Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher who is best known for his work in existentialism. In his famous work, Being and Nothingness, Sartre examines the nature of freedom and choice. His famous quote, “man is condemned to be free,” suggests that humans are burdened with the responsibility of making choices. This may seem like a … Read more
Borderlines is Frank Jacobs’ column in the New York Times. Through an extensive study of borders, the column examines the political geography of the world. Jacobs humorously brings an insightful perspective and manages to address a broad spectrum of concepts in political geography. Jacobs’ articles are written and published during a period of increasing disdain … Read more
There is a popular judgement that technology is one of humanity’s greatest successes as it continues to assume new spheres of society. Although this may be true, as technology takes a position in the literary world, with an improvement in access to an unimaginable amount of information, the need for fiction and nonfiction books has … Read more
One out seven people on the earth is Roman Catholic. “Roman Catholics in the world (nearly 1. 1 billion) is greater than that of nearly all other religious traditions” (Roman Catholicism). The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious tradition ever created. It was the first Christian church and its beginning can be traced back … Read more
On August 16th, 2015, John Oliver’s news show on HBO, Last Week Tonight, shed a cutting light on religious ministers who devote the majority of the ministry through television broadcasting. Mainly Christian, these ministers, known as “Televangelists”, and can be either official or self-proclaimed ministers that enlist their followers into “seed faith”. Defining this term, … Read more
In today’s society, many seek ways to live the best life possible. As we age, we tend to get more spiritual, some may refer to aging in itself as a spiritual journey. According to Lavretsky, “In the US general population, religious participation has always been prominent, with over 90% of Americans believing in God or … Read more
Religion is something that is mentioned to a great extent in the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Father Mapple delivers the story of Jonah and the Whale, in which he speaks about a man named Jonah who tries very hard to get away from God which has a horrible aftereffect. Every time he tries … Read more
“Without the senses there would be no religion, for religion is founded on a relation between embodied beings and the world around them. ” (IRS, 69) The senses help us construct and allow us to partake in the world’s religions. The faiths of the world are deeply fixed in the customs of culture and connect … Read more
There are many religions throughout the world that believe in a variety of different deities. Religion is a belief and worship of either, one or more, absolute beings. Some of the many religions are Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Muslim. Each religion has its own guidelines as to why people follow and praise what they believe. … Read more
As a kid and growing up, all of my friends never knew what Buddhism was. Even I barely knew what Buddhism was. All I knew and all they knew was Buddha seemed to look like based off my necklace. This always left the question in my head: What exactly is Buddhism? I began asking my … Read more
It’s against America’s values to discriminate on the basis of the content of a speech. This means that there is no reason we should not be allowed to display religion in the public sphere. Some people think that it’s not okay no matter what, others think it is alright as long as multiple religions are … Read more
Sayyid Qutb is often cited, by both his admirers and his detractors, as the father of contemporary Islamist thought. In order to assess this claim, there are two questions which must be addressed: firstly, what is meant by the term “Islamist” in this context; secondly, what role did Qutb play in shaping this movement? “Islamism” … Read more
Both books, The Time Traveler and the Travelers Gift, have to do with man’s curiosity of time travel. Both these books are a great read and get you thinking, “Would time travel really be possible, and could I see man evolve throughout history to where we are today? ” As a Christian, I don’t personally … Read more
Buddhism is a religion that focuses on ones’ spiritual connections and paths that may come from this. They focus purely on the nature of living and their goal is to do this in the most humane way. Abortion is a medical issue that is widely known. It is defined as being the deliberate termination of … Read more
Zechariah chapters 7 and 8 are a complete unit dealing with the hearts of the people toward their God. The historical setting of these chapters takes place in the 4th year of King Darius. The 2nd temple-rebuilding project is nearly complete. Those that returned to the region from Babylon had placed a priority on rebuilding … Read more
Perceptions of Discrimination Among Atheists: Consequences for Atheist Identification, Psychological and Physical Well-Being Doane, J. Michael. , & Elliot, Marta. University of Nevada, Reno. Psychology of religion and Spirituality 2015, Vol. 7, No. 2, 130-141 This article was written by Michael J. Doane and Marta Elliott for the purpose of discovering the outcome of discrimination … Read more
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. ‘ God created man in … Read more
