Religion…True or False? Essay

For many people religion represents a commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. Within this commitment encompasses a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, practices or system of beliefs held to with ardor and reliance. In Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut introduces a religion known as Bokononism, which epitomizes a standard foundation built upon nothing more than â€Å"foma! Lies!† (Vonnegut 191). Bokononism focuses on man’s need for a God, even though Vonnegut believes there is no such thing. He expresses his beliefs of Divine Province, while making fun of Christianity, satirizing the notion that all religions are nothing more than lies. Religion gives many people a feeling of security because they believe that a divine power watches over them and promises them salvation and either happiness or the chance to improve themselves in a life after death. Bokononism is a religion based on lies, while Christianity is a based around the life and teachings of Christ and the sacred scripture of the Bible. Hence, the question is whether or not society bases religion, mainly Christianity, upon nothing more than â€Å"foma† itself. Bokononism breathed life when first founded by a Negro man named Lionel Boyd Johnson. The name Bokonon surfaced due to the fact that it rendered to be the â€Å"pronunciation given the name Johnson in the island’s English dialect† (Vonnegut 108). Bokonon creates the religion for the people of a small Caribbean island called San Lorenzo; he then makes it a point that â€Å"he and his religion be outlawed, and that those caught practicing it [are] to be killed† (Lundquist 37) by punishment of being hanged on the dreaded hook. Such an atrocity becomes enacted so the people will be happy and totally content, for by taking part in the religion that all people on the island practice, they partake in a rebellious action and can take the focus from their horribly useless lives. The idea is for that the religion and the government to constantly oppose each other, with Bokonon the virtuous prohibit, hiding from it all. The doctrines that make up Bokononism consist of a â€Å"language itself [that] is amusing, [yet] serves to outline an approach to life that has considerable appeal† (Lundquist 37) in which assists in capturing the true essence behind the religion. Coincidentally resembling Jesus and the bible, Bokonon relies on his vast variety of language, and his Books of Bokonon. His language consists of several significant key concepts such as a karass, which is a â€Å"team [of people] that do[es] God’s will without ever discovering what they are doing† (Vonnegut 2), thus revealing that â€Å"if you find your life tangled up with somebody else’s life for no very logical reasons†, writes Bokonon, â€Å"that person may be a member of your karass† (Simons 45). In The Books of Bokonon, Bokonon mainly comprises them of calypsos and such on religion, life, and perceptions. More importantly however exists the theory of Dynamic Tension. Such a theory embodies the belief of good versus evil, and maintaining the ongoing tension between the two. To draw a parallel, is the incident of the Garden of Good and Evil within Christianity. Christianity happened to be instituted on the existence and philosophy of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ’s life began after he was baptized by Saint John when he thirty years old. He set out with a certain ambition, being that he sought to announce that â€Å"the Kingdom of God was coming, and that it had begun to arrive even as He announced it† (Callan 2). Jesus established this ambition both verbally and physically by utilizing His phenomenon and philosophies. In addition, Jesus also preformed many miracles, in which he made reputable as to the benefit of other people not Himself. Among such miracles include: changing water into wine, walking on the sea, healing sick people, alleviating the pain of the suffering, restoring sight to the blind, and restoring to the disabled people the ability to use their limbs again (Callan 2). Overall, most Christians of society believe that Jesus portrays the bona fide savior that will, in the end, resuscitate humanity. Bokononism starts with a creation event, which mocks the Christian creation account. In Bokonon’s tale of creation God creates man and woman out of mud, rather than dust, and he concludes by allowing them to define their own purpose. While the difference between dust and mud seem insignificant, the purpose for humanity may be quite different. Bokonon tells man that his purpose in life is defined by himself, and not by God. Here on the opposite end of this, Christianity holds that every person’s purpose in life bestows to bring honor and glory to God, whether provided by preaching the good news (Gospel) or by practicing good works toward man, and letting the glory of God shine outward through them (Callan 1). Compared to Christianity, Bokononism does not specifically talk of man’s fall into sin, however, it does somewhat infer that Bokonon first preached on the folly of