Lost Letters of Perganum

The Lost Letters of Perineum, describes a collection of fictional letters being exchanged between two fictional characters known as Antipasti and Luke. Antipasti is a benefactor from Rome, and Luke is a physician and author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Luke is also the main person who Antipasti goes to throughout the novel for knowledge and answers to his many questions. The story is very well written and gives the reader an idea of what the first century Church was like.The letters also illustrate a vivid picture of Chrism's life and the effects his addict lifestyle had on the ancient culture. Antipasti, a self-established benefactor, resides from the cities of Tree and Caesar in Rome and is a worshipper of Jupiter and Culprits. Culprits, a nobleman from the city of Ephesus, went away when he suddenly lost his firstborn child. Due to his absence, Antipasti became quickly acquainted with Luke, whom was very wise and passionate about his beliefs in Jesus Christ.After An tipasti and Luke began writing to each other for a while, their conversations started to lean more towards the topic of spiritual matters and specifically towards Lake's decision to follow Jesus Christ and his works on Chrism's life. After much historical and spiritual discussion, the two moved to the topic of the gladiatorial events, in which people were slaughtered in front of hundreds of other people for entertainment. Antipasti was beginning to question the events and the morality of it all.As the two grew deeper into their spiritual conversation and Luke shared more of his views of Christ, Antipasti grew very curious. He began reading a narrative by Luke about Jesus Christ, and told Luke his thoughts and opinions about his work. Antipasti' curiosity soon led him to join a fellowship of Christians in his town led by a an named Notations. He met with the group regularly and saw what a huge effect Christ had on their modern culture. Antipasti grew to know more about Christ and bel ieved he was indeed the Son of God.His passion for him grew, and he knew that he should begin worshipping Christ and not Jupiter. As Antipasti' faith grew stronger he soon found himself protesting against the gladiatorial events. He discovered that his Christian brother, Demerits, was to be murdered and decided that he could not allow such an act to happen. Antipasti sacrificed himself for Demerits and was killed in his place by being earned alive. The reader knows that Antipasti sacrificed himself for what he believed in, all for the glory of God.I found it quite interesting that Antipasti had grown so passionate and loyal to the Christian religion in such a short time period. He made himself aware and educated and joined the other Christians in faith even though he knew they were highly unaccepted in their culture. He opened himself up to a new way of life and left behind his old beliefs that he stood by for years. Was amazing how Antipasti could grow so loyal to a religion he jus t learned of, than o one he had been worshipping most of his life.He grew so loving and faithful toward his new Christian beliefs that he was willing to die for another man and for a God he had just started to follow. Issues discussed in today's modern culture consists of many people believing that Christians are harassed for their beliefs and persecuted for their worships. However, whatever conflict they encounter today has no comparison to the effects of being Christian in the first century. Today there are many Christians but few who actually have a strong passion for the Gospel.There are thousands of people today who are proud to call themselves Christians, but would there still be as much if the consequences were still being beaten or murdered in front of a crowd? Does the passion of Christ lit inside of Antipasti still exist in any Christian today? Although the story was fictional, the portrayal of the first century was accurate. There were many people like Antipasti who were killed for standing up for their beliefs; perhaps the message here is for all modern day Christians to reevaluate the way they're following Christ, and to use Antipasti' passion and loyalty as an example to live by.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky essays

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky essays Crime and Punishment is a book written by Fyodor Dostoevsky who spent four years at a labour camp in Siberia, followed by four years of military service. Raskolnikov's time in a Siberian prison, described in the Epilogue of Crime and Punishment, is based on Dostoevsky's own experiences at a similar prison. Crime and Punishment is the story of a poor man in Russia who can only purge himself of his guilt through suffering. The book deals with the mental and physical tribulation brought upon him by his crime. His troubles are compounded by the conflicting personalities, which he possesses. The reader is inclined to characterize him by his cold, intellectual side. Yet, without the contrasting humane side of his nature, Raskolnikov never realizes the errors in his theory and actions. Raskolnikov is defined by the dualistic nature of his personality, with each facet being just as vital as the other. During his time in prison Fyodor Dostoevsky underwent something of a political conversion, rejecting the radical socialist positions that had led to his arrest in favour of a conservative concern for traditional values. His dismissal of leftist political thought is evident in Crime and Punishment. For instance, Raskolnikov's crime is motivated, in part, by his theories about society. Lebezyatnikov, whose name is derived from the Russian word for "fawning," is obsessed with the so-called new philosophies that raged through St. Petersburg during the time that Dostoevsky was writing the novel. Luzhin, a mid-level government official, is continually afraid of being "exposed" by "nihilists." Raskolnikov, the protagonist is a complicated man who commit a crime. Raskolnikov murders a woman who was a plague to mankind, especially the poor of Russia: Alyona Ivanovna. In the chilling process however, he also murders her younger sister, Lisaveta Ivanovna. The crime of Raskolnikov reverberates on a much deeper, moral level inside his own head. He igno...