People are what they believe, what norms and customs, and laws governing them, people are their culture. Morality is the set of principles or system of conducts in society that distinguish between right and wrong or bad and good behaviors. The morality of society varies with the customs and the beliefs of the family. Ethical … Read more
Allusions: “My father brought her a glittering brooch, necklace, and dangles to make her all the more inviting, though she also wished to wear a cross, as always” (Pg. 18). The fact that she always wears a cross reveals that she may carry some guilt regarding her relationship with William and the dishonesty toward William’s … Read more
Literature Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. B. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012. Print. Within Emily Dickinson’s poems, she faces a few of the same themes. The themes presented range from religion, women roles, and a dark twist of life after death. Dickinson stayed within the walls … Read more
In the story Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio was faced with several cultural conflicts that influenced his moral compass and cultural identity. First, he is faced with a cultural conflict between his mother and father’s aspirations for his destiny. His mother, who came from a family of farmers and known as men of the people, wanted … Read more
Unhappy with the Church of England, the Puritans traveled all the way to the New World to create a society based solely on their religion. Their goals in this endeavor were to establish settlements in which they were governed by Puritanical religious scriptures and in which no other religion was practiced. As opposed to having … Read more
An issue that has been highly controversial regarding honesty has been whether it is ever right to lie. Some people would argue that lying is not always morally wrong. From this perspective, telling a lie can be beneficial because the truth sometimes causes more damage than a lie would. To illustrate, a person might lie … Read more
Poetry, whether written in 1877 or 1922, has a brilliant effect of diving into one’s mind and unfolding latent meanings that otherwise remain undiscovered (Browning and Cousin 242-243, 331). Coming from two opposite worlds, Gerard Hopkins and Robert Frost have both left their imprints on the universal galaxy of poetry. “Pied Beauty” written by Hopkins … Read more
How pleasant one looked on Sunday transpired as my Mother’s definition of religion, for she always had us corresponding dresses she had made, in different colors and clothed to the hilt; with pristine bonnets, fluffy petticoats, matching purses, white gloves, lace socks, and patent leather shoes. Subsequently, our family occurred excessively dressed on numerous Easter … Read more
In her short story, “Revelation”, Flannery O’Connor discusses what it truly means to be a good person, despite society’s common perceptions. She uses the theme of hypocrisy to highlight that someone may have a positive appearance to the rest of the world, but their motives can reveal that they are not who they seem. O’Connor … Read more
There are many problems on Earth, most of these problems are viewed in different perspective throughout different religions, cultures, and societies. From all religions the catholic religion was picked, to research their view and thoughts on abortion. Abortion is a big issue on Earth as mothers decide not to give birth to the creature inside … Read more
Throughout history, religion has been a major part of almost every civilization that has existed. Religious beliefs have always served as an explanation for phenomena that were otherwise inexplicable. This dependence on religion to explain the unexplainable made people very reliant on whatever religion they subscribed to. However, as time has gone on and the … Read more
Humans tend to ignore what is within their environs and how it might influence their lives. Some act out of ignorance while others are naive of how the things they interact with may impact their lives. This project is meant to evaluate the perception of humans on various aspects of life that they encounter on … Read more
HOWL Embracing Spirituality Religion has always played a significant role in the way societies and cultural groups shape themselves. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism – clearly, the diversity of religious belief systems co-exist all around the world. Many people practice a religion because it brings them a sense of peace and salvation. It helps an … Read more
Faith cannot be imposed upon anyone because it comes deep from inside one’s heart. In the short story “Unfollow,” by Adrian Chen, Megan Phelps-Roper, an ex-member of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, serves to illuminate the nature of faith in an individual’s mind. Phelps-Roper grew up as a member of the Westboro Baptist … Read more
One of the most crucial things in the understanding of a country or civilization is to learn about their religion. Religion is not just another concept, it is the way of life for an entire race of people. This is especially true with countries whose religions originated in their country and had been around for … Read more
Dharmic faiths are similar, so one has to inspect each religion to understand the differences. People of these faiths are often confused for one another, but if you are willing to look you can find the differences. Each religion, especially Sikhism presents its own challenges to its young followers as seen in the movie Bend … Read more