understanding and the hollowness of truth and human stupidity, which he ultimately won the people of San Lorenzo over with. Bokonon preached on man’s sin right from the beginning, similar to what may be depicted through the garden of Good and Evil in Christianity. â€Å"As helpful as Bokononism [was], as devoid of false pieties as it [was], as concerned as it [was] with human decency and the necessity of having a sense of purpose† (Lundquist 39) it, in the end, is nothing more then the notion of living â€Å"life by the foma that make[s] you brave and kind and healthy and happy† (Simons 39). Christianity often refers to good works as the doctrine of Sanctification (Knight 5). This doctrine begins with the understanding that man is sinful, and will be sinful until the day he dies. Regardless of what man does or tries to accomplish on earth, he will always be sinful, and will continue to fall into sin lurching ever so quickly toward eternal death and damnation (Knight 5-6). Vonnegut seems to perceive, like many, that Christians feel because they are spotless before the eyes of the Lord, that they can thus do what they please. The Holy Spirit corroborates work in a Christian’s life, and may even be responsible for the faith which breeds within a Christian. The basic principle behind sanctification is that the death of Christ, which the Holy Spirit has given faith in, is the inspiration and the power which pushes a Christian to do good works. Hence, this encompasses the doctrine of daily life, one which a Christian yearns to practice every day, and yet may be constant ly faced with a road block, the road block of sin. â€Å"Bokononism is a philosophy of flow, resisting entropy and harrowing the fixities that reduce societies to monomaniacal obsessions† (Simons 47) of harmless untruths. Bokonon â€Å"worships the human above all other values,† (Simons 45); however, at the same time relishes in the fact that the joke of â€Å"maintaining order† through the religion of Bokononism, serves as a joke being played on humanity thus revealing human stupidity. Bokononism denotes the joke on Christianity, every characteristic of Bokononism can be designed to mock Christianity in some manner or another. Bokonon insists that his own religion, which he created, is filled with lies and based on nothing else, yet all of the Island of San Lorenzo believes in Bokonon (Lundquist 135). Ultimately, â€Å"Bokononism refuses to blink at the hard truth of a reality it cannot alter, it nevertheless fictionalizes that reality† (Simons 40). Bokononists have to hide their religion, because the world hates and despises them for their beliefs. Much akin to the Bokononists, who are condemned to an oath of silence, Christians have to hide their voices and beliefs as well. Christians over time have been forced into hiding, because they are not considered â€Å"politically correct† and Bokononists have been shoved into hiding so as not to touch the â€Å"souls† of their feet, known as the art of Boko-Maru (Vonnegut 135). Simultaneously, they all enter a hiding, a hiding from the world which hates what it does not know, and what it does not know is good, and love. On the whole, Christian faith portrays the notion about seeking and knowing Jesus Christ with all facets of the human character. It corresponds to loving Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; therefore, certain individualistic and legitimate fallacies are flip sides of an error to the concept of Christianity. Underlying the error of the individualistic fallacy is the presumption that Jesus demands on societies lives in which can be satisfied by societies own efforts. The legitimate fallacy holds that there are possibly some set of rules of behavior which can be kept to earn a way into Jesus’ favor. Then, the next step of the fallacy can be established by insisting that, as long as society keeps Jesus’ rules and, thus, please Him, they are free in all other things to live their lives in their own way, entirely for their benefit, without further considering Him. We all look for ways to please Jesus, and avoid eternal punishment by simply keeping rules, with minimal actual contact with Him and without ever giving ourselves to Him. Nevertheless, this does not work that way, and the result of society pursuing religion in this way is usually horrendous, and furthermore is not a religion based on â€Å"foma†, or a certain principle, but based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. Prepositional Phrase Subject Verb Infinitive Phrase Adverb Clause Participial Phrase Adj. Clause -ly Adverbs Conjunctive Adverb Gerund Phrase Works Cited Callan, Terrance D. â€Å"Jesus Christ.† 31 May 2003. . Knight, Kevin. â€Å"Catholic Encyclopedia: Character of Jesus Chris.† May 31 200. . Lundquist, James. Kurt Vonnegut. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1977. Simons, John L. â€Å"Tangled Up in You: A Playful Reading of Cat’s Cradle.† Kurt Vonnegut. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990. Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat’s Cradle. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1963.

