Aristotle s Views On Ancient Greek Democracy - 884 Words

Swiss-French writer Benjamin Constant and ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle offer conflicting viewpoints concerning the merits and possibilities of ancient Greek democracy. Aristotle’s political theory attempts to justify his city-state’s political structure by providing a model of the common good, or Chief Aim, his end goal for Athenian democracy. He believed Athenians could reach the Chief Aim as a society by individually learning to be virtuous and then instilling laws and morals based on these ideals. In his lecture, The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns, Constant highlights that the individual liberties protected in a modern representative democracy are much more important than the political liberties that one was given in antiquity. Constant illustrates that while some ideas of ancient Greek democracy are precious, Aristotle’s political theory is not an obtainable reality and it was beneficial that modern democracies transitioned t o a system that protects individual liberty. Two of Aristotle’s most famous works, Nicomachean Ethics and Politics, offer an outline of his perfect society and how Athens could ascend to his ideals. According to Aristotle, the strive for the most good society starts with individuals and then collectively builds up to the Chief Aim through active participation in politics. He explains that an Athenian earns his freedom and citizenship by subduing his animal instincts and passions. Instead of succumbing to these urges,Show MoreRelatedGreece s Impact On The World1360 Words   |  6 PagesA Blast From the Past The way to better the world is to go back to the past and learn the ways of those who came before and learned from their mistakes; sort of like time traveling. When going back in time and comparing the ancient civilizations of Rome and Greece to today, the root of our knowledge are greatly influenced on the minds who have lived at that time. Some may ask which civilization had the most impact on United States and the world? Many would say that the Romans had the most impactRead MoreComparing The And The Odyssey998 Words   |  4 Pages The Illiad and the Odyssey were so important to the Greeks because they were great works of literature and contained information of past events’, much like a bible or history book. It shaped their culture and what it meant to be a human being. The events of the Illiad and the Odyssey have been reflected in plays in ancient Greece and in the attitudes of many Greeks on what it meant to be a hero at that time. 3. The city-states of Ancient Greece were organized like tiny independent countries.Read MoreThe Concept of Democracy664 Words   |  3 Pagesindividuals the concept of democracy has taken on an almost sacred position. The result of democracy holding such a position with some individuals is that democracy has attained a quasi-religion status that results in its being unquestionable as a concept in the eyes of these individuals. These individuals would likely be surprised that some of greatest minds in human history dating back to the time of Aristotle and Plato and continuing through to modern times have viewed democracy differently and haveRead MoreHistorical Events That Took Place During The Classical Period1458 Words   |  6 PagesWorld Literature I Historically Significant Influences of Aristotle During the Classical Period, 500-232 BCE, Greece was at the peak of its political and cultural achievement. This was also a time of war, most noteworthy being the vast empire created by Alexander the Great. In a period containing such an immense amount of historical significance there is no doubting that it had influenced the people born. Notorious philosopher Aristotle is no exception, contributing a great deal to the fields ofRead MoreThe Legacy Of Alexander The Great1596 Words   |  7 Pagesover a decade, and inadvertently may have shaped how the entire world has grown. I believe he perfectly exemplifies the qualities of a person whose leadership and legacy has had great effect. Alexander the Great was born in June in 356 BCE in the ancient capital of Macedon known as Pella. He was the first son of Philip II, the King of Macedon and Olympia, the Princess of Epirus. Alexander gained his father’s astonishing organization skills and his mother’s vehement disposition. When Alexander wasRead MoreGreek Philosophers Bible On The Ancient World And English I2969 Words   |  12 Pages Greek Philosophers by Claire Monaco Bible in the Ancient World and English I Spring 2015 Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle s early lives affected their careers and Greek society, and their deaths and works of literature affected today s society. Socrates started out as a stone mason who eventually devoted most of his time to philosophy. Socrates works of literature reflect his world views and opinions. These opinions had a fatal consequence; heRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus The King 1696 Words   |  7 PagesHUMN 1110 1 October 2014 Fatalism in Oedipus the King Tragedy has always been considered the highest form of literature; Oedipus the King is written by Sophocles who is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians, it fully represents the enduring charm of the ancient Greek tragedy, leaving the reader endless thinking. Through Oedipus’ misfortune, Sophocles tries to reveal the cause of their tragedy is ubiquitous and ever-present fate, rather than