-Anecdotal Hook Our dollar bills have the quote of “in God we trust” and our Pledge of Allegiance has “one nation under God”. The Supreme Court now has a new judge who has strictly made decision based on his faith. Their faiths may not be the same as you and I profess. Your religion may … Read more
The supernatural characteristics within The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible represent contrasting definitions. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, it portrays a supernatural type of world where every character that it lists holds a certain role in the events that occur so therefore these characters are gods and goddesses in their own respects. As … Read more
Similar to today, religion has been a significant aspect of people since the medieval ages. However, before the 11th century, religion was highly unorganized and most people were pagans in most of the countries in the world. The Norse religion began in the 11th century in countries of the Northern Europe including Denmark, Iceland, Sweden … Read more
Spirituality and age? Interest in spirituality in the aging population as increased overwhelmingly in recent years. Perhaps one reason is the growing evidence that there are measurably positive health benefits and outcomes that can be traced to spirituality and participating in religious activity. Increases in life expectancy along with a culture of long periods of … Read more
Religion has always played a vital role in human society. As our earliest stories and poems indicate, questions of gods, divinity, immortality, and creation existed in ancient cultures and pervaded many facets of daily life, including literature. In The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Leiden Hymns we see not only this literary preoccupation with questions … Read more
Hmong culture: Textile art and customs As living in California with cultural diversity, it is important to understand and respect others’ cultural values. There are about 8 to 12 million Hmong people in the world, and many researches have been done to explore Hmong culture and beliefs (Yang, 2012). Briefly to introduce, Hmong is a … Read more
In 1963 Martin Luther King gave the most powerful and famous speech in the history of the United States. 40 years later, no other speech has been able to overcome the effect that this speech has had on the American people generation after generation. Despite the fact that the message of the speech is perhaps … Read more
Jesus Camp is a powerful, mind-altering documentary that follows the journey of selected children as they spend a summer in the Kids on Fire summer camp run by Becky Fischer. In this camp strict practices of idealization and object-hunger are intensively practiced. Throughout lessons it has been learnt that the experience of religious idealization can … Read more
Religion is one of the pillars of society. It can be used to rule the common with fair and just practice or it can be used for a rulers own self-improvement and greed. Many times over the course of world history religion is misconstrued and leads individuals to believe self-interrupted version of its holy text. … Read more
In a community full of judgemental sinners one decides to face the truth. Throughout the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Reverend Hooper was treated as an outcast for confessing to his sins. Although Hooper was doing the right thing in God’s eyes the community thought of Hooper’s sacrifices as evil. In “The Minister’s Black … Read more
Evil has no definitive interpretation; it is a matter of morals and the mindset of the being. It depends on the person to define such an ambiguous idea, some have faith in God(s), others look to dictionary definitions. Though based on Grendel’s intelligence and his repeatedly disgusting acts, he is evil. He is an astute … Read more
“‘The black bass thinks he can be king of the fish, but all he wants is to eat them. The black bass is a killer. But the real kind is the golden carp, Tony. He does not eat his own kind-’ Cico’s eyes remained glued on the dark waters. His body was motionless, like a … Read more
Mr. Hopper, a man who was a minister in a village in a town of Milford, somewhere in England. He was usually the person who would always be leading citizens, looked up to by everyone, including civil authorities. Of course, everyone knew Mr. Hooper in town. Every Sunday the whole village went to church. This … Read more
Visiting a Jewish Synagogue Religion is one of the factors that help to maintain balance in the world. There are many religions in this world. Every religion has its own beliefs and ways of following it. Religions may vary in many aspects. While some religions may have the same beliefs, some will have the exact … Read more
Human actions are what define the world and how other people act. The cause and effect of actions revolve mostly around how people treat each other. Lao-Tzu largely focuses on how a leader treats his people in “Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching”. He encourages those in power to not force anything in their actions but … Read more
Not many novels are comparable to Flannery O’Connor’s The Violent Bear it Away. Perhaps this is due in part to her skillful composition, but O’Connor’s blunt addressal of the natural struggle between faith and reason is strikingly convicting. Raised in the south in a predominantly Catholic family, O’Connor herself was no stranger to the concepts, … Read more
Medieval England literature all seem to follow a basic set of ideas. Although many of the plays and tales we have read so far are different in plotlines, they all possess a certain set of ideas and focus on certain concepts. In each piece of literature, not only is God mentioned, but religion almost always … Read more