Career Paper

Professor Jane Andrews Success in College Career Paper A police officer is something I have always had an interest in becoming. Law enforcement is an exciting career that can open many doors to different jobs, from patrolling the streets to protecting important political figures. Police officers are an essential part of the communities in our nation, offering citizens protection from criminals, preventing crimes, and serving the members of their community. A police officers duties, among other things, include patrolling a specific district or beat, writing citations when necessary, offering escorts for convoys, responding to citizens emergency calls, severing warrants and subpoenas, and writing incident reports after a crime has been committed. 1 An essential characteristic of a police officer is physical stamina, physical and mental endurance, and the ability to keep a calm head. These are just a few of the many duties and essential characteristics of a police officer. A police officers work environment can vary greatly, either being out on patrol or in an office, either writing reports or viewing bulletins. Out on patrol, an officers work environment is his or her patrol car. A patrol car has all the devices necessary for an officer to execute his or her duties. It will contain a radio, a mobile laptop, which is used to run license plates, do background checks, and receive directions to the locations of 911 calls, and weapons, such as a shotgun, to be used in hostile situations. A police officers work environment will vary depending on his or her pecific duties. Becoming a police officer is a physically demanding process. Many people choose to first obtain a college degree in criminal justice or sociology, because it can help you become a higher rank and opens the options to work for higher authority agencies. The basic requirement for becoming a cop are to be free of any felony convictions, be a citizen of the United States, be at least 18 years of age, undergo background checks, and be free from any physical, emotional, or mental condition which might adversely affect the exercise of power by the peace officer. These requirements may vary slightly from state to state, but one that is consistent is that everyone must attend police academy. Police academy is an essential step in becoming a police officer. By graduating from police academy, a person becomes post certified, which is a requirement to become a police officer anywhere. 3 At the academy, a person will take courses on firearms training, patrol techniques, crimes scene procedures, and brain training courses, which train an officer on how to react mentally in certain situations. Physical fitness tests are an essential part of the academy, with strict requirements for both male and female requirements. Being a police officer requires both mental and physical toughness. A career in law enforcement can bring a variety of pay amounts. A standard patrol officer makes on average $34,000 a year. 4 Working for different agencies can bring different pay ranges, anywhere from $25,000 a year to $100,000. A police chief will earn towards the upper end of this range. All police officers will be members of a police union, the largest being the International Union of Police Associations, or the IUPA. 5 Being a member of a union brings benefits such as higher wages, health insurance, and a pension plan. Being a police officer is not one of the highest paying jobs staring off, but with the right promotions, one can earn a very high salary. Being a police officers is a career that is always in demand. In 2010, there were over 750,000 jobs for police officers.

