Jesus Christ Essay Example for Free

Jesus Christ Essay What are some ways the Christian gospel is perceived in our culture? Unfortunately, the Christian gospel is perceived negatively by many people I have encountered in everyday life. Many believe Christianity is a list of â€Å"do’s† and â€Å"don’ts† to which they are not willing to subscribe. Others believe the Christian gospel is one of many paths to heaven. Still, others consider the Christian gospel to be mythological. 2. What are some specific moral reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? People may reject the Christian gospel due to the belief that an all-knowing, all-powerful and loving God would not allow injustice or suffering to exist in the world. Another reason people may reject the Christian gospel is because they cannot believe a loving God would allow anyone to suffer for eternity in hell. 3. What are some specific emotional reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? I have heard numerous people reject the Christian gospel, because of the actions of a few â€Å"bad apples† that have ruined their impression of Christians in general. Therefore, they discount all Christians as â€Å"hypocrites† and reject the Christian gospel entirely. Another emotional reason that a person may reject the gospel is that someone close to them has endured hardship, illness or death that was a â€Å"good person† and they feel this would never happen if God was real. 4. What are some specific intellectual reasons people may reject the Christian gospel? People may reject the Christian gospel, for intellectual reasons, because they cannot comprehend that Jesus Christ was God in human flesh. They cannot comprehend that Jesus Christ could die and then be resurrected, because, in their minds, this defies logic and reason. 5. What can Christians do to address these objections and better communicate the Christian gospel? In order to better communicate the gospel, it is important to be non-argumentative and respectful of the other person’s beliefs when sharing the gospel message. As Christians, we can address these objections by citing the Scriptures, while at the same time putting the message in language that the layman can understand.

