Paul Who Had Been A Jewish Rabbi, An Israelite - 1619 Words

Galations 1. Charmaine Warford Summer 2014 In Galations chapter 1 Paul who had been a Jewish rabbi, an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin, was writing a letter to his opponents who may have been proto-Pelagians 2. who were trying to persuade the Galations to seek justification by performing good moral deeds. There was a significant group known as â€Å"the Judaizers† in early Christianity, especially among Jewish Christians, who felt that Christian converts had to observe the Jewish Law, as well as follow the teachings of Christ, 3. and this applied even to Gentiles. The message of the church, that a crucified Messiah provides salvation for all, contradicted the traditions of Judaism. Certainly a Messiah on a†¦show more content†¦Judaizers wanted to preach works but Paul wrote that we must preach Christ alone. 7. Paul was not a passive individual as he describes himself in verse 14 he was â€Å"exceedingly zealous†. He appears to be talking to an audience who knew him in the past as a strong Jew who upheld the traditions of his people. He also stated in verse 14 that he â€Å"profited in the Jews’ religion† 8. so he was possibly politically powerful and personally benefiting from his status in the community while upholding the Jewish traditions of his fathers. He wants to make it clear to his audience that what he is preaching to them now is not of man but is by divine revelation from God by his grace. To demonstrate his point, Paul recounts his conversion, in which he switched from being a persecutor of the church to being a preacher of its gospel. He wants to advise that his conversion occurred through a direct act of God, who â€Å"was pleased to reveal his Son to me, 9. so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles†. The revelation of who Jesus really was came directly from God and for a clear purpose so that Paul could take the message to the Gentiles. Paul insisted that the Spirit is the same Spirit through whom G od spoke and acted in the history of Israel, the difference is that through Jesus the Spirit is now poured out on all God’s people, Jew and Gentile alike. 10. The fact that Paul criticized some aspects of his native Judaism 11. and that he announced a gospel to the

Culinary Institute of America free essay sample

â€Å"Find Something you are passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.† Julia Child I was very small when I discovered the love I had for foodmaking food, decorating food, plating food, eating food. At around four years old, I remember watching reruns of Baking With Julia when I went to take a nap. â€Å"Come on Andie, its time for our nap,† my mom said, like regular clockwork at 10:30 that morning. â€Å"But I don’t want to sleep,† I said, trying to make my sobs sound just a little bit more legitimate. I crawl dejectedly to the top of my parents king sized waterbed, sneaking my feet underneath the comforter; secretly I was really happy to lay down for my â€Å"resting time.† I knew exactly what was coming, and the second the TV turned on, I was silent. This particular time, the first thing to come up was an episode with Martha Stewart as the guest. I try to deal fairly with all and am open to others’ opinions. I follow directions very well and do what I am told while still trying to infuse my own creativity into the food I cook. My strongest point in the kitchen is my ability to use the equipment for its intended purposes. I work well with melon/cheeseballers, whisks, blenders, pans, and especially cutlery. I use only the finest Hitori Hanzo cutlery and take the utmost care in cutting, dicing, mincing, and chopping with speed and precision while maintaining a safe cutting environment. When it comes to the speed of productivity, you can find no one better. In my mind, my most profitable skill would have to be my enthusiasm and willingness to try new things. Cooking is a skill that can never be perfected no matter how hard you try but the knowledge I want to obtain will help me in the kitchen more than anything else. The CIA is such a prestigious school that I would be honored to attend. I promise to be a student who will live up to its high expectations.