people themselves, dominates thatRead MoreEssay about Athens, Greece852 Words   |  4 Pages508 B.C., Athens became one of the first societies in ancient times to invent democracy. Democracy came from the Greek words, demos, meaning people, and kratein, meaning to rule. This form of government was usually held in a meeting place, which the Athenians called the Assembly. Here the citizens of Athens met monthly and discussed the affairs of state. There were no decisions made by government without first asking the Assembly. The ancient Athenians were a unique people. They believed that a personRead MoreAppraisal for Democracy by Plato, Aristotle and Thucydides1743 Words   |  7 PagesIn general, we can think of and consider democracy as a system or a structure of government made up of four key pillars. First, as a political system involved in choosing and interchanging the leadership through free and fair voting. The second pillar would be the active involvement of the citizens both in civic life and politics. Third is the safeguarding of the human rights of every citizen. Then finally as rule of law, which apply equally in the society. However, for the purpose of this paperRead MorePlato, An Ancient Greek Philosopher1458 Words   |  6 PagesPlato, an Ancient Greek Philosopher by Carly Rittenmeyer Bible and the Ancient World Spring 2015 Plato, a Greek Philosopher, is known for his writings that impacted people in the Ancient Greek society. He was a free thinker and lived in a free city, Athens. He was taught by multiple teachers including Socrates who was frequently mentioned in his writings as the central character. Plato’s novel, The Republic, influenced the idea of government and shows his views on the world

Solutions to the Problem of Domestic Waste Essay - 901 Words

With the economic growth, the living standards of people in Hong Kong become higher and higher. Meanwhile, we are producing more and more waste, especially the domestic waste. According to the Environmental Protection Department (2013), the existing landfills would probably be exhausted one by one by 2020 if the waste level continue to increase at current level ( ¶13). Therefore, we should take action immediately to find a solution so as to deal with the domestic waste problem. To ameliorate the problem, the possible solutions could be building incinerators, enlarging the area for landfills and reducing the amount of domestic waste, with the last one being the best solution. One of the possible solutions might be to build incinerators.†¦show more content†¦However, the solution would only be a short-term method and probably relieve the problem, not solving the problem. First of all, there is insufficient land in Hong Kong that most of the area had been planned for some other special uses so that it would be very difficult to find an appropriate place to launch this plan. Besides, no matter how much we enlarged the landfill sites, the landfill sites would be full one day. It is impossible for us to enlarge the sites continuously and without an end. Again, according to the ‘Not in My Back Yard’ phenomenon, nobody would wish to have a landfill in his district and people living around the existing landfills would feel that is unfair to them if the existing landfills are expanded to work for more years. According to Tien (as cited in Chong, 2013), it will be unfair to Tuen Mun and Ta Kwu Ling people if they need to suffer for the problem brought by everyone in the society. The best solution would be to reduce the amount of domestic waste through ‘reduce’, ‘reuse’, ‘replace’ and ‘recycle’. This method would be the most environmental friendly among the three solutions mentioned because this method does not emitted any poisoned gases and would do the least harm to natural environment. According to the Environmental Protection Department (2012), only 3.02 million tonnes of municipal solid waste were recycledShow MoreRelatedRecycling As A Solution Of Domestic Waste1030 Words   |  5 Pagesas a Solution of Domestic Waste Date Submitted: 2722015 Recycling as a Solution of Domestic Waste 1.Introduction Domestic waste is a common problem in many society and it affects people as well as the environment. The increased amount of the domestic waste in landfills is causing several problems in the environment. Therefore, recycling and reusing could be a valuable solution for these problems. This project will discuss recycling as a solution of domestic waste. ThereRead MoreWater Pollution in the Philippines1282 Words   |  6 Pagesshortages, and extinction of aquatic animals and coral reefs. In this essay, I would like to discuss about three main sources of water pollution in the Philippines and its possible solutions: one, domestic waste; two, agricultural waste; and three, industrial waste. The first reason concerns domestic waste. Domestic waste refers to the organic pollution that usually comes from our houses by generating activities such as using the toilet, doing the laundry, and washing dishes. Unknown to many FilipinosRead MoreHow The Government Can Protect Water From Pollution1631 Words   |  7 Pagesis more than 14% of the total water resources of the world. ( Pakzadeh, 2015) Water pollution is one of the biggest problem of humanity. People pollute the water and thus reduce the clean water sources causing health problems for people, destroying natural beauty and ultimately bringing down the economic system to make life more pathetic. The solution to the water pollution problem in the world