Is Art Important For Us As Christians - 1905 Words

There has been a tense relationship between the church and the arts in the past, but a new Renaissance appears to be ongoing. Witness the genuine flood Of books on Christianity and the arts in the past hundred years. And this buzz about the arts is already filtering into many churches. Thus I think I can take for granted a certain level of comfort among readers with the arts as a noble Christian search. However, I would like to argue that not only is it approved by God, but art plays a vital role for humanity; we need it in the church and in the world; more of us ought to develop our artistic gifts and our ability to thoughtfully interact with art from a Christian viewpoint; and we need to support the artists in our midst, both†¦show more content†¦Francis Schaeffer wrote, â€Å"Being in the image of the Creator, we are called upon to have creativity† (Schaeffer 18). When we create art, then, we are manifesting the image of God and becoming more who we were meant to be. God has set aside some of us with a specific calling as artists. The very first instance of God’s spirit being given to someone in the Bible was to an artist! In the instructions for making the Tabernacle and all its furnishings, God said to Moses, â€Å"See, I have chosen Bezalel . . . of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship† (Exod. 31:3–4). Here was fine art have been used for the worship of God, one service that Christian artists perform, but by no means the only one. While some are called specifically to be artists and are given more talent and/or desire in that area than others, being creative is central to who we all are as humans. The arts play a fundamental role in this, giving us both means parallel with God’s own beauty with which to worship him, and derivative beauty to expand our enjoyment of God’s creation. Francis Schaeffer asserts: â€Å"The arts . . . have a place in the Christian life—they are not peripheral. For a Christian . . . the Lordship of Christ should

My Home Purchase Plan Free Essays

Under this Plan, the Government will provide land for the HKHS (Hong Kong Housing Society) to build â€Å"no-frills† small and medium flats for lease to eligible applicants at prevailing market rent. The tenancy period will be up to five years, within which the rent will not be adjusted. Within a specified time frame, tenants of the Plan may purchase the flat they rent or another flat under the Plan at prevailing market price, or a flat in the private market. We will write a custom essay sample on My Home Purchase Plan or any similar topic only for you Order Now They will receive a subsidy equivalent to half of the net rental they have paid during the tenancy period, and use it for part of the down payment. The Government has already earmarked sites in Tsing Yi, Diamond Hill, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tuen Mun and other areas for a total of some 5000 flats to be built under the Plan. The first project will provide about 1000 flats in Tsing Yi by 2014. In the point of view of the Government, they would like to wisely spending the money of helping the sandwich class with flexibility in their home purchase plan, including the choice of opting to purchase the flat they rent, another flat under the plan, or a flat in the private market; which also want to help on slowing down the raising on both rental and purchasing prices currently in the market. The Government thinks that the current price in the market has been raised too fast and too high which is not a health saturation and start forming up an â€Å"Economic Bomb†. As the â€Å"Property Market† is one of the main factors with Hong Kong’s economic environment, if the â€Å"Bomb† pops, Hong Kong’s economic will be affected badly. But in the other hand, the Government does not want to affect the growth of the real estate too much and too fast, therefore the Government implies with this soft plan in order to balance with the situations. For the tax payers, they are mainly separated in to 2 groups: the group which cannot enjoy with the plan and the qualified applicants. For those who do not have the right to enjoy with the benefits are mainly the people who are either already owning a flat, or those people who are not qualified due to higher incomes. These people might not feel happy with the Government’s actions. For those who have already owned their own place, when the Government supporting plan comes, that means there will be more people able to buy their own place. In the last few years, the economic situation of Hong Kong was not good and people were very careful on using their money, which made the banks dropped their interest rate of borrowing in order to attract people to borrow money either on buying flats or other usages. With the needs on mortgaging is rising due to this program, the interest rate will then have the potential on rising. This will affect to those people who already own their own place for living have to pay more on the mortgage pay back or need to extend the time of pay back as the raising of the interest. The Government has setup very tight rules on the incomes and assets on qualifying the applicants for the supporting program in order to make sure all the qualified applicants are the users of the properties. Those people who do not qualify for the program due to higher income might be the most unhappy group as they would think the Government does not take care of them. Since the property prices have been increased so much in the last 5 years, although they have higher incomes, they still cannot afford the down payment on purchasing a place. For the group of people who are the qualified applicants, of course they will be very concerned for this supporting program. However, they have to wait until the second half of 2014 for the building completion and there will be only 5000 units, which is really â€Å"Too Little Too Late! † Another problem is that, the Government now estimating that the price of a 500 feet unit is 3 million, which would only apply to those flats in the remote areas. The prices for the urban residents are already far outstripped with it. Who can predict and guarantee how would the real estate pricing will be after 7 years of time (The planned building will be completed after 4 years, the applicants have to rent and live there for 3 years before they can own)? In case of the property prices continue rising, those 300 thousand which is going to be rebate from the Government still not enough to pay for the down payment. If the property prices rapidly decline, those applicants will be falling into a dilemma situation. Overall, to solve the housing difficulties of Hong Kong there are many ways, how the â€Å"My Home Purchase Plan â€Å"may receive with the desired results really depends on the future development of the real estate market trends. However, the â€Å"My Home Purchase Plan† does not really may not really be able to help on the current unhealthy situation on the property market. In my opinion, I would suggested the Government should plan on some relaxation on the income limit for public housing and pay more attention on taking care of the middle and lower class families. In fact, the magnitude of increase in property prices and rents, is seriously out of the line with the general public’s income, which directly affecting the quality of life. The Government should pay more attention on how to plan on the public housing supply and how to make better use of resources balance. How to cite My Home Purchase Plan, Essay examples

