Experiencing Four Major World Religions First Hand Essay -- Islam, B

The nine-sided building and the surrounding gardens give the impression of the world view of the Baha’i faith. A component of the Baha’i world view is that all religions come from a common source. The site conveyed that unity among all religions and people is an additional view of the Baha’i. The arrangement of the house of worship, and the gardens conveyed the idea of unity. The nine sides of the house of worship, and the surrounding gardens represent that all people no matter their religion, race, or gender are welcome at this site to practice their religion. Furthermore, it also gave the impression of the view of all religions having a common source, God. Specifically, the house of worship could represent God, and the nine sides, may represent the nine major world religions, or the idea that all people are united through God. In addition, the house of worship contains symbols on the pillars of the structure. These symbols are of the nine major world religions, for example; symbols include the Christian cross, Judaism Star of David, and the nine-pointed star, which is the symbol of the Baha’i faith. These symbols on the pillars represent unity among all religions, and the idea that all the religions come from a common source, God. Information provided in the handout, video, and by the representative was quite similar to the impression given by the site itself. The representative of the Baha’i faith specifically talked about how all religions have a common source. The video, handout, and the representative explained that God revealed himself in different manifestations in different time periods. God gave the teachings for a certain time period, and then when a new time period came God revealed himself as a different manifestat... ...gion. One thing that I did not know about was the artifact with a staircase and raised platform. According to Gardner’s Art through the Ages Non-Western Perspective by Fred Kleiner, this structure is called a minbar, and it serves as a pulpit for the imam to stand on, and this is where he would speak. An imam is the leader of prayer according to Living Religions by Mary Pat Fisher. Having the opportunity to visit four different religious sights resulted in gaining new insight. However, some of the information presented was similar to my previous understandings of the religions. It was interesting to hear followers of the different religions speak about their beliefs. Overall, visiting the Buddhist temple, Sikh Religious Society, Turkish Society of Chicago, and The Baha’i House of Worship made me reconsider my previous thoughts about each of the religions.

The Holocaust :: essays research papers

Hitler had a plan to ?purify? Germany in order to fulfill his vision of a perfect nation.In Mein Kampf, a book written by Adolf Hitler which explains his ambitions and explains how he wants to cleanse Germany of all Jews, communists, gypsies, homosexuals, and disabled people. Hitler had targeted specifically the Jewish population because of his hatred towards them. In World War Two, around 6 million Jews were persecuted by the Nazis. Firstly, in 1935, the Nazi Party passed the Nuremberg Laws, which were designed to stop Jews and Germans from marrying, to make sure that German blood was not tainted by mixing with other races, and produced pictures warning people about what could happen. People were ?warned? about which shop belonged to the Jews and were discouraged to buy any goods from Jewish stores. It was conspicuous that this racist law passed by Hitler was very degradingly towards the Jews. Despite that most people were not ignorant and knew this was wrong, no one dared to oppose the Nazis due to fear. Anyone that opposed the Nazis was to be shot. Hitler realized that this was not effective enough in order to achieve his goal. The Nazis had a meeting to discuss more efficient ways to eradicate the Jews. In 1938, the situation took a more serious turn for the worst. Called the night of Broken Glass, the Nazis started to use violence against the Jews. Jewish shops, churches, and other buildings were openly attacked. People became subjected to violence. It would lead to the start of more systematic violence. The violence escalated to the pinicle of the tragedy that the Jews experienced, the Holocaust. From 1939 onwards, Jews were rounded up. They were forced to move out of their homes. Jews started getting sent t o areas in cities designed only for them.

