Research a community organization on an individual basis Essay

Research a community organization on an individual basis - Essay Example Beneficiaries of the organization’s programs are categorized into federations that exhibit religious, ethnic, economic, and racial diversity (http://www.picocalifornia.org/). In essence, PICO California strives to improve the social, economic, and political welfare of working families living in the State of California. The primary goal of the community organization is to enhance statewide relations and interactions among California residents. To do this, PICO California networks working families by identifying and creating awareness about common social issues that affect residents in the state. Upon identifying statewide issues that affect residents, the organization goes a step further to voice the concerns of the people. The idea is to ensure that the voices and concerns of working families and residents in general reach the state’s leadership. In other words, PICO California acts as an intermediary between the people and policy makers in the state of California. In many communities around the United States, policy arenas remain inaccessible to the public. With PICO California, however, the underlying social responsibility is to enhance public participation in policymaking processes. In this respect, a number of factors influence PICO California’s operations. These factors include health, employment, education, security, and local community empowerment. By evaluating and assessing these factors, the organization strives to promote family and social growth and development. It is evident that each of these factors is strategic in the formulation and implementation of state policy. Social initiative is the primary driver of PICO California’s community operations. PICO federations network on congregational basis, resulting in strong culturally diverse social interactions and relations. The organization’s social initiative encompasses increasing access to quality healthcare, minimizing violence in California, improving state