Jason Mraz- free essay sample

And while I do realize this cd came out a long time ago. I feel as if for one to fully appreciate the actual music, you must listen to it at least a hundred times. Jason Mraz’s â€Å" We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things† is the epitome of excellence. It’s sheer brilliance with its witty lyrics and catchy tunes. This is simply the way to go when you’re looking for something to sing to on the way home from work or school. This is clearly a biased opinion you and might as well take it for what its worth. Jason has a great voice and he doesn’t need duets to prove that. This cd features two. â€Å"Lucky† he sings with Colbie Caillat and â€Å"Details in the Fabric† sung with James Morrison. Don’t get me wrong they both are good songs and worthy enough for you ipod. We will write a custom essay sample on Jason Mraz- or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I just think that if he hadn’t included them, that it would have impacted the sales of this item. He outshines many pop singers in the past who like the island sounds. His voice carries like velvet, which means the high notes ate clearly practiced. But I found great joy in this cd and I hope you will too.

s Mistakes

Saul’s Failures Although Saul was the chosen king, he did have his share of significant failures. In 1st Samuel 13:8-14 it describes how Saul impatiently intruded the office of a priest, yielding to the pressure of the moment. Samuel reprimands Saul saying, â€Å"Thou has done foolishly, thou has not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which occurs in 8:13. Saul exhibited extremism in his actions. His pendulum swung from complete inactivity and failure to lead an army against the attacking Philistines, to uttering a rash vow that insisted no one eat anything until all the Philistine army was vanquished. This not only brought Jonathon into danger, but caused the people to break the law and eat the meat with the blood. Saul was even deceitful with God. He claimed that he completely obeyed Gods instructions regarding the Amalekites when in reality he only partially obeyed the Lord. He spent his time chasing David around the wilderness, and finally consulted with a which in Endor. Saul flipped from inactivity to hyperactivity, disqualifying himself for leadership.... 's Mistakes Free Essays on Saul\'s Mistakes Saul’s Failures Although Saul was the chosen king, he did have his share of significant failures. In 1st Samuel 13:8-14 it describes how Saul impatiently intruded the office of a priest, yielding to the pressure of the moment. Samuel reprimands Saul saying, â€Å"Thou has done foolishly, thou has not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which occurs in 8:13. Saul exhibited extremism in his actions. His pendulum swung from complete inactivity and failure to lead an army against the attacking Philistines, to uttering a rash vow that insisted no one eat anything until all the Philistine army was vanquished. This not only brought Jonathon into danger, but caused the people to break the law and eat the meat with the blood. Saul was even deceitful with God. He claimed that he completely obeyed Gods instructions regarding the Amalekites when in reality he only partially obeyed the Lord. He spent his time chasing David around the wilderness, and finally consulted with a which in Endor. Saul flipped from inactivity to hyperactivity, disqualifying himself for leadership....

Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Weber

Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Weber Anthropologists make attempts to establish the relationships between cultural and economical sides of the life of the society, deciding between the materialistic and spiritualistic approaches or trying to integrate both of them. Weber’s theory of religious beliefs as the basis for the division of labor forces in capitalistic society can coexist with Malinowski’s and Lewi’s views but is opposed by Geertz who put emphasis on culture.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Weber specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The key issue of Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Weber is the definition of the primary principles of capitalism and the prioritized values of people living in a capitalistic society. Defining the leading principle of capitalism, he notes that â€Å"man is dominated by the making of money, by acquisition as the ultimate purpose of hi s life† (Weber 53). The researcher is aimed at establishing the relationships between the individual’s motivation for working, the principles of division of labor forces and materialistic values in the society and the level of its cultural development. Considering the religious beliefs as an integral element of culture having a significant impact on people’s decision making, Weber finds the rational explanation for prioritizing the materialistic values in the principles of the asceticism. Not limiting the concept of capitalistic culture to the economical structure of the society, Weber attempts to evaluate the influence of the religious beliefs on the citizens’ obedience to the existing economical laws. The anthropologist analyzes the protestant principle of calling as the main argument for faithful labor at low wages for the lowest strata that have no other opportunities. â€Å"The capitalism of to-day, which has come to dominate economic life, educates and selects the economic subjects which it needs through a process of economic survival of the fittest† (Weber 55). On the one hand, Weber points at the utilitarian nature of humans and their passion for acquisition of the material values, underestimating the importance of culture. On the other hand, he analyzes the evolution of the Christian beliefs and considers faithful calling to be the prototype for the division of labor forces in the contemporary capitalistic society. â€Å"One of the fundamental elements of the spirit of modern capitalism, and not only of that but of all modern culture: rational conduct on the basis of the idea of the calling, was born †¦ from the spirit of Christian asceticism† (Weber 180). Despite all his assertions as to the place of culture and religion in the system of beliefs, in the final conclusion part of his work Weber denies the effectiveness of one-sided interpretation of history from materialistic or spiritualistic perspective, considering the complex character of the issue.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The anthropologists Malinowski, Levi and Geertz shed light upon the main principles of the development of the society, drawing the parallels between the present day beliefs and culture of primitive tribes, ancient myths and contemporary science. For instance, researching the social code of Kula population, Malinowski contrasts their preferences and beliefs of capitalistic society. At the same time, evaluating the place of materialistic values in the system of beliefs of the tribe, the researcher establishes the relationship between the property and the social status because for Kula people â€Å"to possess is to be great, and that wealth is indispensable appanage of social rank and attribute of personal virtue (Malinowski 103). Describing the competition of generosity among the richest members of t he tribe, Malinowski still points at the significance of economical acquisition of the population as the marker of their position in the society and corresponding obligations. Analyzing the common features of the myths structure, Levi uses their content as the basis for interpreting the principle of the division of labor forces in present day society. â€Å"The problem often regarded as insoluble, vanishes when it is shown that the clowns-gluttons who may with impunity make excessive use of agricultural products – have the same function in relation to food production as the war-gods† (Levi 223). Similar to Weber’s analysis of the Christian beliefs, Levi finds the roots for the present day social injustice in ancient myths, explaining the inequality of various strata of population and other social phenomena with the gods’ will. As opposed to all the previous researchers, Geertz focuses his studies on the concept of culture, giving preference to the spiritu alistic interpretation of the life of the society. Altering the traditional definition of culture, he points at its significance and impact on other spheres. Geertz develops Weber’s theory of a man as an animal in the significance webs which he/she creates â€Å"I take culture to be those webs, and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of law but an interpretive one in search of meaning† (Geertz 6). Thus, the views of Malinowski and Levi do not contradict Weber’s theory and can coexist, while Geertz shifts emphasis to culture as the significant element of the life of society. Drawing the parallels between the system of beliefs and the organization of society, anthropologists try to make understanding of social phenomena and people’s consciousness more comprehensive. Weber, Malinowski, Levi and Geertz used the definition of the concept of culture as the basis for explaining the main principle of division of labor forces.A dvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Weber specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books Publishers, 1973. Print Levi-Strauss, Claude. Structural Anthropology. Trans. Claire Jacobson and Brooke Schoepf. New York: Basic Books Publishers, 1963. Print. Malinowski, Bronislav. Argonauts of the Western Pacific. New York: Routledge. 1932. Print. Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Trans. Talcott Parsons. New York: Routledge. 1992. Print.