In the book “Contradictions in Conservatism” Dr. Farmer explains the discrepancies and inconsistencies in conservatism in order to enlighten his audience about the contrariety in the ideology, Conservatism. Dr. Farmer brings forth to light the values and beliefs that they hold. He lists all of them and then he explains why they are wrong or … Read more
Religion Origins: Tenrikyo is known as monotheistic Religion, and is the Biggest and most successful section of Shinto in japan; it was founded in the 19 century, and is often thought of like the evangelistic “new religions” (like Islam, Christianity, etc.) of japan. Tenrikyo is Japanese in origin which means, “The Religion Of Divine Wisdom”. … Read more
The Yoruba religion encompasses religious beliefs and rituals of the Yoruba people. These practices were being utilized before the Yoruba community faced Islam, Christianity and other faith; it originated from Africa and into the New World. This influenced several Afro-American religions such as Lucumi in Cuba, Umbanda and Candomble in Brazil; in addition to the … Read more
The screams of the beating being given, the constant bells controlling everyone like how strings control a puppet, everybody was now a robot with little to no emotion following out orders ad doing labor nonstop; this is how Eliezer, Shlomo, and the rest of the Jewish people would have to live for a period of … Read more
The Indian’s most likely did not understand why the catholic priest was there. They crucified him because he tried converting them to be Catholics. The Indians did not understand the intentions of the first Catholic priest; they did not know that he was there to help them. He most likely tried to force his ideas … Read more
A popular theme that echoes throughout the texts of many British authors is religion; mainly in the point of view from the Holy Bible. In most british literature, the reader can draw conclusions that the author drew insight from the stories based upon Christianity. This insight can be reflected by major characters or events that … Read more
The paper under review, medicine and religion in ancient Egypt is by Laura Zucconi, a history professor at Richard Stockton college of New Jersey. The analysis provided on ancients Egypt’s concept of medicine and religion, are derived from studies in the fields of medical anthropology, history of medicine and biblical studies. This article directs its … Read more
Introduction Bread Givers is a novel written by a Jewish lady Yezierska Anzia in 1925, the novel covers a number of aspects. The set up is in the old Manhattan in the United States of America, in the 1920s. The author is believed to have migrated from Poland to United States of America in the … Read more
Through the long, and complicated course of history, religion and the different aspects on it have been key to the way the world is today. Several people have different opinions on different cultures and populations, and how these conflicts affected, them; these people also include their own personal opinion. A couple of them, are authors, … Read more
Sagarika Reddy Philosophy Honors 03/28/16 Dr. Shorter Speciesism and Moral Status In his work Speciesism and Moral Status, Peter Singer compares the behaviors of humans with cognitive disabilities to the behaviors of nonhuman animals. He argues that all human beings do not have cognitive abilities that exceed that of all nonhuman animals. In fact, many … Read more
If you had to define the word miracle how would you define it, do you even believe miracles to be true? I know that myself surely believes in them. This whole world is too amazing not to believe. The word miracle and meaning behind it is something I have never dove deep into and have … Read more
Odin is giving the Vikings survival advice and from the stories we have read we know how the Vikings have not taken Odin’s guidance seriously which might be thought to be the reason that has caused them to vanish. Odin is warning the Viking about the Stamford bridge battle and that they should always be … Read more
Hinduism is a religion that originated in India and is still practiced by most of the Natives as well as the people who have migrated from India to other parts of the world. Statistically there are over seven hundred million Hindus, mainly in Bharat, India and Nepal. Eighty five percent of the population in India … Read more
The word “Islam” is an Arabic word which means “submission to the will of God”. This word comes from the same root as the Arabic word “salam”, which means “peace”. As such, the religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to God … Read more
The Buddhist religion originated from a man named Siddhartha Gautama who founded the religion in the late 6th century B. C. The Buddhist religion is very different from Western religions which believe in an actual religious figure. The religious beliefs of Buddhists are based on the actual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Commonly known as The … Read more
Christianity is one of the major religions of mankind. It has been the dominant religion in Europe and America, Christianity has also spread throughout the world and has a greater number of adherents then any other religion. The Jewish teacher known as Jesus of Nazareth founded Christianity. Christianity drew on the expectations for a Messiah … Read more
