Abstract This paper describes the concept of Habes, hell, in each of the three books. The author states that in each book, the underworld is an allegory for the travails of life itself. The author presents similarities and differences in each book. The paper concludes that, in all three narratives, there is one common thread: good triumphs over evil.
From the Paper "In these stories, Hades plays a pivotal role for largely different reasons. Dante uses Inferno as a pure description of hell"a sinister warning to likely sinners. In the narrative, each sin is categorized and has its own gruesome punishment. Virgil's sends Aeneus through Hell to allow him to seek and cement his destiny"the forefather of Rome's creation. Today, the word ?Odyssey:? has become synonymous with adventurous journeys."
Abstract This paper examines at length the American writer William Faulkner's novel, "As I Lay Dying". It provides a detailed synopsis and analysis of the novel and its characters. The paper explores the family situation in religious terms and describes the issue of religious faith for all the main characters. The author states that the importance of the central figure, the family's mother, to her children stands as the central issue of the book, and she provides an anchor for each character to find his or her own identity. The paper illustrates that the family's journey is a rejection of spirituality and faith in favor of a new material objects and a new wife.
From the Paper "In his novel As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner explores a family situation in religious terms, with the central figure of Addie Bundren serving as the touchstone for the rest of the family and as one who serves a religious purpose for several of her children, notably Darl. The issue of religious belief and faith is raised for virtually all the central characters, but Darl is the Bundren most given to introspection and so to consideration of religious meaning.
Point of view in this novel changes. There are fifteen narrators in Faulkner's novel, shifting points of view around the central figure of Addie, the mother. Her importance to her children stands as the central issue of the book, and she provides an anchor of sorts for each character to find his or her own identity. While family is central to As I Lay Dying, family is more a burden than a blessing. Addie believes her father has never loved her, and her new family, her children, becomes an escape from the old. Addie sees her own life as a failure, including her role as mother, yet it is her death which becomes a means of bringing the family together. Her "consciousness" realizes this, yet she succeeds only partially, for while the family does what she wants, they mostly do not become closer or more aware of their debt to her in the process. Darl is the only character with an awareness of this and other facts about life, and he ends up in an asylum, showing Faulkner's pessimistic view of the family and perhaps of religion as a salvation from this world."
Abstract This paper examines the role of Islamic law and fundamentalist ideology in the growing instances of violence towards women in various Islamic countries. While the paper focuses largely on Pakistan, where religious laws have allowed a disturbing number of atrocious murders against women to go unpunished over the years, the paper also discusses the progress that has been made in some Islamic countries regarding women and the law. The roots of honor killings are examined, as well as the reasons why the violence is always erroneously blamed on Islamic principles. Finally, solutions are proposed regarding what can be done by the international community as well as individual countries in order to protect women.
From the Paper "In light of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, much media attention has been garnered on Islam and particularly on extremist Islamic factions that support violence. Yet, despite all the focus on international terrorism and violence in the name of religion, there is one brand of terrorism seldomly brought to light; the blatant violence against women that is so prevalent in many Islamic countries. Miriam-Webster dictionary describes terrorism as ?the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.? If we are to accept this definition, then we must also accept the fact that women in many Islamic countries are continuously the target of terrorists, and the government, society and often their own families are the very perpetrators of this terrorism. While the means by which women in these countries are terrorized vary greatly in degree (from systematic exclusion of participation in societal roles outside the home to domestic abuse and "honor killings") all similarly cause women to live in constant fear for their safety and lives. As global awareness of these conditions grows, so does the responsibility of helping to protect the women affected by it. By closely examining the conditions and mindsets that allow such horrors to go unpunished, particularly the role of Islam in law, solutions may be yielded and policies instituted to protect the human rights of women, finally putting an end to this neglected facet of terrorism."
This paper analyzes of Hasidism, the Jewish "revivalist movement" of the 18th century; its major foes, the Mitnagdim; the role of Hasidic leader Baal Shem Tov; historic context of anti-establishment sects; personal and mystical elements.
