Religious participation and religious organisations Essay Example for Free

Religious participation and religious organisations Essay While it is difficult to know precisely whether or not religious beliefs differ in relation to males and females, it is evident that religious practice and participation does show relatively clear gender differences. This is true across all forms of religious organisation. Almost two-thirds of churchgoers are women. However, as with social factors like class and age, it is clear that there is no overall pattern of male / female religious attendance, since there are evident differences between denominations. For example: For the Anglican Church, the male to female ratio is approximately half and half. For all Christian churches the male female ratio is approximately twenty to eighty percent. While women are more likely than men to be involved in religious organisations, it is relatively clear that, in hierarchical terms, men tend to dominate the most significant positions in any religious organisation. This tends to hold true across the majority of the worlds major religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. In most religions, women tend to be portrayed in terms of their traditional social characteristics. The Virgin Mary in Christian religion is a good example here. Although a powerful figure as the Mother of Christ, her power, is ideological rather than political, the virtues of purity, chastity, motherhood and so forth are personified through her as ideals for womanhood. In relation to non-Christian religions, Giddens Sociology notes: Females appear as important figures in the teachings of some Buddhist ordersbut on the whole Buddhism, like Christianity, is an overwhelmingly male-created institution dominated by a patriarchal power structure in which the feminine is most closely associated with the secular, powerless, profane and imperfect.. An obvious example drawn from Christianity might be Mankinds expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the result of female duplicity. According to the book of Genesis, God first created man. Woman was not only  an afterthought, but an amenity. For close on two thousand years this Holy Scripture was believed to justify her subordination and explain her inferiority for even as a copy she was not a very good copy, there were differences. She was not one of his best efforts. While women, as has been noted above, feature strongly in both religious participation and, to a certain extent, imagery, it is evident that there has tended to be a very marked inequality between males and females in terms of positions of power and authority within religious organisations. Although some sects have allowed women to preach and teach, the majority of the worlds major religions have tended to relegate women to relatively minor roles in their organisation. In relation to Christianity, the decision, in November 1992 by the Church of England to ordain women as priests is a significant development to note. This decision was not taken lightly and has lead to a great deal of conflict within the Church. While the Church of England has traditionally been more liberal regarding the position of women within its organisation, the Roman Catholic Church has resisted pressure to ordain women, tending to fall back upon the argument that to do so would be blasphemous. Christ ordained twelve disciples, none of whom were women, therefore, women should not be allowed to be ordained. Once again, within a wide variety of sects, women tend, in the main, not to feature in the highly at the top of organisational hierarchies, although there are exceptions to this general rule. The diversity of sects perhaps makes it difficult to generalise about participation along gender lines. However, given that women tend to become involved in all types of religious activity with greater frequency than men, there is little reason to suppose that, in broad terms, sect membership does not conform to this norm. If it is difficult to estimate the numbers involved with New Age cults, it is doubly difficult to estimate with any degree of certainty the ration of male to female involvement. The private sphere of cult activity relates to traditional forms of gender roles for women, motherhood, the home, and child  rearing. New Age philosophy contrasts the concept of Nature unfavourably with a modern technological world, which tends to be characterised as masculine. Historically, where concepts of Nature have been employed, the role of women has tended to be seen in terms of their essential femininity; that is, as naturally different creatures to males, more attuned to the supposed natural rhythms of life and so forth. Thus, within New Age cults, women tend to be afforded a much higher status than men in terms of the various philosophies on which these cults are based, which is one reason that explains higher female involvement.

