Incense

This is where Jesus died, rose, saved us from our sins and ascended back into heaven. Luke’s gospel begins and ends in Jerusalem. The infancy narrative begins with Zechariah in the Jerusalem Temple offering incense and ends with the child Jesus in the Temple. Luke’s gospel contains the unique with the story of the boy Jesus in the Temple and many people believe that was not a part of Luke’s original infancy narrative. It was later added on and is reflective…

The Fatal Book Both Dorian and Des Esseintes also explore the fineries of clothing, and décor, but more so they strongly draw upon the study of jewels. Dorian wears a dress coated in over five hundred pearls. He could spend an entire day going through his collection of stones of silver, topaz, amethyst, ruby, opal and sapphire. He then explores more exotic jewels and silks that he procures from all over the world. He fills his home with these wonderful treasures and uses them to distract himself…

Abstract In order to help understand and explore how social upbringing influences who one becomes in life, a study regarding social background influences in Roman Catholicism on the belief of paranormal is considered. This is significant because the belief in things without evidence, purely based on social upbringing could play a piece into the bigger picture. Is it possible that one’s certain surroundings could make someone more susceptible into believing in the paranormal? This is what I wish…

Back in early European history, there were often many disagreements between people, especially when it came to religion. These disagreements can lead to a wide variety of things, whether it be war, compromise, or just flat out tension. In one of the bigger disputes of religion in European history, Martin Luther and John Calvin vs. the Catholic Church, there was no clear winner or loser towards the beginning, once the two men proposed their ideas of why the Catholic Church wasn’t to be followed…

Christmas, the 25th of December, is the most important festival of the year. Celebrated by most countries in the world, Christmas is a time of shopping, taking a break from work, connecting with friends and family, and reflecting on the year. Though most Christians view it is a day in honor of God to remember and celebrate the birth of His Son, taking a closer look and an investigative perspective draws parallels with pagan customs practiced long before Christ was born. In this essay, I will…

The First Crusade started in 1096 and ended in 1099. It began when the Byzantine Emperor Alexio I Komneos sought after military assistance from Pope Urban II because they were losing the battle against the Muslims in Turkey. The Western Church and the Byzantines were not on the best terms, and the church had no reason to help them. So, the Byzantines persuaded the church with zealous letters, and after some considerations, the church decided to assist the Byzantine Emperor in defeating the…

Buddhist teachings and worship are at the centre of Buddhism, creating the foundation of faith. This can be shown through the way that adherents use the teachings as a guidance in the area of bioethics, the way that the Dalai Lama embodies these teachings to provide a model for Buddhist living and in the ultimate expression of these teachings, worship through temple puja. Consequently, adherents are guided in the journey of self and community toward the path of enlightenment. The interrelation…

The elements of water, fire, wind, earth and aether are at the core of her practice. Every Wiccan practitioner has their own preferred element or more. Mrs. Johnson’s preferred elements are fire and earth. Due to her current living situation she favors fire for candle burning or burning herbs when spell casting. The earth is her way of grounding and she uses earth in ninety-nine percent of her practice. Air is important in giving life and providing oxygen for all things to live and grow. Air is…

Although James Joyce was the first to use the religious term “epiphany” in a literary sense, it has become a main theme in many other short works. Gustave Flaubert’s protagonist Félicité from “A Simple Heart” along with Goodman Brown from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” both experience what could be called an epiphany. Flaubert and Hawthorne’s protagonists have a religious epiphany while in a possible dream state. The stories finish with phantasmal epiphanies where the…

“Now it’s your turn to hide! I’ll count to twenty! Ready? 1 2 3...” I ran downstairs as she continued to count. The steep stairs almost made me fall, but I caught my balance. I opened the first door I saw when I got downstairs. There was a dark hall that looked like the setting of a horror movie. As if something was going to come out at me. I went to the end of the hall where I reached a hidden door. The bathroom. Perfect! She’ll never find me here. “Lucy! Lucy! Where are you?” Haley yelled. I…