is especially in the development of a legislative base, which would allow the government to protect theRead MoreSolutions to the Imminent Land Pollution Problems in Hong Kong1011 Words   |  5 Pagesaverage of 25,000 tonnes of solid waste were disposed of daily becau se of human activities of domestic households, commercial and manufacturing business and construction sites in the territory. This tells an imminent land pollution problem in Hong Kong. To deal with this problem, I discover three solutions. The three possible solutions will be increasing the number of recycling bins, landfill expansion and building more incinerators. The best remedy of the problem of land pollution will be buildingRead MoreShould The Uk Replace Nuclear Power? Essay1375 Words   |  6 Pagestwo main problems about electricity: resources of fossil fuels are running out and countries need to diminish their carbon emissions. Nuclear is seen as the most common alternative. Nuclear currently supplies 19% of the UK’s electricity and 11% in the world (NIA,2015). In the UK, all but one of the current nuclear plants are due to close by 2023. Should the UK replace their nuclear plants by a new generation of nuclear stations? Because of the accidents, costs and problems of nuclear waste, some peopleRead MoreEssay about E-waste Management862 Words   |  4 Pagescome without a direct environmental cost. Toxic waste or electronic waste (e-waste), produced by obsolete electronic products, is growing at an alarming rate, and poses a severe environmental threat. In light of challenges underlined by this new kind of waste, sound management is imperative. Although, America and Asia are economically very different from each other, ironically they do not differ much when it comes to the `mismanagement of e-waste: unsafe disposition practices, lax legislation, andRead MoreGlobal Warming : A Potential Solution1330 Words   |  6 PagesBioremediation: A potential solution to reduce our footprint Industrialized societies are now tormented by several pollution problems that were largely unknown prior to WWII. Prominent among these problems is environmental pollution of xenobiotic synthetic chemicals that fail to be recycled by microorganism and may be biomagnified with destructive effects. Also, deforestation, land conversion, overhunting and the burning of fossil fuels are other human’s activities that impact negatively our ecosystemRead MoreThe Importance Of Sustainability And How It Is The Key For Future Generations1540 Words   |  7 Pagesefficient, sustainable states. Today, many cities are faced with the issue of heavily contaminated and polluted domestic water due to the failure of proper treatment and disposal. This event occurs when pollutants and particulates come into contact and engage with water resources. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, residents and local officials continue to debate over the practices of drilling, waste management, and coal mining within their district. These practices are the lead cause to Pittsburgh s poorRead MoreBusiness Strategies of Starbucks664 Words   |  3 PagesAs with domestic operations, Starbucks is expanding overseas using a mix of company-owned stores and franchise operations. Forbes publishes an annual list of the most ethical companies in the world (Smyth, 2012). The list has been published six times, and Starbucks has made the list every time. The companys ethics extend both to its social ethics with respect to employees but also to environmental ethics as well. 2. One simple moral problem that Starbucks is working on is the waste it generatesRead MoreKey Issuses And Potential Solutions For Toxic Waste Disposals1596 Words   |  7 PagesProfessor From: Abdirahman Abbas, student A.A Subject: KEY ISSUSES AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS FOR TOXIC WASTE DISPOSALS Here is the report you requested about the keys issues and potential solutions for toxic waste disposals. The report included an analysis of the possible methods that could solve the destructive techniques that are currently not working. It also featured a comparison between different types of solutions. Namely, it compared standard sanitary sites which are unsatisfactory verses good

Church Visit Essay Example For Students

Church Visit Essay Catholics go through a cycle of events in their spiritual lives known as the seven sacraments. Although all Catholics can not partake in each sacrament, the majority receive the Holy Eucharist and are baptized as children. The sacraments are the rites of passage in the Catholic faith. Some of the sacraments require proper preparation and knowledge of the ones faith. The seven sacraments include Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and the Holy Orders. Faith ties the people of God together. We are united through our belief in faith. I see the sacraments as the acceptance of faith in God and of our faith. With all the diversity that exists among Gods people, faith in God and To Chrisitan, Jesus Christ is the being that connects us all as one. He played many roles when he was on this earth and is the incarnation of God. In essence, He is God infleshed. While he was on the earth, some viewed him as a healer. I believe that receiving reconcili ation and the anointing of the sick would require an individual to accept Jesus as the ultimate healer. The Eucharist accepts that Jesus had the ability to turn bread and wine into himself for his people. Receiving the Eucharist is the acceptance of the