The Impact Of Televison On Behavior :: essays research papers

The Impact Of Televison On Behavior (Violence in television programs and movies and its impact on children and families is not a new topic. Almost 30 years ago the U.S. Surgeon General warned Americans about the negative effect of television have on the emotions and behaviours of children.) I just want to continue viewing our standpoints regarding the negative effect it has on society Talkshows "Husband Sees Prostitute," "Mistress Meets Wife," "Girl Sleeps with Over 100 Men," "My Girlfriend is a Guy," "Teenage Prostitution," "Maid-of-Honor Slept with Girl One Week Before Wedding," Commonly Jerry Springer topics! Why are people fascinated with such topics? What says it of our society? The biggest problem is that the behaviours are depicted are common, sensible, and, perhaps, even worth copying. Approximately six percent of daytime talk show viewers are under 11. Shows like Springer's according to a New York Times journalist cause violence in society and argued that the source of the problem lies in the insatiable lust of the audience for more and more gory violence. The only way to stop violence on television---either on the news or on Springer-type shows--is to cut the demand for it, thereby removing the profit. Television news, due primarily to its obsession with crime and violence, definitely has a negative impact upon our society. TV news broadcasts use dramatic, usually violent stories and images to capture and maintain an audience, under the pretence of keeping it informed. This overabundance of crime and violence on TV news inflate the public's fears for personal safety. People, for the most part, believe that TV news is an accurate reflection of reality. They become frightened of the cities they live in, and fear that criminals will harm them or their loved ones. Graphic coverage of wars, bombings, murders and natural disasters can quite possibly lead to nightmares or even depression. Research tells us the following about children and television: †¢ School-age children watch an average of 28 hours of television per week. †¢ Children are influenced by advertisements. They want what they see. †¢ Over 50 percent of children have a TV in their bedroom. †¢ Children who watch a lot of TV are more overweight than other children. †¢ Children under 2 years old: no TV (or other media, such as computers or videos) †¢ Children over 2 years old: maximum of 1 to 2 hours of TV (and other media) per day According to experts, children who watch too much TV tend to be less interested in physical activity, often develop verbal skills more slowly and tend to be less confident in social situations.

