The Role Of State In Rural Sustainable Development Economics Essay

The Role Of State In Rural Sustainable Development Economics Essay This chapter basically presents an overview of the rural sector of Pakistan with glances of comparison with the urban sector. Further on this chapter also relates to the function and specific strategies carried out by government and institutions that are required for sustainable development. The objective of this chapter is to give an insight in to the profile of rural sector of Pakistan in order to closely view the problems and enhance the efficiency of these areas by improving the quality of development activities through a professional approach. 1.1Rural Urban divide and profile in Pakistan. Pakistan, a nation, is in its developing phase even after 64 years of Independence has been making countless efforts to reach the stage of sustainable development in urban and rural areas of Pakistan. The challenges of implementation of resources and the scarcity of public funds available for allocation between urban and rural backfires against Pakistan development process, as development is naturally a risky business and the structure of Pakistans development expenditure is not stable enough to lead to sustainability. Most of the poor people of Pakistan currently live in rural areas. There are approximately 50,000 villages (Pak) According to the economic survey, 63.6% (Nizami, 2009)of the total population lives in villages. The rural population lacks tools and facilities to adequately cope with the risks and difficulties that they are often faced with. Therefore they are more vulnerable. Further on, the recent incidents like flood and earthquake in 2008 has dampened the situation in the rural areas and have made them worse off than before by destroying the agriculture sector completely. On the other hand, the economic survey of Pakistan reports that in currently 36.3% of the total population lives in the urban areas which has expanded sevenfold since 1950 (Nizami, 2009). Urban areas are more advanced and developed in telecommunication, media awareness, educational and health facilities when compared to the rural areas but issues like air pollution from industrial effluents, vehicle emissions, traffic congestion and low literacy rate pose a very strong threat to development. Overall, infrastructure and facilities in both rural and urban areas are lacking and substantial improvements are required and careful consideration needs to be provided by the government on resource allocation as it will lead towards sustainable economic growth in future. 1.2. An overview of the livelihood and provision of social services in rural settings of Pakistan; Inter-regional and Infra-regional disparities. The rural economy of Pakistan mainly consist of high population growth, with very low literacy rate, unhygienic living facilities, poor water and sanitation facilities, lack of health and infrastructural facilities. Moreover social sector of the rural economy is deprived and lacks basic facilities with household size on average greater than that of urban areas. Inter- regional disparity basically is the disparity that exists between the provinces of Pakistan whereas intra-regional disparities are the disparities that exist between within the province. The inter-regional imbalances have economic, social and political implications; in case of Pakistan the economic activities are concentrated to specific provinces. The insufficient provision of public infrastructure obstructs the private capital formation and economies in relatively lagging regions cause underdevelopment. Pakistan consists of four regions, Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan which are highly diverse in terms of size, population and level of economic activity, sizable interregional disparity exists in per capita income, the extent of disparities in employment ratio and labor productivity is also high and have growing trend since 1982. The two regions Punjab and Sindh are more advanced when compared with Balochistan and NWFP. There are technological differences also leading to difference in productivity On the other intra-regional disparity also exists in Pakistan. There is significant difference within the provinces itself due to varied economic structure and dynamism. Large gaps in the living standards have been seen due to the variations in the development stages of cities. The quality of physical infrastructure and expenditure spent by the government also contributes to disparity in Pakistan as cities with more facilities will have more exposure to opportunities and thereby leading to more income, 1.3 Transformation of Agriculture, mobility of capital from Agriculture and sustainability of rural development. In spite of the structural shift towards industrialization, the Agriculture sector still is one of the significant growth areas of the Pakistan economy, It is known to be the second largest sector in terms of labor employment and as well as GDP composition which accounts to 21% of GDP (Farooq, 2009). Its a source of living for majority of the rural population and is also the prime contributor in Pakistans exports. The efforts by the policy makers have been to encourage the growth in the industrial sector for a vision of sustainable rural development which is being funded at the expense of the agriculture sector is not an efficient approach. Even though both the sectors have a positive impact on the GDP but since most of the rural population is employed in agriculture and illiterate thus agriculture growth will lead to rural development and ultimately industrial growth. Despite the agriculture importance, a fluctuating trend has been followed by this sector over the past six years but has still shown a rise of average rate of 3.7 percent per annum. The overall performance in the year 2009 was weaker than expectations. The previous years performance showed a 4% growth so the expected growth in year 2009 was 3.8% whereas only 2% growth was seen. (Farooq, 2009) In order for Agriculture sector to advance, critical investments need to be made in new seeds, employing advance technologies and procedures and irrigational facilities which currently are not being provided. Globalization and transferability of technology in free market economy has necessitated employment of advance, cost effective and efficient technological agricultural equipment to be used by the farming community. The efficient use of scarce agriculture resources with employment of advance technology will assist in meeting the future challenges and industrial growth. Sustainable development has been defined intersection of social, environmental and economic goals (Levett, 1998).Without sustainable development in agriculture no tactic of economic reforms can be appreciated, as it is the key to raise the living standards, giving food security by reducing poverty, expanding market of industry and services and ultimately leading to sustainable development. However, the recent economic situation of Pakistan does not provide any support to industrial growth, the electricity shortage and instability in the economy has lead to low investments and shut down of many of the industries, as no positive returns were being realized. 