Notes on Religious Views on Life After Death Essay Example for Free

Notes on Religious Views on Life After Death Essay Question is What are we made of and what survives after death of the body. If anything survives how much of the original identity of that person survives and in what form? People try to answer this by: Believing in a superior being who has communicated a promise Gathering data about LAD near death experiences, past life memories that suggest reincarnation, the para-normal Accepting no life after death we are matter and return to matter and become part of the wider world again Exploring ideas about the nature of body and soul Some Christians believe death is the event that makes sense of our previous lives and the meaning of death itself is changed in the promise of eternal life. John Hick, it should not evoke the sickening fear with which we face what we know to be evil It is a fuller stage in the outworking of the Creators loving purpose for his children. SOURCES Revealed Knowledge The Bible, Quran, Torah etc which tell us of the events others have experienced and what they claim and to those who accept them as revealed knowledge this gives certainty. Christians believe that Jesus was and is God Incarnate, so if he promises eternal life to his followers, he must be trusted. Similarly Muslims trust the Prophet Mohammed as Allahs chosen messenger and as he has spoken of paradise, then there must be such a place. Inferential Knowledge Reasoning that the ideas expressed explain so much that they must be true even if theres no proof = a belief. Hindus do not have any promise in scripture, but they trust their God loves them and so will e god to them upon death. In neither case is there absolute proof the believer trusts that it is true. Religious views Christian Old Testament good and bad alike to go to Sheol as ghostlike individuals Job 14.7-12 Theres hope is a tree is cut down as buds can grow from the trunk but man lies down and does not rise again. However he also believes that if he has a personal relationship with God which is beyond the trials of this life he will be with God at the end. New Testament the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is at the heart of the belief in LAD,. Jesuss promise to the good thief crucified with him This day you will be with me in paradise only appears in the Gospel of Luke indicates that he believes in the possibility of paradise for the righteous and the repentant. However the translation of paradise could also refer to a pleasant place. Jesus referred to heaven as the place where God lived Our Father which art in heaven Book of Revelations contains visions of Saints whose bloody robes have been washed clean in the blood of the lamb (Christ) in a heavenly city, the new Jerusalem. It is clear there is a heaven after death, which is separate from the last judgment, also known as the second coming, which will happen at the end of time. The term eschatalogical gap refers to the gap between whats in the bible and the precise details of the afterlife Purgatory Roman Catholics only people have to atone for sin before they can enter heaven no scriptural evidence for this idea Limbo not in current use, but Catholics used to believe the unbaptised or good people whod never heard of Jesus would go here. Protestants believed such people would go straight to hell as God would have called those to be saved. One reference in Peters letters The spirits who are in prison Reincarnation some Christians have accepted this in the past but not currently in use. Catholics in particular value appearances by Mary (Lourdes, Fatima etc) and other saints after their death as confirming an after life. Quakers religious body without creeds and so base beliefs on experience, life experience varies and therefore so do views on LAD. Three main views bit these are not fixed, all beliefs are personal. 1. The good we have done (and possibly the evil) lives on after we have gone in the lives of those affected this might be as memories or as the impact of deeds 2. Survival of the Human Spirit as a continuation of this life in a spiritual body (St Pauls term). Some also believe in reincarnation 3. Acceptance of heaven and hell as destinations after death but belief in a Loving God and redemption through Christ means hell cannot be eternal Personal conclusions about LAD are based on individual experiences of the Love of God in this life in spite of the experience of suffering. Therevada Buddists Nirvana achieved in this life, without substrate and so continuing to live in bodily form is described as a set of qualities in The Questions of King Milinda. He asks Nagasena whether he can compare it to anything in this world to help him understand. Nagasena says it cant be compared to anything, but its qualities can. E.g As a lotus is unsustained by water, so Nirvana is unsustained by all the defilements Islam God has a plan for the whole universe and all human beings At the day of judgement to whole universe will be destroyed and the dead raised to stand before him That day will be the beginning of an unending life on which every individual will be judged and rewarded by God according to their deeds. The Quran argues that life after death is vital of make sense of morality. If there is no afterlife then a belief in God is irrelevant. Hindus believe in certain heavenly states, notably Goloka, Krishnas heaven for devotees, but there is little justification in scripture. Hindus believe as a God loves his people he must be good to them when they die. The Resurrection of the Body Key Christian belief is that the individual survives as an individual. Also that the individual is judged as a individual Jesuss resurrection and ascension is the model we will follow as he was sent to show us the way, the truth and the light.. The Apostles and Nicene Creed both affirm belief in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come Tey also refer to the communion of saints which refers to the Church as one body uniting those in heaven and those on earth. The point of the Creed is to reinforce belief in the face of challenges Christians believe that man can be saved as a whole, body and soul man can glorify God through his body as he is made in the image of God, the body can become a sacrifice to God and also a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, (Corinthians 6.19-20,Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?). Also Christ at the Last Supper gave his Body and Blood as a means of salvation, so the human body is important On the same day as jesuss resurrection Matthews gospel reports dead prophets rising from their graves indicating a bodily resurrection. Paul speaks of us dying and rising with Christ in Baptism as a spiritual experience (Romans 6.5-11) but he is clear that the body will be resurrected after death however in 1 Corinthians 15-50 he also says flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Irenaeus and Tertullian both interpret this to mean that flesh is resurrected for judgment and that the Spirit must be present in the flesh to enter heaven. The Creed also affirms belief in the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthains 15.35-50 Paul is asked How are the dead raised? He uses the analogy of a seed and a bulb to show that something completely different can arise from a source. At h time there was a commonly held belief that the flesh would be resurrected the corpse Paul tried to make it clear that the body refers to the whole personality and person, both inner and outer. Through Adam we are part of the physical sphere and through Christ we are part of the spiritual sphere Christ was man and God together we are physical body and spiritual body together. Paul does not describe the spiritual body.

News Media, Money and Infotainment Essay -- Television Media TV Essays

News Media, Money and Infotainment In the past few years the media has grown into more than just the facts. The goal of the media is not just to inform us but to entertain. This new media style is known as "Infotainment". The media's goals are ratings based. They use shows like Jerry Springer, Entertainment Tonight, and Hard Copy to bring in these ratings. The media of today has grown into a profit-based industry that tries to entertain us with the news and with tabloid television shows. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the three big television stations, of ABC, CBS, and NBC, changed to provide more infotainment. Networks lost ratings to the heavy competition of cable and home video. The diminishing audience caused the big three to just break even or make a tiny profit. This led to the news having topics such as issues in the entertainment world and art related stories produce a rating increase. The industry was no longer news based. Their goal over those few years had changed from reporting the news into shows that report what bring in a profit. What brought in the biggest audience was what was shown on the networks. When the rating for these shows were being taken there was an increase in the reporting of sex and violence to increase the viewers. This in tern increased the ratings (Cook 4-5). The new form of news was shaped based on how to bring in the biggest audience and make the most money whatever the cost. This new form of infotainment led to the development of Tabloid television shows. These shows, also known as "Trash TV", have more entertainment than news. Thought there is a difference between good and bad trash. With shows like Sally Jesse Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, and Jerry Springer that in many cases exploi... ...ed media world is set up to be infotaining. These shows attracting viewers with tabloid shows and putting more entertaining information in the news. The networks are trying to make the biggest profit possible and with shows that exploit people they seem to be doing it. It doesn't mater who it hurts or what the consequences are. It's no longer just reporting the news, but reporting what will bring in the biggest profit. WORKS CITED Cook, Philip S., Douglass Gomery, and Lawrence W. Lichty, ed. The Future of News. Washington: The Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 1992. Olster, Marjorie. "Raunchy radio host Stern to get late-night TV show." Infobeat. Online. Electronic Text Center. Internet. 31 Mar. 1998. Available http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2553562895-d94 Talked To Death. Videocassette. Home Box Office. Parco Productions, Inc., 1996. VHS. 60min