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 8 sources, 1980, $ 119.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to provide an analysis of Hasidism, the Jewish "revivalist movement" of the 18th century.
The research will include analysis of the opponents of the Hasidic movement, including the Mitnagdim.
As Gershom G. Scholem immediately makes clear in his Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism that the "Polish and Ukranian Hasidism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had nothing to do with medieval Hasidism in Germany. The new Hasidism was founded shortly before the middle of the eighteenth century by that famous saint and mystic Israel Baal Shem ("Master of the Holy Name") who died in 1760 . . . "
Describes tenets & practices of Zen & applies principles to painting, poetry & music. Looks at meditation, direct experience, haiku, simplicity and reality.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 13 sources, 1989, $ 79.95
From the Paper "This paper will discuss Zen Buddhism, and the interrelationships among Zen philosophy, painting, poetry and music. Zen is a Japanese branch of Buddhism, the practice of which is largely based on meditation and introspection. The teachings of Zen are considered to have been directly passed down from Gautama Buddha himself, during the sixth century B.C. in India. After that time Zen teachings continued to be passed through direct transmission from one teacher to the next, and by the 12th and 13th centuries A.D., they had spread to China, Korea, and Japan.. Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, is credited with having first merged Indian Buddhism with Chinese philosophy, thereby establishing certain characteristics which would come to be associated with Zen in later years."
From the Paper "The Buddha taught his disciples how to liberate themselves from the suffering of life through the death of the ego. Methods for exploring and transcending the Wheel of Birth and Death (samsara) lie, therefore, at the center of Buddhist teachings. The various traditions of Buddhism individually and collectively address the problems of living partly through teaching the "art of dying," the creative passage from attachment to the world of things into a new life beyond birth and death. Liberation (nirvana) depends upon first understanding the situation of the individual within the world, and then upon dying to that state through transcending it.
Of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths, the first two address directly the structure of samsara. The First Noble Truth announces that life is suffering. The Second Noble Truth ... "
This study examines the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament in the Holy Bible: Authorship, date written, brief outline, theological themes and historical setting.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 4 sources, 1991, $ 47.95
From the Paper "This study will examine the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament in the Holy Bible. The study will include consideration of the authorship of the Book of Ruth, the date written, a brief outline of the book, major theological themes, the historical setting, and its place in the Hebrew canon.
The Book of Ruth follows the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. It is a relatively brief book, containing only four chapters, and is named after its heroine. It is set in the time of the judges, as we read in Ruth 1:1: "Now it came to pass in days when the judges ruled . . . ."
The question then arises as to why the Book of Ruth was not made a part of the Book of Judges, having chronicled events which are believed to have occurred at the same general period of time as the previous book."
From the Paper "According to the theory of reincarnation, the soul survives the death of the body and is reborn at a later time into another human or animal body. The origins of this idea can be found in the ancient belief system of Hinduism. In fact, the majority of Hindus today still believe in reincarnation, just as their ancestors did thousands of years ago. In the Western world, by contrast, there have been few adherents of the theory of reincarnation. Although some practitioners of alternative faiths believe in the theory, most Western philosophers and scientists have rejected it completely. One exception to this rule is ... Despite the views of liberal-minded researchers like ... "
From the Paper "Introduction
Jesus Christ had some definite views on marriage and divorce. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church believes that Holy Matrimony is one of the Seven Sacraments. Consequently, divorce is not taken lightly because it would be a sin to destroy a sacrament. In the words of Jesus: "At the beginning God made them male and female; for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become as one. They are no longer two but one in flesh. Therefore let no man separate what God has joined" (Mark 10:6-9).
The position taken by Jesus with regard to divorce is quite strong and unequivocal. It is no wonder that the Roman Catholic Church regards marriage as a sacrament.
Jesus does not agree with Deut. 24, which permits a husband..."
From the Paper "This paper will discuss the history and development of Gregorian chant, a type of music which predominated in the services of the medieval church. The Gregorian chant flourished between the seventh and fourteenth centuries A.D., and there are about 3,000 chants which have survived to the present day. The study of these chants is important to musicologists because "the Gregorian repertory is the first in the West to be preserved complete" (Crocker 118).