Last Supper and the symbolic meaning along with it. Jesus Christ is referred to as the anointed. At baptism we are anointed with holy oil to welcome us into the Catholic faith. In confirmation we again, confirm and renew our faith and individually commit to the vows our godparents had spoken for us. Again we are anointed with holy oil, symbolizing the truth of Jesus Christ, the anointed one. The sacraments are a rite of passage among the Christian people. We are all tied to one faith and the sacraments are the links that we tie it all together. Sacraments sometimes required preparation. In preparation of a sacrament, we are taught the underlining faith of Jesus Christ. Through our sacramental practices, we accept and acknowledge the faith of Jesus and who he was. Sacraments bring people of the church together in celebration. These gatherings are common ties among people of faith and their acceptance of God and Jesus. What do catholics and fundamentalist believe about the bible comparison2000-07-04Conversations about the differences and similarities between Fundamentalist and Catholic beliefs usually end up being more like heated debates than conversations. A major difference between the Catholic and the Fundamentalist is how they see the Bible. The source of the Fundamentalists faith is the Bible. But what do the Fundamentalists believe about the Bible? This is the question I am trying to answer for myself. I will present my understanding of the Fundamentalists view of the Bible along with my Catholic view of the Bible. My mission is not to offend, but to open a dialogue between the two views. I know from experience that this is a very touchy topic. The best way to go about conversing with someone of different beliefs, I believe, is to see their belief in its best light. I believe it is important to develop a sense of respect for the variety of ways people experience the divine in the lives. Keep ing that in mind, I give you my interpretation of the Fundamentalist and the Catholic view of the Bible. Both Catholics and Fundamentalists agree that the Bible is a divinely inspired, infallible, and authoritative means for people to know Christ. There are some distinctions between the Catholics and the Fundamentalists view of the Bible. Both Catholics and Fundamentalists believe the Bible to be inspired by God; they believe the Bible to be the Word of God. Fundamentalists place most of their emphasis on God as the author of the bible. They do not pay much attention to the human side of the Bibles authorship. Fundamentalists believe in total word-for-word inspiration of the Bible. The Catholic Church does not teach that God merely dictated words to the human authors of the Bible. To the Catholic the Bible is the Word of God and the work of human beings. Catholics are encouraged to look for the meaning a human writer of a book of the Bible was trying to get across. To really underst and what the writer is telling us, we must know something about the time in which he lived his mode of thinking, and the manners of expression people of his time used. It is difficult to accept the Fundamentalist view of word-for-word inspiration for several reasons. There are no books of the Bible that are the original, autographed works of the authors. Christianity existed hundreds of years before the Bible itself was completed. Many translations of the Bible are not translations at all, but more like interpretations or paraphrases. Translators might imagine what the original author would have written if he had been writing in Modern English, rather than just translating the actual words the original author had written. Fundamentalists and Catholics believe the Bible to be infallible, or free from error. Catholics do not consider the Bible necessarily grammatically, mathematically, or scientifically infallible. Only the message of the Bible is considered to be without error. Funda mentalists take the idea of the Bibles infallibility a step farther with their confidence in Martin Luthers theory of sola scriptura, Latin for scripture alone. The Bible is the Fundamentalists only standard of authority in religion. To the Fundamentalists the Bible is the single source for inspiration, and they will not look to any extrinsic source for authority. The Catholic belief about God and his teachings can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a statement of the Churchs faith. The Fundamentalist believes he needs no Church to interpret the Bibles meaning because the Bible is clear in its meaning; it interprets itself, and that the Holy Spirit directly interprets the Bible for him. Catholics believe that the Bible does have authority, but that this authority comes from the Church guaranteeing its infallibility. The strongest argument for this would be the fact that the Church wrote the Bible. The Church also defined the Bible by deciding which books made up the B ible as a whole. The Fundamentalist ideas that the Bible is clear, interprets itself, and that the Holy Spirit interprets it directly to him can all be seen as inadequate substitutes for an authoritative, teaching Church. The Bible is not clear. 