Spiritual Leader Essays (Examples)

Ethical Dilemma- Euthanasia

Meaning

Euthanasia-literally meaning 'Eu' good, 'thanatos' death or assisted suicide has existed since long in human history. The current discussions arise out of improved medical claims about alleviating pain, changed societal norms, and 'open' religious thoughts.

"Assemblies of God" that professes religious view on the subject firmly believes in the sentiment that the sanctity of human life as ordained by God, cannot be taken away at will, either by the patient, through his own request or by anyone else (attending doctor, nurses, health giver, or relatives). The range of debate has surfaced recently, mainly due to the enhanced nature and assertion of medical sciences to provide relief from pain and suffering to terminally ill sufferers. Quite on the opposite, the religious view is that such contentions contradict the scope and importance of divine healing that God ordains for all mankind ("Assemblies of God," n.d.).

eligious View

"Assemblies…

Spiritual Practices Beyond eligion

Spirituality in Modern Psychology

Spirituality has previously held a very limited role within psychological and counseling strategies within the context of the Western world. In psychology, more traditional methods revolve around more scientific methods. Thus, spirituality has often been overlooked within the mental health genre as a way to bring greater capabilities to patients. However, as more alternative strategies begin to further intrude onto traditional Western medicines, spirituality is becoming a new and innovative strategy for psychologists and counselors to adapt to their already established strategy methods.

The mythology of spirituality impacts different people in very different ways. It helps shape how we view spirituality, but also how we attain our own sense of spirituality. According to the research, "mythology is the oldest path to the sacred," (Elkins 1998 p 191). As human beings, mythology was our first understanding of the spiritual realm, and the practice…

Significant Discoveries

The discoveries I made about my friend were enlightening. I already knew she did not attend religious services and that she was agnostic, as this had been information that was the basis for many friendly debates in our social circle. I understood her sense of hope and her ability to find joy in her children's joy and learning. I was however not aware that all of her family was distant in either place or spirit and that she therefore had to rely heavily on her husband's family for support, and this she finds troubling as she does not wish to be a burden and she feels like a bit of an outsider. Her illness also seems to have added stress to the situation because she has had to rely heavily on her husband and his family to care for their young children. I also thought the information about…

Leader's Self-Insight 1.1: Your Learning Style: Using Multiple Intelligences

I scored evenly on all of the types of intelligence measured by this self-assessment: logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and musical. This indicates that I am a well-rounded person with the ability to work in multiple environments on different tasks.

Leader's Self-Insight 1.2: Your Leadership Potential

I scored slightly more (7) on the even-numbered indicators than on the odd ones (6), indicating I have leadership capabilities such as "vision and change." However, the scores were about even.

Leader's Self-Insight 1.3: Are You on a Fast Track to Nowhere?

On people skills, I scored 3 out of the 4 qualities. I believe I have solid interpersonal skills. On working with authority, I scored 2. I believe I need to work more on my assertiveness and courage when dealing with persons in positions of authority because I remain afraid to speak up and express…

Coming to a tuly holistic undestanding of spiitual fomation would be essential to anyone titled "Diecto of Spiitual Fomation;" not simply being awae of but tuly encouaging the development of diffeent paths and appoaches to spiitual fomation would be an essential pat of the job desciption, and this will equie a geat deal of subsuming the ego and pesonal feelings. I would make a constant and ongoing attempt to see things fom the chuch membes' pespectives, tailoing my advice and guidance to allow thei development to continue along the lines of thei own pefeences and beliefs, athe than tying to dictate my own.

Conclusion

Spiitual fomation is an ongoing, life-long pocess. At one time, I envisioned a sot of plateau of leaning and undestanding; a point in my studies and pesonal development at which I could look aound me and detemine that I had come as fa as I was…

Spiritual Heroes

Mohandas Gandhi

"Knowing what you stand for limits what you fall for."

Gandhi stood for liberation through non-violence. Consequently, he could not be goaded into returning violence with violence and could not be dissuaded from his goal of India's freedom from British control (BBC, 2011).

hat contributed to the development of his focus?

The development of Gandhi's focus on liberation through non-violence was developed by being an East Indian lawyer who was still treated like a third-class citizen; also, his stress on non-violence was largely developed by his Hindu religious roots (BBC, 2011).

hat was his one thing?

Gandhi was the first to apply non-violence to large-scale politics, which led to the liberation of India from British rule (BBC, 2011) and inspired later leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:

a. "Knowing what you stand for limits what you fall for."

De Chardin…

I just wanted to be silent with you." Yet after that simple moment of stillness, silence, and mutual understanding, the young man and his spiritual mentor had a new bond of understanding and oneness in Christ, because of their mutual acknowledgement of need and fulfillment. This shows how the presence of God through the presence of another human being, or the stillness cultivated in one's own soul can be an effective form of self-teaching and teaching others, as effective as a more open and obvious discussion of doctrine. Westerhoff does not discount more conventional communal religious practice, but he regards such moments of silence that take place as essential in getting the maximum benefits from spiritual worship during a ceremony. In short, one cannot be a 'once a week' or 'once a year' Christian, the simplest, apparently secular acts of life must have a sense of connection to a larger…

Ma Pastoral Theology -- Spiritual Abuse

HEN THE SYSTEM BECOMES THE PERSECUTOR

Veenhuizen's dissertation explores spiritual abuse, using Relational Theology to understand a healthy spiritual relationship vs. spiritual abuse. In Relational Theology, God offers a bilateral covenant with Him and with others of unreserved love and commitment with the gifts of blessing to anyone accepting His offer. Spiritual abuse sharply contrasts with God's covenant. Spiritual abuse has existed for quite some time; consequently, theological writers such as Veenhuizen and mental health professionals have all addressed the causes, discernment and treatment of spiritual abuse.