1.4. Agriculture transformation, skilled labor migration and rural livelihood. The government has been making efforts to encourage industrial growth in Pakistan and provisions of human capital facilities have not only leaded to increase in output and income but also indirectly affected labor allocation. Education leads to a shift of rural household resources from farm activities to off-farm activities. Further on, the rapid economic growth in urban areas and the rural income inequality lead to an increase in rural urban labor migration, which caused reduction of the size of rural workforce therefore further reduction in the productivity of agriculture. From 1950à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2008, Pakistans total population expanded over fourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ fold, whereas the total population increased over sevenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ fold (Nizami, 2009). Rural urban migration does not have very positive result on an economy instead leads to adverse conditions of overloading of housing and social services, increased crime rate, pollution, unemployment and congestion in urban areas. Therefore factors contributing to the urbanization should be a major concern so that corresponding policies can be made accordingly but on the other hand, rural population of Pakistan is scattered over a vast areas of mountainous and forested terrain. Therefore it makes it expensive and difficult to extent the basic resources to all areas through migration, the population moves towards the areas where the services can be delivered with reasonable cost. In order to control the problem of skilled labor migration from agriculture, effective policies by government should be taken to reduce and minimize the rural-urban gap as its the key reason for migration. Moreover, in agriculture sector advance mechanization techniques should be adopted and a shift to land use growth. Agriculture is one of the vital sectors of economic growth in Pakistans economy. Therefore careful consideration needs to be given to it. 1.5 Government initiatives and institutions for rural development in Pakistan. The basic purpose of the government is to provide appropriate instruments and support to the vulnerable rural areas for effective and sustainable rural development. A framework must have strategies that are adequate in dealing with the problems faced by the rural areas and also emphasize on the sources and characteristics of the problems that are being occurred in order for a better understanding of the situation. Not only this task is challenging for government, NGOs and the international agencies but also varied but still initiatives are being carried out by the government to cope with the situation. However, deficiencies in the provision of basic infrastructure and social services in rural areas still remain. For the promotion of growth in agriculture sector the government has taken recently several steps which has increased the availability of fertilizer by 25.3%.The installation of tube wells and water for irrigation was enhanced by seepage control and land leveling. The positive features also include empowering local governance and greater funds accessibility under Tameer-e-Pakistan and Khushal Pakistan Programme. Further on, the permission to import machinery not produced locally at zero tariffs by the federal government has also encouraged the use of latest technology (Farooq, 2009).Other processes like laser land leveler, broad bed framing system and ridge are also being promoted by the government at subsidized prices to the farmers Through the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), rural industrialization of labor intensive industries and technologies has been encouraged by value addition and enhancing worker skills and facilitating technology up gradation. Industrial estates are also established along the motorways in close proximity for rural areas. Emphasis has been placed on provision of physical and social infrastructure, including farm to market roads, village electrification, clean drinking water and sanitation, and education and health facilities. The capacity for disaster management for floods, earthquakes, epidemics and other emergencies has also been improved and networking of training institutions will be undertaken to support the training efforts in line with the rural development strategy. National Population control programs and other policies have been adopted by the government for population control. Media awareness has been provided in the form of advertisements. The provision of Lady Health workers program and rural health centers have been provided to the rural and poor people for awareness and increasing health standards. 1.6. Rural Development, rural planning and intergenerational equity. Pakistan aims to transform itself into a just, prosperous, and sustainable society. In order it to be just, the concept of intergenerational equity is necessary to understand which basically means to keep a balance between the present and future generations with regard to the rural development and also a balance between the community and all individuals should have equal access to community resources and opportunities. While planning rural development, intergenerational equity should take into account resources utilization, rural poverty reduction and environmental degradation. With the use of resources and depletion of some resources, the options and choices available to future generations are decreased. Permanent losses can take place if the natural resources are depleted as they cannot be created by artificial scientific procedures. Therefore careful consideration needs to be given when allocating resources. Deforestation, ozone layer depletion and acid rain are the common developmental problems that future generation have to deal with if the current generations are not cautious in their consumption. Thus, environment plays a major role when making developmental plans. 