Aristotle & Mill on Capital Punishment

Aristotle & Mill’s Opinion on Capital Punishment Brianna Lelli Hugh Miller Paper #2 Topic #4 October 17th 2011 Capital Punishment is a moral controversy in today’s society. It is the judicial execution of criminals judged guilty of capital offenses by the state, or in other words, the death penalty. The first established death penalty laws can date back to the Eighteenth Century B. C. and the ethical debates towards this issue have existed just as long. There is a constant pro-con debate about this issue, and philosophers like Aristotle and Mill have their own take on this controversy as well.Aristotle is against capital punishment, while Mill believes it is morally permissible. Let me start off with Aristotle. In the Nicomachean Ethics book there isn’t a chapter dedicated to his position on capital punishment, but as a whole, we get an idea of his position against it. For example when he says, â€Å"every state of soul is naturally related to and about whatever naturally makes it better or worse; and pleasures and pains make people base, from pursuing and avoiding the wrong ones, at the wrong time, in the wrong ways, or whatever other distinctions of that sort are needed in an account.These bad effects of pleasure and pain are the reason why people actually define the virtues as ways of being unaffected and undisturbed by pleasures and pains. †(Book 2, 3. 11) Aristotle knows it’s in people’s nature to know right from wrong, and people strive to be virtuous because that is the highest good. Virtuous actions are what people strive for, however they sometimes do the opposite. These actions are called â€Å"vices† which can basically fall into the same category as â€Å"capital crimes† or â€Å"capital offenses† which are the crimes that can be penalized by death.Aristotle believes that no matter how terrible a person acts, they have the potential to overcome it and become virtuous. Everybody has the c apacity to do well and achieve happiness according to Aristotle. People achieve this happiness through their actions and decisions, and we make these decisions by reasoning. Aristotle’s beliefs about human character are almost down to a science. Everything we do has a reason why, and every living being has the capacity to reason. Some people reason to be virtuous but others are vicious and commit crimes such as rape, murder, and treason, ect.Aristotle believes in punishing these heinous crimes, but more importantly, reforming those who commit these offenses through corrective treatments. He believes that since everybody has the capacity to be virtuous, that everybody has the capacity to reason and reform from mistakes. Aristotle would hate to see a person with such potential in life be sentenced to death just because of a bad mistake. He believes the one who did the crime still has a value in society and does not deserve to die.In accordance to Aristotle’s ethics, it w ould never be morally permissible to kill somebody who still has potential to be virtuous, no matter what circumstance. Aristotle believes vicious acts should be punished with fair and equal penalties. He has a whole theory on justice, which is where we get the basis of his ideas towards capital punishment. In his opinion, the death penalty can never be thought of as morally permissible because it is immoral, unconstitutional, and irrevocable. John Stuart Mill, on the other hand, does not share this belief.He is in support of the death penalty for multiple reasons. A major topic Mill focuses on is human nature. He believes all humans know the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong, but he thinks it’s in human’s nature to want to sin and break the law. People want to break the law just because it’s there. That is part of being a human. Sinning is the wrong thing to do, while the right thing to do is whatever produces the most good. Whether people chose to sin or strive for ultimate ends of pleasure, they will be rewarded or punished for their decisions.In Mill’s Utilitarianism, he says â€Å"With many, the test of justice in penal infliction is that the punishment should be proportioned to the offence; meaning that it should be exactly measured by the moral guilt of the culprit (whatever be their standard for measuring moral guilt): the consideration, what amount of punishment is necessary to deter from the offence, having nothing to do with the question of justice, in their estimation. † (IV, 49) Which basically means that the punishment must fit the crime.Mill has an â€Å"eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth† standpoint. If a person commits a terrible crime, they are nowhere near reaching a desirable end, nor do they have capacity to be virtuous, as Aristotle would say. If somebody is guilty of murder, then life in jail is too mild of a punishment for the crime he committed. It goes the othe r way around too. If somebody is guilty of theft, then life in jail may be too hard of a punishment for that particular crime. Mill believes the only efficient punishment is one that is exactly equal to the crime.He doesn’t think a murderer should be allowed to live on with the potential to murder again. Another thing Mill focuses on is general responses among a society. He believes the only way to find desirable pleasure is to ask people and get a general response. So if you asked the family of a murder victim what they would like to see happen to the murderer, a probable general response would be to have him sentenced to death as well, and that is exactly what should happen. We know that Aristotle would oppose capital punishment and Mill is in support of it.Neither Aristotle nor Mill is right or wrong, both their idea’s are just opinions of what is morally permissible. The thing about â€Å"morals† is that they can mean something different to everybody. They a ren’t a part of human nature; morals are brought up through experience and surroundings. Aristotle and Mill lived in very different times. Perhaps Mill had a personal experience where he dealt with proper punishment, which could have shaped what he felt was fair or moral. The same can be said for Aristotle. Even today, the debate about capital punishment exists.Many factors go into people’s side of the argument they’re on. Almost any argument can be shifted to support each side of the capital punishment debate. So you have to consider what was important in society during Aristotle’s lifetime around 330 B. C. and Mill’s lifetime in the late 1800’s. It’d be quite shocking if the two philosophers shared beliefs on this side since they are from two completely different worlds. Another thing to consider is the definition of â€Å"morally permissible†, because permissible doesn’t always mean right.For instance, just because Mi ll believes it’s morally permissible to have capital punishment, that doesn’t necessarily mean he would kill every person he felt did something vicious. Neither Aristotle nor Mill is right or wrong, they just based their morals on their experiences. Aristotle’s main concern is virtue, and if a person has capacity to be virtuous, their life should never be ended no matter the circumstance, whether they’re ill, old, handicapped, or even vicious. Mill has the eye for an eye stand point and feels all punishment should fit the crime equally.In today’s society we see a little bit of both Aristotle and Mill’s theories when it comes to capital punishment. It is not typically our method of punishment in our time, however it does exist if the crime is serious enough. Personally, I agree with Mill more on this issue, just because I think it’s fair to get appropriate punishment, but like I said, it all comes down to the morals of the individual. What happens in the world around us shapes our values and morals. Opinions are never wrong, and neither are morals.