Foundation of Relational Theology

Veenhuizen's dissertation correctly shows that there are various definitions of Spiritual Abuse (Veenhuizen, 2011). The most inclusive one found in my research is from Lisa Oakley's "Developing safeguarding policy and practice for Spiritual Abuse" (Oakley & Kinmond, 2014). After studies and interviews with numerous survivors of Spiritual Abuse, Oakley and her team concluded…

spiritual gifts that are presented in omans 12 These are: Prophecy, ministering (helps), teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, mercy. By illustration of quotes from relevant passage so the Bible this paper shows how each Gift is used by God for a particular purpose within one of his servants and followers.

The Seven Non-Miraculous Gifts

God in his almighty wisdom has given those who follow and believe in him and therefore being blessed with the Holy Spirit, seven gifts discussed in omans: 12 6-8,. These gifts are prophecy, ministering (helping others), teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling and, mercy. In looking at these seven gifts in turn we will discuss how these gifts work and how they affect those who use these gifts.

The seven gifts of oman's 12 are known as the non-miraculous spiritual gifts, they are given by Gods grace to all Christians yet no one Christian will receive all seven gifts…

( Achterberg 21) The man then proceeds to chop up the rest of his shaman's body, which he then boils in a pot for three years. After three years the body is reassembled by the spirits and covered with flesh. This means that in effect the ordinary man is now, through the process of initiation and dismemberment, resurrected as a shaman who has the capability to communicate with the spiritual world and who can acquire the knowledge to help and heal numerous illnesses. As the research by Achterberg notes, he now has the ability to, "…read inside his head…" (Achterberg 22) In other words, he now has the ability to see in a mystical sense without the use of his ordinary vision. (Achterberg 22) The initiation process also refers to the view that the shaman acts and perceives in a way that is different to ordinary human beings.

The world…

Leaders Can Effectively Manage Change in an Organization

It has often been said that a manager is what one does and a leader is who one is. The differences between management and leadership transcend difference sin perception of how an organization and emanate from how a management professional chooses to gain support and cooperation in the attainment of objectives. Managers often are given the task of maintaining the status quo and minimizing variation in performance over time. Leaders are by definition the visionaries of an organization that set a compelling long-term goal or objective and then orchestrate an enterprise to their achievement. Implicit in this definition of a leader is also the ability to discern strategies issues, opportunities and risks, and also clearly communicate an organizations' strategy to the departmental or work unit level. Most of all, a leader can infuse any organization with a strong sense of purpose, energy…

Luke 4:1-12

Spiritual summary

This passage depicts Jesus' famous temptation by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus fasts for forty days and forty nights during his trial. This passage is cited by Christians as proof of the fact that humans have free will. Jesus, despite being the Son of Man, is given a choice as to whether he is allowed to choose salvation or damnation, ruling over the kingdom of earth or heaven. Jesus chooses the path of God, of course, and is not deterred by the temptation to turn from the path of righteousness. He states that he needs spiritual rather than human bread for his primary sustenance.

This passage is a metaphor for the ability of the human mind to withstand suffering. Humans cannot live on 'bread alone' in the sense that they need more to 'feed' themselves than earthly food. Food merely nourishes the body, while spiritual…

(Feldman & Geenbeg, 2005, p. 67) Staffing coodinatos, often nuse leades must seek to give pioity to educational needs as a eason fo adjusting and/o making schedules fo staff, including offeing incentives to staff not cuently seeking educational goals fo assisting in this pioity egadless of the implementation of a tuition eimbusement pogam. (Feldman & Geenbeg, 2005, p. 233)

Nuse Leades as Academic Theoists

The fact that many nuse leades seve as the fundamental souces fo new and emeging nusing paadigms and theoies cannot be ignoed in this eview. The theoies associated with nusing ae as divese as nuses themselves and seve seveal puposes. With egad to nuse ecuitment and the ole that nusing theoy and paadigm plays in it, nuse leades seve to espouse theoy though mentoship and taining that helps individuals see thei futue intinsic ole in nusing. To explain this ole a bief discussion of nusing theoy…

Christian Spiritual Revival

From the time of creation rivals have been the greatest force in history. hrough revival human beings are brought out of darkness to live in the light. Revival in the Christian life is essentially a renewal of heart; a time of turning away from sin, which brings death, and a turning toward Jesus, who brings life. he word revival means to "live again," derived from two Latin roots re- (again), and vivere (to live). Just as an EM zaps the heart of his patient back to life with a surge of electricity, so to the Holy Spirit works in the life of individuals, and, at times, in whole Christian Communities to bring the back lost vitality; reawakening faith in God, and restores one's commitment to being His disciple. his paper will briefly explore four condition of an authentic spiritual revival found in II Chronicles 7:14, and comment…

