...different views about God and gone through different paths that can lead us to different beliefs about this subject. Although I’ve had a tough childhood I believe in God. In the past and even now, I still ask myself how God can take away the people who you love and care for the most. I lost my older brother five years ago. I remember losing faith in God, hating and yelling, why he would hurt me and family like this? What did we do to deserve something like this? Throughout time I learned that we all have different fates, and what we go through makes us what we are today. God has made me a stronger person, I understood that everything we go through can either break us or make us. The wound of losing my brother may never heal, but believing in god and in heaven has me at peace. I believe that once we pass we go to heaven. This gives me a certain kind of peace and hope of one day seeing my brother again. Today, and always I live to make my brother proud, I live day by day and make the best of it every day. You never know when you can lose someone or have your own life taken away. God has written a story for each one of us, we just have to believe and have faith in...
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...we all know that there is evil in this world. It does not matter if you believe the people are evil or if you believe that evil is a supernatural force in them. When Jesus cast the demon out of the man he was talking to evil. He was talking to someone other than the physical man that he was speaking to. Evil to me can be both the person and the supernatural force that can take that person over. Watching this video of 9/11 and the way it affected people was very touching and at the same time very irritating to me. I am a Christian and I do believe in evil but once something like this happens it shows that even the people that think that they have so much faith can lose all that faith that they think that they had in a split second. I know that this was hard and I know that I cannot relate with these people as far as losing a loved one in this catastrophe but out of this catastrophe you can relate it to everyday things that happen. It might not be as EXTREME but it does fit. To hear someone say “this is the best reason to not believe in God” saddened my heart but also made me think about how many people say that after every bad and evil thing that happens. God is not the reason that any evil thing happened. It was said perfectly by an agnostic man in the video. He said “God is not the one who pushes people off of a cliff with his finger. It is our Game and we are the ones moving the pieces”. This video helped me see the diverse perspectives of evil in all the different...
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...Hero Quotation Analysis Pi Patel’s love for religion is strange but at the same time commendable. My personal views on religion are neutral in the sense that it doesn’t bother me as long as it’s not affecting me. Others can believe whatever it is that they need to believe, as long as they don’t harm anyone and are not forceful towards others with their beliefs. In the quote I chose from part one of Life of Pi, Pi talks about the lack of freedoms religion seems to have: “I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.” (Martel 14). I’ve always seen religion exactly like that, freedomless and restricting of its believers. I came to this by observing the difference between the people in my life who have a strong connection to go compared to those who don’t. At only a few months old I was baptised. My parents themselves are not very religious, both growing up in catholic families and going to catholic schools they chose to leave religion behind them with school. My grandparents on the other hand and devout Catholics, mother’s mother lives for the church, lives for God and lives for the Bible. Being baptised wasn’t something that bothered me until I became old enough to know what it meant. At church, I was accepted but I was unable to do the things everyone else around me was doing because I hadn’t had my first communion. That rule made me uncomfortable, it sparked my dislike for church. Over...
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...Jack Firebrace, sending him for a court martial instantly, after a minor offence. Faulkes makes use of short, curt sentences in Wraysfords initial dialogue like “I doubt it.”This suggests harsh qualities, reinforcing the opinion that Stephen is a cold, removed character. Faulkes shows that Wraysford’s character softens towards his men, particularly the tunnellers, feeling empathy with their strange, but no less difficult path. This is shown in the contrast between the early parts of the novel where Stephen is almost exclusively referred to as “he” or “Stephen” and the later chapters where Stephen is referred to in a group with the tunnellers or other soldiers, making use of the pronoun “they” or “we” more often. Faulks presents Stephen as losing some of the isolated exterior by the end of the war that was the defining feature of his character at the beginning, This is shown in Stephen’s attachment to Jack Firebrace, presented by Faulks in the end tunnel scene. The strength of this partnership is shown in Stephen’s persistent attempts to keep Jack alive, when he could have saved himself far more easily had he been alone. Captain Weir copes with the war through the use of heavy drinking. This is first shown when Jack Firebrace is escorted to Wraysford and Weir’s quarters by Sergeant Adams for his court martial. The character notices the “almost empty bottle of whiskey”, inferring that Weir drinks...
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...because God incorporates the contradictory notions of both faith and reason into the law by which he says Adam and Eve must abide. God first commands Adam to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge; this commandment is governed by a required faith on Adam's part in God's righteousness alone. Secondly, God (through implication) commands Adam to live according to his capacity to reason rationally. It is made clear to Adam that the first commandment, having to do with faith, is the primary commandment, since it is the only one God articulates. But, when Adam passes the information on to Eve, he does not make this distinction as clear. He also further convolutes the distinction with other things he says. Thus the order of importance of the two contradictory commandments is lost when told to Eve. Then, In book 9, Satan takes advantage of Eve's lack of information by presenting Eve with a situation wherein the conclusion that rational reasoning would produce is at odds with the conclusion that a blind trust in faith would produce. Eve cannot abide simultaneously by both of God's commandments in this situation. By eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge (as Satan tells her to), Eve is guilty of losing faith, which initiates the "original, mortal sin" (9,1003-4). However, acting reasonably is what Adam tells her is otherwise valued by God and is generally the human connection to the divine. Therefore, while Eve is guilty of losing faith (which she understands as one of God's commandments), she...
