Olmec Religion Report By Uyen Pham Who, why, and how did the Olmec worship? The Olmec were rich in religion, all ceremonial or activity in the religion were done by shamans, people who were believed to have supernatural powers to spirits. Priests and rulers also participated in ceremonial activities, but rulers were the most influential to others because they were thought to be relatives of the gods in Olmec religion.…
While these leaders create beliefs which are very outrageous for their members to believe, they also have very high expectations for their members to uphold. The leadership demands a lot from the members. Controlling how they think, act, and feel. Members must obtain permission by the leader for every detail of their lives; from who to date, when to change jobs, who to marry, and even whether or not to have children. Members are also expected to gather money from outsiders of the group, while also recruiting new members.…
A couple weeks ago, Holy Ghost had its annual service trip to the Dominican Republic. I had heard about the trip from Dr. O’Connor when I did the summer enrichment program in 6th grade. I looked forward to going on the trip when I got to Ghost, and I got the chance this summer. At first I was really nervous, but by the second day there I realized how special the trip truly is. I got to give my Spanish a jog, I got to meet a ton of new people, and I had my eyes opened to a new way of living.…
Lost In Judaism The year 2004 was just not a very good year overall. In this year, devastating tsunami struck multiple countries in Southeast Asia, President George W. Bush was re-elected, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the finals of the NBA Championship, and last but not least, the USA Men’s Basketball team lost to Argentina in the semifinals of the 2004 Olympics in Athens. However, despite all the news of disasters and disappointments, some good things also happened in this year. For example, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since the year 1918, Michael Phelps earned six out of his total of twenty three Olympic gold medals in this year, and Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban was out in…
Religion played a vital role in the development of community leadership in the black communities. Black churches existed in the South before the Civil War, but they were under white control. When the war came to an end, many “African American congregations of Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and other sects separated from white ones” (Keene, 415). Often times, these churches were the only places that upheld the idea of freedom. Churches also ran the schools and charities within the communities.…
On the other hand, the invisible church consists of those who have been redeemed and are truly Christians. They are born again, new creatures, and are indwelt by God (John 14:23). They are the ones who have trusted by faith alone in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and have repented of their sins. They believe in Jesus as God in flesh (John 1:1, 14, Colossians 2:9) who died on the cross and physically rose from the dead as a payment for our sins. These people are the ones who have been justified by faith (Romans 3:28, 5:1).…
Stranger in a Strange Land, written by Robert A. Heinlein, is set in a future United States where organized religions are politically powerful. The book opens up with a ship returning from a trip to Mars with an interesting passenger, Michael Valentine Smith, the son of crewmembers from a previous voyage to the planet. He was born on the ship twenty-five years ago and raised by Martians until he came to Earth. The story focuses on Michael’s adaptation to humans and their culture. In Stranger in a Strange Land, Heinlein questions and criticizes major axioms of western culture by following Michael Valentine Smith as he explores Earth through fresh, naïve eyes and experiences new-to-him but otherwise normal human concepts such as religion, the opposite sex, and sex itself.…
Spiritually I am still a very spiritual person; I do practice wiccan. In my religion God is the omnipotent one, to be revered as such. My past experiences in life have brought me heart ache and pain. I have lost both of my parents to cancer. Although, I am an LPN, when I performed hospice care for my father two years ago, I not only gave him the medication to help his final transition to the next plain.…
Mormonism, also known as The Church of Jesus-Latter Day Saints, is a fast growing religion in the United States. When Jesus Christ lived on the earth, he organized his church so that all his people could receive his gospel and return to one day live with God. After Jesus Christ died, Mormonism’s believe that Jesus not only was resurrected and ascended to heaven, he left his apostles’ to continue to receive revelation and guidance from Jesus Christ through what is called the Holy Ghost. In this paper I will discuss the origin of Mormonism and the impact it has had on both economic and social structures in the United States. Stephen H. Webb in his article talks about how Mormonism is a religion of endurance, its organizational understanding,…
“Close your eyes, and imagine a picture of a cat. Do you see that cat? I bet you did, but the question is, if your eyes are closed who actually saw that cat? Your spirit did, of course, because you are a spirit.” When the preacher said this, I was appalled due to the fact that as I was growing up I was taught that our spirit can leave us, that it is not a part of us all the time.…
A vintage watch that was given to you from a friend or relative, a championship trophy that you won with your team, a special photograph with someone you love, these are all objects that could have meaning to someone, something that they consider sacred. But does the object itself hold value or the meaning behind it? If that same item was given to a random person, would it still hold the same meaning to them as it did to you? I believe an object is a representation of what is truly sacred, your character. Your character is sacred because it defines who you are as a person.…
The modern-day organization of Jehovah's Witness began at the end of the 19th century. At that time, a small group of Bible students who lived near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States, began a systematic analysis of the Bible. They compared the doctrines taught by the churches with what the Bible really teaches. They began publishing what they learned in books, newspapers, and the journal that is now called The Watchtower-Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom.…
How should we Christians relate to the pagan world and their works? This is a question that has been examined by many of the great Christian minds throughout history and their answers vary. Tertullian for example considered non-Christian philosophy to be the root of heresy and an evil the destroys the faith of any Christian foolish enough to study it. On the other hand, Justin the martyr beloved that some pagan works were really the seeds of Christendom planted before the coming of Christ. Justin's view comes the closest to realizing the perfect biblical view for two primary reasons, some pagans followed God without knowing him by name and God used even immoral or ignorant pagans to plant the seeds for the coming of his Son.…
Jesse Aylsworth Research Paper RELS 313 April 18, 2016 In Tibet, art and religion are connected on many levels, images are not purely aesthetic, instead art operates on a deeper, spiritual and cultural level, which can be applied to almost every part of traditional Tibetan life, Tibetan thangka paintings, from process, creation and ultimately the final sacred image, aid in devotional religious activity for Tibetan Buddhist practitioners and helps preserve the tradition. There are essentially two types of thangka artists working according to Buddhist tradition, they are Buddhist monks and professional painters. The majority of thangka painters are trained professionals. Painters must study under strict supervision and instruction.…
Paganism is a very ancient religion the word paganism comes from the word "pagus” which means a "country dweller or villager" This is not a christian religion it is stated that paganism is older than Christianity. Paganism is a polytheistic or pantheistic nature-base religion. Pagans worship many Gods and Goddess or they just chose one or the other to work with Pagans are not set in stone type of people there are many different traditions throughout paganism. Most pagans do not tell everyone they are pagan for the fact they they would be outcast or persecuted. In today's modern world of paganism there are covens and communities of pagans throughout the world it is what we call Wicca which is a newer form of paganism.…