Comparison of Christianity and Buddhism as Universal Religions Essay

Comparison of Christianity and Buddhism as Universal Religions - Essay Example In natural religion, individuals make choices to reject or accept given practices. However, ethnic religion makes an entire rejection of natural religion impossible. There are numerous natural religions, among them being Christianity and Buddhism. With universal religions, there is an active search for converts thereby not limited to a given people. Again, universal religions reflect in terms of individual salvation, which makes them voluntary. The salvation of an individual is independent of that of a community and neither does the community affects an individual’s salvation. Like other universal religions, Christianity and Buddhism have particular founders. This paper compares and contrasts Christianity and Buddhism as universal religions. Buddhists believe in no God. For the Buddhists, a supreme God is not known. In addition, Buddhism believes in no creator, omnipotent or omnipresent God. There is also no believe in a Lord over his creation. However, Buddhists believe that there exists only the eternalness of a remote emptiness or void. Emptiness, for the Buddhists, is inexistent (Hattaway 203). This implies that God does not exist. Christians, on the other hand, believe that there is a God who is all-loving and all Christians must have a relationship with Him. However, the existence of a loving and caring God to the Buddhists reflects ignorance. This is because desire results from ignorance. In addition, Christians believe in God as their creator who gave each man a purpose to live. For the Buddhists, the cause and effect of human living are Karma. As a result, Buddhists would equate God to Karma, ignorance, and void (Hattaway 204).

New Religions Essay Example for Free

New Religions Essay Present essay studies how new religions are born in the context of social, cultural and intellectual relations between people. The analysis addresses the origins of three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam to trace their origins, historical and social needs that drove their development and intrinsic ties with their predecessors. The thesis is defended that the birth of religions should not be regarded as merely divine providence, intellectual development, but should be understood through the prism of socio-political developments in a given society. The origins of Christianity Christianity was not born as fully autonomous religion, but in contrast was under a great influence of Judaism (Brown, 963). This influence relates to the same canonical religious texts, including Old Testament, monotheism etc. Hence, Christianity was born simultaneously as a follower and opponent to Judaism. There is no denying the importance of the fact that social roots of Christianity should be traced in Jewish revolutionary movement against Judaist aristocracy, living in wealth and oppressing lower classes and Roman dominance, which was particularly aggressive. In its intellectual roots Early Christianity focused on critique of material goods, which is reflected in its celebration of soul, love and salvation. Such ideology was particularly successful amongst ordinary people, who saw Christianity as the source of their liberation (Bruce, 235). However, notwithstanding these social roots, Christian religion was for a long time persecuted in Judea and Roman empire in general. It did not function as state religion until AD 325 when the First Council of Nicaea took place and Constantine the Great made his historical decision. Until that time Christianity functioned within different sects, which focused on often contradictory interpretations of Bible, Greek philosophy, Gnosticism, Judaism etc (Grant, 45). Therefore, establishing Christianity as a full-fledged religion required its ascendance in the role of state religion and codification of its canonical legacy. The task was realized by St. Paul, who transformed the earlier premises of Christianity and made them affordable to interpretation by state power. Various Christian Councils later codified Christian texts and interpreted them to create unified traditions. Other interpretations of Christianity were persecuted by official Christianity, which marked the final stage in its transformation into full-fledged religion. Judaism The historical roots of Judaism should be traced back in the social need of Judea state to legitimize and develop its national autonomy in the ancient world (Shaye and Cohen, 36-39). The proof of the latter thought may be found in Tanakh (Old Testament), a canonical text of Judean tradition. Old Testament presents a Jewish nation (Childern of Israel) in their direct relationship with God, who proclaimed them the chosen nation. The latter shows that Judaism was central for Judea in positioning itself as the most progressive state in the Middle Eastern region. The historical origins of Judaism should also be traced in the need of regulating social relations in Judean society. This is the most evident in commandments or Law of Moses, which includes 613 laws, regulating various spheres of life in society. Hence, there is no denying the importance of the fact that Judaism was a very important ethical, legislative and moral tool in ancient Jewish society. Its main principles were later included in Talmud, which became the prototype of religious legislative system in general. Notwithstanding the fact that Judaism was the first monotheistic religion it was influenced by some ancient religions such as Zoroastrianism, from which Judaism borrowed certain cult practices, monotheistic ideas and philosophical mindset (Shaye and Cohen, 295). The ties of Judaism are also evident with Christianity and Islam, which form the group of common Abrahamic religions. Islam Islam has its historical roots both in Judaism and Christianity. As it is widely known, Islam uses Christian tradition of preaching Jesus; however, unlike Christianity in Muslim tradition, Jesus is regarded as a mortal person (Esposito, 23). Muhammad, the final prophet of God is regarded as a great reformer, who restored the original monotheistic tradition of Moses, Jesus and Abraham, which arguably was distorted in Christianity and Judaism. Therefore, it may be said that Islam is based on permanent reference to Judaism and Christianity, as the sources of its own development. The birth of Islam was also fostered by the ethical, intellectual and moral needs of Arab societies. Quran may be compared to Torah in this respect, because it served as the main tool for regulating social relations in Muslim societies. Its main commandments were included in Shariat law, which reflects Muslim tradition of correspondence between law and religious norms. Moreover, it should be noted that Islam was born and developed in the period of the rapid ascendance of Arab civilization as the center of power and development in Asia (Esposito, 68). Arab conquests and interrelations with the West were premised on the construction of the national and religious identity, which was found in Islam. Islam served as the tool for contrasting Muslim world with Western and allowed unifying various Muslim nations in the single task of promoting the cause of Mohammad. To sum it up, we have discussed major historical, social, cultural and ethical causes, which influenced the birth of three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The analysis shows that their birth and development should be understood as the complex process, affected not only by intellectual development, but deeper social and political processes, including revolutionary movement, the inception of new nationalist states, the relations between different civilizations etc. Bibliography Brown R. E. 1994. The Death of the Messiah: From Gethsemane to the Grave. New York: Doubleday, Anchor Bible Reference Library. Bruce F. F. , 1988. The Canon of Scripture. Intervarsity Press. Esposito, John. 2003. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press Grant, M. 1977. Jesus: An Historians Review of the Gospels. New York: Scribners. Shaye, J. D. and Cohen. 1999. The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties, Berkeley: University of California Press.