Analysis of Closing Speech in Dr. Faustus :: Christopher Marlowe

Analysis of Dr. Faustus' Closing Speech Doctor Faustus’ closing speech is unquestionably the most emotional scene in Dr. Faustus. His mind moves from idea to idea in desperation. It highlights the many times that Faustus could have repented, but did not. Yet he shows remorse, calling upon the Christian view that all who repent will be saved, however, this does not hold true for Faustus, indicating that Marlowe is not writing this scene from a Christian point of view. Faustus’ mind is fraught with despair in his final, closing speech. It jumps frantically from thought to thought: one moment he is begging time to stop, or slow down, the next second, he is pleading to Christ for mercy and salvation. He asks to be hidden, the next instant he is asking for his punishment in hell to last ‘A hundred thousand [years], and at last be saved’ (1.13.95). These various attempts to escape his imminent doom ultimately lead to him to realise that the situation is entirely his fault, just before midnight, he finally realises to ‘curse [him] self’ (1.13.106). This extremely passionate remorse leads to a recurring theme in the play, namely, the reasons behind him not repenting at earlier stages. Faustus’ arrogance, perhaps, is the chief reason behind the rejection of penitence. He deceives himself into believing either hell is not so bad, or that it does not exist at all. Perhaps he is afraid of Mephastophilis tearing his body apart. Even close to the end, in the penultimate scene, Faustus is seen, eager to ‘confirm/ [His] former vow’ (1.12.62-63). This suggests that Faustus’ delusion continues until his time is up, perhaps he has served the devil for so long he has lost any thought of breaking free of his pact. In the speech, Faustus turns to Christ, asking that the Christian doctrine that repentance can be accepted at any time in one’s life be granted to save him. Significantly, he is not rescued. This shows that this play is not written from an entirely Christian perspective, as Faustus would have been saved. However, it could be argued that something within Faustus ‘pulls [him] down’ (1.13.71) from leaping ‘up to [his] God’ (1.13.71), and therefore keeping the Christian principle intact. The pathetic actions that Faustus performs when he gets ultimate power seem to indicate that Faustus has wasted his soul.