100 of the Most Common Kanji Characters

100 of the Most Common Kanji Characters With three different ways of writing, the Japanese language may seem intimidating to new students. Its true that memorizing the most common kanji symbols and other scripts takes time and practice. But once youve mastered them, youll discover a means of written communication unlike anything youll see in the English language. There are three writing systems in Japanese, two phonetic and one symbolic, and all three are used in tandem. Kanji Symbols Kanji is symbolic, or logographic. It is the most common means of written communication in the Japanese language, with more than 50,000 different symbols by some estimates. However, most Japanese can get by with using about 2,000 different kanji in everyday communication. A single kanji character can have multiple meanings, depending on how it is pronounced and the context in which it is used. Hiragana and Katakana Hiragana and katakana  are both phonetic (or syllabic). There are 46 basic characters in each. Hiragana is used primarily to spell words that have  Japanese roots or grammatical elements. Katakana is used to spell foreign and technical words (computer is one example), or used for emphasis. Romanji Western characters and words, sometimes called romanji,  are also common in modern Japanese. Typically, these are reserved for words derived from Western languages, especially English. The word T-shirt in Japanese, for example, consists of a T and several katakana characters. Japanese advertising and media frequently use English words for stylistic emphasis.   For everyday purposes, most writing contains kanji characters because its the most efficient, expressive means of communication. Complete sentences written only in hiragana and katakana would be extremely long and resemble a jumble of letters, not a full thought. But used in conjunction with kanji, the Japanese language becomes full of nuance. Kanji has its historical roots in Chinese writing. The word itself means Chinese (or Han) characters. Early forms were first used in Japan as early as A.D. 800 and evolved slowly into the modern era, along with hiragana and katakana. Following Japans defeat in World War II, the government adopted a series of rules designed to simplify the most common kanji characters to make them easier to learn. Elementary school students have to learn about 1,000 characters. That number doubles by high school. Beginning in the late 1900s, Japanese education officials have added more and more kanji to the curriculum. Because the language has such deep historical roots, literally thousands more kanji have evolved over time and are still in use. Common Kanji Characters Here are 100 of the most frequently used kanji in Japanese newspapers. Newspapers give a great representation of the best and most useful kanji to learn because you are more likely to come across these characters in day-to-day use.   æâ€" ¥ sun ä ¸â‚¬ one Ã¥ ¤ § big Ã¥ ¹ ´ year ä ¸ ­ middle ä ¼Å¡ to meet ä º º human being, people æÅ" ¬ book æÅ"ˆ moon, month é• · long å› ½ country å‡ º to go out ä ¸Å  up, top Ã¥   10 生 life Ã¥ ­  child 分 minute æ  ± east ä ¸â€° three è ¡Å' to go Ã¥ Å' same ä »Å  now é «Ëœ high, expensive 金 money, gold 時 time 手 hand è ¦â€¹ to see, to look Ã¥ ¸â€š city 力 power ç ± ³ rice è‡ ª oneself å‰  before 円 yen (Japanese currency) Ã¥ Ë† to combine ç «â€¹ to stand 内 inside ä ºÅ' two ä ºâ€¹ affair, matter ç ¤ ¾ company, society 者 person Ã¥Å" ° ground, place ä º ¬ capital éâ€"“ interval, between ç” ° rice field ä ½â€œ body Ã¥ ­ ¦ to study ä ¸â€¹ down, under ç› ® eye ä ºâ€ five Ã¥ ¾Å' after æâ€" ° new 明 bright, clear æâ€" ¹ direction éÆ' ¨ section .Ã¥ ¥ ³ woman å… « eight Ã¥ ¿Æ' heart å›› four æ °â€˜ people, nation Ã¥ ¯ ¾ opposite ä ¸ » main, master æ ­ £ right, correct ä » £ to substitute, generation è ¨â‚¬ to say ä ¹  nine Ã¥ °  small æ€  to think ä ¸Æ' seven Ã¥ ± ± mountain Ã¥ ®Å¸ real å… ¥ to enter 回 to turn around, time Ã¥   ´ place 野 field éâ€"‹ to open ä ¸â€¡ 10,000 å… ¨ whole Ã¥ ®Å¡ to fix Ã¥ ® ¶ house Ã¥Å'â€" north å… ­ six å•  question è © ± to speak æâ€"‡ letter, writings å‹• to move Ã¥ º ¦ degree, time çÅ"Å' prefecture æ ° ´ water Ã¥ ®â€° inexpensive, peaceful æ °  courtesy name (Mr., Mrs.) å’Å' harmonious, peace æ” ¿ government, politics ä ¿  to maintain, to keep è ¡ ¨ to express, surface é â€œ way ç› ¸ phase, mutual æ„  mind, meaning ç™ º to start, to emit ä ¸  not, un-, in- å…š political party

