I decided to take History of the Bible to gain insight into my own religious beliefs and to slake my historical thirst inspired by the Bible. What I received was a flooding of thoughts and ideas that almost drowned me. The experience was awe-inspiring, frustrating, enlightening and enigmatic. Muc...

In the most simplest of terms, a covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties, but in the Old Testament, the term covenant is most closely allied with the prophet Abraham and his covenant with God (i.e., Jehovah). Generally speaking, the covenant of the Israelites included God's...

Christlikeness One thing that has really spoken to me in this course was studying the contrast of two ways to read scripture (to reinforce current beliefs vs. receiving fullness of Christ). I didn't so much read scripture to reinforce current beliefs b...

It is often said that Jesus lives inside all of us. Sometimes this is hard to believe, almost impossible. However, Ken Kesey shows through his character R. P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest that the Spirit of Christ is present in even the least expected of all people. McMurphy symboliz...

Cosmogony, or the creation or origin of the world or universe (Merriam-Webster Online), is a distinctly universal theme found in mythology from across the globe and throughout time. The study of the concept of cosmogony is important because, as a cornerstone of the mythological beliefs of many cult...

More Than a Carpenter By: Josh McDowell This book was written for those who remain unsure and skeptical about Jesus Christ. In this book, Josh McDowell covers many theories on the resurrection, the reliability of the Bible records, and the messianic prophecies. Faith is a matter of belie...

Luther's and Calvin's reforming insights The early 1500's was a time of radical protest within the Church. The search for truth and the desire to escape the corruption of the popes and priests lead to the reformation movement. Luther and Calvin were two of the main reformers. We w...

St Benedict lived from 480 A.D. to 547 A.D. He founded the first monestary in Monte Casino. He developed a detailed plan for monastic communities, called The Rule of St. Benedict. The rules for the monestary were completely derived from the bible....

Theology of Love or Hate? "I make seeking my salvation the main business of my life." (editor, Perkins. 103). At the time of the preceding statement, Jonathan Edwards neither had a full understanding of God's redeeming love or the ability to convey the simplicity of salvati...

Since the dawn of time, a small number of men and women have found themselves to be attracted to members of their own sex. This has come to be known as homosexuality. In every age, this minority has struggled with the prejudices and hatred of others unfamiliar with the homosexual struggle. Even t...

Several critics have argued that William Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 refers to the biblical story of Job. In the book of Job, one can see several similarities that parallel the story told in Sonnet 29. Both stories begin with the idea of being wealthy in the materialistic aspects of life, which then dis...

There are two different interpretations of the story of Beowulf. One interpretation is that of a fundamentally Christian nature and the other being a distorted superficial Christian nature. As one would think, these inverse ideas should be easily justifiable or dismissed. However, upon the first rea...

There are vast amounts of electronic resources available on Bob Dylan. Most internet resources deal with current tour dates, set listings, available lyrics, and general reasons why the web designer has a Bob Dylan page and why he or she likes Dylan. These are of little use for someone attempting ...

The Gospels Gospel Paper # 2 Martin Albl November 20, 2000 I. What is a parable? II. Why did Jesus teach in parables? III. What major parables did he teach? A. Parable of the Vineyard Owner B. Parable of the Mustard Seed C. Parable of the Fig Tree IV. What is the meaning of each parable? V. ...

Critical Analysis Worthy of Being Called In Ephesians 4:1-3, we read, "As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit thro...

Hinduism and Christianity All religions seek the same truth. They all try to help man understand his place in this confusing and often tragic world. Followers search for the answers to life's questions in the comforts of faith in a particular religion, but how those religions provide for thei...

Banned Books Throughout the century there has existed books have books which have been the objects of censorship or censorship attempts. Every year, books in the U.S. and around the world are challenged. Some of the challenged books are banned, some aren't. Many were banne...

A Comp arison: Sumerian and Hebrew Views of the Afterlife For centuries religion has been a significant and intricate part of human societies. Some would say that religion is as important to mankind as food and water. While food and water keeps us going,religion provides a reason and purp...

Hebrew and Greek attitudes toward killing are similar, but once religion is factored in a remarkable difference is revealed. Early Hebrew citizens were murderous people by nature, much like the Greeks, but had God looking down on them saying to them that killing was wrong. Greek citizens would en...

In 586 B.C.E. the neo-Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar raided and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, forcing its people to flee. The majority of the Judean leaders and aristocracy were relocated in Babylon, and lived in relative isolation from even their captors. The Exile robbed them of t...

Genesis As Myth By: Edmund Leach In the book, Genesis As Myth, by Edmund Leach. He stated that everybody had different views on myth's in Genesis. For example German theologian who defined myth as the "expression of unobservable realities in terms of observable phenomena."...

The Death Penalty: a Necessary Evil Life is the most wonderful gift that God gives us. He also gives us the power to do what we wish with that life. We can keep it and guard it, or we can take it away. It follows that murder is the worst crime anyone could ever commit. It is a crime...

Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe, is a story about a man and his extraordinary travels throughout the world. In the beginning, Robinson Crusoe travels out to sea against the will of his father. He learns to regret this, though, as he becomes enslaved, and later shipwrecked. He became shipwrecked ...

The Bilderberg first gathered in May, 1954 at a hotel located in Holland. This group, which is named after the hotel in which they first gathered, is composed of many global elite. World leaders, politicians and wealthy business people comprise the membership of the Bilderberg. Their meetings occu...

It was day four of our mission's trip in Acũna, Mexico, and I was on my way to chapel. As I approached the front doors of the building, the Faith Mission's coordinator, brother Ealers, approached us. "Your ticket to get into chapel will be one Hispanic person," Brother...