Sin as a Tool to Bestow Mercy or the Result of Mans Free...

Sin as a Tool to Bestow Mercy or the Result of Mans Free Will in Turning Away from God Is sin and its consequential hardening of heart used as a tool through which God bestows mercy, or is it solely the result of mans free will in turning away from God? To fully understand the import of this question, we must first examine its language, and define hardening of heart and free will. For the purpose of this discussion, spiritual hardening of heart is the souls inability to receive the grace of God. Thus a human is led into more and more sin, as it lacks the grace necessary to resist sin or, at times, recognize the wrongdoing as such. To the same end, free will can be defined as the ability to choose between good and evil†¦show more content†¦While God may not have caused the initial sins, he is responsible for subsequent ones because they are the direct result of the removal of his grace. At another point in the letter (Rom 5.12-21) Paul speaks of the law, the Ten Commandments, and how as a result of such law sin itself increased because it could now be counted a gainst a standard. However, in Pauls view, this was part of Gods plan, so that through this accounting he could overflow his grace and mercy all the more. He cites that from the time of Adam, the first sin, through the time of Moses, death and hardness of heart reigned even over those who did not sin, because of the lack of law. But the addition of the law, and consequently a greater amount of sin, into the world, was the vehicle for the outpouring of Gods grace, especially through the sacrifice of Jesus. The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace might also reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5.20). The most pertinent example Paul provides is his concern with the unfaithfulness of the Jews. (Rom. 9.1-ff) Their lack of belief greatly sorrows him, because he views them as the chosen people of God,Show MoreRelatedThe Case Of Spousal Murder10772 Words   |  44 Pagesprisoner to transportation meant that the prisoner had to be held in goal (in most cases) until a ship was available and then transferred to port, a process that could be cost prohibitive. Further, while criminal procedure in early modern Britain may, from a distance, seem to be uniform in legal procedures, studies of individual counties show this to not be the case. It is not the intent of this chapter to reproduce studies that focus on the vagaries of English law and its application, but to look broadlyRead MoreSda Manual Essay101191 Words   |  405 Pagesindicated, all Bible texts are from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright  © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Texts credited to NEB are from The New English Bible.  © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge U niversity Press 1961, 1970. Reprinted by permission. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New InternationalRead MoreIgbo Dictionary129408 Words   |  518 Pagescolloquial conjunction demonstrative English enclitic especially extensional suffix Hausa inflectional suffix interjection interrogative literally noun numeral proper name preposition pronoun possessive pronoun quantifier usually verb Yoruba derived from Igbo Dictionary: KayWilliamson. Draft of Edition II Editor’s Preface The present Igbo dictionary is a much revised and expanded version of the Igbo dictionary published by Kay Williamson, Ethiope Press, Benin City in 1972. Professor Williamson

Creation community and vocation Free Essays

The second theme stresses the importance for community ithin our world. Jesus was a relational person creating intimate friendships with all people. Therefore, we are to imitate His act and be interactive with humanity. We will write a custom essay sample on Creation community and vocation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Being relational includes discipleship, brotherhood, love, and reconciliation. The final theme–vocation discusses the difference between career and calling. When we are patient, seek Him first, and listen for his quiet voice, He will reveal our true calling. Although the three themes have distinct characteristics and differences from one another all three intersect and are important in the Christian life. When we lose our ense of purpose and meaning, we lose our sense of connection to others and God; we lose our sense of community. Without a sense of purpose we forget that we are created in His image and other people mean little to us because we no longer value ourselves. The image of God is in all creation. We see his reflection in kind and gentle humans and we marvel at the beauty of a summers’ sunset. His reflection is found in every living thing and in the God-created beauty of nature. Man is the most unique among all of God’s creation because we have a material body and a soul. â€Å"Then God aid, let us make man in our image, after our likeness† (Genesis 1:26, ESV). Having the â€Å"likeness of God† means that we were made to resemble God. Man is free to make decisions and reason-this