1.7. Elements and sources of lack of sustainability in rural development; issues and concerns for Pakistan. The major issue and concern for Pakistan in rural development is the risk what managers and policy makers are very often faced with as Agriculture is a very risky and uncertain sector but since the risk is unavoidable in every situation so the decisions and policies should be devised by taking all possible alternate into account and gathering all the information and then choosing the best possible one with minimum risk. Moreover there is lack of proper technology facilities available in the rural settings which are also a major drawback and a hurdle in rural development process. Telecommunication technology can be used by the farmers to obtain up-to-date information on the market price leading to a clear idea of selling price that can be set. Further on, weather forecasts can also be used by the farmer for precautionary planning of the crops and farming practices accordingly. Even though efforts has been made in the past to provide credit facilities to the rural sectors of Pakistan through SMEs but government and other bank institutions still remain reluctant to provide loans as there are more chances of default in rural areas but may give loans to small farmers if they offer some sort of collateral which usually is in undesirable form. Therefore informal credit practices are mostly used by the developing countries including Pakistan as they have a better knowledge of the activities of the farmers. Illiterate population is also one of the contributing factors in the increase of poverty in rural areas of Pakistan. The skilled and somewhat literate labor migrate to urban areas in search of a better living standards and job opportunities making the development of rural areas stagnant and slow. Moreover rural areas are also not assisted with proper health care facilities therefore increasing number of diseases are being travelled throughout the rural areas mainly after the flood incident the number of waterborne diseases has increased to large extent. The highly uneven distribution of resources is one of the major concerns being faced by Pakistan. The industrialist and politicians have formed alliance and taken over the resources of the nation. Further on, urban areas are readily accessible with resources whereas rural areas continue to be neglected. 1.8. Key words and definitions. Inter-regional disparity: Disparity among provinces. Intra-regional disparities: Disparity within the provinces. Sustainable development has been defined intersection of social, environmental and economic goals (Levett, 1998) Tameer-e-Pakistan: a social intervention aimed to undertake schemes relating to federal functions such as rural electrification, gas supply, etc (2003) Khushal Pakistan Programme: a social intervention aimed at generating economic activity through public works and temporary employment (2003) Intergenerational equity is a concept that says that humans hold the natural and cultural environment of the Earth in common both with other members of the present generation and with other generations, past and future (Beder, 2000) Small and Medium Enterprise (SME): means an entity, ideally not a  public  limited company, which does not employee more than 250 persons (if  it is manufacturing concern) and 50 person (if it is trading / service  concern) (State bank of Pakistan) 1.9. Study objectives. To test the proposition that how employment in SME sector has impacted rural development. To test the proposition that how quality of institution has an impact on rural development. To test the proposition that military regime compared with other regime has an impact on rural development. To test the proposition that exchange rate depreciation has an impact on rural development Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter of extensive literature review would help develop a clear idea about what are the reasons behind the role of state in sustainable rural development in Pakistan. It enhances the previous chapter where study objectives and concerns were raised about the need for this research. 2.1 A brief profile of rural settings and rural livelihood in developing countries. Pakistan is basically an agro based economy at its developing stage but recently the slow growth, increasing unemployment and the rising costs have created problems for the policy makers to allocate agricultural subsidies in rural areas. Pakistan represents an interesting and vital projection to test market imperfections faced by the developing countries. Ramus Heltberg, in his article, talks about the market imperfections that are normally found in the rural sectors of Pakistan. According to him, the ownership of land is traditionally considered a source of status and political power in Pakistan, Therefore the urban population is unwilling to let go of their belongings in the rural areas which makes the distribution of land extremely disproportionate and unequal. Further on he pointed out that there exist policies with regard to different farm sizes, which include subsidies for mechanization and credit for large farms. Moreover, small farms cannot fulfill the collateral requirements therefore they are excluded as most of the loans for tractor etc are ultimately defaulted; a biased strategy is followed by the institutions in case of loans to large farmers. (HELTBERG, 1998). Thus showing that role of small medium enterprise is very vital in sustainable economic growth in the rural areas as they facilitate backward areas with loans and funds despite the imperfections. Emphasizes is also paid on the relationship of farm size and productivity which was inverse and one of the major factors in rural development. This study was basically carried out by taking into account Pakistani farm data and concluded that the small farms are more productive when compared to the big farms and also that they can enhance agriculture productivity and increase justice but however the effect on social efficiency remained ambiguous. (HELTBERG, 1998) With the growing economy, Credit is increasingly becoming an integral part of the process of development, even in rural areas of Pakistan. The paper by M. Ali Chaudhary and Mohammad Ishfaq, attempts to provide baseline estimates of probability of repayment from borrowers belonging to rural sector in Pakistan which is the most important component, to be estimated in access the credit risk. It also points out that that although the rural borrowing still amounts to a small proportion of the total borrowing of the country but the supply of institutional credit to the rural residents is increasing slowly. The main findings indicate that collateral should be based on potential credit worthiness of borrowers. (M. Ali Chaudhary, Mohammad Ishfaq., 2003) Further on, the study also suggests the recommendations that can be helpful for the lenders and the policy makers to design credit programs accordingly. The results also highlight that interest rate do not affect the repayment schedule much. Agriculture income is very variable in nature and the non-agriculture sector borrowers have a higher probability of repayment. Therefore the lenders should diversify the portfolio of their loan and reduce covariant risk possibility. 