Friday, January 31, 2020

Worldview Assignment Essay Example for Free

Worldview Assignment Essay The idea of God being actively involved in His creation is a core, fundamental belief or doctrine found in Christianity. In fact I’d venture to say that it is one of the first things a person must realize and recognize about God in order to better understand the other aspects of Him and also our role in the world. In the very first verse of the Bible, (Genesis 1:1) we read that God created the heavens and the Earth. Over the course of the next five days, he created everything else including humans, animals, basically- everything. However, He did not stop there, he didn’t just â€Å"wind up the clock and let it tick† so to speak, but rather he is still actively involved in his creation everywhere from a universal perspective all the way down do an individual basis. One thing we must keep in mind though is that we will never be fully able to understand God. Erikson says in his book, Christian Doctrine â€Å"God can never be captured in human concepts.† Later he states, â€Å"There will always be a difference gap between God and human beings.† We will never be able to completely understand Him, but he reveals enough of himself to us for us to be able to comprehend some of His most important characteristics. Another aspect that is very important to consider, is that God enjoys his creation. We find in Genesis 1:31 â€Å"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.† What does that mean to us as his creation? It means that He cares for us and is invested in us. Not invested in way that means he is reliant on us, however he wants best for us. God created Humans in â€Å"His image† according to Genesis. This means that we are special to Him, and even more- He wants to have a relationship with us. This further means that he created us with the intention of staying involved. In Isaiah 43:7 it says â€Å"Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made. The first half of that verse is particularly relevant in the context of discussing why we are here and what God expects from us. In Ephesians 2:10 it says, â€Å"for good works, which God prepared ahead of time, so that we should walk in them† What this tells us is that God has actively been active  and involved in His creation- eve n before He created it. So what does all this mean for the modern Christian? First and foremost it means that we have a reason for being here, secondly it means that we are serving an active God, who is currently involved in our lives. As M.J. Erikson says in his book Christian Doctrine p87 â€Å"†¦God is present and active within his creation and within the human race, even those members it that do not believe in or disobey him. His influence is everywhere.† This means that, as Christians, we are to treat everyone as Gods creation; not just other believers. For example, I am currently in the military and would like to pursue a career in intelligence/government after I graduate from Liberty. So how does the fact that God is currently involved in my life affect me on my career? It means that I need to maintain my integrity at all times, and with everyone I come in contact with. While still attempting to be as competitive as possible in this field, I must also keep in mind that God has a specific plan for me, ((Jeremiah 29:11. 12) â€Å"For I know the plans I have for you†¦you will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.†) and that anybody that I would be potentially figh ting against for a certain position or privilege is also part of God’s creation. Which means they deserve respect and honesty from me. Just like Erikson says in his book, â€Å"By virtue of our origin, we have kinship with the rest of God’s creation, and in particular with the entire human race.† One of the most obvious scenarios I can see myself in where respect for another human is required regardless of whether I think they deserve it or not; is if somebody with authority over me in the Army tells me to do something. Something which I know is a waste of time or pointless, but I must do it anyways because they are in authority over me. My main motivation for doing so is because I know that God placed him in authority over me, and secondarily because I will face punishment (from him, not God) if I don’t! In conclusion, we have to realize that when God created everything, he didn’t just kick back and is now just watching us do our thing for his entertainment. He is actively involved if our world and our lives. To deny so, would be to deny one of the basest principles found in the Bible. He cares about every one of us, a quote from Erikson’s book which reads â€Å"God personally cares for those who are His.† Let us try to live lives which reflect that love that we receive from him in every way possible. Bibliography Erickson, Millard. Introducing Christian Doctrine, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Abortion is a Constitutional Issue :: Free Abortion Essays

Many people believe abortion is a moral issue, but it is also a constitutional issue. It is a woman's right to choose what she does with her body, and it should not be altered or influenced by anyone else. This right is guaranteed by the ninth amendment, which contains the right to privacy. The ninth amendment states: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." This right guarantees the right to women, if they so choose to have an abortion, up to the end of the first trimester. Regardless of the fact of morals, a woman has the right to privacy and choice to abort her fetus. The people that hold a "pro-life" view argue that a woman who has an abortion is killing a child. The "pro-choice" perspective holds this is not the case. Before the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wage, whereby abortion was effectively legalized, women died by the thousands at the hands of back-alley butchers. S ince Roe, less than 1 woman in 100,000 will die from an abortion. In fact, the procedure results in fewer deaths than childbirth or even a shot of penicillin. Despite the official legality of the procedure, it is still largely under attack by opponents. The fight is far from over, and is important that anyone who champions a woman's right to choose understand the ongoing threats abortion faces. The New Civil War offers a clear, compelling explanation of the issues surrounding the procedure and the ways in which antiabortion activists attempt to criminalize it. Divided into five parts, The New Civil War does not leave one stone unturned. This collection of essays is well written, succinct, and concise. Indeed, such a book is a necessary resource for anyone interested not only in the abortion debate, but also in the overarching patriarchal structures that create and maintain women's subordination. Part I is entitled "The Sociopolitical Context of Abortion." The first chapter in this section reviews abortion's status in the courts since Roe. Wilcox, Robbernnolt, and O'Keefe highlight the necessity for psychologists to remain vocal in the debate, primarily by providing research supporting the findings that abortion does not promote ill effects in those women who have them. Antiabortionists continue successfully to push forth legislation designed to prevent women from willfully terminating their pregnancies.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual Essay

