Abstract
This paper discusses the fascination behind the gravity of heresy in the Catholic Chruch, a sin so grave that Dante placed the heretics in burning lead sepulchers, banished to the sixth ring of hell. The paper also examines how heresy in itself is so broad and encompassing a word that it is difficult to pinpoint where exactly we find it. It attempts to define and elaborate on a Catholic understanding of heresy by using the works of authors dedicated to this subject.

From the Paper
"A more prudent and even tempered outlook on the Catholic stance on heresy can be found in Jean Guitton's book, Great Heresies and Church Councils. He states that, "The Church is like a dismembered Christ because of the division among Christians. Yet this dismemberment, which is an agony, does not rob her of her unity, her life, her fullness." Even St Augustine is famous for saying that not every error is heresy, a teaching universally accepted within the Church, which seems to help cool the engines of those ready to go on a witch hunt to stomp out heretics. In the book A Brief History of Heresy by G.R. Evans, I saw that the heritage of heretical attitudes was tainted by the very outlook of the early church. The definitions were far more critical than then they are today. According to Evans, an early definition of heresy stated that, "heretics are those who holding perverse dogma, draw apart from the Church of their own free will... heretics are those who not only think wrongly, but persist with determined wickedness in thinking wrongly." "

Tags:Schism, Protestant, Gnostic, Orthodoxy

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss and analyze the book "The Shepherd" by Joseph Girzone. Specifically, it contains a book report on the book which has been re-released under the title "Joshua and the Shepherd." It contains a summary of the main points and how the novel relates to traditional Catholic beliefs. "The Shepherd" is a beautifully simple and yet complex look at the ins and outs of the Catholic religion and one man's fictional efforts to modernize and reform the Church. A dedicated Catholic, David Campbell comes to rethink his role and his Church's role in the lives of its followers and dedicates his life to an even higher calling, that of the prophet to reorganize and reform an institution that has existed for thousands of years.

From the Paper
"Girzone's book "The Shepherd," which was re-released in paperback in 1996 under the title "Joshua and the Shepherd" is one of several in a series of "Joshua" books Girzone has created. This book tells the story of a newly consecrated Catholic bishop, David Campbell, and his meeting with an unnamed stranger who the reader realizes is Joshua the prophet and leader. From the opening pages of the book, the author's message is quite clear. The welling of support from the community at Campbell's consecration as bishop shows he is a respected and well-loved member of the community who overlooks cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds to embrace everyone as members of his community and his congregation. In addition, with the regal and highly structuralized ritual of the consecration itself, Girzone immediately illustrates the strict rites of the Catholic Church, and their rigid reliance on rules, structure, and pomp throughout their religious ceremonies."

Tags:chruch, christianity, catholic, bishop, david, campbell

Abstract
This paper explicates Lea's poem and looks at its form and content. The paper analyzes Lea's use of characters, transitions between stanzas, the dynamics of group versus individual, and the reiteration of thesis as tactics of persuasion. The paper also examines Lea's use of structure, setting and voice.

From the Paper
"Every good poem has to have a reason for being. Perhaps the poet has to have something worth imparting or an argument they wish to persuade with which they wish to persuade their reader. Whatever the poem's raison d'etre, the reader's journey through the poem is a process and therefore the journey is important. If the argument is stated up front, as in Auden's "Musee des Beaux Arts", the remainder of the poem strives to deliver sufficient evidence to persuade the reader of the argument's validity. If the point of the poem's point rests at its close, as in Bishop's "Large Bad Picture," the poet has the duration of the poem to place the reader in the right mindset for the closing argument. However, if the poet decides to reiterate their premiss throughout the poem, as in Sydney Lea's "Ghost Pain," choices as to structure, setting and voice are particularly important since they have to be strong enough to weather repetition and yet subtle enough not to overcome the argument."

Tags:belonging, chruch, congregation, contrast, explication, god, isolation, opposites