" (nd) Adaptive leaders do not simply come up with something or make it up as they go but adaptive leaders "create from the base of intent, visions, goals, and personal preconditions that are fixed and unchanging." (yrum, nd) yrum goes further to state that adaptive leadership "requires courage, conviction, and faith in the capacity to work with others and make situations better. There are 'spiritual' dimensions of leadership that transcend logic and reason. Adaptive leadership certainly requires competency, but it also requires a genius of judgment and encounters unprecedented situations not as a passive victim but as an energetic and active creator. Adaptive leaders will capture people's attention, command their best energies..." (yrum, nd) yrum states that adaptive leaders give "old cliches a new meaning: "Success is a journey, not a destination"; "What matters most is where we are moving, not where we stand." (nd) yrum states that adaptive…

Opportunities Faced by Leaders, Society and Organizations

Problems and opportunities facing leaders, communities and organization are always a cause of debate in the society. They can arise in many different ways and exist in many forms and society finds it's our way of meeting these challenges and responding to such opportunities. The articles chosen for this paper focus primarily on the issue of rising tuition costs and it's impact on college enrollment and this topic is chosen because it affects leaders, communities and organizations alike.

The first article in this connection is written by Donald Heller. The article explains how rising costs impact enrollment in colleges and universities. The author found that all things being equal, rising tuition costs will lead to lower enrollment. A decline in enrollment is however a subjective issue dependent on some other factors including type of institution. For example it has been found the community…

Pneumatology -- Spiritual Gifts

hat are spiritual gifts, and what is their purpose?

The reason for and definition of "spiritual gifts" is not always agreed upon among Christians and even among Christian theologians. At the very least spiritual gifts are a subject for deep discussion and debate. Christianity expert Mary Fairchild explains that in 1 Corinthians 12, the Bible says that spiritual gifts are given according to God's sovereign will. "There are certain kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them" (1 Corinthians 12:4); and 1 Corinthians goes on to explain that one spiritual gift is given for "the common good," another spiritual gift is for "wisdom"; another spiritual gift is for "knowledge"; another is for the "gift of healing"; and other spiritual gifts are for "miraculous powers… prophecy… speaking in tongues & #8230; and the "interpretation of tongues" (1 Corinthians 12: 7-11).

Jesus had the power to cast…

Servant-Leadership is the model that most closely resonates with me, though I think the title a bit pretentious, even though I cannot think of a better one. According to Spears (2004), it comprises much of the attributes of Burns' (1978) transformational leadership, but it does not really require a charismatic leader, only a sincere one who follows up. I like that very much.

However this is a long list of key traits that Spears identifies as central to Greenleaf's Servant-Leadership (What is servant leadership? ) concept.

Listening

Empathy

Healing

Awareness

Persuasion

Conceptualization

Foresight

Stewardship

Commitment to the growth of people

Building community

While I do not have any problem with any of these attributes in a leader, I fear that I lack some in the healing category and I do not always have enough foresight, which is what I look for in my team. However, the idea that we are…

Transformational Women's Leadership

The website for Changing Minds.org describes transformational leadership in the standard way, as charismatic leaders with vision and imagination who inspire followers to achieve radical change in an organization or society. Transformational leaders are passionate and exciting and they care about their followers. They make people believe that their ideals can be achieved through their own commitment, enthusiasm and drive. In the process, their followers are also transformed and empowered to do things that they would never have believed possible. This website also points out some of the dangers of transformational leadership in that when such leaders are wrong they can lead "the charge right over the cliff and into a bottomless chasm." They may also "wear out" their followers with constant demands for high energy and commitment, especially if those at the lower levels really do not desire change (Transformational Leadership 2002-11)

Legacee.com has a very…

Christians, it is our duty to pray for others. Christians are also Biblically obliged to pray even for those who appear to be beyond saving, or for the unlikeliest of souls. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people," (1 Timothy 2:1). Therefore, praying on behalf of world leaders becomes even more of a Christian imperative given the tremendous influence political leaders have on the people who they lead or rule. Over the course of the last year or more, I have made a conscientious attempt to pray for a set of world leaders who either needed guidance, support, and intervention from God, salvation from a sinful path, or strength as they traversed the difficult and challenging path of Christ.

Although I did pray for more than a dozen world leaders, I focused on the President of the United States, Barack…

Madonna and Child by the Master of St. Cecilia

Madonna and Child (1290-1295) by the Master of St. Cecilia is a tempera and gold leaf on panel depiction of the Mother of God and the Christ Child. Its iconic imagery perfectly represents and reflects the ideals of the medieval world, of Christian Europe as it existed under the guidance of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church during this time served as the social, political and religious example for all the nations and peoples of Europe. This icon by the Master of St. Cecilia depicts the ideal that the Church wished to convey to its followers, whether princes or peasants -- namely, that all mankind should honor and humble himself before the majesty of the Mother of God, whose fiat to the Archangel ensured that the Son of God would be born to redeem mankind and pay the price for his…

Plato using Socrates as his guide to help illuminate how his view of order and rulership should be defined. Plato's The epublic will be used to demonstrate how the orders of government should be carried out and how society itself is responsible for producing philosopher kings that provide the best rulers for their country.

Plato was a Greek philosopher that used his past experiences as a playwright to help develop the necessary emotional content within his writing to illicit substantial responses. Plato's mentor, Socrates, never recorded any of his ideas, and the use of his character by Plato in most of his works suggest that his elder supplied much of the inspiration and motivation for his own ideas. The notion that Plato's views have fundamentally shifted the means of thinking and metaphysics throughout the worlds modern history is very popular and supported in many academic and philosophical circles and his…

Recruitment and Training of Religious Ministry

Theology, a definition. What does it take to recruit and train qualified members of the ministry today?