Stop and Frisk has been a very active public affair that had held serious concerns over racial profiling, illegal stops, and privacy rights. The police were stopping hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers yearly. Stop and Frisk is based on a standard of the power granted upon the standard of reasonable suspicion. A police officer has the power to stop, question, and frisk suspects given reasonable circumstances. It is a question of each individual case that determined whether it is necessary for reasonable detention or investigation. If an officer suspects that a person is armed and dangerous, a frisk may be conducted without a warrant. Under the stop and frisk law, officers can stop people walking down the streets and search them for weapons, drugs and other illegal pieces of stuff. The stop and frisk were created to embrace the proactive and preventive theory of crime fighting. It was prioritized to conduct street surveillance of suspicious people and habitual offenders. Though the start of stops and frisk sounds protective and safe, it ended up as an aggressive policing, which was in a very heated situation for years. The vague suspicion, the search of an individual and the force used upon the target was incredible. Nearly most of the people stopped and frisked was innocent. â€Å"In 2002, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 97,296 times. 80,176 were totally innocent (82 percent)† (the NYCLU Campaign). Even without suspicion of wrongdoing, an officer approached someone and interrogate them based on their appearance. These searches were often unsuccessful in catching criminals, but few of them believed it was a success at crime control and stopped potential crime. Race played an important role in how minorities were targeted by the stop and frisk policy. The law strictly targeted African American and Hispanics and other disempowered communities. For example in the article of NYCLU Campaign, it mentions, â€Å"Young black and Latino men were the targets of a hugely disproportionate number of stops. Though they account for only 4.7 percent of the city’s population, black and Latino males between the ages of 14 and 24 accounted for 40.6 percent of stops in 2012. The number of stops of young black men neared the entire city population of young black men (133,119 as compared to 158,406). More than 90 percent of young black and Latino men stopped were innocent.† The stops indicated the innocent of a person and the color basis of a person. Walking around the city and being stopped by a police officer because of the skin tone resulted in racial discrimination. Majority of Latinos and African American were scared when they saw an officer because they used excessive force and targeted them as a criminal or an outsider. Stop  ¬and frisk indicated that race was the primary factor in certain, whom the NYPD mostly stopped were Black and Latino neighborhoods and even in areas where populations were racially mixed or mostly White. Blacks and Latinos were treated more harshly than Whites, being more likely to be arrested instead of given a summons when compared to White people accused of the same crimes. In addition, Blacks and Latinos were also more likely to have force used against them by police. The amount of force used against African American and Hispanics did not only affect them physically but also created lasting feelings of resentment and distrust on officers. â€Å"People who have been stopped say that if they show the slightest bit of resistance, even verbally, they can find themselves slammed against walls, forced to the ground and, on rarer occasions, with officer’s guns pointed at their heads.†(Rivera). The experience of being stopped and frisked by police often lasted emotionally. People who were stopped felt a range of emotions during stops, such as anger, fear, and shame. Stop and frisk left people feeling unsafe and afraid to leave their homes whenever they see the police. People who were stopped reported that stops often resulted in excessive force by police, for example when officers slapped them, beat them, or hurt them physically. The force not al ways paid out compared to the effect that it left on the people. Being harassed in public, a person could go through life challenges, feeling hopeless, uncomfortable, vulnerable and high alert. The body and the mind get tensed and start to get conscious around the surroundings that stares and ignores with a disgusting looks. Therefore, in the article of Rivera, two officers stopped a man named Christopher Graham19 years old after leaving his friend’s apartment. He was pushed against the walls and when the officer groped his personal space, Graham said, â€Å"I said, ‘Whoa, what are you doing?’ † Mr. Graham recalled. â€Å"The cop put his hand on the back of my cap and, boom, smashed my head into the wall of the apartment, for no reason.† The aftermath of the frisk was horrible because he had gone through six stitches, terrifying experience and an unfortunate dreadful account with the officers. He was neither arrested nor called for summons but yet had a scar that would remain in his whole life. The stops explored that young people perceived the police whether or not they felt safe where they lived, not to turn to law enforcement for help or to report crimes they knew about. The experience being stopped by police repeatedly perceived to be unfair and could be associated w ith undesirable developmental consequences. The Terry v. Ohio supreme court case was one of the biggest cases regarding the policy of stop and frisk. It lasted a great impact on the practice of stop and frisk, sometimes called Terry stop. An officer stopped John Terry the petitionary after the officer observed Terry staring at the store for a possible robbery. The officer ran a quick search and after approaching three men, the officer found revolvers that denied their appeals. The Terry stop gleaned from the information about whether the search was the protection of the officers and the public safety. The stop must have a reasonable suspicion to initiate the suspect and explain why the suspect behavior suggested criminal activity. The stop had to give reasons and explain, more than just hunches. The Terry stop cannot take the suspect to the police, move to a second different location, use excessive force and search for anything besides weapons. The Floyd vs New York City supreme case was yet one of the biggest controversial on stop and frisk. It was a case that questioned the stops that were not caused due to probable or reasonable stops. It violated the Fourth Amendment and the Fourteen Amendment which was not an equal protection due to all the obvious racial disparities in who is stopped and searched by NYPD. Both the Supreme Court case lawsuit challenged the use of stop and frisk as a violation guaranteed to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Comparing the differences between past stop and frisk and the recent ones that have taken place, I believe the recent ones have become more lenient towards the people. In the past, the officers did not stop a person because of reasonable suspicion; they were stopping to fulfill the record of their data and show their superiors what they have done for the day. The data recorded in stop and frisk was recorded in the person’s background check. The record stayed in the data for a lifetime, which did not come in the good outcome because even though they were innocent a criminal record was there in the system. Plus, during the olden days, police stopped a person regarding their guesses and suspicion and did not have a valid reason for a stop. After the supreme cases, the violation of the Fourth and Fourteen Amendment came to a tight spot where people knew about their rights and the officers grew more attention on the reasonable and suspicions stops. Therefore, based on past and toady’s issues time in New York City, after the cases, it provides an environment by bringing humanity together without any kind of race and social system. The stop and frisk that adapted during the beginning early was a process of improving the city. Looking back at the times when the rights were violated and not respected, we can just emphasize and see the wrongdoings that can be prevented today. Stop and frisk is not just an impractical way of fighting crime in New York City but also violated towards people’s right to walk freely. People were being stopped based on their skin color and appearance, the way they walked and even the neighborhood they lived in. The use of force against the minorities left them devastated and also affected others who lived under the same weight of this unprecedented policy. These stops had become extensive that many people learned to adjust their daily routines to protect themselves from regular police harassment. Thus, it created distrust towards the law and harmed people who were already disadvantaged in our city. The effects on crime rate were not so huge either. It did make a difference in the statistics but compare to the stops and the statics of crime report, it was humongous. There was no relationship between the stop and frisk and crimes took place. After all the scenario of protest, the New York City police restricted their stop and frisk policy two years ago. Even after restricting the policy, there were no impact or increases in the crime rates. In fact, the crimes had gone down and were stable as it was. In another hand, it did keep guns off the street but unfortunately; violating constitutional rights of some of the minorities did not work together with the policy.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Alexander The Not So Great - 1850 Words