The Effects Of Romes Expansion essays

The Effects Of Romes Expansion essays The Effects of Romes Expansion Expansion overseas gave Rome the opportunity to strengthen its empire by war; But, as a drawback it resulted in the breakdown of the Republic, as well as its Empire. Expansion Overseas made Rome a mighty empire for a short period of time, until both the Empire and the republic became unstable and eventually broke down. Hooker, author of Roman History in 1996 states: Roman history begins in a small village in central Italy; this unassuming village would grow into a small metropolis, conquer and control all of Italy, southern Europe, the Middle East, and Egypt, and find itself, by the start of what no other people had managed before: the ruled the entire world under a single administration for a considerable amount of time. This imperial rule, which extended from Great Britain to Egypt, from Spain to Mesopotamia, was a period of remarkable peace. The Romans would look to their empire as the instrument that brought law and justice to the rest of the world; in some sense, the relative peace and stability they brought to the world did support this view. They were, however, a military state, and they ruled over this vast territory by maintaining a strong military presence in subject countries. An immensely practical people, the Romans devoted much of their brilliance to military strategy and technology, administration, and law, all in support of th e vast world government that they built. Rome, however, was responsible for more than just military and administrative genius. Culturally, the Romans had a slight inferiority complex in regards to the Greeks, who had begun their city-states only a few centuries before the rise of the Roman Republic. The Romans, however, derived much of their culture from the Greeks: art, architecture, philosophy, and even religion. However, the Romans changed much of this culture, adapting it to their own particular worldview and practical needs. It is th...

Gun Rights Under President Bill Clinton

Gun Rights Under President Bill Clinton The administration of President Bill Clinton represented a significant shift in Democratic presidential politics in the United States. Clinton, an Arkansas governor who defeated Republican George H.W. Bush in the 1992 election, became the first Democratic presidential candidate to campaign on promises of stricter gun laws. With the exception of Lyndon B. Johnson, who made gun control a focal point of his administration upon assuming the presidency after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, gun politics had not been a central part of any presidential administration. In what might have been gun control advocates’ brightest hour on the federal stage, Clinton lobbied for two major pieces of gun control legislation and used his executive authority to usher in additional gun control measures in what was viewed as a major setback for gun rights. The Brady Bill The Brady Bill, which made it more difficult to purchase a handgun, was a hallmark of the Clinton presidency. First introduced in 1987, the Brady Bill was named for President Ronald Reagan’s press secretary, John Brady, who was wounded in an attempt to assassinate Reagan in 1981. Brady’s wife, Sarah Brady, became a major proponent of gun control legislation following the assassination attempt, which left her husband partially but permanently paralyzed. Despite the backing of Reagan, various versions of the Brady Bill did not come seriously close to passing until the Bush administration, when Bush vetoed a version of the legislation passed by Congress. After defeating Bush in 1992, Clinton lobbied the House and Senate to send the bill back to the White House again. Congress obliged, and Clinton signed the Brady Bill into law on Nov. 30, 1993, less than one year into his presidency. The bill created a mandatory five-day waiting period after handgun purchases and required local law enforcement to run background checks on purchasers. Assault Weapons Ban Emboldened by the success of the Brady Bill, Clinton next turned his sights on an assault weapons ban, another gun control battle that had been simmering since the mid-1980s. By late summer in 1994, legislation enacting such a ban was making serious headway in Congress. On Sept. 13, 1994, Clinton signed the Assault Weapons Ban into law as part of the 1994 Crime Bill. Targeting semi-automatic weapons bearing characteristics of military guns, the AWB banned a wide range of weapons, such as the AK-47 and the AR series of rifles. Among guns outlawed by the AWB were any that included two or more of a list of characteristics ranging from telescoping stocks to bayonet mounts. Executive Measures While a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in the 1994 midterm election hampered efforts by the Clinton White House to usher in more gun control measures, Clinton turned to his executive powers several times during his second term to tighten down on gun ownership. One such measure was an order banning the importation of more than four dozen makes of assault weapons, such as variations of the AK-47. The order, signed in 1998, targeted the importation of guns that were not subjected to the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Another measure was an order in the eleventh hour of Clinton’s presidency banning the importation of certain makes of so-called â€Å"assault pistols,† such as Uzis, and requiring firearms dealers to submit to fingerprinting and background checks. Finally, the White House reached a deal with firearms giant Smith Wesson in which Clinton promised an end to civil lawsuits against the gun manufacturer in exchange for Smith Wesson outfitting its guns with trigger locks and agreeing to implement â€Å"smart gun† technology within two years. Gun Crackdowns Rendered Toothless While the National Rifle Association and most American gun owners lamented the gun policies of the Clinton administration, time and the courts have rendered most of those stricter gun measures ineffective. Parts of the Brady Bill were struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007 (although the five-day wait would have been rendered a moot point with the establishment of a national instant background check system, which soon followed). The Assault Weapons Ban was allowed to expire in 2004 when Congress failed to take up legislation that would have extended the ban or made it permanent, and Clinton’s predecessor, George W. Bush, did not lobby for the extension. And a combination of new ownership at Smith Wesson and a Bush administration crackdown on lawsuits aimed at gun manufacturers ultimately crippled the Clinton administration’s agreement with Smith Wesson, as the gun-maker backed out of most of the agreement’s provisions, including a pledge to invest in smart gun technology. The Clinton administration’s only lasting impact on gun rights are the lack of certain imports of foreign semiautomatic rifles and background checks for handgun purchases. Ironically, it was those early victories that had lost much of their effectiveness within 10 years that prevented Clinton from pushing through what might have been longer-lasting gun control measures during his second term. The Brady Bill and Assault Weapons Ban were blamed for the defeat of several Democrats who voted for them as Republicans took control of the House in 1994. As a result, Clinton’s gun control priorities in the latter years of his presidency were never able to meet the muster of Republican opposition. Among them were requirements for child trigger locks, a three-day waiting period for gun show purchases and high capacity magazine bans.