Criminal Law Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Criminal Law Master - Case Study Example The physical elements are collectively called the actus reus and the accompanied mental state is called the mens rea. It is the fundamental duty of the prosecution to prove both of these elements of the offence to the satisfaction of the judge or jury beyond reasonable doubt. In the absence of such proof the defendant will be acquitted." (http://www.lawteacher.net/Actus%20Reus%20Lecture.php ) To illustrate it in a better manner, in an English case, however, where a man ran at his mistress to hit her and the women jumped out of the window and thus met her death, it was held that the jumping out of the window was contributed to by the appellant's unlawful act and on that ground alone a verdict of murder might well have been returned but it was mercifully reduced to manslaughter.(R. v. Curley (1909) 2 Cr App R 109) Criminal Intention and the knowledge of the probable consequences of the act committed are important to prove in order to bring an action under homicide or murder. Where a person had an altercation with his wife in the street outside their home during which he struck her and she fell uncons cious and in his trial to drag her away in that state caused a fatal injury, he was convicted of manslaughter. It was decided by the court that the defendant cannot be set free as it can be said initially the intention was not there but later on the subsequent action that caused the fatal injury was done to conceal the commission of the unlawful assault.(R. v. Leburn,(1991) 3 WLR 653(CA) The Court of Appeal has laid down in R. v. Nedrick that knowledge or foresight of the probable consequences of an act cannot take the place of intention.(1986)3 All ER 1 CA) It can be said that Culpable homicide is murder, if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing death, or it is done with the intention of causing such bodily injury as the offender knows to be likely to cause the death of the person to whom the harm is caused, or if it is done with the intention of causing bodily injury to any person and the bodily injury intended to be inflicted is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, or if the person committing the act knows that it is so imminently dangerous that it must, in all probability, cause death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, and commits such act without any excuse for incurring the risk of causing death or such injury as aforesaid. According to the Homicide Act 1957 s.1 "Where a person kills another in the course or furtherance of some other offence, the killing shall not amount to murder unless done with the same malice aforethought (express or implied) as is required for a killing to amount to murder when not done in the course or furtherance of another offence." Throughout English Criminal Law it is the duty of prosecution to prove the accused's guilt. In every charge of murder, if the prosecution have proved homicide, namely, the killing by the accused, the prosecution must prove further that the killing was malicious and murder, as there is no presumption that the act was

Analysis of Borouge Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of Borouge Company - Essay Example The essay "Analysis of Borouge Company" presents the analysis of a joint venture Borouge Company and discusses how to improve the product quality of this company. The global demand for energy production shows that oil is the major energy source for the world. But the problem with oil or gas production is that it has to be transmitted over long distance through pipelines. Traditionally steel pipes have been used to transmit the oils or gas. However, the problem with steel pipe is that they are very prone to corrosion which causes huge losses to the industry. The losses incurred are to the tune of US$ 57.96 billion. Boro0gue through their long years of innovations have been able to design coatings in order to protect these pipes from corrosion. Borogue Company is a global leader in manufacturing these pipes required. Borogue designs packaging materials, pipes, automotive components, and Energy and communication cables. It is the market leader in automotive components and Energy and communication cables market. Vision- Borogue Company’s vision is to shape future with plastics. Mission- the Company’s mission statement states that the company wants to create value through innovation. Borogue Company wants to be the market leader in global supply and demand of polyethylene products. After analyzing the global market share of demand and supply of polyethylene products one finds that the supply of polyethylene product is much higher in America market than the demand that exists there.

Are there innate differences between women and men Research Paper

Are there innate differences between women and men - Research Paper Example Some of the areas that many people have posited men to be smatter than women include the field of science and mathematics and physical mightiness. However, feminists tend to disagree with such deliberations, citing that men and women are equal by nature, and that the only differences are as a result of how the society deals with women differently from men. The rationale for the differences While researching on the root cause of the differences between men and women, studies have attributed the differences to the fact that men’s brains are built differently from women brains. Men’s left and right brain hemispheres are linked by less neurons than are women’s. In addition, women brains are networked while me’s brains are compartmentalized (Greene, 2008). Studies have shown that men are aggressive, women are passive, in regard to personality, even if they are both intelligent. However, in many societies, men dominate especially in many areas of leadership posi tions. Studies have also documented that, for example, at an average age of six years, boys have about 7 percent more vital energy than girls of the same age. In fact, as they grow, at an age of 13 or 14, boys have 35 % more than girls. Biologically, the main male hormone is testosterone, while that of female ones is an estrogen and progesterone (Jacklin & Maccoby1987). In light with this, it is widely contented that as boys continue to grow, they start taking the personality of physique of a man while girls increase traits of a woman. In another dimension, some cultural theorists believe that the differences seen between men and women are as a result of socialization, not biological. In their argument, women are conditioned to meet men’s conditioned thus they tend to accept a patriarchal structure (Fritz, 2004). Although feminist theorists tend to be united in their view of gender differences, they argue that this should not be equated with women inferiority. Behavior, which is considered to be dysfunctional by the society, is a reflection of less privileged minorities, such as women. The environment Many feminist theories are person-in-environment oriented. The major point of focus is on interaction between personal traits and surrounding. In fact, this is what is taken to mean that politically, these differences exist between men and women are. This is attributed to the interrelationship between different events on private and public sectors. In light with this, some feminists believe that the future can witness a genderless society because it is apparent that the traits labeled to be masculine and feminine are as a result of social construct, which is a custom that is derived right from childhood as children grow (Carroll, 2010). For example, little girls are introduced to cuddly dolls and gossip while little boys are encouraged to play with other boys mostly on games that signify on superiority and leadership traits. In addition, however, differenc es noted as being contributed to human biology are responsible for the inequality between men and women, which are exhibited in all societies (Riley & Clausen, 1972). A further example is that men, in almost all cultures are take part in warfare, which is an indication that they possess biologically based traits of aggression than women. However, not all researchers agree with such arguments. According to Shaffer (2009), some believe that the level of aggressiveness varies widely between

Leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership - Research Paper Example Lot of research has been carried out for the development of effective management theories that have helped leaders to make efficient and progressive decisions. The research study will investigate the most effective management theories that have been adapted by business leaders. Power inspires some business leaders to play their part for their organizations as well as for the welfare of the society. Management practices cannot be isolated from the failures since every endeavor has two possible outcomes. Successful leadership can be achieved by the adoption of suitable management strategies and theories alongside endeavors for the betterment of the society. Bill Gates is considered to be one of the most successful business leaders of the current times. He is the co-founder and chairman of one of the biggest companies in the world- Microsoft. Microsoft is the most successful software company because it makes efficient software that appeal to the masses due to their usability and performance capabilities. The company has expanded internationally over the past years; it has over 55,000 employees in around 85 countries around the world (â€Å"Business Profile- Bill Gates†). Success of this caliber needs determination and effective management strategies to overcome obstacles in the way. The question that prevails in the mind of almost every layman is: â€Å"How did they do it?†. Some might suggest that the success is due to their love for money or marketing tactics. However, most will agree that if one does not have a vision then nothing can be achieved in life. One of the three aspects of â€Å"Theory of Business† by Peter Drucker (â€Å"Systems Theory†) involves the development of a mission statement and vision since a business without a clear direction and purpose can never succeed. Bill Gates developed the vision of making computers accessible for every common man (Beaumont). His vision was to make computers so common that every house would have at least one

Profession of arms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Profession of arms - Essay Example Professional application of arms during wars is a legend in all the communities while most of them were remarkable for the prudential epitome carried by certain arms in particular. The war-booting tactics designed by the kings were based on the professional assumptions of different kinds of fighting styles involved in wars mainly by focusing on the geographical features of the war-field. It is not exaggerating that arms governed political defragmentation even in the ancient times. Later, as part of the provincial developments, several combat concepts like soldiers, knights, weapons, arsenal and everything evolved and the idea of profession of arms was introduced universally. It was centuries and centuries did man take to evolve from the self defensive stone pelting to the technology that has been used presently. Though the history of human civilization takes the road to the time when man used stones and sticks as his primary arms, it is incredibly true that the world presently is an armory of sophisticated arms to deal the wishful deeds of human combating strategies. After the journey that lasted several hundreds of years, the research in arm designing has reached at a stage where even information technology can be a fatal weapon in the frontline. Information in war refers to the observable facts about target regions which were conventionally transferred manually. Modern designation of information has been powered by scientific and cybernetic tools to locate and analyze the targets of political interest. However, it has become a curse of civilians in many countries whose daily life in a densely populated city is vulnerable to the targets of terrorists and enemy countries. Thus it can be seen that development in technology has brought the modern arsenal views together into a compacted design of digitally governed information database with which countries are capable of managing their defense tactics