Jason Salfi

In which category (or categories) would you place Jason Salfi as an entrepreneur? Why? Give examples. Which of the traditional do you believe best describe Jason Salfi? Why? In the video Jason Salfi started his journey by making and selling his skateboards to his friends and local patriots. At that time Jason Salfi showed obvious signs of a classic entrepreneur. With his growing family Salfi became a lifestyle entrepreneur to gain control over his life and with the passion for skateboards this was pure satisfaction to Jason.When making his skateboard Salfi realized that skateboards were accounting for approximately 40 percent of the natural maple being harvest each year. The products that were used to produce the boards where made with several layers of maple and sprayed with a lacquer based coat, Jason knew there had to be an alternate way to build a durable skateboard. (WILES) After discovering an environmental friendly way to produce his product he sought to make an company that w ould make an imprint on the use of natural resources.With that said Jason Safi then became a social entrepreneur: he recognizes a societal problem and used his previous business principle to develop innovative solutions. Social entrepreneurs are forerunners of modernizations that benefit humanity. If he would develop an additional business following the success of his current business Comet Skateboards then at that time he could add serial entrepreneurship to his many titles.As Comet Skateboards reaches the next level of growth, where might the firm have the best chance of obtaining further financing? Why? It’s so important to differentiate an established business and an newly start up business because funding for an seasoned business is extremely easier to come by. Being that Comet Skateboards is now established and reached the next level of growth for the company debt financing would a convenient method to obtain additional financing.Debt financing is when money is borrowed and it must be paid back. This could be through private investors loans from banks, finance companies, credit card companies, and family or friends are all sources of this method of financing. The Small Business Administration recommends finding alternative methods of funding other than personal credit cards because this source of funding is so expensive. (KURTZ) Reflect on a basic needed service or product in your  immediate community (or someone else’s) and discuss how it can benefit.This can be a large or small, expensive or inexpensive product or service. In my community it’s a dire need for community base organization for our youth Its so many unnecessary crimes being committed by our youth with too much time on their hands †¦ Senseless murders and petty crimes seems to be the way our youth entertain themselves †¦ Ignorance is bliss..I firmly believe that If we had organization that allowed the youth to come together and developing social skills to th rive with in society our crime rate would drastically decline. In today’s world we are more connected than ever due to the internet but we are more disconnected with face to face connections. We need to have a business focused on our youth. We have everything else. This can start as a small inexpensive service it needs only a building and a passionate individual to start the business or should I say movement.

Adverb of Emphasis - Definition and Examples

Adverb of Emphasis s In English grammar, adverb of emphasis is  a traditional term for an intensifier  used to give added force or a greater degree of certainty to another word in a sentence or to the sentence as a whole. Also called an emphasizer and an  emphasizing adverb. Common adverbs of emphasis include absolutely,  certainly, clearly, definitely, naturally, obviously, positively, really, simply, and undoubtedly. In The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar  (2014), Bas Aarts et al. point out that [o]nly some grammatical models subdivide adverbs with this level of semantic detail.  Ã‚   Examples and Observations I was flat broke and the rent was due. Clearly I needed to find a job.Hes tapping my phone, he said to Celia indignantly. I definitely heard it. Definitely.(Lawrence Sanders, The First Deadly Sin.  G. P. Putnams Sons, 1973) I hadnt the slightest hesitation in saying: For sure! Tell the manabsolutely! Absolutely! Of course!(Joey Tallon in Call Me the Breeze, a novel by Patrick McCabe, 2003) In Stamps the segregation  was so complete that most Black children didnt really, absolutely know what whites looked like.(Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969Deterrence, obviously, is one of the aims of punishment, but it is surely not the only one. On the contrary, there are at least half a dozen, and some are probably quite as important.(H.L. Mencken, The Penalty of Death At the door of the kitchen she said, You never finish your lunch. You run around senselessly. What will become of you?Then she died.Naturally for the rest of my life I longed to  see her, n ot only in doorways, in a great number of places- in the dining room with my aunts, at the window looking up and down the block, in the country garden among zinnias and marigolds, in the living room with my father.(Grace Paley, Mother.  Later the Same Day. Farrar, Straus Giroux, 1985) Theoretically, of course, one ought always to try for the best word. But practically, the habit of excessive care in word-selection frequently results in loss of spontaneity.(Francis Thompson, qtd. by Arthur Quiller-Couch in Murder Your Darlings)Everything beginning at Blake Avenue  would always wear for me some delightful strangeness and mildness, simply because it was not of my block, the block,  where the clang  of your head sounded against the pavement when you fell in a fist fight, and the rows of store-lights on each side were pitiless, watching you.(Alfred Kazin, A Walker in the City. Harcourt Brace, 1951 There is undoubtedly a sensation in traveling into foreign parts that is to be had nowhere else; but it is more pleasing at the time than lasting.(William Hazlitt, On Going a Journey Fallacies You can spot ​discourses that beg the question by looking for such words as obviously, of course, and really. Any defense lawyer would immediately leap up and say, Objection! if the prosecution were to say to the jury, Obviously, she is guilty. (Edward P. J. Corbett and Rosa A. Eberly, The Elements of Reasoning. Allyn and Bacon, 2000)