2.2 Indicators and instruments of assessing sustainability of rural development. Hermann Kreutzmann, in his article highlights the indicators required to assess the development in mountainous region. According to him, the sustainability of rural development of mountainous regions escapes adequate attention due to lack of appropriate methods. Further on comparative data is also absent, and it is complicated to verify the position of mountainous region within nation states. The purpose of this article was to discuss by investigating comparative approach of selected indicators that are mainly used in development reports. This discussion helped in better understanding of the application process and revealed the theoretical limitations that facilitated us with a vision to apply appropriate strategies for development. (Kreutzmann, 2001) International Year of Mountains stated that consideration and special focus needs to be given to research and application of comparative approaches. This article also used examples from the case studies in South Asian high mountain regions and introduced approaches that applied human development indicators to various regional levels. Analysis and evaluation of the results and interpretations of the indicators would reveal problems in the mountain research for further investigation. The results showed that in order for development to take in High Mountain areas, comparable indicators of development should be used to enhance our understanding of existence of disparities. Further on same development concepts applied to other regions should be used for developing countries mountainous areas. The demand to advance the living standards of the living standards of the mountain dwellers are brought into light several times but rarely realized. In order for development to progress the policy makers should identify the regions and enhance communication and facilities of people living in the mountain regions. (Kreutzmann, 2001) 2.3 Infrastructure, provision of social services and their livelihood. Mohammed A Ghaffar in his paper underlines that most of the government spending is allocated in the energy sector as Pakistan has few energy resources and the country is heavily dependent on the import of fossil fuel. It is stated, that more than 20% of foreign exchange earnings is spent on oil imports every year still the rural population consumes wood, animal and crop waste for its domestic energy needs. This paper presents the energy supply situation in the rural sector of Pakistan and identifies the energy shortage problem through means of a survey. The key findings of this paper is that very few farmers have access to electricity and those who have, mainly use it for lighting purposes which does not increase their comfort level. Farmers suffer during summer due to the shutdown of electric tube-wells when there is a shortage of irrigation water supply due to the low levels in canals. This is ultimately reflected in low productivity of farms. The load shedding has created a negative impact on the economy of Pakistan, because the industrial sector is closed down during peak hours in the evenings. The intensity of load shedding is expected to increase in future with increased demand for energy. (Ghaffar, 1995) Energy expenditures are influenced largely by other variables, such as the family size and energy consumption pattern. The contribution of electricity is negligible to overall energy supply in the rural sector. A common person in the rural sector could increase his standard of living by empolying renewable energy resources, such as solar Pv methods can be used to supply d.c. power to households and for lighting. Biogas can be used for cooking and heating purposes. (Ghaffar, 1995). Moving on the article by Nadeem Ilahi and Franque Grimard accessed the important role that women play in reducing poverty and ultimately promoting development in developing countries. (Nadeem Ilahi and Franque Grimard, 2000). Further on the article also highlighted the role of infrastructure in promoting development, it stated that infrastructure should be improved to increase the efficiency in production; it is not only confided to benefits in the production efficiency but also contributes to increase in the living standards of rural households. In the case of Pakistan, it also helps to raise the nutritional status of rural children. The article aimed to investigate how the quantity and quality of infrastructure affect the time women allocate to their various activities by focusing on the water structure and variations in the quality by taking into account the time allocated by rural women to market-oriented activities, leisure and water collection. The results concluded a negative relationship between the advancements in Pakistans water supply infrastructure and the time spent by rural women in water collection. As the infrastructure is improved, women allocate more time to income-generating activities. The social and institutional components may play a role in coming up with such a conclusion but economic opportunities and limitations should not be neglected of ignore in being one of a major influence on the time allocation of women in the developing countries rural areas. (Nadeem Ilahi and Franque Grimard, 2000) 2.4 Agricultural transformation, mobility of capital and prospects of rural development. In the article, by Shida Rastegari Henneberry, Muhhamad Ehsan Khan and Kullapapruk Piewthongngam, An analysis was carried out by basically making comparison between industrial and agricultural sectors of Pakistan for better insight in Pakistans economy and ultimately development. Pakistan is known to have heavy dependence on the agricultural sector which is carried mostly in the rural areas of Pakistan due to vast availability of land. The results showed that both the industries complemented each other, industry however grew more from agricultural growth than the other way round. Pakistans policy makers require a lot of information in order to make appropriate policies for industrial development through agricultural development. Further on, the article also stated that development of the industry will not only increase the profits of the private sector but also increase the potential of the economy causing an increase in amount of goods that can be produced more efficiently in given amount of resources. Industrialization not only benefits a nation by meeting its domestic needs but also enhances the exports through exporting the excess manufactured goods. Moreover, the excess labor is also absorbed by the industrial sector ultimately leading to an increase in income of the nation. For developing countries like Pakistan, the growth of the agricultural along with industrial sector needs to be given due importance. (Sh ida Rastegari Henneberr, Muhhamad Ehsan Khan, Kullapapruk Piewthongngam, 2000) In order to follow the footsteps of the Western world, many third-world nations have adopted the path of industrialization but if the resources are inefficiently