China Economic Growth Essays - Chinese Communists, Marxist Theorists

China Economic Growth Two years after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, it became apparent to many of China's leaders that economic reform was necessary. During his tenure as China's premier, Mao had encouraged social movements such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which had as their bases ideologies such as serving the people and maintaining the class struggle. By 1978 "Chinese leaders were searching for a solution to serious economic problems produced by Hua Guofeng, the man who had succeeded Mao Zedong as CCP leader after Mao's death" (Shirk 35). Hua had demonstrated a desire to continue the ideologically based movements of Mao. Unfortunately, these movements had left China in a state where "agriculture was stagnant, industrial production was low, and the people's living standards had not increased in twenty years" (Nathan 200). This last area was particularly troubling. While "the gross output value of industry and agriculture increased by 810 percent and national income grew by 420 percent [between 1952 and 1980] ... average individual income increased by only 100 percent" (Ma Hong quoted in Shirk 28). However, attempts at economic reform in China were introduced not only due to some kind of generosity on the part of the Chinese Communist Party to increase the populace's living standards. It had become clear to members of the CCP that economic reform would fulfill a political purpose as well since the party felt, properly it would seem, that it had suffered a loss of support. As Susan L. Shirk describes the situation in The Political Logic of Economic Reform in China, restoring the CCP's prestige required improving economic performance and raising living standards. The traumatic experience of the Cultural Revolution had eroded popular trust in the moral and political virtue of the CCP. The party's leaders decided to shift the base of party legitimacy from virtue to competence, and to do that they had to demonstrate that they could deliver the goods. (23) This movement "from virtue to competence" seemed to mark a serious departure from orthodox Chinese political theory. Confucius himself had posited in the fifth century BCE that those individuals who best demonstrated what he referred to as moral force should lead the nation. Using this principle as a guide, China had for centuries attempted to choose at least its bureaucratic leaders by administering a test to determine their moral force. After the Communist takeover of the country, Mao continued this emphasis on moral force by demanding that Chinese citizens demonstrate what he referred to as "correct consciousness." This correct consciousness could be exhibited, Mao believed, by the way people lived. Needless to say, that which constituted correct consciousness was often determined and assessed by Mao. Nevertheless, the ideal of moral force was still a potent one in China even after the Communist takeover. It is noteworthy that Shirk feels that the Chinese Communist Party leaders saw economic reform as a way to regain their and their party's moral virtue even after Mao's death. Thus, paradoxically, by demonstrating their expertise in a more practical area of competence, the leaders of the CCP felt they could demonstrate how they were serving the people. To be sure, the move toward economic reform came about as a result of a "changed domestic and international environment, which altered the leadership's perception of the factors that affect China's national security and social stability" (Xu 247). But Shirk feels that, in those pre-Tienenmen days, such a move came about also as a result of an attempt by CCP leaders to demonstrate, in a more practical and thus less obviously ideological manner than Mao had done, their moral force. This is not to say that the idea of economic reform was embraced enthusiastically by all members of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party in 1978. To a great extent, the issue of economic reform became politicized as the issue was used as a means by Deng Xiaoping to attain the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao's successor, Hua Guofeng, had "tried to prove himself a worthy successor to Mao by draping himself in the mantle of Maoist tradition. His approach to economic development was orthodox Maoism with an up-to-date, international twist" (Shirk 35). This approach was tied heavily to the development of China's oil reserves. "When in 1978 estimates of the oil reserves were revised downward commitments to import plants and expand heavy industry could not be sustained" (Shirk 35). Deng took advantage of this economic crisis to discredit Hua and aim for leadership of the party. "Reform policies became Deng's

Racial Disparities in Healthca essays

Racial Disparities in Healthca essays Minorities suffer disproportionately from health disparities and disparities in health care received. The impact of these disparities becomes even more profound when the projected growth of the population of Americans who are minorities are taken into account. African-Americans for example continue to have the highest rates of mortality from heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease and HIV/AIDS than any other U.S. racial or ethnic group. American Indians disproportionately die from diabetes, liver disease and cirrhosis, and unintentional injuries. Hispanic Americans are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes. In addition, some Asian-American subpopulations experience rates of stomach, liver and cervical cancers that are well above the national averages (Collins, Hall, Differences in access to healthcare play a role in these disparities. Hispanics, Asian Americans, American Indians and African-Americans are less likely than whites to have health insurance, have more difficulty getting healthcare, and have fewer choices in where to receive care. Hispanic and African-American patients are also more likely to receive care in hospital emergency rooms, and are less likely than whites to have regular primary care providers (Collins, Hall, National data reveal that over the past fifty years, the health of both minorities and white persons has improved in the United States as evidenced by increases in life expectancy and declines in mortality (National Center for Health Statistics, 2000.) Despite steady improvement in the overall health of the U.S. population, ra...