King Leopolds Ghost Essay

Between 1880 and 1920, the population of the Congo was slashed in half: some ten million people were victims of murder, starvation, exhaustion, exposure, disease, and a plummeting birth rate. Why do you think this massive carnage has remained virtually unknown in the United States and Europe? During all this death there was only a few who would go down into the Congo because of all its dangers. So with hardly anyone already going down there and those who did brave the dangers would usually come back insane from a disease of some sort, there was just not enough evidence to prove how bad it was really getting even with those who made it out fine. There was also no communication possible only by mail and considering the dangers no persons would risk their life to take a letter to and from the jungle. So how can you, with not enough brave people to go down there, get the information out to the world. But even those who got it out and tried to spread the word would be persecuted for saying such things because nobody wanted to help them because that would put their life in danger. No one in their right mind would even venture down to that part of Africa. So with no phones, pagers, computers, or mail to get the word out and sickness and animals killing most that went down there. Even those who go looking for these camps cannot usually find them because there in rural eras of the jungle which, for some, are impossible to attain. There was just no possible way to get word out to the rest of the world to get help. Now even with all the technology to find and go to them we still don’t hear much of them. We have all the vaccines to fight off all the disease and help the dying people in Africa. So even though we have all that still not much people want to help because they are caught up in the world they are living in and nothing else matters until they get what they need and want. The human race is selfish and only looks out for themselves. Question 6 The European conquest and plunder of the Congo and the rest of Africa was brutal, but so was the European settlement of North America and, long before that, the conquest of most of European by the Romans. Hasn’t history always proceeded in this way? Well yea, history has a way of repeating itself. Nothing only happens one time in history. There is always going to be those crazy Hitler type people out there and those who go power drunk and take over their country and then try to take over the world. And yes, whenever you go exploring a new place it’s going to be difficult. Have you ever heard someone say’ â€Å"I went exploring a new continent and it was easy. † There is so much that goes into exploration. You need tools, maps, guides, protection from animals and natives. Pretty much anything new you do is not going to be easy for you to do. Anything you do needs time, practice, and plans, but most important in needs to be organized. If nothing was organized the world would be in chaos. So yes history has and will be forever keep repeating itself to keep balance and stability to the world. It will always have its ups and always have its downs. It doesn’t matter who or what you do to try and prevent it. God has established the status quo and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Question 13 Hochschild quotes Roger Casements as insisting to Edmond Morel’s â€Å"I do not agree with you that England and America are the two great humanitarian powers †¦ [they are] materialistic first and humanitarian only a century after. † What evidence supports or refuses Casement’s judgment? Would Casement be justified in making the same statement today? Now back in that time we were more of a humanitarian country because first of all we didn’t have all the same technology we did today. Second we were pretty much a new country and we were trying to make a good name for us. Then third we went to war for other which was no cause of our own and all we did was help out less fortunate countrys than us. See now during this time it is a little different. We have all sorts of distractions. We have technology, we have more murder, and we are being more protective of our people. We use to go to war for no cause just to help out but now when we are attacked we don’t want to go to war. So you can say we are and have been a little of both the whole time. Back then we went to war to help people now we are sending missionaries to camps around the world to help people. But in the end let’s hope that we become more

Napoleons Noble Failure essays

Napoleon's Noble Failure essays The Noble Failure of Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon's reign ended in defeat and exile, and the largest empire since the height of the Roman Empire quickly disintegrated without its creator. In essence, Napoleon's career can be seen as its overall conclusive state: a failure. By no means, however, can one consider his rule to be one of meekness or lackluster. The self-made emperor worked relentlessly to change France in ways that he believed would better the country and the every day lives of its people. Many reforms he made, regardless of their flaws, were of noble and just cause. These reforms became his most lasting impression on Europe and the world today. Adjustments to the economy, education systems, and work force were all part of his Civil Code, which to this day remains the root for many of the constitutions of the world today (Burnham, 1). Napoleon, though not with any degree of perfection, did devote his life whole-heartedly to what he thought was right for France in his day and age. Many see this kind of d evotion and enthusiasm as noble, therefore leading to the description of his career as a noble failure. Napoleon first made a name for himself as an ambitious and talented general in the Italian army. In 1799, the French legislature chose him as one of three de-facto rulers and dubbed him a consul of France. He soon became First Consul with the re-writing of the constitution. This re-drawing of the constitution also gave him the right to choose the men that served as the Counsel of State, which was responsible for the law making of the country. By inviting men to service who were already loyal to him through military experience, Napoleon became a powerful leader of a personalized government. Within a year of his commencement of power, Napoleon had ended the decade of the French Revolution and revealed his vision for the country. The destruction of the French Republic into a military based aristo...

