I Corinthians 15:12-14 :: Religion Christianity Bible Essays

I Corinthians 15:12-14 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (NIV). The resurrection of the dead is a mysterious concept that even some Christians have a hard time believing. Paul makes a strong statement regarding the importance of the resurrection and how it is tied to the faith of Christian believers. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was a response to a number of problems in the church of Corinth. One of the main problems the Corinthians were having was speculation on the resurrection [of the dead] which was preached to them by Paul. The passage in which Paul talks about the resurrection is toward the end of his letter, before he discusses his plans and finishes with exhortations and greetings. The first half of the letter, after he gives his greeting and thanksgiving, is in response to reports that he has received regarding the Corinthians. The second half is in response to questions and concerns that they had. In the New International Version (NIV) of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, his preaching and their faith are described as "useless" if Christ has not been raised (15:14). However, in the New King James Version (NKJV), Paul's preaching and the faith of the Corinthians are described as empty. These descriptions are very similar and both have a strong impact on the reader. If preaching and faith are empty, then they are also useless. The preaching of Paul to the Corinthians is certainly not useless and their faith, although problematic, is not empty. According to The Women's Bible Commentary, the Corinthians were convinced that already they fully enjoyed the spiritual benefits of the resurrection (321). They believed the resurrection of Christ was beneficial so they did not even consider that the dead were raised from the dead. Paul preached that Christ has been raised from the dead and the Corinthians believed what he said. It is because of this belief that Paul can bring his point across regarding the resurrection of the dead. If the Corinthians did not believe that Christ has been raised, Paul would be unable to convince them of the resurrection of the dead.

An Educators Privacy and Social Networks Essay -- Education, Technolog

This document â€Å"An Educators Privacy and Social Networks† will discuss educator’s privacy, due to the incidents that have been happening in today’s society. With technology taking over the world, writing letters and making phone calls have been replaced with social networks. These sites allow a person to socialize quickly with one another by posting comments about anything that is on his or her mind. However, with this comes the thought of what should and should not be commented. Does society believe that teachers’ First Amendment rights regarding Freedom of Speech protect them in every situation? Many school districts and teachers are now moving into the 21st century by using more technology and social networking to teach and communicate. The positive aspects of using social networking allow educators and students to broaden their knowledge in social learning. On the other hand, the negative aspect is that there is a larger gray area regarding the clarification of professional conduct. The fact is that technology is growing quickly, and districts need to find a way to maintain awareness of the new technical information. However, with all the positives aspects also come negatives with social networking. The case study chosen is a true story that happened in the state of Connecticut. The article â€Å"Courtside†, by Perry Zirkel on the PSEA website, explains the case regarding Jeffery Spanierman versus Connecticut Technical High School. Mr. Spanierman is a second year teacher and had created a Myspace page. Myspace allows users to create their own profile page about his or herself, and includes photographs (Zirkel, 2009). This website page was created by Spanierman so that he could communicate with his students about their homewo... ...ucators and students using it understand how it should be used (Klein, 2008). As educators, we need to come to the understanding that technology has grown and is effective. Instead of trying to teach around technology, educators should learn how to use it correctly and in a meaningful way. Being a second year teacher, I had the opportunity to take classes on different ways technology can be used in the classroom. This allowed me to understand that technology helps students bring out their ideas differently and in a useful manor. I do think that Spanierman was really trying to be a part of his students’ lives. We forget that as teachers we’re not just there to teach, but to understand and help our students grow. It seemed like Spanierman was trying to be there for his students. However, the way he presented himself online was unacceptable to any professional.

Slavery :: Slavery Essays

Escaping from slavery in 1838 had to be a treacherous experience; escaping slavery at any time would be! Most slaves couldn’t read or write, but one slave, Fredrick Douglass, broke that barrier and many more. In this particular writing he uses a wide-open state of mind to clearly get his thoughts across. He does this by using a wide variety of diction along with sentence fluency. An example can be seen in every sentence of every paragraph. â€Å"I saw in every white man an enemy, and in almost every colored man cause for distrust. It was a most painful situation; and, to understand it, one must needs experience it, or imagine himself in similar circumstances.† His narrative point of view about slavery, or rather first person experience on slavery, is expressed throughout as he explains slavery as being both life and death. How someone can write with such strong emotion, is beyond me, but Douglass does more than that. He captures and captivates the reader into thinking about and imagining his experiences. Through the use of concrete language, Fredrick Douglass, relates his readers to the life of a slave while at the same time explaining how one could never understand unless he experiences the hardships of slavery on his own. Fredrick Douglass has such a talent at pulling his readers into the writing and making them envision what is happening, that anyone could fall in love with his writing. An example can be found in,† There I was in the midst of thousands, and yet a perfect stranger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Another common figure of speech found many times within the passage is the use of metaphors. Some are seen in,†I felt like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions†, â€Å"†¦being seized upon by his fellow-man, as the hideous crocodile seizes upon his prey!†, and â€Å"†¦among fellow-men, yet feeling as if in the midst of wild beasts.† By using such metaphors, Douglass is helping his readers better imagine his emotions. Each sentence flows fluidly and without imperfection. There are no apostrophes or harsh-sounding words that do not belong or fit among the others. The words fit together perfectly, as do the ideas in order to make a remarkable essay filled with emotion.

