The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism Essay

The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism - Essay Example The general use of purification in the pagan manner of worship means cleansing before entering the temple, after engaging in warfare, before handling of idols which they considered sacred, and to put oneself in a spiritual position. Christian baptism basically is for the purpose of cleansing the person so that they may receive the Spirit of God (Thomas, 2008). Washing which was done by immersion in some pagan religions was the first step in the ceremony of initiation and it was concluded with a meal (Edward, 1994). This seems to resemble the cleansing done before the Eucharist or communion service, and even though the two are not presided by an immersion, the purposes of the cleansing seem to resemble each other. There was also a myth surrounding the idea of immersing that the god Thetis immersed people completely to make them invulnerable holding them only at the heel but having all other parts of the body immersed. John13:9 narrates about John asking Jesus not to only wash his feet , but also his whole body. John the Baptist baptized Jesus at Aenon where there was much water which implies that it was an immersion whereby the whole body needed to be covered by the water. In the beginning of all of the four Gospels, the phrase â€Å"baptize with the Spirit† is found eight times and John the Baptist promises that the one coming after him was to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. The symbolic meaning of fire was judgment, since Mathew3:12 and Luke 3:17 narrate, â€Å"His winnowing fork is in His hand, He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into His granary, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire†. Fire and judgment were associated, for example, by prophets as they preached, as shown in Amos7:4 and Malachi 3:2 (Killian & Montague, 1994). Other prophets, like Jeremiah and Isaiah, also mention fire and judgment in their prophesies, denoting God’s judgment. Commentators then argue that the Holy Spirit mentioned b y John during his ministry of baptizing in the Jordan was the Spirit of repentance and preparation so as to receive the Messiah and escape the fire of God’s judgment, and also to be prepared for ministry, when one underwent the ritual with true repentance. The baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan, the subsequent descent of the Holy Spirit, and the confirmation by God that He was God’s beloved son are the same steps today that a Christian follows, being purified or being initiated, being empowered by being filled by the holy Spirit to perform ministry in the Kingdom of God as a son in the Kingdom (Edward, 1994). Jesus also calls His suffering and death on the cross baptism, as found in Mark 10:38 -39. The reason for this use of the term â€Å"baptism† is because the suffering is looked upon as a bath into which Jesus was to be immersed. The view is that the death of Jesus was God’s way of dealing with mankind’s sin; a judgment gives more reason wher e the passion of Christ is referred to as a baptism (Killian & Montague, 1994). This inclusion of this aspect in St Marks Gospel also demonstrates that the Holy Spirit’s baptism of believers is not only for ministry empowerment to heal and cast out demons, but also to enable them to have the Grace to offer their lives as a ransom for many, due to the fact that Jesus is their role model and that he stated they were to drink the same cup He drank. The

Multinational Business of Kuwait Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Multinational Business of Kuwait - Case Study Example Economic standing of Kuwait has been progressing well in the recent past despite various environmental and internal challenges that threaten its GDP. Currently, the nation’s income per capita has increased by 1% while the GDP level has also recorded a growth of 7%. Kuwait is a vast land that has the potential for growth if proper economic modalities are put in place by the authorities. The country’s resource base can sustain its citizens. This is evident in the immense potential in the agricultural sector, the business field and its rising labor force (Ghemawat, 2001). The initiation of viable trade, political, social and cultural policies has enabled the country to record significant growth in its per capita income levels and GDP standards. The policies are to eradicate the distance dimensions or factors that influence performance. Kuwait’s economic geography is bound to record an upward growth trend or expansion especially with the mitigation plans that are und er formulation to avert the effects of the dimensional factors. The dimensions that include cultural practices, economic implications, social and political issues must be addressed by an economy that seeks to meet its target (Ghemawat, 2001). The country's Dimensions of Distance Economic growth in Kuwait is dependent on the major factors that influence performance and production. The factors that hold the capacity of stalling or propelling economic performance are integral in enhancing per capita income in the country (Khanna & Sinha, 2005). Authorities in Kuwait recognize the need for the development of viable performance measures to trade barriers and unwarranted economic bottlenecks that seek to impede the flow of production. Modalities are being crafted to streamline economic activities that include agriculture and business operations. This is critical because the country’s economy is financed by agricultural activities and international business. The policies are to help in eradicating trade barriers and other distant factors that affect growth in the nation. The dimensions that include cultural practices, economic implications, social and political issues hold far-reaching effects on the economy. According to Khanna and Sinha (2005), the country’s international business operations have been affected by the cost implications and risks that result from barriers that are created by distant factors. He stated that the distant factors do not expressly refer to the geographical difference but they are the major dimensions that influence economic growth. Economic element is a dimension that affects business operations and various income-generating activities in Kuwait. The nation is described as a small economy with two major GDP financiers that are under-exploited. The under exploitation is due to inadequate resource capacity that hinders the adoption of modern technological setups for production. Although the nation’s GDP has recorded sig nificant percentage growth, the increase is not adequate to steer the expansion plans that are expected in the agricultural and business sectors (Khanna & Sinha, 2005). This may further harm the nation’s performance if amicable solutions are not realized.