Slavery in Ancient Rome

Slavery in Ancient Rome A slave was a person who was usually captured in battle and send back to Rome to be sold. Most slaves in ancient Rome were acquired through warfare, and the Roman armies would bring back captives as part of a reward for their presence in battles. Some of the defeated soldiers were also brought back as slaves and normally brought in a lot of money and this could also serve as an alternative to imprisoning them or killing them. Fathers could also go on and sell their children into slavery if they had a need for money and this was actually lawful. The abandoned children on the streets could also be brought up as slaves. Slaves were brought in from all over Europe and the Mediterranean especially among the Germans, Thracians, Celts and Eastern Mediterranean. It was against the law to enslave Roman citizens or Italians living in Gallia Cisalpina. New slaves were acquired first by wholesalers who dealt directly with the Roman armies. Many of these dealers were Jewish in origin and slavery trade served as their main source of livelihood for the Roman Jews. Julius Ceasar once sold the whole populace of a conquered region in Gaul of almost 53000 people to slave traders at a go. Slaves were sold at public auctions within the empire or in shops and the most valuable were sold by private sales. The sales were overseen by Roman fiscal officials called Quaestors. Sometimes the traders built revolving stands where the slaves stood and they hung around their necks a plaque describing each slave in terms of their origin, health, intelligence, character and any other information that would help the buyer make a sale. Prices were usually pegged on age and strength and some sales have been documented to have fetched thousands of dollars in todays dollars. The dealers gave a six months guarantee if the slave showed any defects that were not stated at the time of the sale by taking back the slave or returning the buyers money. Slaves that were sold without a guarantee were made to wear a cap at the time of the auction. The experiences of slaves generally varied with the place and the person who owned them. There were many reports of abuse and harsh treatment given to slaves though it is not possible to indicate how widespread this was at the time. Cato the Elder was recorded as saying that he expelled any old and sick slaves within his household. Some defeated soldiers usually chose to commit suicide rather than be taken into slavery by the Romans. Seneca who was a Roman writer held the view that a well treated slave performed better than a mistreated slave. An example of different experience by slaves would be that of Cicero who had a slave called Tiro. Tiro was Ciceros secretary, confidant editor and right-hand man. After Ciceros death Tiro went on to publish a number of Ciceros speeches since he had known where they had kept them. Tiro also wrote the biography of Cicero, a grammar book and a book on philosophical questions and also invented a new type of shorthand that he had used to take notes from Cicero. Ciceros brother and his family were very close to Tiro and when Tiro had been taken ill before, his master; Cicero had literally taken care of him like he would have his own child. Ciceros son, Marcus, often wrote to Tiro whenever he needed any advice and the two had a relationship more of an uncle and nephew rather than that of a young lord and family slave. In 53BCE, Cicero freed Tiro. On that day Ciceros brother Quintos wrote him a letter of congratulations that read,: I am truly grateful for what you have done about Tiro, in judging his former condition to be below his deserts and preferring us to have him as a friend rather than a slave. Believe me, I jumped for joy when I read your letter and his. Thank you, and congratulations. [Tr. K. Bradley, Slavery and Society at Rome]. Scholars believe that Tiro may have turned 50 on the day he was freed. This relationship raises many questions about slavery, why did it take Cicero so many years too free Tiro if he had noted for all those years how loyal and true Tiro was? Most compelling of all, if you grew up in a world where the social institution of slavery was normal, even normative, how could one recognize the human dignity of any slave? As many enemies as slaves was common proverb heard throughout Roman lands. Most citizens believed there was a constant danger of servile insurrection, which had more than once seriously threatened the republic, and as such this justified the severest measures in self-defense. They used the law of collective responsibility: if a slave killed his master, the authorities put all of the slaves in that household to death. Slaves who misbehaved have been known to be beaten, burned with an iron or sometimes even killed, regardless of their age or sex although most slaves were usually males. Slaves normally sought freedom by escaping their homes. Historian Moses Finley noted as such, fugitive slaves are almost an obsession in the sources. Harboring of fugitive slaves in Rome was illegal and professional slave-catchers were hired to hunt down runaways. Advertisements were posted everywhere which provided descriptions of escaped slaves, and offered rewards in some cases. When caught, fugitives were brutally punished and branded on the forehead with the letter F, for fugitivus. Sometimes slaves had a metal collar riveted around the neck and such a collar was preserved in Rome and states in Latin, I have run away. Catch me. If you take me back to my master Zoninus, youll be rewarded. The legal status of slaves in ancient Rome was well defined. First and foremost slaves were property and their owners exercised dominium over slaves. Dominium was the absolute right to dispose of and control the use of a piece of property. Secondly, slaves could have no family. Any children conceived of the slaves automatically became slaves and mothers chose to kill their babies rather than expose them to slavery. Slaves formed families but they had no legal authority to protect these relationships. Third, a slave by all definition had no honor and dignity and the essence of being a slave was the inability to protect ones body. A slave was also defined by the absence of the right to a fair trial and appeal before suffering any physical punishment. Owners could beat slaves as they wished and even demand for sexual relations with slaves of either sex. The mere experience of a state in which an individual could not protect his own body from abuse was inherently and permanently degradin g. As in the case of Tiro and Cicero, Tiro was still a slave in spite of all the respect and loyalty he received from his master and his family. No-one is sure how many slaves existed in the Roman Empire. Even after Rome has passed it days of greatness, it is thought that 25% of all people in Rome were slaves. Slavery in the Roman Empire did not suddenly end, but it was slowly replaced when new economic forces introduced other forms of cheap labor.

OBriens Things They Carried Essay: An American Nightmare

History has shaped every country and their people, in particular negative experiences like the Holocaust in Nazi-Germany or the Vietnam war, involving the United States in a grueling controversy from 1964 until 1975. The author Tim O'Brian confronts an American audience in his short stories "The Things They Carried" with the inhumane consequences of political and military power decisions by rewriting history from a subjective,individual point of view. Thus he forces the audience to take a stand, to ask questions, to get morally and ethically involved. The narrative structure of the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" and "How to Tell a True War Story" contains two levels, the first on being a discourse about the characters of Vietnam stories. The "I", the narrator, introduces 'Rat' Kiley as his source for the narrative that follows. He characterizes stories about war as "strange", "swirling back and forth across the border between trivia and bedlam, the mad and mundane". The stories have a life of their own, reality is not absolute, not final. With this image he describes the ambiguity of war itself, the normality that turns into insanity, he summarizes the narrative about Mary Ann Bell and her experiences with the war. The narrator clearly states the purposes of these stories, he is not interested in factual truths about the war, he openly questions the reliability of his source: "Rat had a reputation for exaggeration and overstatement". He wants the audience to "feel exactly what he felt", an emotional experience, a subjective app roach. The second narrative level tells the story about Mary Ann Bell, the "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". The narrator, probably the author, retells Rat's story in his own words, so that t... ...ositive as well as its negative accomplishments. But how is this to be done, how do we deal with history personally and politically? Ths author Tim O'Brian gives us one answer in "How to Tell a True War Story" on page 69: "You can tell a true war story if it embarrasses you. It you don't care for obscenity, you don't care for the truth; if you don't care for the truth, watch how you vote. Send guys to war, they come home talking dirty". In other words if you don't want war watch how you vote. The connotation of this statement is far reaching, it naturally places responsibility on the American government for having participated in the war, but it foremost appeals to the american public to take responsibility and to use this history, this story to create a better future. Works Cited: O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried.New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1990.