Description of Message: A hands-on approach that encourages growth of mind and spirit will provide lay people with a well-rounded vision and the knowledge absolutely necessary to be successful in the church. No two-year or four-year academic program alone can provide lay people with the insight they need to be successful ministers.

Academic Learning

Professional Learning

Interpretation of Results

Modern Day Society: Statistics Related to Religious Affinity

How to spot prospective church leaders

Criticism: How valid are such studies as mentioned above that measure the religious affiliation of the nation? It certainly seems a valid notion that the religious identity of the nation is certainly scattered, perhaps as scattered as the non-homogenous population. However, throughout time people were faced with cultural variety and managed to find truth…

As her meetings became increasingly well-attended (men and women participated) they also became controversial because she was teaching religious and spiritual values that bucked the system.

Those that supported her theories and her right to hold these twice-a-week meetings became polarized from those who questioned her right to go against traditional church teachings. If you questioned the Church, then you also questioned the State, Reuben explains. She was put on trial, accused of heresy and of doing acts that were "not fitting for her sex" (women were supposed to be subservient to men), and was banished from the Colony (Reuben, p. 4/6).

The challenges that Hutchinson put forward to the Church's fundamentally strict tenets through her preaching were bold and in hindsight, they were absolutely correct. She was a person well ahead of her time, and did not fear being banished because her beliefs were so strong. The historical record…

Both Taoism and Buddhism encourage meditation as a means by which to liberate the mind and achieve emptiness. One of the Buddhist practices that encourages emptiness is mindfulness meditation, or vipassana. However, there are numerous specific methods that be used during the meditation practice. Some are more Tibetan in origin as those espoused by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the Vajrayana tradition. Other meditation practices are like those I learned at the Hsi Lai Temple, which combine Ch'an (Chinese Zen) Buddhism with Buddhist humanism. Taoism, unlike Buddhism, also offers ancillary spiritual practices such as Tai Chi and Chi Gung. The teachings of Buddhism and Taoism go neatly hand in hand.

Therefore, I am continually growing from becoming more open to spiritual teachings. The spiritual journey is like a flower blossoming. I do not believe that religious dogma or ideology are necessary, and in some cases they can be harmful. As Chogyam…

Their primary duty is that of guiding the spiritual and religious aspects of the lives of their community members. They should give the highest priority to their duties towards the community including church service, counseling and other ceremonial functions required by their profession. As part of their professional and ethical duties, pastors are also required to show an interest in community development and increase their participation in community activities. This has become a necessity in modern culture because people expect institutions to take an interest and an active role in the community development efforts. Institutions cannot expect to benefit from the resources of the society and not give back. This is why business organizations, universities and even political parties make community development a part of their organization's commitment to the society and the people they serve. eligious institutions like the church are also expected to follow this example. The pastor,…

" (omans 12.6 and 1 Cor. 12) This includes the gift of spiritual direction. Therefore, it can be garnered that the Holy Spirit provides the contemporary Church "with forms other than those used by the ancient elder to achieve this same purpose." (2000) Allen writes that it would be erroneous to claim that the Holy Spirit "could not again, in any age, raise up the pater penumatikos (the spiritual father) for the continuing ministry of the Church." (2000) in fact, since the Holy Spirit abides in the Church, then according to Allen, it "follows that there will be an ever-renewing form of pneumatophoroi, or 'bearers' or 'carriers' of that Spirit.

II. The Central Task of Spiritual Direction

Allen writes that the central task of spiritual direction in terms of its goal and historical goals is the leading of individuals "deeper and deeper into the struggle for the Christian life, that…

Geronimo, War Hero

Geronimo was in many ways an exemplary human being. He was brave, loyal, passionate, spiritual, truthful, strong, and wise. aised in the Apache tradition, his real name was Goyathlay (meaning one who yawns). The name Geronimo was given him by his enemies (the Spanish-Mexicans, who called out to St. Jerome -- or Jeronimo -- when Goyathlay attacked (Welker, 2011). To the Spanish-Mexicans and the Americans, the man they dubbed Geronimo was a savage, but to his own people -- and indeed to many Americans who met him after his surrender -- Geronimo was a noble soul and a great leader as opposed to the villain the propagandists tried to make him out to be. This paper will show what made Geronimo such a noble man.

The war between the Mexicans and the Apache was indeed brutal. But it was a war over land -- and both sides…

Joy of Living, the Buddhist teacher and spiritual leader Yongey Mingyur approaches what may be one of the most fundamental dilemmas in modern life: how to attain happiness. He talks about the fact that so many people simply do not seem to be able to access happiness in their lives. According to Mingyur, meditation is one of the ways to find happiness in life. Furthermore, Mingyur does not rely simply on what he knows about the practice of Buddhism, but also modern medical research and modern knowledge of physics to demonstrate how meditation works with the brain and to help explain Buddhism to those for whom Buddhism may be an unfamiliar religion. By combining these different aspects, Mingyur attempts to provide a guide for using meditation in daily life.

I learned a lot about Buddhism and meditation from reading this book. Perhaps most importantly, I unlearned things that I believed…

Find stakeholder effectiveness standards and problems.

