Explain religious teaching about what it means to be a human Essay Example for Free

Explain religious teaching about what it means to be a human Essay Human has a embodied spirit who thinks, act, speaks and desires. Religious teachings say that humans are created in the image of god. They are different from animals because humans have the ability to love, be moral and have free will. Humans life is a gift from god. We must value life. God created us as intelligent beings with the ability to control our actions, urges and emotions. Christian teaches that free will is given by God. By free will, we shape our own lives. Bible says Humans are creation of God. God desired humans to exist. God gave us the ability to reason, speak and to live a moral life. Humans are mixture of earth and divine breath. Bible teaches that we are the incarnation of the divine and part of us is drawn from the earth. Everything created by god is perfect and it was intended. Of all the creatures in Gods creation, Humans are the only ones who enter into a dialouge with God which is by prayer. Most christians believe that humans are distinct from the animal word, and that the most important differences between animals and humans have is soul – a divine spark that sets them apart from other living things. This asserts that Christians do not treat animals as their equals, as only humans were made in the image of God. Christians believe in the sanctity of life, that there is something special and holy about life. Christians believe that humans have a soul which lives on after the body has died, this soul will then be judged and then can join God in heaven. God gave humans dominion over the non-human life, E.g. in Genesis Let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air suggesting human life has a higher value than non-human life, this shows God has given humans a big responsibility to life which exempliflies the value. God made man in his image many christians believe that God gave them the brains and the abilities to find cures for humans by experimenting on animals and not to use these abilities would be denying Gods plan for them. Some christians say that this gives them the right to use animals in  experiments because humans are of more value. As well in Genesis God said to Adam Rule Over all living creatures suggesting animal testing is acceptable. However, Some christians may be very much against this, as when God created the world, he saw that all that was in was good. Some say this means we should not experiment on animals because they are wonderful part of Gods creation. The earth is the Lords and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Human lives are special because it is a gift from God. Human lives distinct from any other creatures and are in higher positions. Humans have sanctity which relates to their dignity, which has both natural dimension, in terms of rational thought and moral decision-making powers. â€Å"Human beings have complete control over their own life and destiny.† (15 marks) How far might a religious believer agree with this statement? Everyone has a purpose of being in this universe because we all have a special position that is created by God. Humans make their own choices and lead on their life. But, God is always there to show people the right path. Only God has control over peoples lives. He decides when we die and when we born. Everything is in Gods hand as religious believer will say God created the world. Gods choices are always right. He is capable of carrying out any project to a successful conclusion without the possibility of fault or failure. Nothing in His universe happens by chance or accident. For every effect there is a cause. God is in control. We have freedom to choose within the constraints of who we are and the circumstances we find ourselves in. Yet while God controls those circumstances but does not control us. While God is able to control us, and if he wanted to he could override our freedom, he chooses not to. The concept of the control of God over everything is called the â€Å"sovereignty† of God. Nothing gives us strength and confidence like an understanding of the sovereignty of God in our lives. God’s sovereignty is defined as His complete and total independent control over every creature, event, and circumstance at every moment in history. Subject to none, influenced by  none, absolutely independent, God does what He pleases. God is in complete control of every molecule in the universe at every moment, and everything that happens is either caused or allowed by Him for His own perfect purposes. Religious believer might say that God is directing your steps down to the smallest details. He can make things happen that you could never make happen on your own. He is for you, on your side, and what He has purposed for your life will come to pass.

Florida and the Future of Gay Adoption Essay -- Homosexual Children Pa

Florida and the Future of Gay Adoption The line between public and private is quickly diminishing, if there ever was a line to start. Private ideologies (social and moral/ethical attitudes) have been made public by what legislation does (not) relegate, and then protects the right to privacy for the individuals who abide by these private ideologies. The intrinsic protection of adherents to a dominant ideology forces those with deviant ideology to actively make their private concerns public in order to be granted their "right to privacy." However, even after this guarantee it is not possible for the private to leave the public sphere until the dominant ideology changes radically to incorporate these rights at the same intrinsic level of the original ideology- meaning the right to privacy has to be constantly reiterated until the societal backing makes it dominant. In the case of human and civil rights, legislation has the obligation to intercede on behalf of those disenfranchised by laws, regardless of the impact of or on s ocial attitudes. Once the issue of gay adoption entered the public sphere (i.e. when gay couples were first singled out by the state as ineligible), the only possible way to ensure that these individuals rights would be protected and that one day the rights of all homosexual individuals and couples to adopt would be guaranteed was for the issue to come before the Supreme Court. It is fortunate that the law was not overturned in a lower court, because the decision would not carry the weight of one handed down by the Supreme Court. Florida State Adoption Logo (7). Florida state law currently bans lesbians and gay men from adopting children, preferring rigorously gendered family construction, as is made p... ...al in Challenge to Florida Gay Adoption Ban." American Civil Liberties Union website. 3)Lambda Legal website, "Background on Lambda Legal's Supreme Court Case Challenging Texas's "Homosexual Conduct" Law." 4)"Anita Bryant, b.1940, Singer and Crusader." , St. Petersburg Times Online. 5)"Lawrence & Garner v. State of Texas." , SodomyLaws.org 6)ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, "Let Him Stay" 7)My Florida Website, The State of Florida's Website 8)Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange, Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange Homepage 9)Lexis Nexis, "U.S. Appeals Court Narrowly Upholds Only Blanket Gay Adoption Ban." The Associated Press State & Local Wire. 10)Human Rights Campaign website, "What's Happening in My State?" Butler, Judith. "Imitation and Gender Insubordination." Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories. New York: Routledge, 1991. 13-31.