2 Peter 3:16 reads, . . . there are many things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do other scriptures. The Bible does not interpret itself, except for example, when a New Testament author quotes or makes a reference to an Old Testament passage. This happens on numerous occasions. In the Gospel of Matthew (2:11), Jesus says, Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. These words come from the Old Testament Book of Malachi (3:1). Anyone can claim guidance by the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by the rise of the cult followers of religious leaders such as David Koresh and Jim Jones. However, to rely on personal or private standards of interpretat ion can lead to misunderstandings or even tragic results. The Bible denies itself as being the only source of authority. Again I refer to 2 Peter, verses 20-21, Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit under the influence of God. This idea of the Bible not being meant to be interpreted by man alone without the teaching authority of the Church is evident by the hundreds of different Protestant denominations all claiming to be the truth of the Bible. The teaching authority of the Church is needed to guide people in their understanding of the Bible to avoid the unfortunate and often confusing consequences of arbitrary interpretations. The Fundamentalists view the Bible as the single source for inspiration. Catholics look to the Church as a guide in interpreting the Bible. By understanding the Bible as the Word of God as writte n by man to be interpreted in light of the time, manner and mode of thinking in its creation, the Catholic religion allows for a clearer understanding of its meaning. The Purpose of a Liberal Arts Education EssayAs a child, I was quite confused about the concept of religion. For me, religion was believing in God and praying- nothing more, nothing less. As I grew older I realized the reason of my state of confusion- I was practicing two different religions. My mother was raised a Catholic while my father had been raised a Protestant in the United Methodist Church. I was christened in the Catholic church and I attended a Catholic institute for my first year of school. I studied and took part in the Catholic teachings at school as well as attended mass with my family on Saturday nights. The next morning, I would also attend church with my family in a completely different building- the United Methodist Church. I never really questioned this religious lifestyle but I did take note of the differences between the two customs of worship. A couple of years later, my mother converted to a Protestant and I have been a member of the United Methodist Church ever since. Now that I am older, I can significantly see the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism. Whenever I step into a Catholic church, the first thing I notice is the structure of the building and the artwork that adorns the ceilings and walls. The building is very spacious and contains rows and rows of seats that accommodate a large crowd. I noticed that in behind each row of seats were padded bars on which people kneeled during certain parts of the service. In contrast to the United Methodist Church, there are a number of statues that surround the church including a statue of Mary. A very large, wooden crucifix with Jesus on it is positioned in the center of the front wall- the focal point within the church. Throughout the church, a number of intricately designed stained glass windows allow the light from outside to enter. The lighting in the church is quite dim. From this, a solemn and humble setting is felt. Ive been to a lot of Catholic masses and it seems as i f the worship at one church is as identical as the next one. The people seem to simultaneously say and perform gestures (the sign of the cross) without even thinking. I noticed how concentrated the older people were as they participated in the worship. The service also contained a lot of music. A choir situated in the back of the church began the songs and the people would repeat the verse. I thought the choir sang very harmoniously. I very much enjoyed the parts of the service when the choir would sing. I believe that the most important part of the worship service was the Eucharist. The people who took part in the Eucharist looked very concentrated and serious. After receiving the blood and body of Christ, these people prayed intensely on their knees. I did not participate in this part of the service because I didnt feel comfortable for the United Methodist beliefs about Communion are quite different from the Catholic beliefs. It was not hard for me to follow the sequence of the wo rship service. I had been to other churches before and I pretty much knew what came next. I participated as much as I could in the service. I sang and I prayed but I was not able to recite the short phrases and make the gestures within the service. I did not feel lost nor confused but I did feel as if other people knew that I wasnt Catholic because I didnt fully participate in the service. Unfamiliar surroundings can never really be comfortable. I did not feel as welcome as I thought I would be. It seemed as if the people were there just to worship God and didnt exactly acknowledge anyone else. I wasnt really encouraged to participate, instead I felt I should try to participate. I didnt receive the warm reception that I see at my church. In some ways, I felt out of place but I didnt let that feeling get in between my time with God. Between the Catholic church and the United Methodist church, I saw more differences than similarities. The structure of worship is quite similar but the manner at which it was performed is very different. The only prayer used in both churches is the Our Father. The arrangement of the building is also similar as well as the music