Schwa’s past is slightly blurred, but it is generally held that the religion has its roots in ancient Egypt. A small breakaway group are believed to have gathered regularly to exchange news and, on occasion, personal accounts of landings by what they called ‘star-creatures’. These beings were identical to the Egyptian gods, and their belief … Read more
The Apostle Peter, often known as Saint Peter, was the most prominent disciple of Jesus Christ. During his life, he followed Christ with very much devotion, and truly believed in his mission and purpose. Because of his devotion, he was chosen by Jesus to become the first Pope, and to take control of the Christian … Read more
First off, I will start with the basics. The dictionary definition of a sacrament is: A rite that is considered to have been established by Jesus Christ to bring grace to those participating in or receiving it. Depending on who you ask peoples definition of a sacrament will vary, so I will stick to using … Read more
Buddhism is a religion founded by an ex-Prince Siddhartha Gaumata. Gaumata was a prince who was brought up in a perfect surrounding. When the prince left the palace he saw all the poverty. At the age of twenty nine, the prince left his wife and his infant son to meditate and practice Yoga to find … Read more
The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as … Read more
The religious beliefs of people along the Silk Road at the beginning of the 1st century BCE were very different from what they would later become. When China defeated the nomadic Xiongnu confederation and pushed Chinese military control northwest as far as the Tarim Basin (in the 2nd century BCE), Buddhism was known in Central … Read more
Throughout the history of Rome, from the monarchy to the late empire, religion had played a great role in it’s society and was involved in almost every aspect of the life of the Roman citizen. It was common for each house to have it’s own patron god/gods and ,on special occasions, the head of the … Read more
In a harsh new world, Virginia’s English colonists were supported by an ancient and familiar tradition, the established church. The law of the land from 1624 mandated that white Virginians worship in the Anglican church (The Church of England) and support its upkeep with their taxes. Where religion was an integral part of everyday life … Read more
Islam is a religion that is complete. It has a rich culture and without any interference or flexibility in its basis it has turned out to be a complex, and dynamic steady in the world. Yet, the least is known about it in the West. It rose dramatically to popularity in the seventh century A. … Read more
The controversy surrounding new religious movements seems to be foremost concerned with whether or not the members of these religions come of their own freewill or if they convert as a necessary and inevitable response to advanced coercion, or “brainwashing” techniques employed by the cult leaders. The concept of brainwashing came into popular existence in … Read more
A few thousand years ago on Mount Sinai, Moses was given the Ten Commandments, carved in stone, and proclaimed them as laws of God which were to rule supreme over the Israelites. In August of 2001, a monument of the Ten Commandments, also carved in stone, was mounted in the rotunda of the State Judicial … Read more
How does the Ancient Greek beliefs of religion and death differ with the view of other cultural groups? Death, the way it is represented in Homer’s book, The Odyssey, is always caused by human error. Whether their death was caused by greed, selfishness, or just being curious, many people died in The Odyssey. Still, the … Read more
The Role of Religion in History Like most cases in society today, religion plays a large part in the decisions we make and how we live our lives. Whether it be something as simple as believing in a god or any god, obeying the laws of god, or the separation between church and state, religion … Read more
Christianity most widely distributed of the world religions, having substantial representation in all the populated continents of the globe. Its total membership may exceed 1. 7 billion people. Islam, a major world religion, founded in Arabia and based on the teachings of Muhammad, who is called the Prophet. One who practices Islam is a Muslim. … Read more
The accomplishments and success of civilizations are closely linked to their religious outlook and the role of religion in their governments and society. Throughout history rulers have used the influence of religions to control their populations and provide the justification for their power. A society with a greater degree of separation between religion and government … Read more
Religion is a predominant force in our world today. It also had a strong impact on the lives of those alive during the Protestant Reformation. Many changes were brought along by this historical chain of events. Recently, many incidents have occurred to change the way people view religion. Examples include the Holocaust and, more recently, … Read more
The United Sates of America is a country with no royal family, no heritage of timeless and interdependent state institutions, no symbols or national icons that date back centuries, a country without one dominant religion or church.1 It is a country where immigrants freely come with their own religions, values, and cultures. Many of these … Read more
A collection of short stories published in 1907, Dubliners, by James Joyce, revolves around the everyday lives of ordinary citizens in Dublin, Ireland (Freidrich 166). According to Joyce himself, his intention was to “write a chapter of the moral history of [his] country and [he] chose Dublin for the scene because the city seemed to … Read more