Silence Shusaku Endo, Silence Silence is a book written as a book describing basic Christian beliefs and to discuss and show how a Christian priest traveled to Japan to spread the Christian beliefs. This book was not just any ordinary book of Christianity; it showed how one priest who had such strong beliefs struggled to stay alive everyday while he was in captivity in a Japanese pri

Jim Jones The History of Jonestown In 1978, 913 followers of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple committed a mass suicide in northern Guyana at a site called, Jonestown. The charismatic leader of Jonestown, was Jim Jones, a preacher who set up the Peoples Temple in San Francisco and ultimately moved his followers to a more clandestine site in Guyana. While Jones was preaching in San Franci

Lamb Of God “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) These are the words of John the Baptist as he saw Jesus approaching one day. Why would John refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God' He is not the only one; in the book of Exodus Jesus is referred to as the Lamb twenty-eight times. According to the dictionary a lamb can be: a young sheep, a sweet mild-m

Shinto What is the meaning of Shinto' Shinto is a nature- focused religion in Japan and deals with a number of Japanese mythological rites and has gone through many changes or the years. Today Shinto emphasizes the harmony of natural beauty and a clear perspective of reality. Shinto celebrities’ clarity and the contact with the diverse forces of nature. The word kami is described as

Martin Luther "Martin Luther" Early Life Martin Luther who was a German priest and scholar was born into a comparatively rich family on November 10,1483. Within weeks of Luther's birth, his father Hans descended into the copper mines. A lifetime of the hard work, lessening, watchfulness and self-improvement that would hallmark the Protestant ethic prepared of Hans Luther a prope

The Dead Sea Scrolls The History of the Dead Sea Scrolls Known to be the most important archeological discovery of the twentieth century, the Dead Sea Scrolls have not only become a window through which we can explore ancient civilization, but most importantly, a foundational source we can use to see a glimpse of an ancient religious people. Composed of over 800 manuscripts, the Dea

A Reflection On The Narnian Chronicles A Reflection on the Narnian Chronicles Throughout the C.S.Lewis series, The Narnian Chronicles, there are many indirect references to the Christian faith and the Bible itself. Through the use of allegories, Lewis provides his readers with a link to explore and contemplate this “other world.” Though allegorical instances are prevalent through

Religion Religion is part and parcel to every culture’s worldview. Religion serves to answer questions, which otherwise are beyond a group’s control. Whereas in most complex cultures religion has a certain time and place, amongst structurally simpler societies, religion is inextricably weaved in the fabric of their existence. The supernatural beings that are specific to a certain culture

Cain Michael Corcoran September 20, 2004 Paper #2 English 236 Explain the real reason for God’s Preference for Abel’s sacrifice instead of Cain’s The story of Cain and Abel from the birth of Cain to the death of Abel is very brief, only lasting a few versus. It is because the passage is so short and vague that so many interpretations can be taken from it. The bible does not c

Divorce It is pointless to debate the appropriateness of divorce in general. One need only consider the married people one knows who have been divorced for years, and everyone realizes it but the couple in question. One need only consider the walking wounded who are enduring marriages without sex, love or kindness. We need divorce to save our lives, and that is really what is at issu

Religions Of Early India And Early China. When comparing early India and early China, there is no doubt many similarities and differences among the religions being practiced. In this paper, the primary focus is to define some of the similarities in the religion they share, namely Buddhism and also, the differences in religions in the two areas by discussing different aspects of Hinduism

The Bible Code What is the Bible code' Can it predict the future' The Bible code has been around since about the Twelfth Century. Rabbinical scholars first found hidden words in the Hebrew text of the Torah. Jewish scholars believe that everyone and everything that ever was, is, or will be is hidden in meaningful words hidden in the first five books of the Bible. Only v

The Evolution Vs. Creationism Conflict The Evolution Vs. Creationism Conflict The merits of the arguments between the theory of evolution and the belief in creationism is a topic that has bestirred an interest in me for several years. I think that most people have an opinion on the topic or are trying to form one. An example of this is the Christian fish that emphasizes a creationist vi

Do Kids Need Religion Anthony Brandt: Do Kids Need Religion' This article describes one man's findings and observations when trying to decide whether or not children should be exposed to religion. He writes this article in hopes of deciding how to raise his own children. Religion is a highly debated and very sensitive subject in all communities. Even more controversy comes into play w

The Taoism What is Buddhist Meditation' In general, any virtuous object can be used as an object of meditation. If we discover that by acquainting our mind with a particular object our mind becomes more peaceful and virtuous, this indicates that for us that object is virtuous. If the opposite happens, for us it is a non-virtuous object. Many objects are neutral and have no particular po