Organize empowered teams/task forces around key issues.

Develop and discuss the goals of spiritual leadership (Lockridge, 2013)

elate spiritual leadership to the students as well as worldly matters

Evaluate Spiritual Leadership success

Evaluate student's and professional's satisfaction with the course design

Conclusion

The spiritual leadership appeals those a lot that have problems at work place and these people feel like spirituality at work place and spiritual leadership will save them from professional or career disaster. The truth however is that without making the plan of spiritual leadership practicable, the confusion will only increase. The researchers should not base the spiritual leadership plan on Biblical guidelines and then to implement those plans rather the researchers are required to find spiritual problems of the workforce first. This will help understand the problems of the employees and to come up with a responsive spiritual leadership that guides…

high degree of misinformation I had received from traditional teachings about the church and the beginning of Christianity. Moreover, I was struck by the notion that most other people in the Western world receive this same degree of intentional misinformation, so much so that I have even heard people defend the idea that knowledge of the historical church is irrelevant to modern Christianity. Reading through the class material, I was struck by how critical this historical information was to the understanding of the actual church. One critical piece of information is the idea of Jesus as the head of the church, despite him not establishing Christianity as a separate religion. Another critical idea was that prophets could play a continuing role in Christianity, when my traditional understanding had suggested that after Jesus there would be no more Jewish prophets. I also found myself wondering about the very obvious and significant…

Trumpets

In the appendix to his book Certain Trumpets, author Garry ills states, "I was not looking for the greatest or best leaders but those who can be seen, at some point in their career, exemplifying a distinctive kind of leadership," (271). For each of the sixteen leadership styles ills outlines, he puts forth one notable human figure who he feels most aptly demonstrates through their life the essential features of that kind of leader. hat each of these disparate leaders demonstrates, in spite of their differences, is a sphere of influence specific to their lifestyles, cultural context, personality, and talents. Each of these leaders was successful in leaving an impact on the world even though their approaches to leadership differed greatly. Eleanor Roosevelt, an almost reluctant leader who walked solidly between the two poles of radicalism and conservatism, exemplified the ability to execute reform in American political and social…

Siddhartha meets Vasudeva the ferryman. He sees in Vasudeva a quality of peace that he associates with enlightenment. Vasudeva embodies that which Siddhartha has been looking for since he was a boy. His materialistic existence momentarily comes back to haunt him when Kamala approaches Siddhartha with their son. Kamala dies, leaving the son with Siddhartha. The son is a great disappointment who steals Siddhartha's money. Siddhartha has no choice or inclination to do anything else but live the rest of his years on the river, learning lessons from the day-to-day existence of a ferryman. Encounters with the immediacy of nature help Siddhartha cultivate the Zen mind that has come to represent the essence of true Buddhist philosophy.

Siddhartha more than anything represents the sprit of Buddhism. Buddhism is ill defined as a religion. A religion is that which Siddhartha was running from: a set of social and religious rituals reinforced…

Sikhism is a progressive religion that was well earlier than its time when it was established over five hundred years ago. The Sikh religion today has over twenty million followers worldwide and is ranked as the worlds 5th largest religion. Sikhism advocates a message of Devotion and commemoration of God at all times, honest living, equality of mankind and condemns superstitions and blind ceremonies. "Sikhism is open to all by way of the teachings of its 10 Gurus preserved in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib" (Sikhism, 2011).

"The word Sikh in the Punjabi language means disciple, Sikhs are the disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus. The knowledge of these teachings in Sri Guru Granth Sahib is sensible and worldwide in their petition to all mankind. The creator of the Sikh religion was Guru Nanak who was…

Tom Shulich ("ColtishHum")

A comparative study on the theme of fascination with and repulsion from Otherness in Song of Kali by Dan Simmons and in the City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre

ABSACT

In this chapter, I examine similarities and differences between The City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre (1985) and Song of Kali by Dan Simmons (1985) with regard to the themes of the Western journalistic observer of the Oriental Other, and the fascination-repulsion that inspires the Occidental spatial imaginary of Calcutta. By comparing and contrasting these two popular novels, both describing white men's journey into the space of the Other, the chapter seeks to achieve a two-fold objective: (a) to provide insight into the authors with respect to alterity (otherness), and (b) to examine the discursive practices of these novels in terms of contrasting spatial metaphors of Calcutta as "The City of Dreadful Night" or "The City of…

Identify prejudices and biases in traditional Christian approaches to non-Christian religions, both in general and specifically.

Identify possible objections to Christianity, in terms of theology, ethics, and missiology.

esolve the challenges associated with new era missiology and new era ministry, by developing a comprehensive plan for the future.

Materials: Today's materials will be the same as the previous days.

Activities:

9:00-9:10: Opening prayer

9:10-11:00: Crash course/review of world religions based on credible source material written from each faith's point-of-view or from a non-biased, scholarly source.

11:00-12:00: Each participant uses his or her personal electronic device or notebook to write down specific areas of concern and possible roadblocks to interfaith dialogue.

12:00-1:00: Lunch

1:00-2:00: Share the concerns addressed by each participant openly, engaging in a dialogue of our own. Understanding that our participants are from diverse backgrounds, each will have unique perspectives on multiple faiths. Some will have had first-hand experiences…

"Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself." Moral superiority, setting unrealistic and fixed goals, and judging others are antithetical to good practices, self-knowledge and reaching out to others in an open and tolerant fashion facilitate spiritual practice.