An Organizational Study of The United States Air Force :: Business Organization Research

The United States Air Force faced a leadership vacuum with the resignation of Air Force secretary James Roche and his Undersecretary Peter Teets. The Pentagon decided to take over of the buying decisions for the Air Force since they believed that there was no one who was in the position to take on the responsibility. The Department of Defense is now taking in charge to support and to assist the Air Force Command by overseeing and providing advice on important Air Force programs during a time of transition. It was clarified however that within the next six months, a new Air Force Secretary will be appointed. At present though, the Air Force is under the temporary command of Lt. Col. Michael Rodriguez (http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/28/news/fortune500/pentagon/). All organizations whether it be in the business industry, socio-civic, private or government-regulated face the challenge of running the whole system according to the principles as well as the goals and objectives of the system. The organization normally is confronted with how it will operate accordingly to meet the expectations and put up with the responsibilities and duties of the members as well as the departments that make up the whole system. The changes in the surroundings of the workplace in the internal as well as in the external environment and affairs make influence the overall operations of the structure. The military is not an exemption in this regard even for the fact that the defense team of a country undergo regulations that are very systemic and defined. There are internal as well as external affairs, issues and problems that should be attended to in order for the whole organization to function fully and provide the necessary outputs being demanded. That i s why it is interesting to look at a certain military arm experience a challenge of change in the system to be able to fit in the constantly changing global and wide social context on which it operates. Air Force Organizational Structure Just like other organizations, the United States Air Force is composed of complicated and systematic divisions. The people in this particular service are classified not just according to ranks. Since the recruits in this defense arm came from different state with varying cultural orientation, it is but expected that the people in this service are also diverse.

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CHAPTER 1 PROJECT OVERVIEW 1.1 Background Duke, an acronym for The Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway, structures the key missing connection in the Kuala Lumpur Road Master Plan, joining Duta in the west to Ampang in the east, and to Karak in the north. Duke finishes the Intermediate Ring Roads (Int Rr) of Kuala Lumpur, spanning the North Klang Valley Expressway (Nkve), Sprint (at Penchala Link) and Ulu Kelang area of the Middle Ring Road Ii, permitting drivers to make a trip from finish to end in only 9 minutes. More than simply enhancing connectivity, Duke likewise scatters activity from the city towards different suburban ranges through various entrance and retreat focuses at major spiral convergences. With Duke, you have the capacity to go from one end of Kl to different parts in minutes, bypassing high movement territories, for example, Lebuhraya Mahameru, Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Kuching, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang. No upsetting driving, no packed in slither and no unmoving motor blazing valuable petrol. 1.2 Parties involved The development, principles, administration and use of freeways in Malaysia are liable to Federal Roads Act (Private Management) 1984. In Malaysia, expressways are characterized as fast tracks with no less than four paths (two in every course) and might as well have full access control or fractional access control. Most freeways in Malaysia are regulated access roads. Konsortium Lebuhraya Utara-Timur (KL) Sdn Bhd, or KESTURI, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nuzen Corporation Sdn Bhd, which is a joint venture company between Wira Kristal Sdn Bhd and Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad. KESTURI was awarded the Concession Agreement to design, construct, finance, manage, operate and maintain the Exp... ...s. This is lead to cause the slowdown of traffic around the construction area. CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION As a conclusion, the environmental issue will inevitably arise in the construction of a project. The impact of construction on the environment can be addressed through the establishment of effective prevention and follow the environmental impact assessment. This is because in order to develop our country the development and construction is very necessary. The construction of DUKE highway ( Lebuhraya Duta Ulu Kelang) has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages from this highway construction are able to provide efficient and effective transportation and communication systems between highways in Klang area. For the disadvantage of this highway construction is environment pollution. However, various measures can be taken to reduce and prevent this problem.