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...Thomas Mr.Paulk Introduction to World Religion 16 May 2013 A leap for some faiths, but many Canadians are losing their religion Dakshana Bascaramurty, Glory Galloway & Les Perreaux (“The Globe and Mail,” May 8, 2013). Brampton is located west of Toronto, which is known to have one of the largest Muslim population and increasing. In 2011, the National Household Survey released data that identified 3.2 percent of the Canadians residents as Muslim, with two percent of the population increasing since 2001. The younger Muslim make up only 60% and increasing slowly in the population. Before 1971, there were 2.9 percent immigrants that resided in Canada and 33 percent resided between 2001 and 2011. Even though the population for Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists and Sikh religion are increasing, there are still 24 percent of the population that do not belong in any form of religion. The Christian and religion are decreasing slowly in Canada. But that did not stop Mariam Butt who is a residence of Brampton. She began practicing her faith at the age of 17. Living as a Muslim in Brampton made it easier for Mariam to practicing her faith. She stated, “When I did start practicing I was comfortable because everyone was your own in a way so you weren’t judged as much.” The director of the Centre for Studios in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria, Paul Bramadat, agree that the Christianity faith is slowly decreasing and the other religion are slowly increasing, but Canada’s...
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...Faith isn’t simple, or at least according to Søren Kierkegaard it isn’t. In his work Fear and Trembling Kierkegaard asserts that people view faith as something effortless and undemanding. If they saw the act of having faith for what it really is – an extreme undertaking requiring one to believe in the absurd while simultaneously ignoring all things rational – then they would regard individuals who complete deeds resembling Abraham’s on Mount Moriah in the same way they regard the doings of characters like Agamemnon, but they don’t. Part of the reason why this occurs is that nearly every one of the individuals condemning Abraham does not completely understand faith and what it requires of those who choose to fully engage in the task. This is...
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...American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us Robert Putnam & David Campbell Summary Points: Changes in American Religiosity & Tolerance (Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 15) Chapter 3 & 4: Religiosity in America Lifecycle, Generational, and Period Effect Change Ø Most people’s religious views and habits are formed fairly early in life. All of us tend to evolve in fairly predictable ways as we age, following what social scientists call life cycle patterns. These patterns produce a kind of life cycle escalator toward greater religiosity as an individual ages. Ø However, people born and raised in different eras get onto that escalator at different levels. People raised in a less religious era may never become as observant as people raised in a more observant time… Such a difference between people born and raised in different eras is termed by social scientists a generational effect. Ø Both generational and life cycle patterns involve change, but in pure form they produce very different...
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...HOW I FEEL ABOUT MOMS THAT STAY HOME Shane Sorensen Professor Barbara Hammons CHDV 115 6-10pm Mon, Wed HOW I FEEL ABOUT MOMS THAT STAY HOME Being a stay at home mother would seem like such a wonderful thing to enjoy, but in a world with many expectations and economic demands, it looks as though homes these days are missing one important ingredient, the mother. The mother is such an important role in a child’s life that without her needed nurturing, the child’s life could change dramatically for the worse. In what ways are mothers important? That’s what I would like to discuss, because there are many benefits to having a stay at home mom. The first way that comes to my mind is that the bond between mother and child is vital to the child’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual growth. First, let’s focus on their mental growth. Picture a child waking up every morning to a different face, never being able to bond or create a foundation for himself/herself. When that child gets into school, and tries to solve a problem, or fix a dispute between a friend, what if they don’t have the coping skills to work at that problem or relationship when they know that things in their own life are never routed or fixed steadily,(they won’t feel the importance of having steady lasting relationships etc.) they’ll never be able to develop the important skills like problem solving and bonding. Now I would like to focus on the physical aspects of a child’s growth...
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...Pollack’s “The Rabbi in the Attic”, Rabbi Heckler’s presence is a nuisance to those around him. The leaders of the synagogue want this man to be forgotten. They think his mind is gone, perhaps from before the moment he comes into the position as Rabbi. Over time, his outbursts and rigidity show even more and the leaders fear he is losing more of his mind. Although, what they do not realize is that he is only reacting to the lack of attention to the Jewish laws. The students and congregation are becoming more and more lax in their studies and faith and Rabbi Heckler recognizes what is happening and attempts to force change upon them. His extreme ways push the leaders to go out searching for someone to take his place. This search leads them to Marion Bloomgarten. Marion, having just gone through ordination, had dreams of becoming a great leader, bringing peace to the people. She is not as stern or strict in her thinking when it comes to the laws of Judaism. Of course she holds onto the standards of observing Yom Kippur and the Sabbath, but she does not see the need for seemingly frivolous, archaic laws that seem to have no bearing on the Jewish faith. ...
