History of Christianity Essay Example for Free

History of Christianity Essay Both Christianity and Judaism came from the same God. Both Judaism and Christianity share the same Old Testament as our holy scriptures. The foundations of faith in God are rooted in the Old Testament, so also that of the Jews, for their history and their laws are all in the Old Testament. Moreover, the entire Old Testament was written by Jews. The New Testament was also written by Jews with the exception of Luke. Judaism is the name that men have attached to the formative stages of biblical faith (Old Testament) and Christianity is the name that men have attached to the completing stage of biblical faith (New Testament). Mojzes Swidler, 2002) Christianity as a religion was an offshoot of Judaism. It has been said that Judaism does not need Christianity to explain its existence, but Christianity needs Judaism both to explain its existence and what it believes. Hence, Christianity has also been termed historically as the Judeo-Christian faith. In the early years of the Christian faith, Christianity was regarded as just another sect of Judaism known as the sect of the Nazarenes. The early disciples and the 12 Apostles were all Jewish. Apostle Paul even took a Nazarite vow to prove to his critics that he was a Torah-observant Jew. The term Christians surfaced only in AD 42 when the disciples were first called that in Antioch. The term gradually was adopted to differentiate believing Jews from unbelieving Jews and over time, it became a separate identity altogether. †¦dont boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root (Israels forefathers), the root is supporting you (Church). (Neuhaus, 2001) The exact origins of the Jewish faith are hard to pinpoint, and most of what is known comes from the Torah, the five books that make up the Jewish holy text and are also part of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. According to the Book of Genesis, the father of Judaism was a man called Abraham, who lived between about 2000 and 1500 BCE (Christianity and Islam also claim Abraham as an important religious figure). Abraham was born in Mesopotamia and later living in Egypt, was the first man according to Jewish religious texts, to promise to worship one god, Yahweh. Abraham spread this faith among his followers, and led them to settle in the land of Canaan. Abrahams grandson, Jacob, was renamed Israel by Yahweh, and he fathered twelve sons, who led what would come to be known as the twelve tribes of Israel. These Israelites, according to Judaisms religious teachings, were taken as slaves into Egypt, and led out of slavery by Moses. Moses was a Jewish Egyptian, who according to Jewish texts spoke directly to Yahweh. The freed Jewish slaves were recorded to have wandered for forty years in the desert of the Arabian Peninsula before settling back in the land of Canaan some time around 1200 BCE. One of the groups displaced by the establishment of Jewish kingdoms was a group called the Philistines. The Philistines called their lands by the name Palestine, a name for the lands once claimed by the Jews. The term Palestine came from the Roman Empire, which renamed the area as a punishment for a Jewish revolt against Roman rule around 135 CE. The term Palestine had long been favored by those who did not recognize the Jewish claim to the area. Perhaps as early as the fall of Judah in 586 BCE, Palestine became a term to deny the political claims Jews made in the region. From the fall of the early Jewish kingdoms, Jews lived as a minority population in Palestine and the Middle East at large. Depending on who exerted control over the region, and how stern they were about expressing that control, Jews experienced varying levels of freedom and persecution. Under the Persians, Jews were allowed to return to the region and to practice their religion freely, and were accorded a great deal of respect. During this time, Jews built a Second Temple on the site of the First, which had been destroyed by Babylonians. Under the Romans, however, they fared poorly. They were allowed to practice their religion, but were asked to declare their political allegiance to the Roman Empire. When Jews revolted against Roman rule in 66 CE, Roman troops ransacked the city of Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Second Temple. Conditions for Jews became even worse after the Jewish revolt of 135 CE, when Roman troops killed or enslaved thousands of Jews and destroyed numerous Jewish villages. Jews were forbidden to enter the holy city of Jerusalem, and thereafter the Jewish population was centered in the region called Galilee. The conditions experienced by these early Jews had a deep impact on their worldview. Jews expressed the feeling that only under Jewish rule would their rights, including access to their religious sites, be protected. This brought them into much conflict with other people living in the region. The Jews worship of a single god made theirs a minority religious viewpoint in the region during much of the rule of the Roman Empire, but the spread of Christianity, the religion created by the followers of Jesus Christ (c. 4 BCE–c. 29 CE), soon changed the religious balance. Jesus was a man of the Jewish faith who offered new interpretations of the role of God and the need for individuals to devote themselves to God. His teachings challenged some of the Jewish beliefs and often caused civil unrest that challenged Roman rule. Around 29 CE, Jesus was arrested by Jewish religious leaders who suggested that his teachings were disrespectful to God and were causing civil disobedience among his followers. Jesus was brought before a Roman governor in Palestine named Pontius Pilate who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus, a form of execution in which a person is nailed on a cross and left to die. According to Christian religious teaching, Jesus later rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, taking his place as the son of God. Most of the accounts of Jesus life and teachings are found in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Their exact historical accuracy has long been a source of disagreement. Whether or not the man Jesus actually existed in the way the Bible states, his followers believed that he was the son of God, sent to give a message to all mankind. They created a religion based on his teachings. Though it was based on the Jewish faith and claimed one god, Christianity stressed the role of personal salvation acquired through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the son of God. It was, like Judaism, a monotheistic religion. Unlike Judaism, however, Christianity was an evangelical faith, which meant that its followers dedicated themselves to converting others to their faith. Over time, Christianity gained many followers who embraced the religions single god. Sometime around 312 CE the emperor Constantine, who ruled over what was then known as the Eastern Roman Empire (which controlled over half of the Middle East), embraced Christianity. Constantine proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of the empire, which later became known as the Byzantine Empire. The rise of Christianity dramatically changed the role of Palestine. Like Jews, Christians revered the holy places in Palestine, and especially in the city of Jerusalem. Christians also made holy places out of sites associated with the life and death of Jesus. But sharing holy sites did not necessarily mean that Jews and Christians got along. According to Charles Smith, editor of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Christians considered Jews to be rivals in Palestine, as well as a people who rejected Jesus as the savior sent by God. As a result, the Byzantines applied existing Roman laws limiting Jewish activities more rigorously and created new ordinances aimed at isolating the Jews. Though a monotheistic religion was now the dominant view, religion continued to be a source of conflict in the region. Christianity has one of the largest and most rapidly growing religious followings in Asia. The end of the Cold War and the Asian economic liberalization has encouraged both the flourishing of Christian evangelism and the rising prominence of Christianity in the public sector. There is a substantial shift in the balance of Christian populations from the North to the South. A few decades ago 70 percent of all evangelicals were in the â€Å"North,† primarily in the United States, today 70 percent are in the churches of the global South. The Catholic Church, which is projected to lose 20 million members in Europe in the first quarter of this century, will gain 100 million members in Africa, 50 million in Asia, and 140 million in Latin America. At the beginning of the 20th century, 81 percent of Christians were white. By the century’s end, that number was 45 percent.