The Gay Rights Movement And Freedom

The Gay Rights Movement And Freedom Gay rights movement helped a lot of people feel free to be them-selves. Even though gay people are often frowned upon, gay people are just like everyone else. They are human beings wanting to be loved and cared for by another. According to Stacy, It is also important to define the gay rights movement as a whole. Research shows that The gay rights movement comprises a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people, and related causes (Shaneyfelt, 2009). Although it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also promote the rights of groups of individuals who do not necessarily identify as being gay (http://www.aboutsociology.com/sociology/Gay_rights_movement). First of all, as you trace the history of this pivotal movement and devise a timeline, you might credit that the modern gay rights movement is considered by many critics to have originated with the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969 (http://www.pbs.org/niot/get_involved/Guide2/study_guide_II_final_23.html). Please note how the Stonewall riots marked the most dramatic event in the history of American homosexuality The riots made a major statement in terms of law enforcement. Because police raids on gay bars were routine, the riots protested these selective actions, made it into national headlines and inspired resistance to such police raids in other cities This resistance caused more activism to stir (Shaneyfelt, 2009). According to Stacy, As you also look at why Stonewall was so vital for gay rights, please note how it also marked the first inter-generational gap in the homosexual community and the beginning of the break between gay society and lesbian society. Previous generations of homosexual men were more sexually conservative and preferred to keep their sexuality to themselves, the new generation was promiscuous and vocal. Lesbian society, like older gay male society, preferred to be more sexually conservative and private, so a gap began to emerge between the two groups (Shaneyfelt, 2009). As you then examine the other implications on life currently in the 21st century, you might claim how changes involve activist groups that are advocates for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans-gendered people, etc. Research shows that agencies and task forces such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), founded in 1973, which has worked to combat anti-gay violence and to improve the legal status of gay men and lesbians in the United States (The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force). Besides advocacy groups, the gay rights movement of the 60s also impacts currently life in the legal realm. For example, important advances in gay rights have been made since the 1960s in term of legislation. Research shows how Several states have repealed laws that made homosexual acts illegal, despite the fact that in 1986 the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of such laws. Several states have also passed laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and other areas (The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force). As you further correlate how the sexual revolution in the 1960s in America played a role in empowering gay rights, you might look at how a change in the psychology of gay society had become gay militancy by 1969, much as the feminist and black movements had transformed (Shaneyfelt, 2009). Again, as you look historically and move beyond this event, you might suggest how In 1970, the gay power movement had reached such proportions that parades were held to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In the meantime, the Mattachine Society had sponsored homosexual liberation meetings and the Gay Liberation Front had been formed. The aim of the new organization was not to meekly show that homosexuals were acceptable As a result, homosexuals became increasingly organized and concentrated in cities such as New York and San Francisco (Shaneyfelt, 2009). Similarly, research in sociology also asserts that A Gay Liberation Front was active in New York in the early 1970s. In the liberal political mainstream, gays and lesbians organized the Alice B. Toklas Memorial Democratic Club in San Francisco in 1971 (Walls, 2008). Just as there are many effects today from the historical movement such as pride days and parades, the 1970s also saw these types of events. Research reveals that San Franciscos Gay Freedom Day parades drew large numbers in the late 1970s, and the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was held in October 1979 (Research in sociology also asserts that A Gay Liberation Front was active in New York in the early 1970s. In the liberal political mainstream, gays and lesbians organized the Alice B. Toklas Memorial Democratic Club in San Francisco in 1971 (Walls, 2008). Other sociological effects are still felt in lobbying efforts today. Please note how the 1970s also was a time when a set of national lobbying and legal defense groups as well as a political action committee (http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/wallsd/glbt-movement.shtml) occurred. A major goal was getting sodomy laws repealed in about half the states (Walls, 2008). A major development in the movement also occurred in the 1980s. By 1980, most large cities had at least one predominantly gay neighborhood (Shaneyfelt, 2009). These details above could justify your sociological approach. However, since you need a psychological standpoint, you might also interject how The second most dramatic event in gay American history is the AIDS epidemic which began officially in 1981 (Shaneyfelt, 2009). Although physical in nature, psychological ramifications also intertwine because many gays had to modify their philately upon sexuality. They initially vehemently protested suggestions that they should curb their sexuality or use condoms until well into 1988. By that time, their lives and political position were in extreme danger (Shaneyfelt, 2009). When looking at other historical and psychological effects, research shows how AIDS became a symbol of oppression to gays, just as sodomy laws had been. To them, society had to put huge amounts of money into the disease or it was not adequately recognizing the needs of the gay community (Shaneyfelt, 2009). By 1990, the question of what caused homosexuality surfaced once again. The first theory is that it is cause either by a twist of genetics, a birth defect, or some sort of hormonal abnormality; in other words, it is biological. The second theory is that t something about a persons socialization leads them to choose a homosexual lifestyle (Shaneyfelt, 2009). Other implications of this event for life in the 21st century also include other aspects. Legally, the movement has been successful to repeal many sodomy laws were repealed in most American states, and those that still remained were ruled unconstitutional in the June 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas. Many companies and local governments have clauses in their nondiscrimination policies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In some jurisdictions in the U.S., gay bashing is considered a hate crime and given a harsher penalty (About Sociology, 2010). Other sociological developments might also include same-sex marriages. Please note how The U.S. state of Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage, and the states of Connecticut, Hawaii and Vermont provide the civil union as an alternative to marriage. However, in many states, laws and constitutional amendments have been passed forbidding any recognition of same-sex marriage. Virginia law, the most far-reaching, forbids recognition of any benefits similar to those of marriage between people of the same sex (About Sociology, 2010). Gay adoption increases marks another area where you can apply psychological and sociological implications on modern life. The movement of the 1960s made these rights possible. Research shows that Recognizing that lesbians and gay men can be good parents, the vast majority of states no longer deny custody or visitation to a person based on sexual orientation. State agencies and courts now apply a best interest of the child standard to decide these cases. Under this approach, a persons sexual orientation cannot be the basis for ending or limiting parent-child relationships unless it is demonstrated that it causes harm to a child a claim that has been routinely disproved by social science research. Using this standard, more than 22 states to date have allowed lesbians and gay men to adopt children either through state-run or private adoption agencies (Overview of Lesbian and Gay Parenting, Adoption and Foster Care , 1999).