Does Religion Belong in Schools' Does Religion Belong in Schools' Religion, as defined in Webster’s New School Dictionary, is “any system of faith or worship, etc. built around God, ethical values, a philosophy, etc.” (“Religion” 602). Much of the population of this country has some sort of a religion that they practice. After all, it is the free right of Americans to do so. The po

Different Views, Different Responses Different Views, Different Responses A \'No\' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a \'Yes\' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble. --Mohandas Gandhi The Dalai Lama feels sadness caused by the things that are brought onto his people. He sees that his people have been neglected, they were being starved to death. “I

God In School The most obvious evidence of school attempts to accommodate people’s religious beliefs and the one thing which is sure to affect everyone involved, regardless of their religious beliefs, is the decision to simply close a school during a religious holiday. Traditionally, this has only occurred around Christmas, but that is starting to change. The question of closing scho

Sermon The Slippery Slope Twelve disciples, along with a multitude of people, gathered upon a hillside to hear Jesus of Nazareth speak. What they heard was both profound and amazing; it conflicted with everything they’d been taught. They had come to see miracles, to be healed and to be comforted; not necessarily to be corrected, as only a father could do. Jesus Christ took on this daun

The Sotah Ritual In Ancient Israel Introduction The ritual of the sotah from the book of Numbers is a fascinating passage to read in the Hebrew Bible. For one thing, this ritual deals with the idea of a man being able to bring his wife to trial, even if he has no evidence against her. While such an instance might be seen as negative treatment of women, others might explain it as th

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur Yom Kippur is a holiday that relates to the Jewish community. Yom Kippur, which means "Day of Atonement," is the holiest day of the Jewish year. Yom Kippur is a day of "self-denial" so that they may be cleansed of their sins. It is observed eight days after Rosh Hashanah. It is believed that on Rosh Hashanah God inscribes all of their names in the "books", an

“The Questions That Liberate New Life” “The Questions that Liberate New Life” We are moving away from the traditions of the past, and are focusing more on our values of the present. Our issues of today and social, political, religious faith, medical ethics, human rights, etc. This differs from the past by being more in tune with today’s actual events. A lot of people of strong, deeply

The Pentacle The Pentacle I’m doing this paper on one of my most sacred symbols in my faith group. The pentacle for all senses of the word is a symbol that I hold very sacred. The pentacle is a five-pointed star in closed in a circle. I know that the pentacle is seen by most of society as a sign of evil, and Satanic Worship. I have two words to say to that “BULL SHIT”. It is tr

Death And Its Social Implications Death is the one social process that can be said is universal to all societies. However, what death actually means and the processes surrounding this transition are not so universal. Rituals are one way through which members process their grief and attempt to restore the social order back to their societies. The meaning of death: For the Merina, spec

Islam Islam More Than A Religion Despite its huge following around the world and the growing Muslim communities in the United States, Islam is foreign to most Americans who are familiar with Christianity or Judaism. Because most Americans know little or nothing about Islam, they have many misconceptions about Muslim beliefs and rituals. The negative image many people in the United

Worship Old And New Worship Old and New Many have spent most of their lives trying to figure out why a God with so much power could waste so much time watching and protecting a species that he created but who have denounced him as Lord and Savior. I have been learning a lot this past semester about my faith and who God is. And I too have wonder why or even how a God like Yahweh, cou

Jesus Jesus’ parables will always be a wonderful way to get a point across to a crowd. They make the lesson or message more personable and help the relate the point more closely to their own life. Neil Lightfoot states eloquently when he says: The parables of Jesus will always remain the very center and heart of the teachings of Christ. They summarize what Jesus taught and lived. Th

Islam The strong impact slavery had on the spread of Israel The word of the Quran had a strong influence on many cultures. The Muslims holy word was fitting to many and easily answered people’s questions on how to get into heaven and how to stay out of flaming hell. The spread of Islam moved quickly considering the extensive geography and different regions that were involved. While

Leadership Of Jesus Jesus Christ was the Son of God, born from a faithful virgin, who was given the power from the Holy Spirit. He was God in the flesh, only walking this earth for a short period of time, (about thirty years), (New American Bible). Being the leader of the Jewish people thousands of years ago, he glorified God in every way. Jesus was a Galilean, but traveled all over t

Separation of Church and State SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: THE EVOLUTION FROM ROGER WILLIAMS TO MODERN TIMES The separation of church and state has been fiercely debated for more than three centuries. Before America became an independent union some of the English immigrants, known as Puritans, were coming to this new land to break away from the rule of the Church of England.