allocated among the industrial sector, it slows the growth of the economy and also reduces the labor absorption rate of the industry and ultimately reducing opportunities for expansion of income and causing income inequalities. Therefore to avoid such a situation, development in agriculture sector is needed as it would effectively widen the income base and promote industries development with lower capital per worker ratios. This study proved that the agricultural growth has a considerable impact on the industrial growth. (Shida Rastegari Henneberr, Muhhamad Ehsan Khan, Kullapapruk Piewthongngam, 2000) Further on, this study highlighted that some policies to promote industrial development have not been implemented properly, like the interest rate subsidies are given to encourage capital structure in the industrial sector. However results showed that the policies to increase investment and industrial growth have not been able to achieve their desired objectives, showing that developing countries need not to abandon agriculture development completely to achieve industrial development. (Shida Rastegari Henneberr, Muhhamad Ehsan Khan, Kullapapruk Piewthongngam, 2000) This study basically proved that the role of institutions and bureaucracy is very vital in the rural development as they make and implement the right strategies that are required for development. 2.5 Skilled labor migration and rural development. The article basically underlines the rural development projects and schemes that reduce rural-urban migration. According to the study equalized land or income distribution with increase in cultivatable land will lead to reduced rural urban migration. Whereas on the other hand easily access to cities, commercialize agriculture, increase in rural inequalities and education and skills disparity among rural urban stimulates migration. (Rhoda) The basic approach taken by this research was to review migration theories and the empirical research, further establish rural-urban migration concerns and then evaluate the impacts of the migration on the rural development. The development strategies focused on agriculture development, provision of rural social services and off-farm employment. The study explains rural-urban migration as the household transfer from a predominantly agricultural area to area with mainly employment in non-agricultural activities. The definition did not distinguish between seasonal, temporary and permanent migration. Permanent migration is more of concern since it creates more problems for urban areas, however seasonal and temporary migration often lead to permanent migration. The factors leading to migration in this study was economic opportunities and availability of friends in urban areas. The cost/benefit model indicated that rural development decreased both the costs and benefits of migration. This research basically discusses rural-urban migration advantages and disadvantages. It also explains the costs and benefits of urbanization in Bolivia. According to the article, promoting rural-urban migration is one of the cheapest ways to reduce poverty in Bolivia as it is cheaper to facilitate basic services like electricity and health services to particular rural areas when compared to providing the facilities to vast areas of mountains or forest terrain is not only difficult but expensive also. Although rapid rural-urban migration is known as a dilemma for majority of the developing countries, but this paper highlighted the case Bolivia to prove that for some developing countries it might be a solution to many problems, by promoting rural-urban migration with reasonable policies, it may be possible to lessen most of the problems faced by Bolivian economy. In order to curb with the problem of urbanization, this article suggested that the efficient city planning with the location of streets and public areas need to publish to public so that sensible houses are constructed. 2.6 Elements of intergenerational equity and justice in rural development. 2.7 State initiatives and rural planning in developing countries. Development in rural areas is without doubt a risky business which has caused a challenging and highly varied task for the governments, NGOs and internatio

Religious Women in Medieval Time Essays -- History Females Religion Es

Religious Women in Medieval Time The Middle Ages did not offer women many options of lifestyles. During these times women could either be virgin martyrs and sacrifice themselves in religious rituals, or become wives and mother. None of these options offered women a real chance to live, to create, to enjoy. New options emerged, these options allowed them not only to live free of male dominance, but also to be educated and to use their creativity in areas like music, theater, science, and philosophy. These options were monastic life, mysticism and life among the Beguines. Among the women who opted one of these ways of life, were: Hrotswitha, Hildegard and Teresa of Avila, whose work was among the most famous and recognized in the Middle Ages. Monasteries and convents in the Middle Age were like a ray of light in the dark for women in the Middle Ages. Women who found their future in a nunnery, either by their own choosing or otherwise, had the opportunity to be educated and in many occasions to develop their creativity without the pressure of a male figure. This freedom that nuns enjoyed allowed them to work and use their creativity in many different ways. In the monasteries besides getting educated, women also had the option to be trained as illuminators. Since in these time the production and storage of sacred books and secular classics was confined to monasteries and convents, women got a chance to use their training as painters in the production of these sacred books. The production of sacred books, allowed women of this time more than one choice at the kind of creative work they wanted to do. One of these options was to work as an illuminator. There are many illuminations from these times, but none o... ... sacred music functioned as a bridge for humanity to life before the Fall because it was the sacred breath that God breathed into humans when he created them the one used to sing. Teresa the Avila is the last of the most accomplished women of the Middle Age. She was a Spanish nun, like Hildegard, who had mystic visions. She viewed Jesus as a spouse. After a while in her convent she decided to go all through Spain sharing her religious faith. On this quest she was able to create 25 more monasteries throughout Spain. She suffered considerably because of her visions because her confessor told her to ignore them since they came from the devil. She did not challenge this in a direct confrontation, but instead decided to choose a different priest to be her confessor. Her vision, were finally given authority by the church when she got help from Peter de Alcantara.