Gravity By Sara Bareilles | Review

Gravity By Sara Bareilles | Review Sara Bareilles is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She grew up in Eureka, CA, and at the age of 18 she moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue her career (Sara Bareilles). According to She is a graduate of UCLAs Communication Studies Department. While in high school, she performed in community productions and also high school events. Although she was involved in numerous singing acts, she never had any training in either voice or piano. Bareilles has been a songwriter for almost all of her life. Her two first works, Star Sweeper and I Love a Parade, didnt win her any Grammies, but they are a representation of the fact that she has been song writing for a very long time (Sara Bareilles). According to Bareilles biography on Vh1.com, she began to perform in local bars and open-mic nights after she graduated college. After gaining enough confidence to feel comfortable on stage, she began to perform at local venues and musical festivals. She had made a CD, and began to shop it around and eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in April of 2005. A produced by the name of Eric Rosse worked with her the following February to help perfect her record. They worked on the record just over a year. Sara Bareilles second album was titled Little Voice and released in July 2007. Her first single Love Song and the album reached the Top Ten after being released (Sara Bareilles). She has been awarded four Grammies; two in 2008 and two in 2009. Historical Context Gravity was originally written for Bareilles first album entitled Careful Confessions (Careful Confessions). After she was signed to Epic Records and teamed up with Eric Rosse, the single was added to the track list for the album Little Voice. Gravity was written in the early 2000s. During this time there were many events happening which included George W. Bush being president, the major terrorist attack in New York, George Harrison died and the war in Iraq began (United States Timeline). These events probably didnt have much effect on Sara Bareilles reason for writing Gravity. Not much was found for her reasoning, but it was possibly based on past relationship that she has had, or a reflection on either one or multiple relationships. Analysis The overall theme of Gravity is how one can be drawn toward another person in their life, even if they dont want to. Sara Bareilles starts the song by Something always brings me back to you, It never takes too long, No matter what I say or do, I still feel you here til the moment Im gone (lines 1-4). Here she is saying that there is a force that is making her return to someone in little time, and it doesnt matter what she does to stop this or go in a different direction because there is always a feeling that she has that wants to be near, lets say, this man that is drawing her near. The second verse is You hold me without touch, You keep me without chains, I never wanted anything so much, Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain (lines 5-8). When she says You hold me without touch, she is saying that she can feel him even though he is not there. You keep me without chains, means that he can control her without him even trying to. The last two lines can be translated into that she has a strong feeling to want to be embraced in his love and not feel like she cant have it. The reason for this is because when you are drowning, you are fully covered in water, and when you are being rained on, you just get glimpse of water and youre not fully drenched in it. The chorus of the song is Set me free, leave me be, I dont wanna fall another moment into your gravity, Here I am and I stand so tall, Im just the way Im supposed to be, But youre on to me and all over me (lines 9-13). When the song goes into the verse, it seems that the song is switching gears a little bit. She wants to be set free from this force that she is feeling. She doesnt want to be pulled into him anymore. She wants to be her own person without him, but she feels it may be impossible to stop this force. The third verse is You loved me cause Im fragile, When I thought that I was strong, But you touch me for a little while, And all my fragile strength is gone (lines 14-17). She is saying that she thought she was strong enough to not need a man in her life, but she was actually weak, and all the strength she thought she had went away when the man came into her life. After the third verse the chorus repeats. The hook is I live here on my knees, As I try to make you see, That youre everything I think I need, Here on the ground, But youre neither friend nor for, Though I cant seem to let you go, The one think that I still k now, Is that youre keeping me down, Youre keeping me down (lines 18-26). This is the climax of the song. She is explaining that maybe she thinks she needs to have him in her life. He is not a friend or an enemy, but she cant let him not be a part of her life, because he is what keeps her sane. This song goes through multiple ups and downs. The artist seems to not be sure what this man is to her in her life, but in the end she comes to the conclusion that he is what keeps her grounded.