is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom. â€Å"Not only are we created as trustees of God to experience the goodness of creation, we are created to be in community with all creation† (Birch). Since God has given us a responsibility over â€Å"the fish of the see and the birds of the air†¦ over all the earth† (Leviticus 25: 23-24, NIV), we are to fulfill this responsibility by taking care of these things. Creation relates to community in the fact that man was created for fellowship. This reflects God’s nature and His love. In Eden, Adam’s primary relationship was with God, but He made the first woman because â€Å"it is not good for the man to be alone† (Genesis 2:18, ESV). â€Å"Relationality is a part of the image of God. If we are free and responsible persons, and everyone else is similarly free and reasonable, we are inseparably linked to one another through our choices† Oacobsen ; Sawatsky). Creation relates to our calling as well in this way, â€Å"Our special status as bearers of God’s image brings special responsibilities. In particular, we are called to use our gifts and talents in the service of God, in helping others, and in caring for the natural world† Oacobsen ; Sawatsky Man has been created as a relational people. This sense of community can be seen in many aspects of our lives such as the church, our families, our friends, and many other places. While Jesus was on this Earth, He made numerous connections with people through stories, sharing, and demonstrating acts of love. We are to follow in His footsteps. Not only are we supposed to reach out to others, but we are also supposed to reconcile with them. Reconciliation is key to having a relationship with someone, and sustaining it. Reconciliation can happen, because as Christians, we understand that God reconciled with us by sending Jesus Christ to save the world. Community is the perfect means to demonstrate how God has loved us. We can’t practice authentic Christianity without Christian fellowship because love is at the very root of God’s character. â€Å"God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him† (1 John 4:16, NIV). The church is the central place within Christian community. It is important to walk with other believers who can build us up, call us out, and who ill love us no matter what. We find strength in numbers and it makes our walk with God easier when we have people supporting us. A Christian community is necessary to help us recharge, be renewed, and be refreshed. â€Å"Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another† (Hebrews 10:25, NIV). Community and vocation are connected to one another in the sense that it is important for us to be a part of our local and nonlocal communities. We are called to be the hands and feet of God and He uses us to reach out to people we are in contact ith. We need to be attending to the needs of our communities and actively loving our neighbors by using out gifts, talents, and strengths. With what ever our calling may be, God insists that we use our abilities to encourage, strengthen, aid, and educate others because that is what Jesus did here on Earth. As Christians, we become whole persons through healthy relationships with God and others. This means that â€Å"we feel the need to encourage and support families, churches, and local communities, and the larger civil society so that these various social places can emain places where healthy relationships are able develop and where human dignity is protected† Oacobsen ; Sawatsky). Community and creation are connected to one another in the sense that God created an interrelated creation. â€Å"Not only are we created as trustees of God to experience the goodness of creation, we are created to be in community with all creation† (Birch). This is the only way we will be able to experience the wholeness God has intended for us. Each part of God’s creation finds its fulfillment in interrelatedness with all. â€Å"The place God calls man to is the place where his or her deep gladness and the orld’s deep hunger meet. The kind of work God usually calls man to is the kind of work that man need most to do, and also the work that the world most needs to have done† (Buechner). Calling and career are two separate things, but ultimately go hand- in-hand. Knowing the difference is an essential part of finding where God wants us to be. â€Å"A career is a particular line of work one does to earn an income. A calling is a specific vision of how God wants to use our time, energy, and abilities to serve Him in the world† (Sittser). As a Christian, we are to seek His kingdom first in our lives, but a alling often uses a career. Our calling should be bigger than Just a career. Many people think that finding a calling only applies to the Christian world , but everyone can contribute to the common good. Discovering God’s will for our lives is not something that happens overnight. Often it is very hard to truly hear what He is saying to us. God can speak directly to us, but He often is heard through other the people, church, nature-even art and music. It is obvious that prayer is essential to the Christian