Montessori’s Observations Essay

†¢ Children make a match with mom/parent. This is the reason that consistency is such a key issue in early childhood development. Children feel comfortable with routine because they know what to expect †¢ Children need order. As above, when the environment has inherent structure and order, children feel safe. Children need to feel safe to explore their environment. †¢ Children have an innate desire to learn. Our brains are hard-wired to learn. Children will learn spontaneously. Our role is to facilitate this as much as possible without interfering in the natural learning patterns of each individual child. †¢ Children have a drive for spontaneous activity. Any person who has been near a young child knows this is true. In a Montessori environment, children are free to move about the classroom within the guideline of being respectful to others. †¢ Children must be active to gain self-discipline. When a child chooses a work from a shelf, does the work to the best of their ability and returns the work to the place that they found it. This is a completed work cycle. Adults often marvel at the child’s ability to focus on a task with such deep concentration. This is because they chose the work. It called to something within the child. No adult, parent or teacher could ever coach this concentration. It is innate within the child. Through the choosing of works and full completion of tasks, the child becomes self-motivated, self-disciplined and self-directed. †¢ Children learn through imitation and trial and error. This was not a new concept even one hundred years ago. However, Montessori utilized the principle. In a Montessori environment, the teacher/guide shows the child how to do the work. She then invites the child to do the exercise. The child may repeat the exercise as many times as they like. The way in which the child does the exercise gives the guide clues abou t the child’s development. †¢ Children learn best in a multi-sensorial environment. There is a lot of discussion these days concerning what kind of learners we are: i.e. auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. Most of us learn in a variety of ways. Montessori set up a multi-sensorial environment where she utilized didactic materials to â€Å"educate the senses† that were originally designed to test the senses. Montessori children learn to not only look, but see, not only listen but hear. Since all learning comes to us from our senses, this multi-sensorial approach enables children to comprehend at a deeper level. †¢ Children learn best when they get to put their â€Å"hands on† the materials. Rather than have a child sit at a desk and be lectured, Montessori felt that children would learn best if they were able to touch and manipulate the materials. This of course combines with the other observations that she made about how children learn. †¢ Children learn best in multi-age group settin gs. â€Å"Gifted and Talented† classrooms are beginning to make use of this model. Montessori noticed that children imitate and learn more easily from older children. Montessori classroom are set up in three-year cycles so that a child will come into a classroom as the younger child and progress to being the older child. As the younger child, they will learn more quickly, trying to emulate and keep up with the older children. As the older child, they become strong leaders. They will learn how to assist the younger child. This not only boosts their self-esteem and self-worth, but also gives them an opportunity to repeat exercises that they have already done and in doing so, gain a deeper understanding. †¢ Children have â€Å"sensitive periods† for learning. Human brains are designed to learn specific things at specific ages. A three-year -old child can become trilingual (by absorbing the languages in their environment) without difficulty. They will be able to keep the languages separate. This is not possible for the adolescent, who must work hard to gain a second language. (Most language programs do not begin until junior high school.) Each Montessori classroom, Infant/Toddler, Primary, Elementary and Adolescent are prepared with developmentally appropriate works. Montessori’s observations concerning the â€Å"windows of opportunity† for the development specific areas of abilities in language, math, cultural, social, physical continue to be corroborated by brain research. Dr. Montessori recognized that children have specific needs, the need to experience order, independence, movement, language, discipline, love and security. With true cooperation of school and home and a clear understanding of how to meet the child’ s needs, a healthy child will emerge.