Appearances do not mean everything :: Literary Analysis, Pride and Prejudice

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen satirizes the roles and ideas of women. Taking place in the Victorian age, men saw women as stoic beings that would always agree with them, and they saw women through their eyes. Men were only interested in how a woman looked, then realized after their marriage that there was more than looks to a woman. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet did not have a perfect marriage. Since their marriage was not such an optimal marriage, their daughters lacked many qualities women should have. Mr. Bennet’s belief in appearances being the only important thing in a marriage differs from Elizabeth’s opinion on marriage because she understands the burden of being a woman who must get married. Mr. Bennet acts like every person did in the Victorian age: He acted through his eyes, only looking at appearances, instead of his heart. â€Å"Captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (202). He did not fully know Mrs. Bennet until after they were married. â€Å"†¦whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her† (202). Because of his mistake of not fully getting to know Mrs. Bennet before their marriage they do not connect anymore because of her lack of knowledge compared to Mr. Bennet. â€Å"Respect, esteem, and confidence had vanished forever, and all his views of domestic happiness were overthrown† (202). Proving his point of lack of affection towards Mrs. Bennet, he also losses respect for her and it results in the lack happiness in their marriage. Mr. Bennet’s love of reading a nd the country he spends the majority of his time dedicated to them. Since he is so fond of his hobbies, Mrs. Bennet regards him as â€Å"very little otherwise indebted than as her ignorance and folly had contributed to his amusement,† which is not the greatest gift a man can give a woman (202). She knows that she is not too smart and very cultured as Mr. Bennet thinks himself to be and comments on his lack of attention to her. Elizabeth, unknowing of her father’s behavior as a husband, saw her parent’s marriage â€Å"with pain† (202). Her repression of her father’s behavior cloaks her feelings because of â€Å"his affectionate treatment to herself† (202). Appearances do not mean everything :: Literary Analysis, Pride and Prejudice In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen satirizes the roles and ideas of women. Taking place in the Victorian age, men saw women as stoic beings that would always agree with them, and they saw women through their eyes. Men were only interested in how a woman looked, then realized after their marriage that there was more than looks to a woman. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet did not have a perfect marriage. Since their marriage was not such an optimal marriage, their daughters lacked many qualities women should have. Mr. Bennet’s belief in appearances being the only important thing in a marriage differs from Elizabeth’s opinion on marriage because she understands the burden of being a woman who must get married. Mr. Bennet acts like every person did in the Victorian age: He acted through his eyes, only looking at appearances, instead of his heart. â€Å"Captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (202). He did not fully know Mrs. Bennet until after they were married. â€Å"†¦whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her† (202). Because of his mistake of not fully getting to know Mrs. Bennet before their marriage they do not connect anymore because of her lack of knowledge compared to Mr. Bennet. â€Å"Respect, esteem, and confidence had vanished forever, and all his views of domestic happiness were overthrown† (202). Proving his point of lack of affection towards Mrs. Bennet, he also losses respect for her and it results in the lack happiness in their marriage. Mr. Bennet’s love of reading a nd the country he spends the majority of his time dedicated to them. Since he is so fond of his hobbies, Mrs. Bennet regards him as â€Å"very little otherwise indebted than as her ignorance and folly had contributed to his amusement,† which is not the greatest gift a man can give a woman (202). She knows that she is not too smart and very cultured as Mr. Bennet thinks himself to be and comments on his lack of attention to her. Elizabeth, unknowing of her father’s behavior as a husband, saw her parent’s marriage â€Å"with pain† (202). Her repression of her father’s behavior cloaks her feelings because of â€Å"his affectionate treatment to herself† (202).