The Crucible - How John Proctor Changed Essay -- Essay on The Crucible

The Crucible - How John Proctor changed throughout the storyline from mistreating his wife by cheating on her while she was ill with Abigail, to someone who took the blame so no one else got in trouble. The Crucible In this essay I will talk about how John Proctor changed throughout the storyline from mistreating his wife by cheating on her while she was ill with Abigail, to someone who took the blame so no one else got in trouble. The Crucible is based on the true story of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials where people were hanged if they were accused of being a witch. All of them were innocent and wrongly hanged. Arthur Miller has changed some of the play so it would be easier to write about like the girls in crying out has been reduced and Abigail's age has been raised. There were also 7 judges of equal authority which has all been symbolized in Hathorne and Danforth. The story starts out with a group of girls who were caught dancing in the woods by Reverend Parris. He also saw one of them naked in the woods. Next morning Betty falls ill and Parris keeps asking what's wrong with her and what did Abigail do to her. He asks about the devil and Abigail sees this as an opportunity to blame people for being involved with the devil and getting her own back on people. We then see people coming into the house and leaving. Abigail tells all these people who she saw with the devil. Later on we get introduced to John Proctor who was respected in Salem and even feared. He is in his middle thirties and was a farmer. Then in Act2 John Proctor sits down to dinner with his wife, Elizabeth. Mary Warren, their servant, has gone to the witch trials, disobeying Elizabeth's order that she remain in the house. Fourteen... ...eople were acting quickly. At the beginning everybody speaks with the same dialect. He uses goody for names which is short for good wife. And people call each other with mister and miss. This all contributes to the feeling of a different society. Distanced not only by time but by the way it communicated. While we was reading it in class, there was some people who thought that John Proctor took the easy way out and was being selfish by committing suicide and leaving his children and wife to them selves and not standing up to the rest of the village by knowing that people wouldn't like him anymore and if he died then he wouldn't have to put up with that. I think though that he changed during the play and did what was right by trying to do his best and make up to his wife about his mistakes. He changes and tries to take the blame instead of everyone else.