The Biography of Francisco Morazan

The Biography of Francisco Morazan Jose Francisco Morazan Quezada (1792-1842) was a politician and general who ruled parts of Central America at different times during the turbulent period from 1827 to 1842. He was a strong leader and visionary who attempted to unite the different Central American countries into one large nation. His liberal, anti-clerical politics made him some powerful enemies, and his period of rule was marked by bitter infighting between liberals and conservatives. Early Life Morazan was born in Tegucigalpa  in present-day Honduras in 1792, during the waning years of Spanish colonial rule. The was the son of an upper-class Creole family and entered the military at a young age. He soon distinguished himself for his bravery and charisma. He was tall for his era, about 5  feet 10 inches, and intelligent, and his natural leadership skills easily attracted followers. He became involved in local politics early, enlisting as a volunteer to oppose Mexico’s annexation of Central America in 1821. A United Central America Mexico suffered some severe internal upheavals in the first years of independence, and in 1823 Central America was able to break away. The decision was made to unify all of Central America as one nation, with the capital in Guatemala City. It was made up of five states: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. In 1824, liberal Jose Manuel Arce was elected president, but he soon switched sides and supported the conservative ideals of a strong central government with firm ties to the church. At War The ideological conflict between liberals and conservatives had long been simmering and finally boiled over when Arce sent troops to rebellious Honduras. Morazan led the defense in Honduras, but he was defeated and captured. He escaped and was put him in charge of a small army in Nicaragua. The army marched on Honduras and captured it at the legendary Battle of La Trinidad on Nov. 11, 1827. Morazan was now the liberal leader with the highest profile in Central America, and in 1830 he was elected to serve as president of the Federal Republic of Central America. Morazan in Power Morazan enacted liberal reforms in the new Federal Republic of Central America, including freedom of the press, speech, and religion. He limited church power by making marriage secular and abolishing government-aided tithing. Eventually, he was forced to expel many clerics from the country. This liberalism made him the implacable enemy of the conservatives, who preferred to keep the old colonial power structures, including close ties between church and state. He moved the capital to San Salvador, El Salvador, in 1834 and was re-elected in 1835. At War Again Conservatives would occasionally take up arms in different parts of the nation, but Morazan’s grip on power was firm until late 1837 when Rafael Carrera led an uprising in eastern Guatemala. An illiterate pig farmer, Carrera was nevertheless a clever, charismatic leader and relentless adversary. Unlike previous conservatives, he was able to rally the generally apathetic Guatemalan Native Americans to his side, and his horde of irregular soldiers armed with machetes, flintlock muskets, and clubs proved hard for Morazan to put down. Defeat and Collapse of the Republic As news of the successes of Carrera came to them, conservatives all over Central America took heart and decided that the time was right to strike against Morazan. Morazan was a skilled field general, and he defeated a much larger force at the battle of San Pedro Perulapan in 1839. By then, however, the republic had irrevocably fractured, and Morazan only effectively ruled El Salvador, Costa Rica and a few isolated pockets of loyal subjects. Nicaragua was the first to officially secede from the union, on Nov. 5, 1838. Honduras and Costa Rica quickly followed. Exile in Colombia Morazan was a skilled soldier, but his army was shrinking while that of the conservatives was growing, and in 1840 came the inevitable result: Carrera’s forces finally defeated Morazan, who was forced to go into exile in Colombia. While there, he wrote an open letter to the people of Central America in which he explained why the republic was defeated and laments that Carrera and the conservatives never tried to really understand his agenda. Costa Rica In 1842 he was lured out of exile by Costa Rican Gen. Vicente Villasenor, who was leading a revolt against conservative Costa Rican dictator Braulio Carrillo and had him on the ropes. Morazan joined Villasenor, and together they finished the job of ousting Carrillo: Morazan was named president. He intended to use Costa Rica as the center of a new Central American republic. But the Costa Ricans turned on him, and he and Villasenor were executed on Sept. 15, 1842. His final words were to his friend Villasenor: â€Å"Dear friend, posterity will do us justice.† Legacy of Francisco Morazan Morazan was correct: Posterity has been kind to him and his dear friend Villasenor. Morazan is today seen as a visionary, progressive leader and able commander who fought to keep Central America together. In this, he is sort of the Central American version of Simon Bolà ­var, and there is more than a little in common between the two men. Since 1840, Central America has been fractured, divided into tiny, weak nations vulnerable to wars, exploitation, and dictatorships. The failure of the republic to last was a defining point in Central American history. Had it stayed united, the Republic of Central America might well be a formidable nation, on an economic and political par with, say, Colombia or Ecuador. As it is, however, it is a region of little world importance whose history is most often tragic. The dream is not dead, however. Attempts were made in 1852, 1886 and 1921 to unite the region, although all of these attempts failed. Morazans name is invoked anytime there is talk of reunification. Morazan is honored in Honduras and El Salvador, where there are provinces named after him, as well as any number of parks, streets, schools, and businesses.