School of Athens by Raphael Analization

The School Of Athens by Raphael Nii Teiko Tagoe 9/11/12 LBTS 1105 The School of Athens by Raphael is a painting that really relates to classical philosophy and humanism. It is one of the greatest paintings in the high Renaissance, and it was painted in one of the greatest most extraordinarily decorated rooms in the Vatican, the name of the room was the Stanza della Segnatura. † The school of Athens† was painted by Raphael between 1508 and 1511, and it was right around the time Michelangelo was painting the 16th chapel.One of the things that makes this painting so special is that â€Å"The School of Athens† represents all the greatest mathematicians, philosophers and scientists from classical antiquity gathered together sharing their ideas and learning from each other. These figures all lived at different times, but here they are gathered together under one roof. The painting consists of generic and geometric shapes there is a good balance of both in the painting.On e of the first things that stand out to me is all the decoration that is surrounding the fresco in the painting and also the monochromatic sculptures at the base that are supporting the fresco. When you look close to the painting you can see that it was done in a one point perspective, the vanishing point and the horizon line run right through the center of the picture and sort of terminate behind the two central figures heads, and those two are Plato and Aristotle. The vanishing point almost divides the painting into two as its right in the middle of those two figures.The only place that I see a two point perspective being used in this painting is the block of stone on the floor that Michelangelo is leaning on. I also see some illusionism giving a sense of space going on as pertaining to the use of one point perspective, through the floors and the coffers and the celling. The use of simulated and actual texture and repetition in these areas also help create some of these illusions. There are different elements used, such as line, texture and repetition that helps strengthen Raphael’s painting.Overall Raphael’s use of warm colors in most areas of the painting could be looked at symbolically, such as the use of red demonstrating wisdom and power as it is used on the main figures in the painting. The colors in general are light but not too bight to keep a sense of seriousness in the painting. The warm light is focused more on the people in the back, and shadow is slightly casted upon the figures towards the front. Raphael used chiaroscuro to show underlying body structure in each of the figures and to also show and create depth and shape in the painting. he painting overall has a lot of analogous color schemes going on, with the characters, and the same analogous color scheme going on with the walls, the windows the floors and the back ground in general. But the color scheme in the characters pertaining to the background is complimentary when it co mes to certain figures. Overall this is a wonderful piece of art and Raphael did a great job over all of depicting each individual character and brings life into them in the painting.

A Haunted House

â€Å"Here we left it,† she said. And he added, â€Å"Oh, but here tool† â€Å"It's upstairs,† she murmured. â€Å"And in the garden,† he whispered. â€Å"Quietly,† they said, â€Å"or we shall wake them.† But it wasn't that you woke us. Oh, no. â€Å"They're looking for it; they're drawing the curtain,† one might say, and so read on a page or two. â€Å"Now they've found it,' one would be certain, stopping the pencil on the margin. And then, tired of reading, one might rise and see for oneself, the house all empty, the doors standing open, only the wood pigeons bubbling with content and the hum of the threshing machine sounding from the farm. â€Å"What did I come in here for? What did I want to find?† My hands were empty. â€Å"Perhaps its upstairs then?† The apples were in the loft. And so down again, the garden still as ever, only the book had slipped into the grass. But they had found it in the drawing room. Not that one could ever see them. The windowpanes reflected apples, reflected roses; all the leaves were green in the glass. If they moved in the drawing room, the apple only turned its yellow side. Yet, the moment after, if the door was opened, spread about the floor, hung upon the walls, pendant from the ceiling–what? My hands were empty. The shadow of a thrush crossed the carpet; from the deepest wells of silence the wood pigeon drew its bubble of sound. â€Å"Safe, safe, safe† the pulse of the house beat softly. â€Å"The treasure buried; the room . . .† the pulse stopped short. Oh, was that the buried treasure? A moment later the light had faded. Out in the garden then? But the trees spun darkness for a wandering beam of sun. So fine, so rare, coolly sunk beneath the surface the beam I sought always burned behind the glass. Death was the glass; death was between us, coming to the woman first, hundreds of years ago, leaving the house, sealing all the windows; the rooms were darkened. He left it, left her, went North, went East, saw the stars turned in the Southern sky; sought the house, found it dropped beneath the Downs. â€Å"Safe, safe, safe,† the pulse of the house beat gladly. ‘The Treasure yours.† The wind roars up the avenue. Trees stoop and bend this way and that. Moonbeams splash and spill wildly in the rain. But the beam of the lamp falls straight from the window. The candle burns stiff and still. Wandering through the house, opening the windows, whispering not to wake us, the ghostly couple seek their joy. â€Å"Here we slept,† she says. And he adds, â€Å"Kisses without number.† â€Å"Waking in the morning–† â€Å"Silver between the trees–† â€Å"Upstairs–† ‘In the garden–† â€Å"When summer came–† ‘In winter snowtime–† â€Å"The doors go shutting far in the distance, gently knocking like the pulse of a heart. Nearer they come, cease at the doorway. The wind falls, the rain slides silver down the glass. Our eyes darken, we hear no steps beside us; we see no lady spread her ghostly cloak. His hands shield the lantern. â€Å"Look,† he breathes. â€Å"Sound asleep. Love upon their lips.† Stooping, holding their silver lamp above us, long they look and deeply. Long they pause. The wind drives straightly; the flame stoops slightly. Wild beams of moonlight cross both floor and wall, and, meeting, stain the faces bent; the faces pondering; the faces that search the sleepers and seek their hidden joy. â€Å"Safe, safe, safe,† the heart of the house beats proudly. â€Å"Long years–† he sighs. â€Å"Again you found me.† â€Å"Here,† she murmurs, â€Å"sleeping; in the garden reading; laughing, rolling apples in the loft. Here we left our treasure–† Stooping, their light lifts the lids upon my eyes. â€Å"Safe! safe! safe!† the pulse of the house beats wildly. Waking, I cry â€Å"Oh, is this your buried treasure? The light in the heart.†