Gregorian chant was always based on the use of a single melody line. Thus, the music of the chant was monophonic and lacking in harmony. Gregorian chant was also lacking in the use of instrumental accompaniment. Thus, the melody line was sung either by a solo singer or a choir singing in unison. Gregorian chant was also distinguished by the use of free rhythm. In other ..."
A critical analysis of the work, "Psychology Through the Eyes of Faith" by David Myers and Malcolm Jeeves, seeking an open-minded relationship between psychology and Christianity, science and religion.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 1 source, 1993, $ 71.95
From the Paper "This study will provide a critical analysis of Psychology Through the Eyes of Faith, by David G. Myers and Malcolm A. Jeeves.
The authors are professors --- Myers is a professor of psychology at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and the author of three other books; Jeeves is the Foundation Professor of Psychology in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews, and is also the author of a number of works relating the scientific and Christian approaches to human reality.
In their Preface, the authors specify their intent, distinguishing it from the intent of those who write books on "what psychologists have said about religion" and books "with a Christian approach to counseling." Instead, their book "identifies major insights regarding human nature that college..."
This paper compares the approaches to Nazi genocide in the emotional film Spielberg's "Schindler's List" and the historical book Michael Marrus' "The Holocaust In History".
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 2 sources, 1994, $ 31.95
From the Paper "The Holocaust has been addressed in books, articles, films, novels, stories, and poems hundreds and thousands of times over the last half century, and now and again a particular work comes along that brings the entire issue into the open once more and introduces a new generation to the horrors of World War II and to the evil that human begins can do to one another. Such a work is "Schindler's List", a film that has proven to be very popular and that has engendered controversy on a number of fronts. There are, of course, arguments over whether the film is accurate or whether it evokes the truth of the Holocaust to a sufficient degree. There has also been controversy brought about by the thoughtless actions of some young people who laughed when they saw the film, leading to a variety of dissections of the current generation and its ability to understand the suffering of others."
From the Paper "The Gospel of Mark is generally regarded as the earliest of the Synoptic Gospels, written probably in the period 50-70 CE , although some narrow the date even further to 65-67 . ... establishes, Mark is most likely the earliest when it is examined in comparison with Matthew and Luke: "The substance of over ninety per cent (sic) of Mark's verses is contained in Matthew, the substance of over fifty per cent (sic) in Luke," and, further, that "there is often agreement in sentence structure and collocation of words between both Matthew and Luke and Mark or between one of them and Mark, and it hardly ever happens that Matthew and Luke agree against Mark. . . .""
The language of Mark--its explanations of Jewish customs and
From the Paper "The idea that Christian ethics is a ressentiment ethics is a Nietzschean conception. Max Scheler says much the same when he notes that Christianity is defended by certain believers as if taking vengeance on antiquity, combating the evil that prevailed before Christianity came into being and challenged that power (Scheler 48).
The term "ressentiment" has been made into a technical term by Nietzsche, but it is first of all the French word for "resentment," though as Manfred S. Frings notes, the French word possesses a sense of lingering hatred that the English word does not. Nietzsche expropriated the French term because the German language does not have a word for "ressentiment" (Frings 5).
In the opening chapter of On the Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche examines the history of the central concepts ..."
From the Paper "This study will examine the information which D.T. Niane's Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali reveals to us about religious institutions, beliefs and their roles in medieval Sudan. The character Sundiata, based on the historical leader of medieval Sudan, is a man who seems to be walking a rather broad line between Islam and more primitive religious beliefs. As such, he can be seen as a bridge of sorts between the two religious outlooks. Sundiata, in both Niane's work and in the historical accounts of the man and the era of his leadership, appears to be far more concerned with the earthly results of his actions than with the religious aspects of life. His interest in religious or spiritual matters seems to have been focused on their impact on his acquisition and maintenance of land and power.
As we read in Robert W. July's A History of the African ..."