Jenny Saville and Lucien Freud

Jenny Saville and Lucien Freud share the same subject matter i. e. the human form however both have very different approaches to recording their observations and ideas and it’s an approach that I’ve become accustomed to because I like it as it allows absolute freedom in artistic expression. Saville produces large-scale pieces of work and uses impasto in a similar way to Freud however notably less thick and blockier. She chooses to work in such a way as she wanted ‘people to know what it is they're looking at. But at the same time, the closer they get to the painting; it's like going back into childhood. And it's like an abstract piece†¦ it becomes the landscape of the brush marks rather than just sort of an intellectual landscape’ this way of working is prominent in the painting ‘Rosetta 2’. The formidable scales of the paintings are awe-inspiring and really capture the eyes of the viewer. Using oils, she makes highly pigmented work, employing a gorgeous palette that conveys the effect of creamy, liquid skin poured directly onto the canvas. The brushwork is very dynamic and aesthetically pleasing; the skin has a rich look to it. The subdued colour range of blues, greys and muted pink create a bleaker natural form. The best of Jenny Savilles work in my opinion would be her series of photographs with Glen Luchford the fashion photographer. Produced in 1995, the collaboration produces some exciting and bizarrely beautiful work. Commenting on the work and her intentions she says ‘the boundary of our bodies, which we presume is so fixed and can only exist in that certain area, can be extended so far. This movement, malleability of flesh, I started to think about that quite a lot’. ‘Closed Contact no. 4, fig (vi)’ Photographed from an elevated angle through a glass plate, shows Saville contorting her body whilst pressed up against Plexiglas. The piece definitely is appropriate to her intentions as she manages to distort her body enough so that we have no clear visual point of reference; there are no â€Å"boundaries†. I appreciate this image because she has abstracted herself and pushed her body to extremes also its very different from her paintings there are no definitive lines instead folds of flesh frame the image that is what I like most. One aspect that differentiates both artists’ similar styles is Savilles expression of anger; her work from the turn of the millennium onwards explores more violent themes and showcases brilliant reds and blues slashing through her figures. Her work is overtly violent were Freuds is more muted. Evidence of her violent expression is in the painting Witness fig (vii), it is a very bleak portrayal of the human form that commands a reaction. I like the harsh and unforgiving light created by the varying toes of purple and red. Freud said, â€Å"The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real. † This principle is prominent throughout his work and his 1985 self-portrait best embodies his saying. In the portrait the face appears distorted, yet the intensity of what the artist is trying to convey remains in every thick stroke and restores the reality of it. His work is unquestionably more abstract as he plays with the true tone of the subject and the strokes appear wilder, blockier but ultimately freer. There is a level of realism achieved in this piece that surpasses his earlier work. The self- portrait captures a powerful aura one that can only be achieved through careful observation and not working from photographs and fretting over accuracy. I like how the segments of slightly different colours come to form an exciting image. A piece of work I really like of Freuds is his portrait of the queen some hated it for its brutal depiction of Queen Elizabeth II but I like it for the level of emotion he manages to capture in this one painting. For me what makes the portrait is the inner struggle to supress a smile. For the Queen to have her portrait forever show the containment of personal laughter is an historic way for her to mark the new millennium. I like it also because it shows his integrity as an artist, he favours no one and he painted the ageing Queen as ruthlessly as he had painted his ageing self. Freud’s application remains very thick like in most of his work, which I like as it adds age and wisdom to the face. Freud’s best-known work ‘Benefits Supervisor Sleeping’ it is a piece which truly fascinates. When compared to photographs of what the model looks like in reality we can see he’s obviously played with it. He did so â€Å"since the painting is going to be there on its own, it is of no interest whether it is an accurate copy of the model† he ages the model and somehow made her more obese and splotchy. Both Freud and Saville fail to omit bruises and calluses and visible veins, they don’t idealise the body but show it for what it is complete with overtly sexual overtones I’ve chosen to look at the work of Freud and Saville because I enjoy their work as well as I like the way in which they use paint. They look at the human form objectively, removing the humanity. This is an approach to painting and drawing from life that I’d like to develop in my own work.

Education Is Not Preparation For Life - 1155 Words

â€Å"Education is not preparation for life; Education is life for itself.† These are the words of John Dewey, which have led an everlasting impression on my mind. It relates to the idea of lifelong learning, and the knowledge that education is much more than what lies within the curriculum. Whenever I pause by to reflect on my ken of knowledge, I feel that how little I have learnt and that an enormous, unknown and fascinating wealth of knowledge lies before me, yet to be explored. Education is like an edifice based on strong rudiments and strengthened by the fundamentals and practical skills acquired during one’s lifetime. So my main goal is to design the next generation innovations in field rather than being just a user of existing technologies and findings. So I intend to pursue Master of Science degree in â€Å"Automotive software Engineering† at your university as the first step towards obtaining a PHD. â€Å"Nothing is Impossible in Life† has always been a motivating force behind all my achievements. I strongly believe that enjoy what we do and having the passion to pursue, we can ultimately achieve our destination, no matter how much efforts are needed. My inherent urge and interest to pursue engineering emanates from an instinctive inclination for Physics and Mathematics since my schooling. From early childhood, I was very captivated with electronic appliances around me. I would ask my parents about their principle of working. I always tried to find out what basic elements andShow MoreRelatedEducation Is Not Preparation For Life998 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Dewey once said, â€Å"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. 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