Kant Ethics Essay

Introduction Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher born in 1724 and died in 1804. He is considered one of the most influential people on modern philosophy for his intensive research in the subject. This paper will discuss various articles written by Kant and analyze his thoughts on deeds that are right and deeds that are morally wrong. It will finally discuss importance of motives and duty of morality as illustrated by Kant’s work. Discussion Kant believed that there is no good that can emerge from the world apart from a good will (Kant, 1998). He said that without good will, qualities that are good and desirable become useless. This is because the person yielding these qualities may at times lack the fundamental will to implement and portray them. He called this lack of good will as bad character. He continued to say that when good will is not present, then Power, honor, health and the overall welfare, contentment and happiness will usually mess with the mind of the person and they will start pretending and believing lies created in their mind. Good will, according to Kant, can be facilitated by application of various qualities. However, these qualities may have no inherent absolute value, but constantly presume a good will, which succeeds the esteem that we simply have for them, not permitting us to consider them as extremely good. He attempted to identify the primary maxims of motives, which people are required to achieve. Kant did not base his opinions on claims about any subjective perception of the good, preferences, moral beliefs or regularly shared desires that people may have. Kant also recognized good will as the only absolute good; he refused to accept that the notion of good will could be established by referring to a tangible good. He believed that nothing could be a moral principle, if it was not initially a principle for everyone. According to Kant, morality starts with the denial of non-globalized principles. This idea was devised as a demand, which Kant termed as the Moral Law. He grouped the maxims in a manner that mediators could refer as â€Å"acting on the only adage that one can, and likewise will, just like an international law†. To clarify the point, Kant gave an example of an agent who gives false promises. He adds to this by saying that the agent’s action in this case does not fit to be termed as an international law. He explains that if the agent was hypothetical, then he would take part in the final outcome and this would make him stop his behavior of giving false promises (Kant, 2009). It is therefore clear that the principle of giving false promises cannot be categorized under universally shared principles. According to Kant, the principle of repudiating false promises is vital and the maxim of giving false morally forbidden. Kant is different from many utilitarian’s who regard false promises as wrong due to their adverse effects. He considers this principle as wrong since it cannot be used internationally. Kant identified two ethical modes of assessment, one of them being the fact that human beings have a high probability of evaluating the maxims adopted by agents. He asserted that if human beings had the capacity of evaluating such maxims, then principles with moral worth would come into being, since humans could decline immoral principles. He stated, â€Å"Those who accept principles that are not universal, have principles that are morally unworthy†. He considered those holding morally worth policies as working out of duty and said that human beings lack knowledge concerning the maxims of one another. Kant added to this by saying that people usually deduce the underlying principles or maxims of agents from the pattern of their actions, though no pattern identifies a unique principle. He gave the example of a genuinely honest shopkeeper by saying that his actions are not different from those of a shopkeeper who is reluctantly honest. Kant said that both shopkeepers deal justly out of an aspiration for a good reputation in business and would cheat if given