How the Battle of Saratoga Changed the Course of the War Research Paper

How the Battle of Saratoga Changed the Course of the War - Research Paper Example How the battle of Saratoga changed the course of the war The Battle of Saratoga changed the course of the war because it was the first main fight which proved that the Americans can win the revolution. First of all, the battle ignited revolutionary spirit among the American revolutionaries who fought for freedom. The battle proved that large army and navy cannot win a battle. Instead, revolutionary spirit and cohesion among the fighters can be helpful to win a battle like the Battle of Saratoga. Before the Battle of Saratoga, the scope of Americans to win the American Revolution and the American War of Independence was under doubt. One can easily identify that the defeat of the British colonizers during the American Revolution helped the Americans to gain confidence and fight for their ultimate freedom. The American victory in the Battle of Saratoga forced France to help the revolutionaries in America. Besides, other European nations like Spain and Holland followed the decision of Fr ance. â€Å"Many generations of American historians have referred to the two battles in Saratoga as the turning point of the American Revolution because they prompted France’s entry into the war (Starbuck 1999, 20).†1 Within this context, international support accelerated the revolutionary spirit of the Americans and it ultimately led to the victory in the American War of Independence. From a different angle of view, the Battle of Saratoga spread the spirit of nationalism and democracy. â€Å"The surrender of an entire British army and the capture of a large slash of military supplies, arms, and munitions came just at the critical juncture, right after General Howe had completed the takeover of Philadelphia, to boost sagging American morale (Morton 2003, 58).†2 For instance, the victory in the Battle of Saratoga eventually led American colonies to the victory in American Revolution. Besides, it led America to the American War of Independence and it ignited the s pirit of nationalism in France. For example, victory in the Battle of Saratoga and the American Revolution deeply influenced the French Revolution. From a different angle of view, the French intervention in the British colonies in America changed the course of the American War of Independence. For instance, France opened warfronts in British colonies other than America. This movement forced the British forces to give less importance to the revolution in America. Besides, it eventually led to the American victory in the revolution. To be specific, expanded war reduced the British victory in the war. The meeting between Benjamin Franklin (American representative) and Charles Gravier (say, the foreign minister in France) can be evaluated as a turning point in France’s support and involvement in the war. Charles Gravier’s opinion influenced Louis XIV and France decided to support America. In the year 1778, France intervened in the war between the British forces and the Ame rican colonies and it changed the course of the war. The British authorities considered the American colonies as an unending source of revenue. So they exerted heavy tax on the colonies. This infuriated the people in America and they decided to revolt against this injustice. General John Burgoyne’

Blog Reflection Post for personal branding Research Paper

Blog Reflection Post for personal branding - Research Paper Example Lewis presents five classification in conformity as far as branding is concerned. They are: Fearing Breed conformity, Buck the norm, questioning everything, Running away, and lastly, embracing risks (Lewis, 2014) Conformity has affected the way marketing is carried out in this age. Customers indulge purchase practices to the acceptable groups in society. Many business ventures opt to follow this practices and this has played a role in eradication of the innovative spirits in entrepreneurs. Personal branding therefore steps in to make a careful study and manage such consumer perceptions to ensure success in marketing. (Rampersad, 2009). According to Lewis 2014, of which is true, his idea of ‘screaming louder’ is very costly. It will require lots of funds to finance. The world of marketing has also become so competitive and personal branding should embrace unique ways which ought to be less costly. Hence it’s a key factor to do a careful analysis on consumer preference. Business ventures should embrace ways to stand out as unique but not drifting away from the expectations of their customers. Montoya 2002, notes that personal branding is an asset to the business venture and ensures excellence. Conformity is still a major setback to customization. Lewis 2014 quotes that three-quarters of the individuals in a group conform to a phenomenon at the first instance. This presents a critical viewpoint that marketers ought to take so as to achieve their sales targets without compromising their customers. Lewis presents three tips, which are agreeable to me: first is to make a comprehensive analysis of industry’s best performers, then to analyze market norms and lastly to take in the aspect of rick and insurance. The business can then be confident to take a different route cautiously having in mind that its customers will ‘feel better’ going in that direction. Effective branding in a corporate environment seeks to