Psychology †Biological Explanation of Eating Disorders Essay

The biological approach suggests that AN is due a physical cause, suggesting it could be due to something within the body or brain; such as hypothalamus dysfunction or an imbalance of neurotransmitters. The hypothalamus dysfunction theory would suggest that animals have a â€Å"set weight† which is correct for their body, if this weight should increase or decrease then the body should make adjustments to regulate food intake to their â€Å"set weight†. The hypothalamus is thought to have quite a lot of control over our eating behaviour, the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is considered to be the feeding switch that makes an individual begin to feed whereas the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is the satiety switch that makes an individual stop feeding. Garfinkel and Gardner (1982) suggested that a disturbed hypothalamus may be the cause of AN, they proposed that any disturbance could lead to either the LH or VMH to be constantly activated. In order to explain AN it is most likely that when the LH is damaged and that the individual never receives a signal (feeling hungry) to begin feeding, if the VMH were damaged then the individual would receive a constant signal to eat so they would never stop feeding. This supports the idea that AN might have a biological explanation, specifically brain dysfunction. Anand and Brobeck conducted an experiment involving the rats, they found that if the LH was damaged it could lead to aphagia (this is a failure to eat when hungry), this provides support for the idea that damage to the hypothalamus can lead to reduced eating which is support for the biological approach of AN. However, there are some concerns with this as the test was conducted with the use of animals so it’s hard to generalise the findings to humans. This is because humans and animals are biologically different so it’s hard to know if humans would respond in the same way if their LH was damaged. Additional research has shown us that when the VMH in rats is stimulated that it stops feeding, which again supports the suggestion that possible over activation of the VMH could result in reduced feeding. This research would also support the biological explanation of AN as if an individual has damage to their hypothalamus then it could result in reduced feeding which would then result in dramatic weight loss, as seen in sufferers of AN. However, this theory is reductionist as it suggests that the only explanation of AN is a biological reason, and it ignores other factors; like things such as stress or sexual abuse which can both lead to AN. Another biological explanation of AN would be that there is an imbalance of serotonin, which is usually associated with depression and anxiety; as disturbed levels of serotonin have been found in AN sufferers. It is also likely that eating disorders arise due to high levels of anxiety which is linked with high levels of serotonin in the body. Bailer et al (1970) compared serotonin activity in recovering anorexia suffers and healthy controls. They found significantly higher activity in the women that were recovering from anorexia, the highest levels found in those women with the highest anxiety levels. This also provides support for AN having a biological cause, in this case an imbalance of neurotransmitters. However, it’s difficult to establish cause and effect in Bailer’s research, this is because the women studied were already recovering from an eating disorder and so it’s impossible to know whether the imbalance of serotonin was the cause of the women’s AN or whether the AN causes an imbalance of serotonin, so it’s hard to know whether or not there is a biological cause of AN with these findings. In addition to this the research is also gender biased, in this case it’s alpha biased as only women were used in this study but it’s generalising the study to men as well. Bailer’s research also raises the debate of determinism vs.free will. The biological approach is deterministic so if an individual has an imbalance of serotonin they will then develop an eating disorder, however this is ignoring our free will as an individual that exercises regularly will over their eating; this is noted in individuals who suffer from anxiety but don’t develop AN. Finally there is the evolutionary approach which suggests that all our behaviours are adaptive, which means that the reason we do certain things is to help us survive in a certain way; according to this theory AN is a behaviour which helps them survive. The evolutionary approach focuses on our ancestors, when weight loss and eating disorders weren’t a consideration and any weight loss would be a lack of food rather than a desire for â€Å"thinness†. Usually when an individual begins to love weight physiological mechanisms activate in order to conserve energy and increase desires for food, however it would not have been adaptive for our ancestors to feel hunger as there may not have been much food available to them, so instead it would be adaptive to â€Å"switch off† the desire so that they could then find food; in order to help our survival. Therefore many characteristics of AN can be considered adaptive to enable our ancestors to move to areas where there was more food rather than being preoccupied by looking for food in their current location. However, this theory doesn’t explain the differences of AN between genders, as girls are more affected by AN than boys; so if the behaviour was adapted then both men and women would be equally effected by this as both genders would have had to search for more food in other areas. An alternative approach to explaining how AN would come from the behaviour approach, which suggests AN is the result of learning rather than a biological explanation. This approach suggests that individuals suffer from AN because of reinforcement, so they have witnessed slim people (who become their role models) being rewarded for their behaviour so they imitate their behaviour in expectation of the same reward.