the opportunity. Thus for common reasons, human beings usually do more than is of their concern with outer compliance to principles of duty, instead of paying attention to claims that an action was done out of such a principle. Kant discussed the relationship between principles of morality and people’s real inclinations and desires (Mac Intyre, 1981). He built the political insinuations of Categorical Imperative, which consists of constitution of the republic and value for freedom, particularly of speech and religion. He linked this with individual happiness which according to him can indirectly be viewed as an obligation. This is because one’s dissatisfaction with the wants of another might turn out to be a great lure to the wrongdoing of duty (O’Neill, 1991). He viewed this from another perspective and claimed that most men possess the strongest tendency to happiness. At this point, Kant gave the example of a gouty patient, who can make a choice of what he likes, and endure whatever suffering that comes with it. If he does this, he does not forego enjoying the present time to a probably wrong expectation of happiness believed to be experienced in good health (Kant, 1994). Kant states that, â€Å"an action from duty has its moral worth not in the aim that is supposed to be attained by it, but rather in the maxim in accordance with which it is resolved upon; thus that worth depends not on the actuality of the object of the action but merely on the principle of the volition† (O’Neill, 1991). The moral worth of a deed does not lie in the result anticipated from it, nor in the action or maxim which needs to make use of its intention from the expected result. In relation to the discussed effects, the endorsement of other people’s happiness could be caused by other reasons (Beck, 1960). Conclusion Significance of motives and the role of duty in morality Motives can either be of good or bad intentions. They often influence one’s roles of duty. The morality of duty is relative to the law and is therefore compared to the morality of religion. It, therefore, does not criticize man for not making full use of his life or by not doing good. He states that, â€Å"There is nothing possible to think of anywhere in the world, or indeed anything at all outside it, that can be held to be good without limitation, excepting only a good will† (O’Neill, 1991). Instead, it criticizes man for not respecting the fundamental principles and necessities required in life. A good example is the moral rule that man should not kill, since this does not have much to do with aspiration but the recognition that if one kills, he has not realized his duty of morality. I do not agree with Kant on the importance of motives and the role of duty in morality. This is because Kant only points out principles of ethics, but the same principles are so abstract that they can’t guide motives. Thus, his theory of the role of duty in morality is not motivating. He does not also give a full set of instructions to be followed. Kant lays emphasis on the appliance of maxims to cases that involve deliberation and judgment. He does insist that maxims must be abstract which can only guide individual decisions. The moral life is all about finding ways of good motives that meet all the obligations and breach no moral prohibitions. There is no procedure for identifying any motives. However, the role of duty in morality begins by ensuring that the precise acts that people bear in mind are not in line with deeds on principles of duty. References Beck, L. W. (1960). A Commentary on Kant’s Critique of Practical Reason. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kant, I. (1998). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kant, I. (2009). Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals. London: Thomas Kings mill Abbot. Kant, I. (1994). On a Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives. Oxford: Oxford University Press. O’Neill, O. (1991). Kantian Ethics. In A Companion to Ethics. Blackwell: Oxford. MacIntyre, A. (1981). After Virtue. London: Duckworth.