life. It is especially important in discovering our calling. â€Å"Prayer is listening. It is attentiveness, being in the presence of God, waiting expectantly for God to speak to our hearts† Oacobsen Sawatsky). Waiting involves patience, which is often hard to achieve. Being able to understand that God will always show us where He wants us will help us get through that waiting period. God gave man the responsibility to be caregivers over the earth; this arises from being created in the image of God. God entrusted His own function as Creator to man along with abilities required to do so. This includes exploring, discovering, understanding, developing, and using creation to honor the Creator. Work is not incidental to man’s being, but an essential part of his purpose of being on the earth. Community is also an essential part of using our vocation to honor Him. God wants us to meet our own needs and the needs of our own family and our own friends, but he also calls us to provide for the needs of others. â€Å"Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ† (Galatians 6:2, NIV). Whatever our career may be, within the work place we need to be aware of those who are around us. Creation, community, and vocation are three important aspects of the Christian ife. As has been shown throughout the previous paragraphs, each of these themes can be looked at separately, but they are often seen in connection with one another. Throughout the course, this connection wasn’t specifically addressed, but reflecting back on the three themes, I am now able to intersect creation, community, and vocation. As people, we were created in the image of God; therefore He has provided us with skills, abilities, and strengths also achieved through experiences and our careers†to make a difference in our surrounding communities and throughout the world. References How to cite Creation community and vocation, Papers

Khmer New Year in Cambodia free essay sample

In the villages the people engage in traditional Khmer games, they play games such as the Bas Angkunh ‘seed throwing’, Chaol Chhoung ‘twisted-scarf throwing’, Leak Kanseng ‘twisted-scarf hide’ and dance to traditional Khmer songs. The first day of Khmer New Year is called â€Å"Maha Sangkran†, Sangkran means movement and refers to that the sun is moving into a new Zodiac sign and Maha means great. Some say that Maha Sangkran means welcome to the new spirits. In the morning the Cambodians will go to the temple and offer food to the monks and receive blessings. During this time the Cambodians clean and decorate their homes and prepare fruits and drinks on a table or in their spirit house to welcome the new spirits. Elderly people like to meditate or pray the Dharma because they believe that any spirit that comes to their home will stay with them throughout the whole year and take care of their family. The second day is called â€Å"Wanabot† and it is the day that they offer gifts to parents, grandparents and elders. In the evening of this day many Cambodians will go to the temple and build a mountain of sand to remember their ancestors who have passed away and have the monks give them blessings of happiness and peace. The third day is called â€Å"Leung Sakk† and this is the first day of the new year. In the morning the Cambodians go to the temple and perform a ceremony where the mountain of sand gets blessed. The last ceremony is called â€Å"Pithi Srang Preah† and the purpose of this ceremony is to honor and to give a special cleansing to Buddha Statues, the monks, elders, grandparents and parents. During this ceremony the participators apologize for any mistakes they have made during the last year. The Khmer New Year is not only a great festival it is also an opportunity to pass on the Cambodian traditions to the next generation. In ancient countries of Chompou Tvip (the central continent of the seven continents surrounding Mount Meru) the elder people adopted the Khmer New Year’s date in Khe Mikase (January), i. e. he early year. According to the lunar calendar, they formerly chose three seasons including Heman Radov or winter, Kimha Radov ir hot season and Vasan Radov or rainy season. Since Chol Sakarach (Lesser Era) they have formally adopted the solar calendar and held the Khmer New Year Festival in Khe Chet (fifth month) that is a free time from their farming. Four main seasons in the solar calendar contain winter, spring, summer and autumn. The Khmer people have adopted the fifth solar month, known as Khe Chet, to celebrate their New Year festival. Usually, according to the solar calendar, the Khmer New Year falls on the 13th of April although sometimes it falls on the 14th of April. The auspicious occasion of the Khmer New Year is detailed in the astrological almanac and extends over three days. The first day is known as Maha Sangkran or â€Å"Great Almanac Day†, the second day is called Veara Vanabath or â€Å"Worshipping Day†, and the third day is known as Veara Leung Sak or â€Å"Rank and Promotion Day†. Of the three days Veara Leung Sak is considered the most auspicious. The history of the Khmer New Year is closely connected to the seven