Platon's Allegory of the Cave. Reaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Platon's Allegory of the Cave. Reaction - Essay Example According to the allegory tells of a story where there are prisoners put in a cave chained together from childhood each of them facing the wall. Behind them is a huge fire that causes shadows to be formed on the wall. Therefore the prisoners only see the shadow and according to the allegory the prisoners come to accept the shadow is real since they are unable to grasp the whole picture. They basically accept what they are accustomed to seeing. The shadows represent the messages given to the society by politicians, people in business and the media who control how we perceive things. There are many chains holding people prisoners in a cave for fear of cultural acceptance for instance when a political leader wants to spread propaganda. Many people would want just to believe â€Å"the shadow† projected to them rather than see the actual objects. After a while one of the prisoners is escapes captivity and this forces him to see the bigger picture of the cave. He is also made to move out of his familiar cave into the light which he painfully does. He is able to see the object casting the shadows these represents the things that influence our perceptions and sense of judgment. They include people in politics, media, and business, religious and educational leaders. Our leaders tell us what to believe they pass on to us their own ideologies for example our political leaders. Most people do not want to formulate their own opinions and would rather depend on what is projected for them Being accustomed to living in the cave moving out into the light is not easy. He has to adjust to bright sunshine light. His eyes slowly open up to accommodated the light and in parallel to accommodate a fundamental view of the world. The prisoner has a newer view of reality and is transformed. In the light the prisoner comes to see a deeper, clearer and a truthful reality influenced by reason. The sun refers to the good that comes with the beauty and is so eager to share this

Learning Is Business at Nokia Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning Is Business at Nokia - Case Study Example The 50,000 employee workforce must align their vision to ensure the company succeeds. Nokia Corporation has a great philosophical approach that encourages continuous learning. One method that the company is utilizing which can effectively improve the capabilities and skills of the staff at an accelerate pace is e-learning initiatives. The problem with e-learning initiatives is that they don’t provide the human touch needed at times for the learning experience to feel real. The company should extend its current utilization of project teams to formulate strategic hundreds or even thousands of strategic team units. Every employee should be part of a strategic team unit. Teams should meet for at least one hour a week to discuss company business. A team leader should provide a one to two page summary of the brainstorming performed. The data would then be uploaded into a company intranet to be evaluated by the managerial staff. A systematic problem the company faces is finding an efficient manner to promote the company’s idealistic approach of knowledge sharing. The first step towards creating an environment that fosters this type of learning is for the lines of communication to be completely open between the floor workers and the supervisors. If the employees feel comfortable they will speak out their minds. The human resource staff must interview every single employee in order to learn the best path to achieve a proper professional development path for each employee. Due to the fact that the company has over 50,000 this task might be difficult to achieve. An alternative solution is for the HR staff to prepare collective seminars to reach out employees 100 of them at a time and provide them with an orientation on how to better themselves professionally. Even though Nokia has a clear strategic plan to provide support for learning this does not imply that the company will reap the benefits if does not differentiate between support for

Introduction to Inclusive Practice in Social Work Essay

Introduction to Inclusive Practice in Social Work - Essay Example Sociologists hold that the emotionality in discrimination and oppression results from the intuitive attitudes and personalities that give people feelings and thoughts of inadequacy or superiority. By using the less fortunate people as the scapegoats, the privileged parties can do whatever they want at the expense of the minority. Their attitudes and personalities of superiority dictate what goes on in the society. The feeling of superiority, for example, makes one hate and discriminate particular groups of people such as the minority. In turn, the minorities acquire the feelings of inadequacy from subsequent mistreatments and eventually accept their disadvantaged state in the society. Social scientists also identify socialization as another key factor to discrimination and oppression. Many forms of discrimination are passed on from parents, relatives, and friends. People tend to learn on what it takes to discriminate against others from their social circles. The media are another way through which people socialize. Movies and television usually perpetuate demeaning stereotypes and images about assorted groups in the society. They show how women, the elderly, ethnic minorities and gays are mistreated. One then learns that it serves no wrong to do the same against the perceived unfortunate groups. Ethnocentrism is one the main factors that lead to discrimination and oppression. With ethnocentrism, one tends to assess other’s cultures from one’s own cultural values and norms. People tend to value what they know and their cultures, and disregard the cultures of others. Ethnocentrism also leads to suspicion where one cannot trust people from outside their cultures and norms. The stereotypical thinking is the one behind the various instances of racial and ethnic discriminations. An American firm can, for example, refuse to employ