Evaluation of Canons Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Evaluation of Canons Strategies - Essay Example This mixture demands continuous and effective flow of information and the ability to adapt to change. All members of the company should be involved and strategy, when needed, needs to be changed accordingly. Robust measurement of strategic competences is critical. Canon has applied strategic planning since 1957. The strategic approach to achieving top market position involved everyone and there was a careful planning of the resources needed in order to achieve the market position. Canon has focused on the photocopying market in the beginning and it has focused on niche marketing i.e. producing small photocopiers. It has in parallel, developed new technology. Starting from photocopiers, Canon has developed since then core competencies in printers, scanners etc. The company emphasized customer satisfaction and it is customer oriented. Based on customer satisfaction, it has developed its growth plan which is called â€Å"Excellent Global Corporation Plan†. In this plan, the goal of Canon is clearly stated i.e. top share and profitable operations. The strategic planning process involved: highly automated manufacturing plant, high –technology products and synergy. So, the structure of Canon’s strategic plan was the following: the centre set the long-term strategy whereas the business units (product divisions) implement medium-term planning acting always within the constraints placed by the centre. Crisis management and contingency planning were important in Canon’s strategic process since the company wanted to be prepared in case of adverse events. These various plans were consolidated by the centre. Each business unit/division prepares its own budget, these budgets are gathered and then the centre prepares short-term plans. The company culture is quite distinctive: people are encouraged to talk and debate. The emphasis on people is shown in the objectives of Canon for the years 2001-05 among other objectives such as product leadership, development of R&D and strong financial position.  Ã‚