Plato and Aristotle Essay Example for Free

Plato and Aristotle Essay Plato and Aristotle were two philosophers who made an impact on philosophy as we know it as today. Plato is thought of as the first political philosopher and Aristotle as the first metaphysical philosopher. They were both great intellectuals in regards to being the first of the great western philosophers. Plato and Aristotle each had ideas in how to better life by improving the societies in which they were part of during their lives. The views of Plato and Aristotle look different but they do have some similarities to them. Plato is mostly known for his Theory of Forms and Aristotle is known for his thoughts in universals. Even though they both thought a bit differently they did agree in a few things. Plato and Aristotle not only had an impact on society in the past but today’s society as well. Plato was a teacher to Aristotle and lived during the Peloponnesian War, which lead to the end of the Athenian democracy. He had eyewitness account of Socrates, his mentor, trial and execution. Unhappy with the political corruption that plagued the Athenian democratic government, he removed himself from politics. He strongly felt that neither a moral individual nor a state could be established in a democratic environment. Plato felt that the common man was not intelligent enough to deal with concepts that influence the state such as economics, policies and other relative matters. He thought of philosophers as being the most intelligent among men. He viewed political incumbents in the Athens government basically as bought individuals in office for the good of themselves and not society as a whole. Another danger was that extreme liberties given to the people in the democratic society could potentially lead an anarchy. Aristotle was a student of Plato’s and teacher of Alexander the Great. He created his own school in Athens. He thought of metaphysics to be the first philosophy, which was a large interest to him. Aristotle’s stated that forms were universal. According to Aristotle, notion of Essential properties makes something what it is, and accidental properties are the differences of that item. Aristotle believed the state and the individual are similar and democracy would be the better government. In Book VII of The Republic by Plato, Socrates describes the Allegory of the Cave. It is a metaphor to illustrate the effects of education on the human soul. It can also be understood as what is real and what is believed to be real in life. Eventhough Plato had his ideal city, the forms was really what people could connect with. There is so much one can take from his thoughts on the forms that could be applied to society today. Plato starts out comparing people that are uneducated to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their head. All they can see is the wall of the cave in front of them. A fire behind them burns bright. Between the fire and the prisoners, there is an area for puppeteers to move around and hold up the puppets to cast shadows on the wall that is in front of the prisoners. This is what the prisoners see every single day. This is all they know; shadows, echoes, the smell of the fire, and darkness. They believe that that shadows are reality. One of the prisoners is allowed to go outside of the cave. Once they reach the outside of the cave, they are blinded by the light because they have not seen such. Once their eyes start to adjust, they start seeing shapes and objects around them. They see that the sun is what creates light and that the tall objects with leaves are trees. They are colorful with moving parts. They go back outside to tell the prisoners, but they are not believed. Those still inside of the cave thinks the person just came in from the outside ill because that is not what they see in the cave, they did not see the outside for themselves, so therefore, it does not exist. So now the person that just came in from the bright sun light cannot see very well in the darkness of the cave, their eyes have not adjusted to the darkness, and people think they are crazy. This is where this view fails for Aristotle because it is not realistic. Aristotle rejects Plato’s Theory of Forms, and makes the way for his realistic approach, which underlines observation first and abstract reasoning second. Being a student of Plato’s, I believe he was indebted to justify at lengths why he disagrees with doctrines of his teacher. He provided detailed arguments against many of Plato’s doctrines, a lot of his major works, focusing in particular on the Theory of Forms. In Aristotle’s critique he thinks this theory is essentially an assertion of the superiority of universals over particulars. Plato argues that particular instances of beauty or justice exists only because they participate in the universal Form of Beauty. Say a there are two objects, one is colorless and the other one is red. The colorless one goes where the red on is located. Since the colorless object and the red object are participating, they areboth red objects. They have a certain nurture and nature. However, Aristotle argues that universal concepts of beauty and justice derive from the instances of beauty and justice in this world. We only arrive at an idea of beauty by observing particular instances of beauty. This universal quality of beauty has no existence beyond this idea that we build from particular instances. He is staying that the particulars come first and the universals come after and therefor, Aristotle places emphasis on the importance of observing the details of this