played. Another similarity is the Priest of the church and the Pastor of my church are both male, however I have been a member of a church where the Pastor was indeed a female. After understanding both worship services, I am able to appreciate religion more. Nowadays it seems as if people go to church for the wrong reasons and others dont even go at all. For me, church is a very important factor in my life. I go to church not only to talk with God, that can be done basically anywhere. I go to church to be with my family and friends- to be a part of a community of people. I feel as if my own faith is strengthened when I see my family praying together. In addition, experiencing a different religion enables me to learn about the different teachings about God which leads to personally enlightening my spiritualit y. Catholics vs. Episcopalians, is there truly a distinction? When I recollect on my religious tradition, Catholicism, I ponder on just how different it is in practice and theology from that of protestant traditions. When examining I came to compare how deeply Catholics and Episcopalians are divided on questions of political and religious leadership? Through research I have concluded that Catholics and Episcopalians are vastly separated in political and religious leadership and this factor is the foremost distinction between the two traditions. Since the establishment of the Episcopalian Church we can see the link between the Church of England and further with the Roman Catholic Church as stated, It was part of the Anglican Communion, formally organized in Philadelphia in 1789 as the successor to the Church of England in the American Colonies. In points of doctrine, worship, and ministerial order, the church descended from and has remained associated with the Church of England. The hist ory of the church began with the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Va., in 1607. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online) The establishment of the Episcopalian Church was in fact for political and religious leadership freedom from its ties with The Church of England and in conjunction freedom from the Catholic Church. The differences in church organization are prevalent and are the main distinction between the two traditions. The Episcopalian organization is described as; In the organization of the church, each self-supporting congregation (parish) elects its lay governing board (vestry) for temporal affairs and its rector as spiritual leader. Congregations that are not self-supporting (missions) are directed by the bishop of the area. In a given area the parishes and missions make up a diocese, headed by a bishop. All clergy and laity representing all congregations meet annually in convention to conduct the business of the diocese. The convention elects the bishop to serve u ntil death or retirement. The dioceses and mission districts belong to the General Convention, which meets triennially. All bishops are members of the House of Bishops, and the House of Delegates is made up of equal numbers of clergy and laity. The Executive Council, the administrative agency of the General Convention, is headed by the Presiding Bishop (elected by the House of Bishops), who also presides over the House of Bishops. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online) In contrast the Catholic Churchs political and religious leadership is organized in a manner that follow a distinct order. This order can be grouped by papal authority, the Roman Curia and the college of Cardinals, the college of bishops, ecumenical councils and the priesthood. Catholics also hold the Vatican as the capital for Catholicism and place it as a global leadership source. The study of these two traditions consisted of two visits to St.Johns Episcopal Church and two visits to St.Thomas Moore Catholic Church. The c omparison of these traditions stimulated interest in me due to two factors. First, I am Catholic and have been raised in the Catholic tradition, which stimulates much interest in the Episcopalian tradition. This will allow me to play both roles as an insider when I attend Catholic Church and as an outsider in the Episcopal Church. Secondly, until this religion course I was unaware of the details in the Episcopal Church and wanted to further examine the tradition. In preparation to visit St.Johns Episcopal Church I felt a discomfort due to unknown rituals, physical appearance of the church and its location in the downtown area. I thought a good method of visiting the church would be to invite an Episcopalian friend of mine. He agreed to visit the church with me and addressed the concerns I had in visiting the church. As I soon learned the issues I was concerned about, should not have been a concern at all. I found that the rituals were almost identical to that of the Roman Catholic f aith. Rituals such as spoken prayers, hymns that were sung and receiving communion were done in an almost duplicate manner. I was fortunate enough to visit St.Johns Episcopal Church on two special occasions. On my initial visit they had baptism of newborn infants. This was performed in the same manner as the Catholic method with the exception that Catholics do not perform baptisms during the regular Sunday mass. On my second visit it was Saints Sunday in both traditions. This experience almost leads me to conclude that there was no difference in practicing rituals. Both traditions reflected on given Saints during the mass and explained how one should try to