Essay --

1. On April 22, 2013 a jury trial was planned for commence as the result of Timelines, Inc. suing Facebook, Inc. for trademark infringement. Timelines, Inc. filed with the courts after noticing that Facebook, Inc. added the new â€Å"Timeline† feature to its member profiles. Facebook motioned for a summary judgment, but the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Illinois turned down Facebook’s motion for a summary judgment. The reason they denied this motion is because Facebook failed to prove that the word â€Å"timeline† was of fair use, and that the term â€Å"timelines† was just a generic term. A party that moves for a summary judgment is trying to save the time and expense of a full trial when the outcome is usually obvious. Since Timelines, Inc. has a registered trademark of the â€Å"timelines† phrase; the court affirmed that they were entitled to a presumption of validity. If I were a member of the jury, I would rule in favor of Timelines, Inc. because Facebook went against the trademark laws, and was not able to prove that the phrase â€Å"timeline† was of fair use. Fair use can be proved only if the defense can prove that such use was for a purpose other than that normally made of a trademark. The party that is being charged with trademark infringement may defeat proceedings ONLY if it can prove a valid exception of fair use. If companies did not trademark their mark, multiple companies would use similar marks causing consumer confusion about the origin of the defendant’s goods/services. As much as I love Facebook, I feel as though they took someone else’s creation, and used their power to make the concept legendary. Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the tra... ... the duplication of the copyrighted work must be outside the exceptions. The combination, the lyrics and associated melodies, intonations, and usage are too similar to the original. This violates the copyright trademark laws, and it is protectable material. The puzzle pieces match knowing that the composer’s advisors, John and Charles, listened to her song in 2008, critiqued it, and told her it was best as a duet. Copyright infringement is the act of violating any of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights that were granted by the Federal Copyright Act. The only exceptions to the copyright law are fair use, face-to-face instruction, and virtual instruction. These exceptions allow someone to use work without permission from the copyright holder, and potentially paying fees. If Bowen wins the case, she could potentially receive the actual dollar amount of the profits. Essay -- 1. On April 22, 2013 a jury trial was planned for commence as the result of Timelines, Inc. suing Facebook, Inc. for trademark infringement. Timelines, Inc. filed with the courts after noticing that Facebook, Inc. added the new â€Å"Timeline† feature to its member profiles. Facebook motioned for a summary judgment, but the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Illinois turned down Facebook’s motion for a summary judgment. The reason they denied this motion is because Facebook failed to prove that the word â€Å"timeline† was of fair use, and that the term â€Å"timelines† was just a generic term. A party that moves for a summary judgment is trying to save the time and expense of a full trial when the outcome is usually obvious. Since Timelines, Inc. has a registered trademark of the â€Å"timelines† phrase; the court affirmed that they were entitled to a presumption of validity. If I were a member of the jury, I would rule in favor of Timelines, Inc. because Facebook went against the trademark laws, and was not able to prove that the phrase â€Å"timeline† was of fair use. Fair use can be proved only if the defense can prove that such use was for a purpose other than that normally made of a trademark. The party that is being charged with trademark infringement may defeat proceedings ONLY if it can prove a valid exception of fair use. If companies did not trademark their mark, multiple companies would use similar marks causing consumer confusion about the origin of the defendant’s goods/services. As much as I love Facebook, I feel as though they took someone else’s creation, and used their power to make the concept legendary. Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the tra... ... the duplication of the copyrighted work must be outside the exceptions. The combination, the lyrics and associated melodies, intonations, and usage are too similar to the original. This violates the copyright trademark laws, and it is protectable material. The puzzle pieces match knowing that the composer’s advisors, John and Charles, listened to her song in 2008, critiqued it, and told her it was best as a duet. Copyright infringement is the act of violating any of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights that were granted by the Federal Copyright Act. The only exceptions to the copyright law are fair use, face-to-face instruction, and virtual instruction. These exceptions allow someone to use work without permission from the copyright holder, and potentially paying fees. If Bowen wins the case, she could potentially receive the actual dollar amount of the profits.