world. Which leads me to understand his thoughts on happiness a little more. With putting the weight on observing happiness can measured by a person’s life. Aristotle lays out in Book X in the Nicomachean Ethic’s, the continuation of his thoughts on pleasure, happiness and the end of life, and ethics and politics. His view on happiness and the end of human life really made me question his way of thinking. Aristotle suggests that happiness is the final end of life because nothing is greater than happiness or the good life and it goes against his universal theory. Aristotle proposes that happiness, or the good life, is taken to be a most final end. â€Å"We said, then, that happiness is not a characteristic, for in that case it could be present even to someone asleep thought his life, living the life of plants, and to someone undergoing the greatest misfortunes. † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1176a-1176b). The good life for humans is the life of choosing to life the life according to the virtues. â€Å"For we choose everything, so to speak, for the sake of something else-except happiness, for it is the end. † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1176b). Also, it seems that only humans can be happy because the happiness is an important nature of every individual human and it is unique to humans in that the function of humans is what distinguishes them from other kinds of things. Happiness is a self-sufficient activity desirable for its own sake. One seeks nothing from happiness beyond the actual experience or performance of it as an activity. Activities that are desirable in themselves are activities in conformity with virtue and indicates that the greatest happiness must be activity in conformity with the highest virtue. It is wrong to confuse happiness with various kinds of amusements involving bodily pleasures, as many people do. Such amusements are neither virtuous nor ends in themselves,but are merely relaxing diversions in which one occasionally engages for the sake of future activity. The greatest happiness is activity in conformity with the highest virtue is excellence. Intelligence is mans highest possession and the objects of intelligence are the highest objects within his grasp. It is clear that the life of contemplation and theoretical wisdom must be the greatest of human virtues and the highest form of happiness. The objects of the contemplative life are the unchangeable and eternal verities that underlie and govern the universe. From contemplation of these truths the soul derives a feeling of purity and stability. â€Å"Further, this active is most continuous, for we are more able to contemplate continuously than we are to do anything else whatever. † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1177a). Also, the wise person is able to contemplate by himself, the wiser he is the more adept he will be doing so. Contemplative happiness is not dependent on other men. It is the form of life in which human beings come most nearly to being divine, the life that harmonizes with intellect, and that life seems to be the happiest, according to Aristotle. There is another kind of happiness, based on moral virtue and practical wisdom, which is concerned with feelings that spring from mans bodily nature. It can be defined as the harmonious coordination of all parts of mans complete being. This kind of happiness is not as exalted as the contemplative, but it helps prepare us for the higher happiness and, since man is not all mind and reason, gives us something to fall back upon when we are unable to remain continuously at the higher level. â€Å"For if there is a certain care for human things on the part of gods, as in fact there is held to be, it would be also reasonable for gods to delight in what is best and most akin to them – this would be the intellect – and to benefit in return those who cherish this above all and honor it, on the grounds that these latter are caring for what is dear to gods as well as acting correctly and nobly. † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1179a). This person is the happiest and a wise person would be extremely happy. I believe this idea has some hints of Plato’s forms. The one person who went outside of the cave and saw it all was brought down by all the people in the cave that didn’t see the outside. Aristotle states that you cannot be happy with a lot of friends because they are not true friends. I believe those excess friendships would be a similar situation in the cave. They would not bring your happiness, only suffering. Aristotle and Plato have similaritiesin their city states as well. Plato gives a place to women, but Aristotle does not seem to care for women. When reading Plato, the texts are in Socrates’s voice. It makes it hard to connect what he is saying, especially in the Republic since it is a play. Also, one cannot tell if Socrates, Plato, is being serious or straightforward or if it’s Socrates’s thoughts or Plato’s. In Nicomachean Ethics, the text is Aristotle’s lecture notes and he is the author of them. While reading, it seems that Plato comes out and gives his opinion on matters, but Aristotle presents them, but does not come out and say what his thoughts are. Plato and Aristotle were two philosophers who made a huge impact on philosophy. They were both great western philosophers. Plato and Aristotle each had ideas in how to better life by improving the societies in which they were part of during their lives. Although they are thought to have completely different views, when laid out, their views have some similarities.