Cross-Cultural Competency Essay

You have no choice about which culture programs you from birth. So don’t judge others because of their cultural differences from you. All complex societies (such as our own) contain subcultures that share the larger cultural outlook, but have significant differences. The culturally savvy Soldier will take an active interest in any culture he or she works in. ReALLIT: read, ask, look, listen, investigate, and think. Look for styles of interaction/proper behavior, greeting rituals, local dress, daily routines and movements, transportation, eating habits, treatment of children, major or common ceremonies and rituals, and frequencies of young men visible on the street. Soldiers who are not culturally savvy compromise the mission by alienating the locals, or even by creating major crises. All cultures impart huge amounts of information to their members—but often it is information of a different type than we focus on in our culture. Cultures vary greatly around the world. Any generalizations about culture have exceptions. Knowledge of the specific culture is necessary. Individual characteristics and personalities vary greatly within one culture. To attribute one characteristic to everybody in a culture is called stereotyping. Cultural relativism is critical for understanding the locals among whom you work, but some cultural differences, particularly regarding ethics, cannot be brushed aside. Things we hold to be fundamentally wrong—abrogation of human rights, for example—may require us to impose our outsiders’ ethical standards on locals’ behavior. Read materials from the TRADOC Culture Center (like Smartbooks and online trainings), published ethnographies, and popular media of the area; Ask locals already available to you on the FOB, such as interpreters, or culture experts around you, as well as people you meet on patrols; Look at the behavior of locals in markets, on the roads, in meetings on post; Listen to the conversa tions you have access to, as well as local media; Investigate in more depth any questions that come up; and Think about what you know and what you don’t yet know, and how you can find out what you don’t know. Often in non-Western society’s beliefs are not â€Å"beliefs† in the way we think of them and as such are more or less open to modification. Things that we would call beliefs are often thought of by other cultures as just the way things are – matters of fact, not opinion.  Religious belief systems in particular and other aspects of locals’ world view can be driving motivators for conflict; economics is not the only reason people fight. Power Systems In most cultures, any visible formal power structure will lie over a more fundamental, less formal, structure of influence. This underlying power system will often be based on patron-client relations, in which patrons become influential by acquiring clients who owe them favors. Often, this takes a pyramid form as more powerful patrons acquire clients who have clients of their own. Interacting directly with this patron-client power system can be more effective than trying to deal with people in overt formal positions of power. Kinship Kinship is usually much more of a cohesive social force in non-Western societies. Kin group members internalize a corporate identity – the family is viewed as an extension of the self. Often large, pyramid-shaped kin groups – usually descendants of one man (or, rarely, woman) and their dependents – serve to organize political, military, economic, and religious activities. City vs Country People in the city generally have much different ways of living and worldviews than people in the country. Adherence to rural customs may begin to slacken, groups of acquaintances and awareness of the outside world broaden, and people may become more tolerant of others’ beliefs. In the countryside, no matter how remote the region, there will probably be considerable awareness of the outside world, often from men travelling outside to work. Do not underestimate the importance of language in establishing good relations with locals. Taking the time to learn even basic greetings can make a huge difference in establishing rapport. Usually, you are starting at a disadvantage, seen as a stranger with a gun. Using greetings in their own tongue shows locals that you have enough respect for them to make an effort to speak in their language. Failure to communicate is often interpreted as hostility or at least a lack of interest. Learn some of the local language and avoid that misimpressi on. Knowing some of the local’s language can be invaluable in helping you determine if your interpreter is  doing his or her job well. Knowing the language can also give you insights into locals’ conversations, which they may presume you cannot understand. The language barrier is often used as a disguise of local intentions and a tool to maintain separation from outsiders—a sort of built-in everyday code. Switching languages in the course of conversation is known as code switching. In many regions of the world, most people can speak two or even three languages. Use of a second language in the context of a conversation often helps locals maintain ethnic or otherwise specialized identities during social interaction. Generally, use of a particular language in these code-switching contexts shows insider knowledge and positive sentiment toward the culture of the language used. If you use local phrases in your communication, it can send a signal that you value local culture and want to become an insider. Demonstrating that you want to speak the local language will be much more important than your degree of expertise. Impression Management World views can make you or the locals misinterpret behavior Enemy information operations (IO) tactics will strive to take advantage of this fact You need to be very clear and vocal as to why you undertake any action Seek feedback from those impacted by the action (stakeholders) Seek out local’s concepts about Army motivations Hostile IO efforts will seek to spread negative stereotypes of the Army. They may assert that we’re all greedy and looking for material gain, we are ignorant and hostile to all the locals, we are dirty, we are sexually promiscuous, we are excessively violence prone, we don’t really care about the locals, and so on. The best way to combat such stereotypes is to consistently show, by your actions, that they are inaccurate. Most important is the development of trust. Never promise something you are not sure you can deliver. Do everything you say you are going to do and follow up with the locals to be sure they know you did it. In a chaotic environment, be the element of consistency, truthfulness, and reliability. In short order, deception erodes relations with locals. Be aware of and help inform Army IO campaigns in your AO. Have talking points ready if locals argue with you, particularly when there is an audience. Redirect the conversation to local  cultural practices or, if necessary, break off contact once you have made your points, or if a local adversary gets the best of you. Be willing to admit to yourself when this is happening. Though you want to be as conversational as possible with the locals-be transparent enough that they can read for themselves your genuine good intentions-do not continue an argument about military or political issues if it gets too heated, or if you are clearly losing. â€Å"Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.