Compare and contrast the effects of hypermedia

INTRODUCTIONTechnology is changing the way lessons are taught. A wide variety of multimedia applications teaching various core competencies are now available either freely or commercially. The World Wide Web (WWW) is also becoming a very powerful tool for teaching, allowing teaching materials to be enhanced by hyperlinked audio, video, interactive objects and animations.PURPOSEThe purpose of this document is to compare and contrast the effects of multimedia and hypermedia web-based lessons. It begins by distinguishing the difference between a pure multimedia and a hypermedia web based lessons.DEFINITIONSMultimediaMultimedia is in essence a presentation of information that incorporates multiple media such as text, audio, graphics, and animation (CITEd Learn Center, 2007). Multimedia could be carried in any form and it need not be computerized. It may come in the form of video tape, video CD, DVD or some other form of digital media. Since computers offers one of the most seamless form presentation, multimedia are normally associated with computers. Multimedia presentations are normally distributed in the form of CDROM that can be played live or installed in a computer.HypermediaHypermedia refers to hyperlinked multimedia—the linkage of text, audio, graphics, animation, and/or video through hyperlinks (CITEd Learn Center, 2007). An example would be a hypermedia study guide that offers illustrated textbook content hyperlinked to web-based video and other content, glossary entries, and comprehension questions. Other hypermedia applications for the classroom include supported digital reading environments and lessons. Technically, a hypermedia is also a form of multimedia but for discussion purposes let us use hypermedia for hyperlinked multimedia, and use multimedia instead for the other forms of multimedia presentations.EFFECTS ON WEB BASED LESSONSHypermedia offers more power in terms of integrating curriculum contents. Through interactive objects, it can be used to add attractiveness through user interaction. It can even be applied in the form of games where the user becomes motivated through rewards and punishment. On the other hand, multimedia presentations are normally fixed presentations with no user interaction. It may be part of a web lesson but only a direct link to a fixed video presentation or a download link to fixed multimedia presentation. Hypermedia allows a simple text to be enriched with a lot of hyperlinked vocabulary definitions, glossaries, translations, explanatory notes, background information, and instructional prompts.On the other hand a simple multimedia only offers limited enrichment because it is not associate different forms of media, each must be explained separately. Hypermedia through hyperlinked and pop-ups can use a single text to be represented by several media through a simple point or click operation. Hypermedia can also be use to address a wide variety of needs, providing alternative means to engage l earners. With hypermedia, teachers can help a variety of learners. Moreover, because the various supports are presented as hyperlinks, students can access them independently according to their interest, similar to an on-demand video.Learning using multimedia or hypermedia is significantly more effective than traditional lectures. Although, according to Howard and Carver (1995), multimedia and hypermedia web lessons benefited the best students the most. This is primarily because of their increase interaction with hypermedia instructions. Again, since hypermedia offers more interaction, it is more effective than a pure multimedia presentation.EFFECTS ON WEB BASED LESSONSThe overall effect of hypermedia and multimedia in web lessons is by far very significant. Since hypermedia offers more flexibility in linking several sources of information from main idea to background information it is more effective than purely multimedia web lessons. Hypermedia presentations also are able to addres s a wide variety of needs as oppose to multimedia which mostly focus on a single core competency.