follow the examples of these Saints. The appearance of both churches truly enhanced my experience as a visitor. Visiting these local churches reminded me of the pulchritude I witnessed visiting Catholic churches in Spain this past summer. Both churches are laid out similar in that they are in a T shape. The pulpit was located in the middle where everyone is allowed to view the priest at the pulpit, although if you are seating along the sides, you would have a side view of the mass. The method in which the pews, windows and ceiling were constructed were also arranged similarly. The two noticeable differences were the way the choirs were seated and the absence of a statue of Jesus on the cross. The choir in the Episcopal Church was seated to face each other and was significantly larger in quantity than that of the Catholic Church. After researching why the Episcopalian Church does not have a statue of Jesus on the cross, I was unable to determine the reason, however I thought that it is a notable difference. Being raised in a middle class family, I was accustom to attending church in a casual style wearing jeans and a nice shirt. My expectation of the attire at this particular Episcopal Church followed was correct, formal dress. Everyone in the church was in formal wear, males wore suits, and females wore lon g dresses. This dress phenomenon I do not believe is linked to a particular faith, more to the social class that makes up the church members. One aspects that Catholics seem to appraise more than Episcopalians is the Virgin Mary. It is not that Episcopalians do not recognize the Virgin Mary, however they generally do not hold the caliber of importance as Catholics. In my visits to the Catholic Church, I found statues of the Virgin Mary and people praying over her statue. Other ritual practices which I noted to be different was how Catholics have confession and pray the rosary. Though Episcopalians do not practice confession, it should also be noted that the Catholic Church as changed the magnitude of confession in the late twenty century. I have found that Catholics are adopting the protestant way of belief of forgiveness which has the general idea that God gave us Jesus to have a one-on-one relationship with God through Jesus therefore eliminating the need to confess to a priest. T his argument is quite controversial and will continue to be a topic of discussion for decades. When discussing the use of the rosary to a Episcopalian friend of mine he stated that the tradition does not practice the use of a rosary. This coincides with not having confession, since praying the rosary is often something done after confession. In concluding I would have to say my experience in surveying these different traditions was extremely educational. It is interesting how much one can learn by exposing themselves to other traditions and learning unfamiliar aspects of ones tradition. The research conducted led me to affirm my statement that there is a strong divison on political and religious leadership between these two traditions. However, I must say what intrigued me the most was how similar a protestant tradition is to the Catholic tradition and the only separation being the leadership and politicsThere are several Methodist churches with the United Methodist Church being the most common of all the Methodist churches. The Untied Methodist Church has a certain way of running things, just as every church does. Here are the top ten guidelines to being a United Methodist: 10. We are a church that encourages a strong pulpit. The people come expecting to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed powerfully. 9. We are a church that encourages a strong , warmhearted personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is it at the heart of everything we do. 8. We are a worldwide church. You can find a United Methodist church, mission, school. hospital or clinic in many villages, hamlets, towns or cities around the world. 7. We are an open, inclusive church. Our members come from every culture and every socio- economic group and all are embraced. We have more Asian American and Native- American members than any other denomination. We are second in number of Hispanic- American members. We have more African- American members than several other denominations combined. In addition, we have been at the forefront in encouraging women to give strong leadership in the church and therefore we have more women clergy than any other denomination. 6. We are a giving church. Every person who joins the Unites Methodist Church promises to serve God and support the church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service, and that pledge of loyalty enables us to give generously to benevolence and mission efforts. 5. We are a church with a family spirit. That family spirit enables us to be there for each other in our joys and sorrows from the cradle to the grave. 4. We are a church that owns and operates many colleges, hospitals, childrens homes for the elderly; plus we operate the oldest church-owned publishing house in the world. 3. We are a church that reaches out with deep compassion to help hurting people. Our UM committee on Relief is quickly on the scene all over the world wherever there is a natural disaster or any kind of pain or heartache to provide aid and love and care. 2. We are a church with a great social creed that has been an inspiration to all Christendom. 