† It is much easier for your enemy to malign what you said than to malign what you did not say. Remember, from the point of view of the locals, you are the Army. Mission success often depends on your behavior presenting the Army in the best light. Locals in your area may be receiving propaganda broadcasts and leaflets in foreign languages you do not understand. Usually enemy propaganda campaigns will be carried out in the locals’ language, but often they will be in a language that is secondary but known to the locals. If you notice foreign language broadcasts or print media in your area, make sure the G2 is aware of it. Local insurgents may use clandestine means of communicating with and intimidating locals, such as the infamous â€Å"night letters† left by insurgents in local mosques in Afghanistan. Look for such means of communication if you notice a sudden about-face in the locals regarding U.S. Army initiatives or agreements. Just being attuned to subtleties and complexities of local social situations usually gives the locals the upper hand in assessing the overall situation in the area. Acknowledge this and try to get the locals to share their understanding with you. There are many non-threatening ways to elicit explanations that may substantially change your perception of what is going on in your area. Asking about such non-sensitive subjects such as proper behavior; greeting rituals; local dress; daily routines and movements; transportation; eating habits; treatment of children; and major or common ceremonies, and rituals can help give you a general picture of social life in the area and a backdrop against which to gauge your situational awareness Probe all the methods used by people in your area to make sense of what is going on around them. They may use completely unexpected means of assessing their environment. In Afghanistan, for example, most people can tell what region any given person comes from based solely on facial and bodily features. Help your Soldiers maintain their cool and reserve judgment An uncertain and probably harsh future adds a huge psychological burden In situations of extreme poverty, the power of money increases dramatically. For example, insurgents may be able to influence locals to take what might seem like insane risks for paltry material gains. If we maintain a proper perspective on the impacts of poverty, we can use this fact to our own advantage, winning the cooperation of locals and demonstrating our good will with economic development programs of relatively small scale that will provide tangible benefits quickly. The Practical Implications of Poverty (continued) The perception of poverty can be powerful Relative poverty can have significant psychological and social impacts People who are unable to afford symbols of material success may suffer feelings of personal inferiority People who have relatively low incomes may choose to invest in highly visible items Additional Reading: Perceived disparity in wealth can fuel problems between social groups, particularly when the material differences are not in line with hereditary markers of social status. If a particular racial or ethnic group, for example, suddenly hits on a way to make money that elevates them â€Å"beyond their station† in the traditional hierarchy, the traditionally higher-status folks may become angry and take steps to keep the upstarts â€Å"in their place.† Commonly, those who feel the most resentment are others of the same traditional social status as their lucky, newly wealthy neighbors-â€Å"They’re no better than us, who do they think they are?† Community Influence Power of Wealth Often the power of wealth is used to obtain other, more formal, types of power. In India, for example, it is not uncommon for politicians to send buses out to their rural constituents to take them all for a large feast in the city. It is understood that in exchange for this largesse, the voters will vote the powerful man into political office, whereby he can exert still more influence Influence One can have influence by holding an important position in various types of groups: kinship groups, religious or healing-related groups, groupings based around occupation or land use, age set groups or groups based around education. For example, the most important person in your AO may derive their status in part from being able to perform divinations. If you are not aware that divinations – making decisions, explaining situations, or telling fortunes based on seemingly random occurrences, such as flipping a coin – are important in your AO, you could fail to recognize the most important person for you to influence City and the Country Forms of community influence will differ markedly between the city and the country. Cities tend to be more oriented toward impersonal, economically based influence or western-style â€Å"democratic† governance. At least in the city these things may be more visible. But don’t underestimate the effects of neighborhood-level influence based on patron/client relations, kinship, religion, healing, or trade guilds in the city. As always, take a cultural ReALLIT check to give you the basic lay of the social situation. The more you know about the locals, the smoother your relations with them will progress. Social Stratification Most societies separate their people into ranks of social worth Commonly, one is born into the group and its status Differences in status are often subtle and difficult for an outsider to detect It is important that you try to discover such differences when you deploy Low-status individuals may be the most eager to engage you and try to enter into agreements with you in order to gain what they can from you and enhance their local status. You should engage them and learn what you can from them, but do not be hasty to enter into agreements until you understand the relative status of the people you are dealing with. In South Asia, for example, to enter into an agreement with a low-caste man could discourage later agreements with more influential high-caste men. Long-standing resentments between high-status and low-status groups can fuel conflict Genocidal conflicts have usually centered on co-residing ethnic, religious, or kin groups The group with the superior social status attempts to inflict genocide on those of lower status On a smaller scale, insurgents may exploit  resentment over status differences to recruit locals or to incite destabilizing violence between locals. Since few, if any, Army missions call for destabilizing an area, you generally want to be careful to take local social stratification into account for all of your operations. Simple awareness can help you avoid worsening existing ill feelings between groups. Levels and Sources of Internal conflict These complex webs of allegiances and grievances can make working with locals a very tricky business. This is especially true since disagreements are usually the last thing anybody wants to talk about to outsiders. Particularly in cultures, which place a high value on saving face or public honor, people may not want to say anything that could be taken as disrespectful of their neighbors, even though they may have big problems with them. For this reason, it is desirable when possible to talk to locals out of earshot of others so they may feel freer to hint at conflicts with their neighbors. Any information you can pick up about who gets along and who has a beef with who could be very helpful in carrying out successful engagements and initiatives with the locals. For example, if you know that members of one subgroup are in collusion with insurgents, you will be more likely to find willing partners among that group’s current detractors in a lower-level conflict. Disagreements and cross-purposes regarding ethnicity, politics, religion, kin groups, or economics are likely to exist in even the most placid-seeming community. Such conflicts can revolve around material concerns such as land, inheritance, water rights, death re-compensation, or bride price. Likewise, they may be centered on purely ideational (non-material) concerns such as religious disagreements, a history of fights between groups in the distant past, or discord over the ways children should be educated. Since people in different cultures have different worldviews than our own, elements which might seem insignificant to us could be worth killing or dying for, to them. So do not discount farfetched-sounding explanations for local conflict until you have learned enough about the culture to judge. In fact, if you can get locals talking about any conflict past or present, you can learn a great deal about their culture in a short time.