First Day in a New Job. How to make a good impression

First Day in a New Job. How to make a good impression How to Get Ready for Your First Day in a New Job CONGRATULATIONS! On what occasion? you may wonder. On getting a new job, of course! If you are reading this article, you must have spent enough time looking for ways to get prepared for your first day at new job. You are on the right path! Carry on reading and you will find valuable tips on how to make a good impression and maintain positive relationships with your boss and colleagues. Make a Good First Impression It may sound to you as a humdrum, hard to use in practice phrase. Though, it is not as difficult and pointless piece of advice as it may seem at first sight. It goes without saying that punctuality and politeness are the main threats you should show NOT ONLY ON YOUR FIRST DAY! Why is it crucial? Because, no matter how regrettable it is to realize the fact that we judge people by the first impression, this is the reality of our life! To make your first day even more smooth and favorable, get used to coming at the working place IN TIME! This will help you to gain your bosss and colleagues favor, and they will perceive you as a reliable person. A regular pleasant neat look wont be too much as well. And dont forget to put on your smile, by the way! Dont let your private life and mood influence your working relationships. Get On Well With Your Colleagues The pledge of your success, partially, lies in your good relationships with co-workers. Although people from work are not your soulmates, they are DEFINITELY those who you are going to spend much time with. Try to avoid tense atmosphere at work and remember that you should treat people the way you want to be treated. Contribute to your working surrounding to make it more conducive. Pay attention to other persons needs, be willing to help and use your own initiative. Work on having a good record among your colleagues and bear in mind that the way you behave is the thing that matters. No one is eager to work with sulky pompous people. Make sure you are IN a team, not APART from it. Show Your Ambitions and Willingness to Work Of course, the fear to be rejected, to say something stupid or lack of experience may fetter you on your first working day. It is natural. WHAT IS UNNATURAL is to let this fear ruin your career prospects! No matter how anxious you may feel, it is high time to switch on your positive thinking and extract benefit from every failure and misfortune. Dont be afraid of learning from your own mistakes and, especially, learning how to overcome them so they dont occur in the future. From the very first day, you need to make an impression of a person willing to work, eager to produce innovative ideas and improve the position of your company. Even if your ideas seem ridiculous to you, they may work if you speak them up! Of course, we are not calling you for talking without thinking first. What we suggest is to investigate the question in order to have plan B if something doesnt work. Be persistent in your attempts to win your colleagues and bosss favor. Your first working day is not a daunting experience you have to go through; it is an opportunity to show your worth!