in the image of God and come into the world with the capacity to opt for good or evil. | We are made in God's image but come into the world inclined to sin because of the sin of Adam. Redemption is needed. | Way to Truth | Follow the teachings of Buddha, e.g., the Four Truths and the Eightfold Path. The written Scripture, the Tripitaka ("three baskets"), includes the teachings of Buddha. | Through the study of scriptural texts running to more than five thousand volumes. | Spiritual disciplines like yoga enable one to achieve the enlightenment and truth needed. Suffering and samsara result from ignorance of self-truth. Vedas are scriptures that hold final authority. | Bible (Hebrew Scriptures). Oral Law provides the authoritative interpretation for knowing how to live. Truth is seen in deeds more than in creed, although a cardinal tenet of belief is the Unity of God. | Bible...
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...Running head: “The Journey of the Magi” “The Journey of the Magi” Tracy Smith October 5, 2012 Liberty University “The Journey of the Magi” “The Journey of the Magi” is a poem dealing with mystical and mysterious, spiritual growth and revival, life and death. This poem also deals with conversion and redemption. Here Eloit show the struggles to explore the different seasons. Eliot shows that the “dead of winter” is a spiritual place of unbelief and isolation. He also shows how the “temperate valley” is a place of non-acceptance. Eliot shows a monologue to convey a sense of difficulty and danger to spiritual conversion. An old man which is one of the Magi’s recollections reviews and reflects on his past. This also highlights that this is a journey to meet Christ before his death. The Magi’s experiences are retold in an intimate conversation that differs from the pretty images associated with Christmas. The poem’s main focus is the sinful nature of the world before Christ’s Birth. T.S. Eliot shows how cruel their journey is because of sin. This poem is in three parts. In the first stanza Eliot presents the hazards of the journey in such a way that they appear to be present day. He starts off talking about the foul weather, “ways deep”. The unreliable transport of the journey; “the camels sore-footed refractory,” He talks about the tourist prices as well. There is an enumeration of problems that Eliot mentions in the beginning of the poem that troubles the...
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...the issue of distribution of wealth among people in order to upgrade the economic status in life. This movement had strong Romanian Catholic roots bolstered in Colombia in 1968 at a conference where, the bishops proposed a merger between the Karl Marx teachings with those of Jesus Christ. Liberation theology support was immense but various critiques across the religious framework (Novak, 1991). This movement arose in catholic and protestant churches and it has three main expressions as discussed herein. Black Liberation Theology Black liberation theology strongly focuses on the African American community. This theory got formulated in 1969 by the Nation Committee of Black Church men as a civil rights movement. The key goal is to make Christianity real for the black people. The offshoot of this movement was in South America during the liberation of African American people from all kinds of injustices and bondage especially in the social, political and economical focus. Coined by James Cone in 1970, the movement focused on promoting communism and Marxism by incorporating religious interpretation. This theory focused on issues relating to deliverance from injustices which was not the core principle of the Gospel. However, it is significant that African Americas needed freedom from unfair treatment, prejudice, racism and other discriminative doctrines in the society. Critique of the Black Liberation Theology The Black Liberation theory as defined by Cone (1970) ventured to reject...
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...professional occupations. At the turn of the century, women started enjoying more flexibility, educational opportunities, and entree to art markets. Several art schools, for the first time, opened their doors to women students. Women experienced more liberty to work from nude models and to paint and draw in public spaces. They, furthermore, performed in major roles in the expansion of modernist sculpture and the incredible growth of photography. Several American women made important contributions to arts, science, sports, entertainment, business and politics in the 20th century. Here is a brief introduction a few of these remarkable women. Any type of irritation concerning war and other social, political or cultural changes can bring about different responses from different people. When it comes to art, art movements are built out of the need for people to communicate their responses to these changes. Whether they like them or despise of them, their main goal is to illustrate how they feel about them. The art displayed may portray a positive or a negative image to individuals. Change can be beautiful and also exciting. Many artists have noticed the beauty found in complicated change and have attempted to capture and interpret it in their own unique way by integrating traditional and cultural backgrounds. By doing so they have responded to their society by questioning the change and evolution of cultural history and identity. Many art works created throughout the history were...
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...instances of the Atlantic slave trade caused fearful problems, as a growth of the slave population would lead to social unrest and insurrection. However, “the money which procured a white man’s services for ten years could buy a Negro for life”. Whilst it may appear that ‘black’ labour procured through slavery was cheaper, in reality, the life expectancy for Negros was extremely short, potentially equally...
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...coerced labor from 1500 (Asia and the Indian Ocean) was an earlier account of cultural syncretism but Europeans found it more difficult to mingle two different beliefs into one. Over-time the different cultures in North America would not be so much forced syncretism, but would rather create a melting pot of beliefs (Lindenfield, 2008). Cultural Mergence Looking at the two different worlds that were oceans apart in some aspects may have been only miles apart. Thinking of what causes two different cultures to merge is usually simply religion. When settlers found the New World, had settled it in the image of Christianity. Everybody who lived on the New World’s land was expected to take in the ideology of Christianity, just like the Pilgrims did to the Native Americans (Lindenfield, 2008). Fast-forwarding to Africans forced to North America for forced labor were taught the ways of Christianity. This was nothing new to African’s though, because when Africans had been forced to Cuba as slaves from the sixteenth to nineteenth century had baptized and raised as Catholics according to Spanish Law. When these Africans had been brought to North America, were...