Foster stresses that many Eastern practices are compatible with Christian practices. Meditation is not an esoteric part of discipline, but within every believer's capability provided that he or she does the practice in a spirit of contemplation, by using the correct posture, breath, and in mindful isolation. "Christian meditation leads us to the inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God freely, and to the spiritual perception necessary to attack social evils. In this sense it is the most practical of all disciplines... Anyone who can tap the power of the imagination can learn to meditate." Journaling as well as contemplating and centering prayer can lead an individual to…

Even with God's help, it is a difficult task to enter another's country and take it over. Many times the Israelites would be met with much fierce resistance. Joshua's task was to ensure the strength of the Jewish people by confirming their faith. He was able to accomplish this by wielding a disciplined hand as well as organizing and sustaining them in battle(s). Joshua was the 'man with the plan' as evidenced by the battle of Ai and its king. He gathered up thirty thousand valiant warriors and sent them away at night to create an ambush against the city of Ai. "Ye shall lie in wait," (Joshua 8:4) he tells them and then proceeds to lead a frontal assault that seemingly fails. As all the men from Ai, and surrounding areas, chases after the fleeing Israelites, Joshua turns, raises his spear, and the men laying in ambush attack from…

Dark ages and the middle ages existed between fifth and fourteenth century. The Dark Ages observed traditional and modern clashes when there was no intellectual growth not only the public but also the kings and rulers of the countries were illiterate. The Roman culture was deteriorating and the intellectual growth in Roman society stopped. The Dark Age prevailed in whole of Europe and. It is stated that the period was a transition between the Roman height and the High Middle Ages. The Latin literature also fell and the progress could not continue. The social and cultural dominancy of the Europe over rest of world could not sustain. The history speaks that the social and demographic richness and achievements converted into social challenges. It was a time of backwardness for the rich as well as poor as compared to the Roman era when literature and literary growth was prevalent.

Annotated ibliography…

3. There is the cessation of suffering (duhkha-nirodha); and 4. There is a path leading to the cessation of suffering (duhkha-nirodha-marga)." (illis)

In Buddha's opinion, suffering (duhka) can be represented through any kind of pain and regardless of its form. The best representation of suffering can be presumably felt when a change from a state of happiness to a state of unhappiness occurs.

The cause of suffering (duhka-samudaya) states that most of the suffering that humans feel is because of their desires. Most humans are inclined to wish for something that they believe would grant them happiness. However, in most cases, the goal set by some might not have the desired effect on them once it has been achieved. In order for people to leave suffering behind, they would need to understand that the human nature does not necessarily depend on granted wishes.

The cessation of suffering (duhka-nirodha) refers directly…

Instead, the practice bhakti-style devotion to various Buddhas and other supramundane figures (Protehero, 2010, p. 177). These are not manifestations of one God, as might be understood by practitioners of most Western religions, but more similar to spirit guides.

Another aspect of Buddhism that might be surprising is the understanding of "karma." The word is commonly used in our current lexicon and refers to the good or bad that comes one's way based on one's own good or bad deeds. It is thought of as a reward or, conversely, payback. It helps people make sense of the world if they can conceive of such cosmic justice. However, karma is more complicated and really has to do with cause and effect. The idea is that everything one does has consequences, which must be dealt with constructively before one can move on (Martin, 2011). It is about learning and personal growth rather…

Before the Torah is replaced near the end of the service, it is carried throughout the assembled congregation. Worshippers may reach out and touch the Torah with prayer books (hands are not supposed to be used), then kiss the object that touched the Torah, a gesture of affection, respect, and loyalty to God. This ritual is (arguably) symbolically equivalent to Catholic Communion, where believers symbolically ingest the blood and the body of Christ (a sip of wine and a Communion wafer) thereby taking the Lord into themselves. Both practices reaffirm personal relationships to God. Such contemporary (and past) ceremonies and liturgical practices may or may not actually aid worshippers in understanding God (or on the other hand, provide roadblocks for interpretation of the sacred). However, both are powerful signs of a personal relationship between congregants and God.

Many sections of the Old Testament reaffirm monotheism. In Exodus 31-33, Moses leaves…

Authors Donald Lively and ussell Weaver describe Hustler Magazine as Falwell's "antagonist (p. 79)," no doubt representing for Falwell abuses of our Constitutional freedoms.

"In 1983, Hustler Magazine decided to parody Falwell using a Campari Liqueur advertisement. The actual Campari ads portrayed interviews with various celebrities about their 'first times.' Although the advertisement actually focused on the first time that the celebrities had sampled Campari, the ads portrayed the double entendre of the first time that the interviewees had engaged in sex. Hustler mimicked the Campari format and created a fictional interview with Falwell in which he stated that his 'first time' was during a drunken incestuous rendezvous with his mother in an outhouse (p. 79)."

The Oregon Commentator, May, 2007

There is probably no limit to the outrage that was felt by Falwell, and by his support base, both of which would have been offended, first, by using Falwell…

Another element shared in common by Shinto and Taoism is religious purity. The concept of purity is taken to a greater extreme in Shinto, in which physical illness is perceived as spiritual impurity. A Taoist is concerned with both physical and spiritual health, but practices Tai Chi and similar methods of calming and balancing body and mind.