A Written Analysis on Why I Write by George Orwell Essays

A Written Analysis on Why I Write by George Orwell Essays A Written Analysis on Why I Write by George Orwell Paper A Written Analysis on Why I Write by George Orwell Paper Essay Topic: George orwell George Orwell’s 1946 essay ‘Why I Write’ is enshrined with a set of innate values adhered to and advocated by Orwell himself. In recounting his personal journey in becoming a writer, Orwell enlists the underlying ideals justifying his initial motives for writing. Subsequently, it is the representation of deeply held ideals such as the innate personal connection to writing, the impact of context on a writer, the value of writing and the reasons for writing that captivate audiences and underpin the meaning of Orwell’s essay. The eudemonistic virtues exhorted by Orwell as expressed through the essay form therefore serve to represent the values and ideals shaped by his context, that are eminent within his writings. The unfailing sense of personal connection Orwell bears to writing pervades throughout the essay, and subsequently captivates the audience. Orwell’s use of personal childhood anecdotes, of where he felt â€Å"isolated and undervalued† evokes a personal connection of sympathy from the reader, and thus signifies the development of Orwell as a writer. From the opening anecdotes, where Orwell alludes to the Greek playwright ‘Aristophanes’ and the English poet ‘William Blake’ it is event that ‘writing’ remained an innate component of George Orwell’s identity and that attempts to suppress or neglect this passion would be â€Å"outraging† his true nature. Orwell argues that the essence of his writing stems from personal experience and the innate connection of he bore to literature from an early age. However, whilst Orwell does argue that writing itself must involve a self-driven personal engagement, he concedes that the development of language is influenced and shaped by other writers. Therefore, the use of personal anecdotes underpins the innate, personal connection that Orwell shared with writing and thus captivates the audience. The exploration of context in shaping an author’s thoughts and writings are central concerns dealt with by Orwell within the essay. Orwell’s primary motivation, albeit obscured and categorically denied in the opening of the essay, is the political cause. Orwell concludes the essay in stating that â€Å"where I lacked a political purpose that I wrote lifeless books entences without meaning, decorative adjectives and humbug generally. † However, Orwell laments the political motivation of his works to the revolutionising political sphere of his own context. The purpose of the poem in the essay however, is more so to illustrate the lingering uncertainties of war and conflict that plagued Orwell’s time. The poem reflects on the certainties of the past, whereby imagery through â€Å"A happy vicar I might have been, two hundred years ago† illustrates the changing paradigms of religion, and its subsequent impetus for conflict. The poem is indicative of the â€Å"evil time† and increasing political tensions of Orwell’s context, and places his works into perspective. Therefore in exploring his personal development as a writer, Orwell further illustrates the impact of context in shaping a writer’s works creating a sense of personal engagement with the reader. Orwell’s presentation on the value of writing through the essay establishes an emotional connection that captivates the reader. The use of imagery, through the comparison of ‘good prose’ to a ‘windowpane’ underpins the augmented message enlisted in Orwell’s Why I Write. The image of the windowpane serves as a symbol for writing as a connection between the reader, the writer and the text. Constituents of a good prose allow for the writer to connect and see clearly through the issues of the text whilst similarly, the reader is able to maintain an understanding of the writer’s motivation and reasoning for the nature of his/her works. Therefore, Orwell concludes his essay with the argument that writing needs to be able to find a sense of commonality between the reader and the writer, with his ‘great motives for writing’ providing a conceptual framework in which such a connection can be fostered. Through the essay, ‘Why I Write’ Orwell constructs a balanced tone that is both anecdotal and reflective in order to crystallise and reduce any complications in meaning. The use of a particularly precise, authentic voice stems from the actual purpose of this essay which essentially was to provide a justification to the strong and confronting political-willed nature of his works. His outspoken fervour of democratic socialism, a belief manifested from his personal disillusionment to the institutions of governance of his time causes him to maintain a concise and direct prose, in order to present an unequivocal justification for the nature of his works. The authentic directness of his prose is encapsulated in sentiments such as â€Å"I did try very hard to tell the whole truth without violating my literary instincts†. The manner of his tone illustrates Orwell’s attempts to portray his character as one of integrity towards the literary cause. Thus, Orwell attempts to maintain integrity and honesty whilst fostering an emotional connection with the reader in order to propagate his ideals of the motivation of writing. Orwell’s justification for the reasons for writing ensures that he is levelled with the reader, enabling his ideals to captivate the audience. Orwell’s classification of the ‘great motives for writing’ serves as an appreciative framework from which the reader is then able to interpret literature. Orwell felt as though whilst an author maintains a connection to his/her works, such a connection may not be endeared by the reader. Therefore, Orwell classifies the ‘motives for writing’ in order to re-establish the connection between the author, the text and the reader by providing a conceptual framework serving as the basing point for an informed interpretation of the writer’s background, and reasons for writing. A secondary purpose of this classification predominantly focuses on the ideals of writing as a universal connector of people. In conclusion, the structure of the essay in recounting a chronological and biographical development of George Orwell as a writer allows for Orwell to express his views in an unequivocal manner. Orwell seeks to foster a connection between the audience, and his concerns through the range of techniques he applies through the essay form. Subsequently, Orwell’s representation of his innate underlying values and ideals are what captivates the audience and establishes the emotional connection between the reader, the writer and the text.