Intersectionality Assignment Essay

The definition of intersectionality states that it is the social theory suggesting various socially and culturally constructed categories of discrimination interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels, contributing to systematic social inequality. Intersectionality holds that the classical models of oppression within society, such as those based on race/ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, class, or disability do not act independently of one another; instead, these forms of oppression interrelate creating a system of oppression that reflects the â€Å"intersection† of multiple forms of discrimination. (http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Intersectionality) I think the author intended to include intersectionality in the story to show that people have the tendency to categorize others immediately without even getting to know them. As humans we judge others way too much for our own good and we don’t even realize we are doing it majority of the time. I think Morrison’s main purpose in Recitatif is to make the reader a lot more aware of their stereotypical judgements about different races based on the use of different signs that Twyla and Roberta display as characters throughout the story. By writing with this technique of using hidden signs in the text it makes the reader begin to try to naturally figure out the races of Twyla and Roberta. She also includes things in this story such as their views on intelligence, physical appearance, racial tensions, wealth and social class. I think Morrison hopes to make her readers aware that we are all guilty of using stereotypes that this society has created for us. It’s just what we have known all our lives. Maybe a learned behavior from our parents, grandparents, or anyone we are around a lot. Everyone, even if they are racist or the most non-racist human being on earth, makes judgments on a â€Å"different† person that doesn’t fit into their â€Å"norm†. If I had to take a guess I would say Twyla is black and Roberta is white. One part in the story Roberta says that â€Å"they never washed their hair and they smelled funny†, referring to Twyla. Roberta also said this about Twyla’s mother â€Å"She was big. Bigger than any man and on her chest was the biggest cross I’d ever seen. I swear it was six inches long each way. And in the crook of her arm was the biggest bible ever made.† This description sounds like a big African American mother because that’s what you could picture her as. Being Christian, not interested in being friends with Roberta’s mother, and storming away from her gets my mind visualizing that she is the att itude black big momma type of woman. Another thing I decided to look at to help me decide was their names. As the story goes on it gets harder to keep the same the same thought process on who’s apart of what race because of the different stereotypes and statements that are made by the characters when they continue to cross paths later in life. Also because as an individual you start to realize that you are judging and trying not to. For me that begun a whole new way of thinking and continuously changed my opinion about the reading several times At times Roberta could possibly be the black girl and Twyla could be white. In conclusion, its basically left up to you to decide who’s what race and its really going to open your eyes to how judgmental you can be and how big of a role these everyday stereotypes really have on your mind, even when it seems that you have no racism or judging in you.