Shinto is an indigenous Japanese religion, whereas Taoism originates in China. Although the two religions have different geographic origins and different means of worship, they share some elements in common. Both include reverence for ancestors or ancestral spirits, and both are concerned with physical and spiritual purity.

Written Assignment Unit Three

2. Discuss the process that led to the formation of the Talmud. Explain the basic contents of the Talmud and their relation to the Torah.

The Torah refers to the Hebrew Bible as a sacred text. The Talmud evolved as a living…

He follows the voice of the father rather than the voice of the devil. On the strength of resisting the first two temptations, there is truly only one response to this final and most extreme temptation. Jesus sends Satan away.

There are many similar temptations for Today's Christian. The world and its glory are inviting. Why not use the means available to satisfy every physical and emotional need? The problem with this is that it results in spiritual poverty. No earthly glory or possession can replace the words of God mentioned by Christ in his refusal of the first temptation. Life is about more than personal and material gain. Life is about growing spiritually and preparing for the final glory to be found in eternal life with Christ.

5. West, 28.

Critics have focused on the role of Satan in the temptations (5). In the New Testament, the devil, like…

history medical studies have concluded that prayer helps to heal the sick. Many political meetings begin with a prayer and American currency has the words "In God We Trust" imprinted on its face. Around the world God is a powerful deity and one that has historically led entire societies to make decisions based on God's word. While God has been the single deity that leads and guides societies in their decisions both on an individual and collective basis there are many different concepts of what God is and entails. Two large worldwide faiths have many similarities and differences in God and its meaning. The faith of Christianity as well as the faith of Judaism both believe in a single God. The faiths are based in the word of that God and their followers respect and revere the God of their faith. While both faiths believe in a single God there…

Commitment Expectations
The major topic I have decided to research is the topic of the progression of the ancient people from the Clovis Period to the Late Archaic Period as represented by the artifacts and art that have survived them. Specifically, the paper will use the spear points of the Clovis Period found in Iowa from 11,000 BC and the White Shaman Mural found in West Texas from 2000 BC to describe the evolution of the ancient world—an evolution that begin with the people’s need simply to survive by hunting and using the spear points as a tool; after the progression of thousands of years and the migration of peoples to a region where they had new tools—rock walls—to tell stories and communicate ideas about where life came from, the people were able to address higher needs, such as the establishment of authority in the community and a myth about…

Spirit of Work

It is difficult being, at worst, a pessimist and, at best, a realist. One not only feels guilty about complaining and seeing the glass half full, but also disappointed and angry about the way things exist. These are the personal feelings evoked when reading "The Spirit of Work" by Lance Secretan in Imagine - What America Could be in the 21st Century by Marianne Willamson. As a point in clarification, it is not what Secretan says about daily life that is troublesome. Unfortunately, he paints the situation very clearly as it exists with most people today. There are a great deal of very psychologically unhappy and emotionally frustrated people in Western society. ather, it is difficult to accept Secretan's belief that there are and will be individuals who step up to the plate as spiritual leaders in businesses throughout the country to resolve this situation. Surely there…

It brought continuity to the process of dying, and a way to deal with critical issues in a way everyone could understand. it's holistic because it takes the process of dying, coordinates the patient's care, and brings resolution to things often left unstated. It allows the patient to have a degree of control. And it evaporates some of the high-tech coldness that can come between caregivers and patients."

The most significant area of spirituality and palliative care still unaddressed by researchers seem to be those identified by Cohen and Koenig: "the religious and spiritual needs of people of different religions, the positive and negative effects of religion and spirituality in palliative and end-of-life care, and the contributions that religious and spiritual institutions as well as health care professionals can make to such endeavors" (Cohen and Koenig

Conclusion

Currently, there is a widely held belief that spirituality is a valuable part…

They both emphasize on the teaching of doing good and following rules to live right and happily. They both have vigorous missionary programs, in which they convert people to their religion. In the two religions, the people can worship in groups or individually. The religions have a leader of worship that is a monk in Buddhism and a Priest in Christianity. The two principles in the religion used parables to teach, and they are egalitarians. The teachings on respecting others and treating them as oneself are acceptable in both religions. They both emphasize on charity towards the poor and aspire for greater spiritual perfection.

Differences

The differences are irrefutable, as Buddhism does not talk of a Creator, God while Christianity believes in a divine creator of Universe (allace 26). In Buddhism, the emphasis is on mediation and mindfulness, whereas that of Christianity places stress on prayer. Additionally, Buddhism emphasizes on…

Civil ights: The ole of Black Churches

The audience will understand the role that black churches played in the ongoing Civil ights Movement.

In this speech, I will show that black churches -- through methods of advocacy, spiritual leadership and active participation -- play a significant role in the ongoing Civil ights Movement that began in the mid-20th century and clearly continues on into today's times.

Everyone knows of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the important role he played in the Civil ights Movement. But how many people know about or realized that King was one of many black pastors to bring black churches into the Movement, providing leadership, spiritual nourishment, and advocacy to African-Americans struggling for equality? Or that black churches continue today to be part of that ongoing struggle? Just as black churches are making an impact in cities around the country where communities are torn by racial…

The territorial distribution among the villages is irregular and the distance between villages may vary from a few hours walk to a ten day walk.