Gangs in Prison

Gangs in Prison The Aryan Brotherhood The Aryan Brotherhood originates in the CDC (California Department of Corrections) and BOP (Federal Bureau of Prisons). The Aryan Brotherhood was founded in San Quentin, California in the 1960s. The founders were members of other gangs from the 1950s called, â€Å"Bluebirds†, â€Å"Diamond Tooth Gang†, and the â€Å"Nazi Gang†. Barry Mills and Tyler Davis are now the leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood.Their basic beliefs and mission is they believe in the betterment and preservation of the white race, in separatism, that no foreigner should rule over the white race, that all who are against or oppress the white race are sworn enemies, in the rights of the white race, in the right to teach white children of the Aryan cultures and heritage, believe only in the support of the white race, and that it is important to guide the upbringing of white children, as they are the heirs to the future. The Aryan Brotherhood is known to be str ongest in the southwest and pacific regions.They are weakest in northeastern regions, where the African-American population is more dominant. It has been stated that the Aryan Brotherhood is growing. As of now, there are approximately 500 members. The criminal activities that they are involved in are murder, kidnapping, racketeering, and drug distribution. At least one example of how dangerous it is in prison for these members is the ABT leader Kelly Ray Ellery and other members ordered subordinates to kill a prospective member and make it â€Å"messy as possible† to send a message to gang members to cooperate with law enforcement.They also ordered to return the man’s severed finger as a trophy. The Black Guerilla Family The Black Guerilla family originated from San Quentin Prison in 1966. The founders of this gang are George Jackson and W. L. Nolen. Their basic beliefs and mission is to eradicate racism, maintain dignity in prison and overthrow the United States Gover nment. They are strongest in San Quentin, CA and Baltimore, Maryland. They are weakest in the southwestern and Pacific regions. Their ranks are growing, they have 50,000 members today. The criminal activities they are involved in while in prison are drug trafficking, extortion, and violent crimes.One example of how dangerous it can be in prison is the supreme commander, â€Å"Doc† Holiday, proved he still had what it takes to be in the Black Guerilla Family by stabbing a random fellow prisoner to death. The Folk Nation The Folk Nation originated from the Illinois Department of Corrections. I would also like to note that The Folk Nation is not a gang- they are alliances which gangs are aligned. Larry Hoover, the chairman of the Gangster Disciples Nation, created the idea of alliance and persuaded black, white, and Latino gangs from Chicago to join. He did all of this in November 11, 1978.Under their basic beliefs and missions, they maintain a strict code of solidarity, with me mbers promising to hold â€Å"Folk before family† and claiming they will â€Å"not let my brother fall to a knee†. They are strongest in the Midwest and southwest; there is no record of where they could possibly be the weakest, because they are all over the United States. They are continuously recruiting members in the streets and in prisons, therefore stating that they are very dominant and only getting stronger. The criminal activities they are commonly involved in are racketeering, murder, robbery, assault, and illegal use of firearms.The Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia originated in 1957 at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, California. Luis â€Å"Huero Buff† Flores from the Hawaiian Gardens gang was the founder of The Mexican Mafia. Their basic beliefs were to control the prison system. They are strongest in northern and southern California, but they are in a decline right now. The most obvious of criminal activities of The Mexican Mafia are extortion ( RICO), narcotics distribution, and murder. An example of the danger in the prison system from the Mexican Mafia is in the 1960’s, the Mexican Mafia conducted hits in San Quentin and DVI.Doroteo â€Å"Sleepy† Betancourt and Frank â€Å"moose† Bazure murdered a correctional officer; just to prove their existence. MS13 The MS13 gang originated in Los Angeles in the 1960’s and the 1980’s. They didn’t actually have just one founder; it was a group of young Salvadorans that broke off from other Hispanic gangs. Their basic beliefs are self-protection and protection of their families. They are strongest in Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Utah; they are also strong in Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador.They are weakest in the East coast. They are neither growing or in decline, because they no longer exist; they are known now as the Surenos. Their criminal activities consists of drug smuggling, gun running, people smuggling, hits for hire, theft, drug sales, and arson. An example to illustrate how dangerous they are is in a recent Texas incident, a member of MS13(Surenos) participated in a gang rape of a 24-year-old woman and then he kicked her in the neck so hard that he broke it and killed her instantly.In conclusion, I noticed that they all had similarities in criminal activity. All of their beliefs were very different except for one thing, they all focused more on their own races of people. I also noticed that all but the Mexican Mafia are growing in population. I also realized that the strongest and most dangerous gang in the world is MS13 aka Surenos. Although the other prison gangs are growing in threat level and population; MS13 aka Surenos is the largest organized crime entity in the world.Therefore, in conclusion, these prison gangs actually have a lot more in common than what they think th ey do. The only thing that is really separating them is their racial beliefs. References: History of the Mexican Mafia prison gang; July 25th, 2007; Valdemar, Richard; www. policemag. com Ten members of Bronx drug trafficking crew charged; Jan. 9th, 2013; U. S. Attorney’s office; www. fbi. gov The Aryan Brotherhood; Montaldo, Charles; Jan. 2013; www. crime. about. com Ebook: Corrections Today; Chapter 8 The Prison Experience(males)