signs of the zodiac for the week. The legend of the New Year is detailed in the Almanac which says: In ancient, happier times, a young man by the name of Thoamabal, the son of a tycoon, had an extensive knowledge of three Vedas (ancient books on Hinduism) by the age of seven. Thoamabal’s father built a temple under the spread of a large Chrey tree (a fig tree) on the banks of a river that was home to many species of birds. He had an innate ability that enabled him to understand the languages of birds. Thoamabal’s attributes allowed him to become a layman in charge of religious ceremonies for all classes of people. Upon hearing this news another religious leader Kabel Maha Prohm, decided to challenge Thoamabal with tree riddles. He vowed that if Thaomabal could successfully answer the riddles he, Kabel Maha Prohm, would be beheaded; however if Thoamabal could not answer the riddles correctly then it woul d be Thoamabal who would be beheaded. Thoamabal insisted on having seven days to answer the puzzling enigma until Kabel Maha Prohm agreed. For six days Thoamabal could not solve the problems and knew that he faced the prospect of being killed by Kabel Maha Prohm the next morning. He therefore decided to hide himself and let his life fade away by natural causes. He hid himself beneath a pair of sugar palm trees in which a pair of eagles were nesting, that night Thoamabal overheard the eagles talking. The female asked, â€Å"What will we eat tomorrow morning? † The male eagle replied, â€Å"We will eat the flesh of Thoamalobal because tomorrow he is going to be beheaded by Kabie Maha Prohm due to his inability to solve the riddles†. The female then asked, â€Å"What are the riddles? † The male answered, â€Å"The first riddle is, where is luck to be found in the mornine? † Of course the answer is that luck is on the face because people always take water to wash their faces. The second riddle asked, where is luck located at noon? It is on the chest because people always take water to wash their chests. Finally, the third question asked, where is luck located in the evening? The answer is that luck is on the feet because people always wash their feet in the evening. Thoamabal overheard all of the conversation and so happily returned to his temple. In the morning Kabel Maha Prohm came to ask Thoamabal if he could answer the three riddles. Thoamabal successfully answered each of the riddles. Kabel Maha Prohm realixing he had failed, called his seven daughters, who were maids of Branma, to learn of his fate. Kabal Maha Prohm said, â€Å"Your father is foing to be beheaded in front of Thoamabal. If my head is set on the earth , if will set fire to Earth, if my head is thrown into the air, the rain will evaporate, if my head is thrown into the sea, the sea will dry up. Therefore I ask you, my seven daughters to get a holy metal tray on which to set your father’s head†. Having said this, he beheaded himself and his head was passed to Neang Toungsa, the eldest of his daughters. She placed her father’s head on the holy tray and then proceeded to walk around Mount Meru for one hour, respectfully keeping the tray on her right hand. She then took the tray to the temporary sanctuary of Phnom Kailas. At Phnom Kailas, Preah Visakam created a hall where seven holy glasses (Pheakabatei Saphea) were set. The glasses were for use by angels during ceremonies. Each year the seven angels took turns to invoke the head of Kabel Maha Prohm to and complete a holy procession around Mount Meru. Following the holy procession the angels returned to their heaven. The Seven Angels of the Almanac: If the annual procession talls on a Sunday then the day will be known as Toungsa, Monday is Kooreak, Tuesday is called Reaksa, Wednesday is   Kereney, Friday is known as Kemera and Saturday is Mahaotra. During the Khmer New Year Festival, youths gather to play popular traditional games such as Chaol Chhoung (throwing a ball) and Bas Angkunh (throwing brown seeds). The youths are normally divided into female and male teams to play these games. In some parts of Cambodia, e. g. Siem Reap and Battambang, they play a game known as the â€Å"Trot Dance†. Trot performers dance and ask for alms from house to house in their village. A man will ride on a long curved stick with a deer’s head on one side and with a cluster of grass on the other side like the deer’s tail. Two men pretend to be hunters and are armed with a crossbow. When they receive alms they will donate it for the benefit of the local pagoda. In villages along the Mekong Riverinthe province of Kandal women gather to rowboats in front of the pagodas. This action is believed to appease the crocodiles. This custom originated long ago when many crocodiles lived in the river. In some villages, people trample on effigies to appease the ghosts that live in the trees near the pagodas and ask for happiness in the coming year. The Khmer people will gather together and visit pagodas and temples on the occasion of the Khmer New year. Each year many residents from other provinces visit Angkor Wat to worship to the powerful gods and trace their ancestors’ heritage.