Alexander the Great is hailed, by most historians, as â€Å"The Great Conqueror† of the world in the days of ancient Mesopotamia. â€Å"Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in little more than a decade. Alexander was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BCE. His parents were Philip II of Macedon and his wife Olympias. Philip was assassinated in 336 BCE and Alexander inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home and reasserted Macedonian power within Greece. He then set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire† (Web, BBC History). It is important to note, which will maybe explain his brutal actions, that†¦show more content†¦The Macedonians, who had won so many battles in Europe and set off to invade Asia ... got encouragement from him - he reminded them of their permanent values. They were the worlds liberators and one day they would pass the frontiers set by Hercules and Father Liber. They would subdue all races on Earth. Bactria and India would become Macedonian provinces. Getting closer to the Greeks, he reminded them that those were the people (the Persians on the other side) who provoked war with Greece, ... those were the people that burned their temples and cities ... As the Illyrians and Thracians lived mainly from plunder, he told them to look at the enemy line glittering in gold ... (Q. Curtius Rufus 3.10.4-10) â€Å"Dariuss army greatly outnumbered the Macedonians, but the Battle of Issus ended in a big victory for Alexander. Tens of thousands of Persians, Greeks, and other Asiatic soldiers were killed and king Darius fled† (Web, Project of History of Macedonia). In all the Persians lost â€Å"one hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand cavalry while Alexander only lost twelve hundred. These numbers are Greek estimates† (Web, necromatics). 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