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...Finding the Truth: Manichaeism and Augustine Manichaeism was a common religion in the time when Augustine was alive (from 354-430 A.D). The religion was founded by Mani (216-276 A.D.), a Persian philosopher who taught his followers about gnostic based cosmological dualism and self-enlightenment that had certain Christian aspects. Augustine, in pursuit of religion and ultimately meaning in his life, started practicing with the Manichees. Augustine was a susceptible target of the teachings of Manichaeism. A philosophical gnosticism like Manichaeism was so appealing to Augustine because it offered a new found wisdom that was centered around self fulfillment and wisdom, whereas Christianity deterred him because it emphasized humility and self-sacrifice....
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...Knights of Labor and their origins. The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of labor formed in 1869 as a small and secret society (Palmer, 1992, p. 121). They began as a simple group of Philadelphian garment workers lead by Uriah Stephens. Stretching beyond boundaries of a common labour union, Stephens incorporated “a religious brotherhood, a political reform society, a fraternal order, and a pure and simple unionism” into his organization (Palmer, p. 121). Under the leadership of Stephens, the Knights remained a relatively secretive organization. This completely changed when Terence V. Powderly took over the union and exposed the Knights to the public in the 1880s. This marked the beginning of the Knights rapid growth and success (Palmer, p. 121). The rapid growth of the Knights stemmed from their inclusivity and willingness to welcome virtually anyone into their organization. The Knights succeed in the organization of workers from small towns and villages (Grob, 1958, p. 176). This was done through the incorporation of mixed assemblies. Unlike their fellow craft unions, the Knights...
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...The middle ages is a period that most certainly cannot be addressed as a period that no events occurred and all was so called "dark". Many Tragic events did happen, but during this period many events happened that weren't so dark. Such things as the rise of new Universities, the division of Christianity and the Renaissance. Let's begin to think of the middle ages as the birth of Western Civilization, instead of the images we have in our heads due to movies and high school history. During the High Middle Ages(1000CE-1300), ideas were changing, society became more interested in art, sports, education, and literature. Occupations and preoccupations differed from the feudal nobility and labouring peasants(McKay,Hill, Buckler,Crowston,Wiesner-Hanks, & Perry, 2012, p.298). Cities were now crowed and polluted and caused improvement in legal status. The sumptuary laws were laws that social groups needed to wear certain items clothing to distinguish from one another. The high social group wore velvet , silk, pearls while peasants wore dark clothing made of linen and wood blending(McKay,2012., p.300). So the interaction between the wealthy and peasants was common. Games and sports were a popular form of entertainment that united society. With that, Primary schooling was most of the time in monasteries, convents and cathedrals. By the 12th century the demand for trained officials increased, trade and feudalism were the cause of this development(History of Western Civilization...
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...there is no need to know where you came from, only where you are going. Modern Buddhism, as a generalization, has adopted the theory of evolution as they do not believe there is anything to dispute it. So how do they view themselves? Identity is more about answering question about yourself with regards to the fetters (areas of suffering). There are ten fetters total, however the top three, and most important to identity are 1. Belief in self (sakkaya-ditthi), 2. Doubt (vickiccha), and 3. Attachment to rites and rituals (silbabatta-parsmaso). How one handles these suffering is how you can view their identity. The question of morality is very close to Christianity, I have read a lot about Buddhism and there are a lot of factual references stating that moral behavior flows from the mastering of one’s ego and desires, that the growth of love and compassion will guide your morality. When you look at the sila (moral code) the same basic morals are shared with other religions. The purpose of life and the view of destiny are closely related in Buddhism. The ultimate purpose is to achieve enlightenment; or be without suffering. Without suffering you will have no sorrow and be free of anything that will hinder happiness. Like most religions...
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...Sustainability Review Test 1 1) Kenneth E. Boulding—“Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth” * English (1910-1993), Professor at U. of Michigan, U of Colorado * Economist, educator, peace advocate, Quaker, systems scientists, interdisciplinary philosopher * We are approaching a closed system and how it is going to be tough for us * Neither receivers inputs nor outputs * i.e. self-contained * Today we are in an open mind approaching a closed one * Morals are keeping us in the open for now * Econospherethe total worth of everything we have * Fossil fuel is buried sunshine * Shift from Cowboy Economy—people believe that there are unlimited shits, i.e. like the wild west to Spaceship Economy * Spaceship Economywe have only brought enough food/resources for the people we are carrying and must make it last for as long as we can * Stresses resource management * Doesn’t really consider environmental impact as much as more about conservation * Focuses more on population vs. environmental impact * Entropy (?) * Spaceman Economy living within our means, don’t worship production vs. costs… more conservation concerned * Fracking is a good example of us still in a cowboy mode although we are shifting toward Spaceman * Reference to Ethics—ethics, it is us, it is a plural term… we have an ethical obligation to think of future generations * Solutions at the end...
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