American History Since 1865 Essay

In the presidential election of 1912 there were two progressive candidates that impacted the landscape of America. Candidates Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were the frontrunner of the 1912 election. This election changed the country in ways that we as Americans can feel today. These two candidates spawned a progressive movement from a place where many American felt as if their government fell to help out the man on the ground doing the work. In a time when there was a big disparity between the rich and the poor throughout the country because of capitalism the President McKinley was assassinated to usher in Theodore Roosevelt. Although he became the President because he was the Vice President at the time of the assassination, Roosevelt’s charisma and his talent for public speaking made him a popular president. His ability to relate to the common man wasn’t the only thing that created favor among the masses; his policies while in office gave played a major role in his popularity. Let’s take a look at some of them. Roosevelt was a person that cared for the people, and as such when the popular book â€Å"The Jungle† by Upton Sinclair brought the countries attention to the meat and how it was packaged. The book told of the horrible unsanitary conditions that the Chicago meatpacking industry used to package their meats. The President then conducting his own investigation, after finding out that conditions were worst then what was in the book he acted quickly signed into law the Food and Drug Act. Thinking of the people and their conditions Roosevelt created what is known today as the Food and Drug Administration. This is just one of the things that President Roosevelt accomplished while in office, showing that he had the welfare of the country in mind. As President Roosevelt’s foreign policy played a major role in making America a superpower. With the creation of the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, President Roosevelt told the world that the United States would police the nations of Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. This wasn’t because we wanted to be nice, but it was to protect the interest of European investors and America’s economic interest (Mitchener and Weidenmier, 1941). This showed that President not only had the people’s welfare in mind but he had the financial future of the country n mind as well. During the election of 1912 there were two big Progressive Candidates that ran in this election. We covered some of the accomplishments/views of Theodore Roosevelt during his presidency before this election period, now let look at the Woodrow Wilson’s views. â€Å"I am, therefore, forced to be a progressive, if for no other reason, because we have not kept up with our changes of conditions, either in the economic field or in the political field. We have not kept up as well as other nations have. We have not kept our practices adjusted to the facts of the case, and until we do, and unless we do, the facts of the case will always have the better of the argument; because if you do not adjust your laws to the facts, so much the worse for the laws, not for the facts, because law trails along after the facts. Only that law is unsafe which runs ahead of the facts and beckons to it and makes it follow the will-o’-the-wisps of imaginative projects. † (Wilson, 1913) In this statement that Wilson made he shows his feeling of why he is a progressive. Just as Roosevelt, Wilson felt as if the government was doing too much, yet not enough for people. So during the 1912 election he found himself running on a New Freedom platform where he wanted to limit federal government and fight the monopolies. He did this by addressing Tariffs, Banks and Business. He was successful in lowering tariff on such things as woolen, steel rails, raw wool, and iron ore. Now when he did this he brought back the federal income tax which hadn’t been in existence since the days of the civil war. Wilson used these federal income taxes to help run our government that he campaigned need to be limited. This federal income tax we are still paying today and we still haven’t limited government’s control over us. By addressing Banks I think that Wilson was able to help the agriculture industry and hurt the country’s finical status in the long run. With the Federal Farm loan Act farmers were able to cover the increasing cost of land. This helped the agriculture industry, but the Federal Reserve System created a system where the country was able to stabilize prices of goods in the country, and mange long term interest rates. I know you’re asking how is this a bad thing, to which I reply â€Å"Housing Market. † I think that if you owned a house or even watched the news you know that this when our system failed us. Thanks Wilson. As far as the Business Wilson was able to establish the Federal Trade Act. This Act was established to deter business from conducting unfair trade practices. The Federal Trades Act allowed its member to investigate and take action on companies who practice unfair trades. Summary In his campaign to change the Country through a New Freedom Woodrow Wilson beat out the more popular Theodore Roosevelt. The changes that Roosevelt made in office and the promises of a new and improved government did not fair that well against the promise of less government in the New Freedom that Woodrow Wilson offered during his campaign. The two Progressive Presidents stood for the betterment of the people and the removal of these giant corporations in the government. They both accomplished this in their own way, yet they did it differently.