Yanomami are basically peaceful people, however a number of them are brutal warriors. In majority of the cases, their militaristic skills are you to capture a woman in order to maximize the reproductive success of their best warriors. The general trend is that the militaristic villages are usually at a distance of several days walk from each other while the peaceful ones are usually at a distance of merely less than a day. The Yanomami do not live in the form of large populations and the villages will usually split when the population reaches 100 to 150 people. However, when there is war raging out there preferences change and they will not split before they reach a population of around 300 individuals. The reasons for…

he author expresses this when he describes the church as "neither cold or hot." It is easy to fall into the patterns of Christianity, thus becoming neither hot or cold. he author cautions the church in Laodicea that going through the motions of Christianity will cause it to be spit out of the mouth of God on Judgment Day.

"17 for you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see." In these two lines we begin to have a sense of the identity of the author; the author…

Anglican Church

The modern Anglican Church is more specifically referred to as the Anglican Communion. It is an international association of national and regional Anglican Church, so instead of there being a single "Anglican" Church with universal authority and dominion over all Churches, each national or regional Church has full and complete autonomy. Historically, these Churches fall under full communion with the Church of England, or the Mother Church, and the specific titular head, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The status of "full communion" means, ideally that there is mutual agreement on several specific and basic doctrinal issues, and that full participation in each single Church's sacramental rubric is available and upheld by all Anglicans (The Anglican Communion Official Website, 2011).

Overall, the essential nature of the Anglican Communion is epitomized in the iblical passafe from John 1: This life is revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it,…

The author tells that the people take the Sacred History more then a book as they recite the book every year in a special event. He tells that Guti has been given a position of an apostle by the people. The author emphasizes on the fact that wherever a new building is made it is given a foundation stone which tells the people that Guti is the founder of the movement. The author tries to tell that Guti shadows over all the other important people who helped in founding the movement.

The author then tells that ZAOGA's official version of past could be interpreted or could be judged by individual witnesses. The author tells that many church members when asked about the ordeal of Guti or the early days of ZAOGA tell about Guti being a great leader and his qualities. But often when they are asked in detail they…

Sons of God" in Genesis 6 are human, by using the following verses as background on the subject: Deuteronomy 9:18, Joshua 7:6, Psalm 112, Genesis 4:26, Numbers 13:33, Job 1:6, 2:1. The Sons of God referred to so briefly in Genesis 6 are indeed human, because they have the distinct human vice of "wickedness," which in the end seals their fate. They are Sons of God who came to Earth to create a race of "giants," but in the end, God removed them all for their wickedness, and replaced the population with the relations of Noah, whom He favored above all at the time. In Deuteronomy 9:18, the Bible alludes to this sin, when Moses beseeches his people not to bring down the anger of the Lord upon them. Implied here is the anger of the Lord that came before, when he flooded the land for forty days and nights…

Women in the Book Of Judges

Prof Name

The Book of Judges talks about ancient Israel, and how they extended their territory by acquiring lands from the non-Israelites. The book narrates how Israelites conquered and reclaimed their lost land from non-Israelites and how they used to turn from God whenever they are satisfied. But it is written in the Bible that, the guilty are by no means cleared, as Exodus (34:7) says this is the reason why the Lord used several Kings and Judges like Deborah to help the people of Israel find their way back to Him. As the book reveals, it is evident that most of the judges were men (as they were most of the times referred to as Judges). The book talks about a great woman Deborah, also referred to as the "bee," as a key judge in the entire book. This book unveils the importance…

Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate." 7 Why then," they asked Him, "did Moses command [us] to give divorce papers (I) and to send her away?" 8 He told them, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts. But it was not like that from the beginning. 9 and I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."

Divorce was taught to be a last resort, not the 'I am tired of you' choice. Children are hurt and devastated by the divorce and more psychological trauma is being placed on the child. Children are losing context on the meaning of love and what to expect from it.

The Bible also states the expectation on men and women in regards to the family. In Genesis 1:28, it is written, "God blessed them, and God…

Yanomamo

The Yanomami are an indigenous tribe also called Yanomamo, Yanomam, and Sanuma who live in the tropical rain forest of Southern Venezuela and Northern razil. The society is composed of four subdivisions of Indians. (Yanomami Indians) Each subdivision has its own language. "They include the Sanema which live in the Northern Sector, the Ninam which live in the southeastern sector, the Yanomam which live in the southeastern part and the Yanomamo which live in the southwestern part of Yanomami area."

(ibid)

The Yanomamo are one of the largest unacculturated aboriginal groups left in South America, with a total population of around 12,000. Their subsistence is based on hunting and slash-and-burn agriculture. The predominant crops are plantains and bananas. Their diet includes yams, sweet potatoes and the fruit of the peach palm. (eierle, J.M.)

The social construction of the culture is composed of small groups numbering approximately 75 people in…

Christian religion, the Old and New Testaments form a whole upon which its belief system is based. The transition between the Old and New Testaments resides in the person of Christ, who came to earth as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Messianic prophesy.

This transition then occurs not only through the ultimate sacrifice of Christ at his death and resurrection, but also in his ministry during his lifetime. Christ uses the Old Testament in various ways in order both to establish the new order of the New Testament, but also to validate the authority of the Old.

As the son of God, Christ shows his relationship to the Father through his respect for the validity and authority of the Old Testament. He does this in various ways, of which one is his acceptance of the history of the Old Testament. Jesus refers to various persons of the Old Testament,…