The idea of changes in the composition of a popula Essays - Biology

The idea of changes in the composition of a population being attributable to changes in its environment has been an extremely useful. With this perspective, we can coherently account for the distribution of forms in the fossil record, for example. However, great interest also lies in speciation , which occurs when populations that for some reason cease to interbreed become different enough to lose all ability to interbreed. (In actual life, the boundaries between species are not always absolute varieties only gradually evolve into species, after all and it has been found that occasional fertile crosses between closely simi lar species do occur.) The rule-of-thumb of fertile offspring as defining species remains the way most biologists think of it, but the possible exceptions have generated complexities in classifica tion and in modeling gene flow. A p opulation split in half by a n un crossable barrier c an over time develop huge differences between its two parts. The most famous example of this process, called "allopatric" "different country" speciation, is the squirrels of the Grand Canyon, who have diverged into different species on the two sides of the Canyon. But w hen the genotype of a single, inbreeding population changes gradually over time, at what point should we say it has turned into a new species? Our "rule of thumb" about producing fertile offspring can hardly be applied to two different points in the history of the same population. And yet if the differences between early and late specimens are substantial, can we be confident in calling them the same species? As an intellectual matter, it is difficult to know when one continuously changing population should be regarded as a different species from its remote ance stors. As a practical matter, it is also difficult to know how specimens available for study are actually related to each other anyway. If two fossil snake teeth look similar, but neither looks exactly like any modern snake, were they separate species, or were they merely two slightly different variants of the same species? And is either of them ancestral to any modern snake? Many specialists in prehistoric life paleontologists tend to assume that speciation occurs relatively easily when plant or animal communities are separated, and they argue that the default assumption should be that two specimens should be assumed to be different species until they can be convincingly shown to be the same (which is hard to demonstrate with extinct forms). Others argue that speciation is in fact relatively difficult. Barring intervention with atomic bombardment, we have not succeeded in changing a genotype sufficiently to make it a whole new species just through selective breeding alone. (That is why all dogs are still the same species.) The best assumption when looking at prehistoric forms should therefore be that two similar specimens should be considered to belong to the same species until shown to have more variation between them than is exhibited in a modern population of similar animals, if there is one. All of this becomes particularly controversial in the case of proto-humans. Darwin did not explore the evolution of humans indeed only one clearly pre-human hominid fossil had been discovered when he published The Origin of Species Through Natural Selection in 1859. Since humans look a lot like modern Great Apes, it seemed logical that we should have a common ancestor with them, but that was about as much as one could say. In some respects, the exact ways in which we draw the lines among species may not make much difference. The more we learn about genetics, the more obvious it becomes that what matters most is not the label given to a form, but our understanding of the over-all process of evolutionary transformation that is continually going on. Geneticists are ever refining more detailed "family trees" of biological forms based on the inheritance of specific gene mutations . In these family trees, it makes no significant difference where one species stops and the next begins. What matters is where mutations occur that are inherited by future generations.