Human Cloning and the Future Essay

In his work from 2002 â€Å"Religion and Human Cloning: An Exploratory Analysis of the First Available Opinion Data†, John Evans proudly states a few possible benefits, or advantages, of human ‘therapeutic’ cloning. While talking about embryonic stem cells, he states â€Å"these cells can eventually be used to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and kidney failure, to name but a few†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (748). These possibilities have mostly been confirmed since the publishing of Evans’ piece and other more incredible possibilities have come about. The benefits of both reproductive and therapeutic cloning are endless, yet many still disagree. They say that cloning is dangerous and that it would end human evolution and bring disaster to society as we know it (Mautner, 68). Do most people really think this is true? Or is modern society simply scared of the unknown and not ready for change? Many scientists and authors constantly debate the ethics and possibilities of human cloning, both for reproductive use and therapeutic use. A couple of possible risks would accompany the beginning of human cloning, however the benefits are legitimate, and we as a species should reconsider. It is common knowledge that mother and father love one another. And it’s the classic ideal for a family to begin, in the act of spousal love through sexual reproduction. Alix Magney, in his work â€Å"Cloning Me, Cloning You: Reflections on the Ethics of Cloning for Individuals, Families and Society†, argues that since human cloning would cause childbearing to lose its proper origins as an act of spousal love, it â€Å"†¦plainly poses a threat to the dignity and equality of women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (25). I don’t think this is true at all, as adopting a child has been practiced for thousands of years and in vitro fertilization was invented in 1978. In vitro fertilization is where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the female body and then inserted into the uterus for maturation only once the egg is fertilized. Sperm donors have been used for decades, completely negating any ‘spousal love’ from the equation that is reproduction. While people continue to fight over equality for women, which has been true since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, other people continue to debate greater concerns about cloning. I have always heard it said ‘You’re special’, or ‘Just be yourself’, and these are sayings of encouragement to develop your own identity, not to follow others when unnecessary, and to accept that everyone is different. Giovanni Berlucchi, in his work â€Å"The Myth of the Clonable Human Brain†, states that â€Å"†¦most human values are corollaries of the concept that each person is unique and identical to himself or herself through space and time. (160) and â€Å"†¦that this kind of genetic manipulation may interfere with psychological and biological diversity, and therefore with the distinctiveness and autonomy of the individual† (160). I do think that the overuse of a single genetic identity for reproductive cloning would cause a disruption in the common value of individuality, but only in that physical aspect of things. Th e benefits of reproductive cloning and the possibilities of advancing the individual through therapeutic cloning could greatly outweigh any disruptions. Berlucchi continues, â€Å"Nature has, of course, been producing genetically identical humans from time immemorial†¦ in trifling pairs of monozygotic twins, and even less frequently in batches of monozygotic triplets†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (160). Prenatal uterine environment differences, along with other environmental differences post-conception, can significantly affect the psychological outcome of the child and is a main reason for psychological differences between monozygotic twins. The concept of environmental determinism dispels the myth that cloning humans would eliminate the core value of individuality. The controversy over abortion is one of the biggest issues for politicians and the rest of society alike. The debate over whether or not an embryo is to be considered a human being with rights is a ‘hot topic’ among the public and continues to be an important argument for almost everyone. In his aforementioned piece â€Å"Religion and Human Cloning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , John Evans says that the Roman Catholic Church has the most clear-cut position against cloning, simply based on the status they give to a human embryo. They believe embryos are equivalent to fully grown humans: â€Å"Embryos are to be treated the same as born persons and therefore cannot be used as means toward an end. Most obviously, they cannot be destroyed to benefit others† (748). The church also opposes cloning because it â€Å"†¦severs human reproduction from sexuality† (748). If a couple is attempting to have a kid with each other, by any means, they are more than likely sexually active with one another, and therefore cloning doesn’t remove the sexuality from the overall situation, even if it is not directly involved with the contraception. Also, new technology has been developed since the writing of this article, and it is now possible to extract stem cells from embryos without destroying the embryo. You can take a single stem cell, or blastomere, and coax it to become an endlessly proliferating stem cell. Although these cells can’t form embryos, they can form major types of human tissue just as any embryonic stem cells do. So, therapeutic cloning is possible without the destruction of embryos. Other people fear the end of what Charles Darwin so valiantly discovered and explained to us all over 150 years ago – human evolution. Michael Mautner, in his piece â€Å"Will Cloning End Human Evolution? †, argues that a result of human cloning would be the end of human evolution. He states â€Å"Cloning will, in contrast, reproduce the same genetic makeup of an existing individual. There is no room for new traits to arise†¦ The result: Human evolution is halted† (68). Only an insane situation where cloning was the only method for reproduction and the same genetic makeup was used over and over again would lead to the end of human evolution. This is an extreme situation and would almost definitely never happen. New science behind non-embryonic stem cell research has shown incredible potential for stem cells in general, as embryonic stem cells show significantly more potential than stem cells extracted from other parts of the human body, like the yellow bone marrow. Stem cells are beginning to be used to regrow hair, teeth and cartilage in damaged joints. Since the procedures and research are incredibly expensive, treatment is limited to those wealthy enough. Professional North-American athletes have led the way, being human guinea pigs for the non-invasive procedures in hopes of returning their bodies to their prime, pre-injury, form. Stem cell treatments are growing in popularity and legitimacy, and the use of embryonic stem cells shouldn’t be limited as it can only advance our species. Scientific tests and studies have proven limitless benefits to stem cell transplants, yet ethical concerns and moral-based laws are constraining what could be groundbreaking and life-saving science. There is possible potential for embryonic stem cells to be grown into whole, functional, organs or entire limbs of the human body. The uses could range from a ounded amputee war veteran in need of a new leg, or an elderly woman in need of a new kidney as hers is failing, and the possibilities are endless. Human fear of the unknown is instinctual, but as the realm of the previously impossible comes more into the lights of reality, we need to change our minds on the practicality and usefulness of cloning and embryonic stem cells. For our ailing parents, for our children, and our children’s children, we need to advance as a society, and take hold of the opportunities and benefits sitting right in front of us.

Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey Essay

On Friday, December 24, 2004 at 20:00 the Presidential Symphony Orchestra performed very impressive â€Å"New Year Concert† with fourteen pieces from a range of composers as Johann Strauss, Giacomo Puccini, Leonard Bernstein, Johann Sebastian Bach, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, P. Necherporenko, Niccolo Paganini and George Gershwin. The program included different kinds of tastes from classic music. Shardad Rohani conducted, Murat Tamer as concertmaster, Khori Dastoor, Janna Kozvik and Andrei Gorbachev appeared as soloists. Although I was impressed by the whole concert, the second half made a more lasting effect on me. The concert opened with the Yarasa Opereti Uvertà ¼rà ¼ which is written by Johann Strauss. This composition began quietly. As the string instruments played in harmony, the brass instruments (tuba) entered with a slow melody. The temper became more impressive as it developed. The tempo became faster and the texture more intense with flute entrances. The different instruments were successful one another until they eventually all entered in harmony. The trumpets were important players in the overture, effectively supported with the continuous beating of the drums and timpani. Other work of the orchestra was West Side Story. This composition was written by Leonard Bernstein in 1957 as a type of musical and also a wonderful opera aria. The composition opened dramatically with the soprano soloist , K. Dastoor, entire ensemble playing together. The instruments moved from one chord to the next. The beautiful melody is supported by the representation of the tones of chords as seperate notes, adding warmth and emotion to the piece. After the intermission the atmosphere became more enjoyable by the soloists, especially Andrei Gorbachev. He added Russian motifs to the compositions. At the end of these compositions he also performanced encores which are very enjoyable. The last piece of the orchestra was the Mavi Tuna Valsi which is written by  Johann Strauss. It is also one of the best waltz compositions. Orchestra performanced this piece very impressive. It made a lasting impression on me because of the harmony of the instruments kept alive the spirit of romance. Attending this concert made me more aware of the variety of style and compositional techniques inherent in classical music. I particularly enjoyed the pieces of orchestra, as they are able to combine the different pieces in an effective manner. Also Andrei Gorbachev was very effective with his balalaika. He created interesting effects with his balalaika and orchestra. At the head of classical music, and the reason I enjoyed this concert so much, was the quality of melodies, orchestra and also pleasant and loveable behaviors of soloists. They were making audience delighted with their sympathetic behaviors. Much of the success of this music hides in the professional representation of the performance. In this respect, Shardad Rohani and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra were able to bring out the spirit of classical music for the spirit of year 2005.

The Importance of Science to Civilization

The importance of science to civilization It is said that modern civilization is a scientific civilization. For an individual, science has rendered us great comfort nowadays. We no longer have to travel on foot; instead, we can just sit comfortably without any fatigue in cars, air-conditioned trains, buses, etc. We are free from hard labor which our uncivilized forefathers suffered from. Neither do we follow barbarous practice of having slaves, since science has provided us with slaves of a new kind, which undertake most of the work, that is, machine.On top of that, we are also free from diseases and various pains since drugs and operation techniques have been developed dramatically. Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs suggests that the physiological needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs, which means the human that lacks food, love, esteem, or safety would consider the greatest of his/her needs to be food. And as mentioned above, it is science that satisfies our basic demands; thus, we have opportunities to pursue something higher, such as art and literature.Science also promote the development of spiritual civilization. With the advent of the internet, and extraordinary growth in information and communication technologies in recent years, more information than ever before is made freely available and easily shared. Almost all the masterpieces of artist, musicians, writers, philosophers, scientists, etc can be enjoyed at fingertips. We are not only consumers, but also producers. When Gangnam Style was released, tens of thousands people made their own versions and uploaded on the internet, which could be appreciated by millions of netizens.For a nation, science is of critical significance for the progress of its civilization. China's long history has seen some extremely important inventions emerge, most noticeably gunpowder, paper making, printing and the compass, which, in t he words of Roger Bacon, changed the whole appearance and status of things in the world and also made China among the four great ancient civilizations. However, in the nineteenth century, Europe entered into world history with immense developments in technology, which was later identified as the Industrial Revolution.From then on, China lost its advantages over the the rest of world in various aspects, and it was invaded by the great powers into a series of Unequal Treaties. Chinese civilization were, during that period, regarded inferior and the Chinese nation was referred to as â€Å"Sick Man of East Asia†. Even the Chinese people abandoned their own cultural identity and turned to the Western civilization. Therefore, science is the foundation as well as the major force behind the progress of civilization. 0101102027