Essay about The Introduction of Feminist Criticism

1. Feminism The historical implication of Feminism usually means movement for recognition of the claims of woman for rights (legal, political, familial, etc.) equal to those possessed by men. It is said that Eve is depicted as made from a supernumerary bone of Adam; therefore, women have always been considered inferior to men. However, as Barnes suggests, the minimal criteria for feminism should include the claim for equal status, rights and roles with men. From the very early time, women began to strive fro their self-evaluation. The Enlightenment Movement and the American and French revolutions contributed a lot to the new rise of feminism. Such literary women as Austin, Bront#235;s, Eliot and Dickenson appeared that time. In†¦show more content†¦It consists of two parts: the Anglo-American which is believed to be more practically minded, and the French which is more theoretical. Feminist approaches draw from at least four areas of contemporary critical thoughts: historical (including Marxist), psychoanalytic, reader-response, and deconstructive theory. Feminist criticism therefore gains much of its validity from a variety of other critical approaches. The main concern of feminist literary criticism is the feminist language. Elaine Showalter argues that The task of feminist critics is to find a new intelligence and our experience, our reason and our suffering, our skepticism and our vision. (Showalter 141) She also proposes that the task for feminist criticism is to concentrate on womens access to language, on the available lexical range for which words can be selected, on the ideological and cultural determinations of expression. (Showalter 255) #8545;. A Historical Development of Feminist Criticism 1. First-wave Feminist Criticism (pre-1960s) Modern feminist criticism is deeply indebted to the work of two writers, Virginia Woolf and Simone de Beauvoir. Their viewpoints exhibits the strength as well as the challenge of literary feminism in the direction of two ways: (1) toward a feminist social critique, or an analysis of women attempting to write in a patriarchal cultural; (2) toward the development of a feminist esthetic, or an explanation of howShow MoreRelatedWomen During World Civilization, Men And Women921 Words   |  4 PagesDuring world civilization, men and women lived in an egalitarian system. However, the introduction of Agriculture changed that forever. Once men began hunting and women started gathering, the men considered what the women do as an easy job. This is when the world began to collapse in terms of gender discrimination and inequality. This unequal system continued throughout centuries and still exists today. However during the 15th 16th century everything changed and women were more suppressed than everRead MoreUnder Western Eyes by Mohanty1381 Words   |  6 PagesIn this text Mohanty argues that contemporary western feminist writing on Third World women contributes to the reproduction of colonial discourses where women in the South are represented as an undifferentiated â€Å"other†. Mohanty examines how liberal and socialist feminist scholarship use analytics strategies that creates an essentialist construction of the category woman, universalist assumptions of sexist oppression and how this contributes to the perpetuation of colonialist relations between theRead MoreLiterary Perspectives1379 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿English september 8, 2009 Literary Perspectives The following information was excerpted from The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 8th edition, 2079–2098 Formalist critics are primarily concerned with the language, structure, and tone of a work, otherwise known, as it’s â€Å"formal elements†. Formalists gravitate towards â€Å"intrinsic† matters in a piece of literature, in simpler terms, diction, irony, paradox, metaphor, and symbol. In a similar fashion, they emphasize larger elementsRead MoreWhy Stories Matter Convincingly Questions The Belief That Securing More Accurate Narratives Of The Past Essay1388 Words   |  6 PagesThey are also methodological: feminist scholars need the requisite tools to understand how the past is portrayed and how it might be portrayed differently. The existential question remains unanswered, which in her view leaves room for â€Å"unpredictability† in conceptualizing the past. One’s reply to the question depends largely on how one defines their source base, however. Although the extensiveness of Hemmings’s study is astonishing, her study begins and ends wi th feminist theory and the affective impulsesRead MoreFeminism1121 Words   |  5 PagesFEMINISM Introduction to Sociology Feminism Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. The movement organized around this belief. Feminism Feminist Theory is an outgrowth of the general movement to empower women worldwide. Feminism can be defined as a recognition and critique of male supremacy combined with efforts to change it. Feminism The goals of feminism are: To demonstrate the importance of women To reveal that historically women have been subordinate to menRead MoreFeminist Criticism of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper1216 Words   |  5 Pages Charlotte Perkins Gilman is known as the first American writer who has feminist approach. Gilman criticises inequality between male and female during her life, hence it is mostly possible to see the traces of feminist approach in her works. She deals with the struggles and obstacles which women face in patriarchal society. Moreover, Gilman argues that marriages cause the subordination of women, because male is active, whereas female plays a domestic role in the marriage. Gilman also arguesRead MoreSociological And Common Sense Understanding1341 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to Sociology Throughout this essay, I will explain the distinction between sociological and common sense understanding, highlight the differences between sociology and other social sciences, and evaluate two sociological perspectives – Marxism and feminism. Sociology is the scientific study of human society. It examines the development of social structures, and the interaction between these structures and human behaviour. Sociologists aim to provide tools of understanding the processRead MoreEcofeminism Essay1217 Words   |  5 Pagesthat Ecofeminism is involved with, then distinguish primary ideas and criticisms. Though in theory, ecological feminism has been around for a number of years, it emerged as a political movement in the 1970s. Francoise dEaubonne, a French feminist philosopher, coined the term Ecofeminism in 1974. Ecofeminism is a feminist approach to environmental ethics. 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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. 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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