1. We continue Christs ministry of preaching, teaching, healing and caring. It seems that of all the denominations, the Methodist religion is very accepting. They have homosexual ministers, black ministers, and female ministers. This can be very rare in other denominations. At the General conference not too long ago, the UM church apologized to the blacks for the discrimination they suffered. This is also a rare finding in a church The Methodist religion is different from many others. It seems that its goal for humanity is for everyone to have their own individual relationship or bond with Christ, they prize this more than anything. Even though they are very non discriminating they still have their own set of rules to go by, just as every church does. The Methodist religion is very interesting and somewhat different than what most relig ions are. Bibliography 1. Academic American Encyclopedia. Groiler Incorporated. Danbury, Conneticut. Copyright 1996. 2. http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/data1/dg/methodist/methchap.h tml.pages 1-4. September 28, 2000 3. http://showcase.netins.net/web/unsource/undoct.html. pages 1-9. September 28, 2000 4. Pamplet: Whats So Great About Being A United Methodist? 5. The United Mehtodist Church on Normandy. 6. Youth Ministry Director at the UM church on Normandy. Personal Interview. 19 October 2000 7. The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 13. World Book Copyright 2000

Tupac Shakur Essays (1374 words) - Gangsta Rappers,

Tupac Shakur Tupac Shakur Tupac Shakur was a very influential person in 20th century USA. He was born on June 16, 1971 in Brooklyn New York, and died on September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas Nevada (unknown author, no title, no page, letter code C). But his family moved around a lot while he was a kid (Bastin, J.D.). He eventually ended up in the Bay Area California alone and spent his first two years there homeless (unknown author, no title, n.p., letter code D). He grew up with only his mom and loved her very much. He even wrote a song called Dear Mama to his mom and thanked her for how she tried her best at raising him. His public career started when he joined the seminal Bay Area rap ensemble (u.a., "original area," n.p.). He started as a tour dancer but then started rapping live (u.a., "original area," n.p.). From there he released a couple albums and then was offered to be in some movies. He became friends with a couple of popular rap artists like Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre (Placid n.p.). He made some songs and music videos with them that made it big on the Billboard charts. This really helped his popularity. He released a double CD with the songs on it and a lot of his own songs and sold millions of copies (u.a., n.t., n.p. letter code D) More people were influenced to buy his CD. People listened to the music and did what he said he did. So Tupac was influencing all of these people. Tupac was rich and famous now. He was showing off his own style now and didn't need his popular friends. This is the time that many people saw the real Tupac and loved him. He was now very influential to fans. They wanted to be just like him. He starred in more movies and could be who he really was. He did a lot of interviews that showed his beliefs. He said self esteem and self respect was very important and said "I feel as though I am a shining prince just like Malcolm and feel that all of us are shining princes, and if we live like shining princes, then whatever we want can be ours. Anything." (Patrick, Tony, n.p.) And when he says all of us, he means all men. He also said he doesn't care if someone is white or black. And no one can be judged by their skin. "So just because it's Black don't mean it's cool, and just because it's White don't mean it's evil."(Patrick, Tony n.p.) If he judged a man, he judged them by what they do to or how they treat others. Tupac wasn't racis! t against any body. And he showed that. I've seen him treat everyone equal that I see him with on TV or even on movies. This is an influence because since people want to be like him, they will follow his beliefs. And if Tupac believes in non-racism, then the people will believe in that too. This is a big difference from him and other rap artists. A lot of others are racist to different people, and the different people then don't like him, don't listen to his music, don't see his movies, and aren't influenced by him. Almost all races listen to Tupac's music. I've known Mexican, White, Black, Asian, Indian, and even Pakistani people who listened to his music and are influenced and are moved by him. I've even saw a show in Singapore about music here and a Singaporean kid said he listens to Tupac. Tupac has a lot of self-values that he follows. He even said it's hard sometimes, but he keeps it up. He said "To me it's really troubling because I look over what's successful - Marky Mark, Hammer, Vanilla Ice, New Kids on the Block selling twenty-two million copies, and I want that so badly, but I can't do that. I would be wrong to do that, knowing what I know and having the brain that I have, for me to even go and write some simple shit would be wrong even though I would get paid and I would get more people's money." (Patrick, Tony, n.p.) This means that Tupac has a strong will and values. He resisted the temptation to write some easy rhyming words and get peoples money. He instead followed his values and worked up to his potential. He says he also believes in Karma (Bastin, J.D., n.p.). That what comes around