Thomas Jefferon - Time as President ONLY Research Paper

Thomas Jefferon - Time as President ONLY - Research Paper Example As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades.† (Brief Biography of Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello 1) The election of President Thomas Jefferson was regarded as the coming of revolution in the United States. Thomas Jefferson initiated many changes and developments in the state of United States. One of the main changes and developments with regard to annexation of different territories was the Louisiana Pact from France in 1803. In domestic affairs Jefferson tried to weaken Federalist influences, especially in the judiciary, and succeeded in limiting the size of government by reducing taxes and the national debt. Other actions taken by Thomas Jefferson were to weaken the federalist influence in the state administration and the machinery. He did this to enable greater participation of people in the State institutions such as the Judiciary, the executive and the legislature. He also pioneered in the r eduction of the size of the total number of the people in the Government by reducing the nation al debt of the country as well as scaling down the total taxation in the great country of United States. This heavily contributed to the growth of United States in the early 1800s. (Mannix, Richard 121) Jefferson’s Democratic Views: Thomas Jefferson was by nature a liberal politician who devoted the idea of freedom more than anyone else during his days in the office. Following is a quote from the great man himself on his idea of democracy: â€Å"A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.† (America's Homepage and the Virtual Tour of Washington, D.C 1) The concept of Jeffersonian Democracy was quite prominent at the time of the term of office of Thomas Jefferson in the White House. He believed that the republican ideals of democracy best suited the United States. He envisaged a state where each and every individual would take part in the public duty and would strive to reduce or diminish corruption at every level in the country. The Domestic Policy of Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson was a liberal at heart. His domestic policies included the reduction of national debt by keenly focusing on federalism in the state. In the office of President, Jefferson appointed his own cabinet people and other high level office bearers as he was given the freedom to choose the people he wanted in the Government. Thomas Jefferson was a big supporter of the Lewis and Clark expedition and was instrumental in making it happen since he gave his total commitment for that project. Jefferson released the prisoners under the Sedition Act, which was repealed at the beginning of his Preside ncy. He took the initiative to remove the Act since according to his vision it was obstructive in nature and did not confine to the principles of free speech in the country. The Judiciary: Thomas Jefferson was quite skeptical of the judges appointed by his predecessors in the judiciary. He said that the