Facebook: Friend or Foe? Essay

On September 7, 2012, Amanda Todd posted a 9-minute YouTube video entitled â€Å"My Story: Struggling, Bullying, Suicide and Self Harm,† which showed her using flash cards to reveal her experiences of being bullied. During the video, Amanda writes that when she was in seventh grade, she once used video chat to meet new people over the Internet and soon began receiving compliments on her looks. A stranger convinced Amanda to flash her breasts on camera. The stranger later blackmailed her with threats to expose the topless photo to her friends unless she gave a â€Å"show†. She refused. She would never make that mistake again. Amanda Todd wrote that during the next Christmas break, police informed her at four am that the photo was circulating the Internet. Amanda wrote that she experienced anxiety, depression, and panic disorder because of this. Her family moved to a new home, where she later stated that she began using drugs and alcohol. A year later, the stranger had reappeared, creating a Facebook profile which used the topless photograph as the profile image, and contacting classmates at her new school. Once again she was being bullied, eventually causing her to change schools for the second time. With more bullying and an actual attack, she attempted suicide by drinking bleach, but was rushed to hospital to have her stomach pumped. After returning home, Amanda discovered abusive messages about her failed suicide attempt posted to Facebook. Once again, her family moved to another city to start fresh, but Todd was unable to escape Facebook and her first unfortunate error. Six months later further messages and abuse were still being posted to social networking sites. She started to get worse, and began cutting herself. Despite taking anti-depressants and receiving counseling, she overdosed and spent two days in the hospital. She was teased by other students at her school for her low grades, and the time she spent in the hospital to treat her severe depression. On October 10, 2012 at about six PM, Amanda Todd hung herself at home. So is Facebook a friend or a foe? Teens often don’t realize that bullying over the computer is the same as bullying in person. The harmless â€Å"joke† can be taken much, much worse because of the huge audience and the unclear tone of Facebook posts. Although Facebook can be a good source for meeting friends, spreading information, and changing peoples opinions, it can also be very harmful. Facebook can encourage cyber-bullying, make people become anti-social, and distract people from finishing other tasks. On the positive side, Facebook is another way for people to connect with new friends, old friends, and family. According to the pro and cons website on social networking, seventy percent of adult social networking users visit the site to connect with friends and family. Fifty-two percent of teens say that using social media has helped improve their relationships with friends and eighty-eight percent believe that social media have helped them stay connected with friends they can not see regularly. Despite the fact that Facebook and social media sites have many positive sides, it has its bad sides as well. Facebook users are starting to get more and more addicted each day. According to an article from WebMD, in a 2009 survey of 1,030 parents, Rosen and colleagues found out that children and teens had spent more time engaged in media (online and offline) had more anxiety, more stomachaches, and more sick days from school. In teens, the time spent playing video games also led to poorer health. In another ongoing survey of teens and adults, Rosen found that spending more time than average on Facebook was associated with signs of narcissism, anxiety, and bipolar disorder on a standard psychological test. In another 2011 study, 279 middle school, high school, and university students lost focus for an average of three minutes for every fifteen minutes spent studying or doing another task. Checking Facebook just once during the fifteen minute period was associated with lower grades. Not only does Facebook cause lower grades, it also can ruin someones self-esteem. Facebook users feel as if they need to know if something important is happening, and by doing their work, they feel like they might miss out on something big. The New York Times released an article in April of 2011 that talked about FOMO, which stands for â€Å"the fear of missing out.† This mostly occurs when seeing Facebook statuses and photos posted by friends, questioning the event, wondering â€Å"Why wasn’t I there?† or â€Å"How come I didn’t know this was happening?† Sometimes it’s not just a specific event that throws us off, but just scrolling through a friends profile and noticing how much â€Å"better† his or her life appears. Facebook adds negative social comparisons and FOMO, which puts a sense of regret and a heavy weight on self-esteem. As social networking sites become more and more popular, its users have expanded from teens to young adults, to even people over fifty. As you can see with Amanda Todd’s story, many people use social networking sites for the wrong reasons. People can be whoever they want to be, but some do use it for the right reasons, as for example connecting with family they haven’t seen in a while, or catching up with long-distance friends. Is Facebook a place where people can connect and have conversations about things that truly matter to them? Is it a place where you can express yourself without fear of judgement? Or is it a place for status updates that aren’t true, photoshopped profile pictures, and cyber-bullying disguised as humor? So what do you think? Is Facebook a friend or a foe?