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...who sought to purify the Church of England. They are a strong religious group who migrated to the America’s to escape religious persecution in what is know as the Great Migration to create land where they could be religiously free. In these Puritan societies they emanated a strong sense of faith but although they were strict and harsh, the Puritans did indeed embody many admirable traits. In Goodman Brown and The Minister's black veil one exemplary trait that is demonstrated through their writings is the puritans being very persistent in keeping their faith. Both characters in these texts the show the struggle of keeping faith after being exposed to evil side of mankind but are still able to look up to God. Another trait was how the Puritans were very aware and valued God’s presence in their life as seen in Narrative of the Capacity, From of plymouth plantation, and Burning of our house. Lastly, another laudable trait the Puritans depicted was...
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...“It is fashionable to wax apocalyptic about the threat to humanity posed by the AIDS virus, “mad cow” disease, and many others, but I think a case can be made that faith is one of the world’s great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate. Faith, being belief that isn’t based on evidence, is the principle vice of religion.” - Richard Dawkins Many other philosophers and professionals of academia criticize religion for its reliance on faith. More specifically, they condemn the act of using faith to reason –rationalizing actions based on something other than evidence or proof. My argument does not necessarily confine itself to the focus frame of religion, but more generally, I argue that it is justified to form beliefs that are not grounded in sufficient evidence. I will use my initial motivation for this topic as an appropriate introduction for this argument. Throughout the semester I was genuinely intrigued by the atheistic arguments of astounding philosophers –most notable and influential on my own beliefs were the ideas of Hume, Dawkins, Clifford, and even Nietzsche. In light of this and the logically superior option to argue against the existence of God, … I did. In fact, I was four pages into what was shaping out to be the best paper I’ve written since my secondary school thesis on underwater basket weaving. At some point, however, I could not continue writing. I had no passion, desire, or any sense of purpose while trying to grind out...
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...goes from being a humble, trusting man, to a man who locks himself up with his money, away from other people, where he can no longer be hurt. This is because of the significant events that happened to him previously. At the beginning of the story, when Silas Marner is still at Lantern Yard, Marner is described as having a “defenceless, deer-like gaze”. This deer-like gaze portrays a soft, quiet, trusting creature. At this point, Marner has complete faith and trust in his friend, William Dane. He also has complete trust in God, and in people in general, to know what is right and wrong, good and bad. When Marner is first accused of stealing the money he said nothing but “God will clear me.” He believes that even if nobody realises that he didn’t steal the money, God will show them, God will protect him. Then, when he finally realises that he has been set up by his ‘best friend’, he states that “There is no just God.” By saying this, he realises that everything he believed in was a lie. That he could no longer trust God or man. Losing belief in the only two things you believe in, made Silas Marner the bitter man we see at the beginning of chapter 1. After being found guilty by the citizens of lantern yard, Marner tries to carry on with normal life in disbelief at what has just happened. Shortly after this, Marner’s fiancée, Sarah, announces the breakup. Only a month later Dane and Sarah get married. Knowing that he had lost everything, Marner moved on. Now his once trusting, friendly...
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...And while she was optimistic, loving and admiring of her father, and a faithful Christian, all of that changed as she grew into a woman in The Congo. As she faced many things like the hardships of her family getting sick and dying, love, creating a family of her own, and being a minority, she became pessimistic about the world and what it offered. Leah developed a hatred and resentment towards her father because he allowed her to believe that the world was a just place when in fact it is the opposite. She felt like a fool for believing it and she felt like a fool for having such great faith in her religious beliefs. As a child she followed God’s words but as she grew older she realized all he did was disappoint her and if he is as great a man as believed, then maybe he is not real. Her progression throughout the novel was depressing and disheartening to the reader but she learned many valuable lessons, the biggest being that the world is a cruel and unfair place. The evolution of such a significant character and narrator of the novel was truly impactful and proved to be an enormous...
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...RRELIGION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH POWER AND POLITICS Religion has a close relationship with power and politics. In earlier times, there has been many religious movements. Religion is not just a private matter but has a public character now. Sociologists believe that as society will become more modernised, religion would have a less influence on us which is actually true as now how many of us go to temples or churches and mosques every day or even on one day in a week? Politics also has an influence on religion. Majority of the innocent Muslims in United States have been treated badly after the 9/11 attack. A movie called My Name Is Khan by Karan Johar shows how an autistic Muslim suffers discrimination in the United States and ends up losing his stepson post the 9/11 terror attacks. He is mistaken for a terrorist and travels a long way to the president of America only to tell him that although he was a Khan, he was not a terrorist. This one instance shows that it was true that all Muslims were mistaken to be a terrorist and in the process attacked their religion too as the “real terrorists” attacked so many places in the name of their religion as they thought they did something for their religion which was not actually true. RELIGION AND ITS REALTIONSHIP WITH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR Max Weber explains the above relationship. He argues that Calvinism which is a branch of Protestant Christianity exerted an important influence on the emergence and growth of capitalism as a...
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