Its Time to End the Drug War Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It's Time to End the Drug War Uhh, uhhh B.I.G., P-O, P-P-A No info, for the, DEA Federal agents mad cause I'm flagrant Tap my cell, and the phone in the basement -Notorious B.I.G. lyrics from â€Å"Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems† In Christopher Wallace’s (a.k.a. Notorious BIG) â€Å"Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems†, the late rapper from Brooklyn mentions his run in with the police earlier in his life. Christopher Wallace came to be known as arguably the greatest rapper the world has ever heard, but before the days as a famous entertainer Christopher Wallace an average crack dealer in New York. Many youths in the New York area wish to follow his path, and sell drugs in their respective neighborhoods in order to be able to â€Å"roll in style.† Some individuals would try to say that the current system for dealing with drugs works in this country, look what it did for Christopher Wallace how he straightened up his life after jail. That could be the furthest from the truth, if one were to look at the rest of Christopher Wallace’s songs, one could deduct the violence, and anger that has built up in him. Christopher Wallace’s life would come to an abrupt and violent end , when he would be shot down in a drive-by in Los Angeles at the age of 24. The tragic end of such a talented and troublesome life, brings me to ask the question whether the US’s war on drugs is actually accomplishing anything, when drugs are still easily available in metropolitan cities across the country, especially New York. The modern Drug War’s roots can be dated back to US anti-imperialist sentiments against the British since the 19th century. More recent incarnations of these sentiments are figures such as Richard Nixon, Harry Anslinger, and George Bush. Drugs such as ... ...t.all; â€Å"Estimating Heroin Availability†. Cambridge, Mass: Abt Associates Inc.; 1999 9. http://www.csdp.org/edcs/theneed.htm 10. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs00/chap2_4.html 11. http://www.progressive.org/com1099.htm 12. Wisotsky, Steven; Breaking the Impasse in the War on Drugs. New York:Greenwood Press; 1986 13. Martin, Susan Taylor; â€Å"Heroin for addicts works as a Swiss fix†. St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg, FLA. 2001 14. Reinarman, Craig and Cohen, Peter. â€Å"Is US dutch policy the devil?†. Univeristy of Amsterdam :Amsterdam; 1999. 15. Donrey, Samantha Young. â€Å"US:DEA Profile Being Raised by New Head. Wahington: Donrey Media Group; 2001 16. Hunt, Gibson Hunt and Chambers Carl D. â€Å"The Heroin Epidemics†. New York, Spectrum Publications; 1976 17. http://www.dea.gov/concern/heroin.htm 18. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm

Motivation to Join Emba Essay

Describe your current duties and responsibilities and how you expect the AUBG EMBA Program to help you improve your performance. In my recent role as Business manager for Media and peripheral for Central and Southeast Europe with Sony Europe Limited I had the responsibility to drive and maximize the media and energy business on the market territory of 20 countries in the Central and Southeast Europe. The main duties were Net Sales and Gross Profit Budgeting, product strategy, distribution, channel and account strategy planning and implementation. As main interface with the business groups in Paris and Tokyo I had to coordinate the sales plans and profit delivery with 14 collaborators (trade marketing managers and key account managers) across 20 countries in cooperation with the local branch heads. In parallel I had to conduct product management for over 800 active SKUs and perform product trainings for internal and external customers. My decision to enroll in the EMBA program of AUBG is based on several objectives that I have set for my personal development. Broaden my view by studying a number of industry wide cases and explore different business realities. Enhance my background with comprehensive, cutting edge business and management theory knowledge and renown and well recognized certification. Expand my professional and social network among wider business environment and group of successful individuals. The strong academic reputation of AUBG and the demanding American curriculum convinced me that the EMBA program of AUBG is the right choice to make in my personal development.

The Military Draft

The Army is the only branch of the U.S. Armed forces which has relied on conscription, popularly known in the U.S. as The Draft. In 1973, at the end of the Vietnam War, Congress abolished the draft in favor of an all-volunteer Army (AVA). The Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard are not meeting recruiting goals, and junior officers are not re-enlisting. Soldiers have been forced to fight in Iraq for long tours of duty, with little relief in sight. These pressures have caused some leaders to insist that reinstating the draft is inevitable. The draft was abandoned in 1973 in large part due to protests and a general belief that the draft was unfair: that it targeted less affluent members of society because, for example, of college deferments. However, that was not the first time Americans had protested a draft; that distinction belongs to the Civil War, with the most famous riots occurring in New York City in 1863. Today the all-volunteer Army is criticized because its ranks of minorities are disproportionate to the general population and because recruiters target less affluent teenagers who have poor job prospects after graduation. It is also criticized for its access to the nations youth; high schools and colleges that receive federal monies are required to allow recruiters on campus. Pros Conscription for military service is a classic debate between individual liberty and duty to society. Democracies value individual liberty and choice; however, democracy does not come without costs. How should those costs be shared? George Washington makes the case for mandatory service: It must be laid down as a primary position and the basis of our (democratic) system, that every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal service to the defence of it. It was this ethic that led the U.S. to adopt mandatory militia service for white males in the late 1700s. The modern equivalent is voiced by Rep. Rangel (D-NY), a veteran of the Korean War: I truly believe that those who make the decision and those who support the United States going into war would feel more readily the pain thats involved, the sacrifice thats involved, if they thought that the fighting force would include the affluent and those who historically have avoided this great responsibility...Those who love this country have a patriotic obligation to defend this country. For those who say the poor fight better, I say give the rich a chance. The Universal National Service Act (HR2723) would require all men and women aged 18-26 to perform military or civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes. The required term of service is 15 months. This differs from a draft lottery, however, as its goal is to apply equally to all. Cons Modern warfare is high tech and has changed dramatically since Napoleans march to Russia, the battle of Normandy or the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. There is no longer a need for massive human cannon fodder. Thus one argument against the draft is that the Army needs highly skilled professionals, not just men with combat skills. When the Gates Commission recommended an all-volunteer Army to President Nixon, one of the arguments was economic. Even though wages would be higher with the volunteer force, Milton Freedman argued that the net cost to society would be lower. In addition, the  Cato Institute argues  that selective service registration, which was reauthorized under President Carter and extended under President Reagan, should also be eliminated: The sign-up was always intended to quickly generate a large conscript army--similar to Americas 13-million-man military in World War II--for a protracted conventional war against the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact centered in Europe. Today that kind of conflict is a paranoid fantasy. Consequently, the premium for registration insurance would be better spent elsewhere. And an early 1990s  Congressional Research Service report  says an expanded reserve corps is preferable to a draft: A requirement for major increases in combat forces could be met much more quickly by activating more reserves than by instituting a draft. A draft would not provide the trained officers and non-commissioned officers to man effective units; it would only turn out freshly trained junior enlisted recruits.