the attitude of Jesus towards outcasts as presented in Lukes Gospel Essay Example

the attitude of Jesus towards outcasts as presented in Lukes Gospel Paper Jewish religion and culture created many distinctions in society and there were many categories of people who were considered as outcasts, such as, lepers, Romans, foreigners, the sick and the poor. People who belonged to any of these categories were considered unclean and therefore were avoided. Jesus consistently breaks these conventions and interacts with outcasts. Jesus demonstrates equality and compassion whilst dealing with outcasts. In Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The Rich Man gave the beggar nothing, not even the scraps from the table passed over by those who had plenty. This lack of generosity certainly had its consequences in the afterlife. His misuse of his riches has excluded him from eternal reward. He has enjoyed his reward on earth in full, spending it all on himself, with no care for the beggar at his gate. Riches may have been a gift from God, a reward even, but even the Torah would reveal that the responsibility to be generous came with power and money. However,1 Jeremias has pointed out that Jesus audience may well have associated the rich man in His parable with tax collector, so the Rich Man in Jesus story ending up in torment, separated from the good, would not, perhaps have been surprising. We will write a custom essay sample on the attitude of Jesus towards outcasts as presented in Lukes Gospel specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on the attitude of Jesus towards outcasts as presented in Lukes Gospel specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on the attitude of Jesus towards outcasts as presented in Lukes Gospel specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer On the other hand, its important to appreciate that from a Jewish perspective, many of Jesus listeners would perceive Lazarus as a sinner because of his miserable position, which was a judgement from God. Hence the sequel must have been wholly unexpected by the audience. Jesus listeners would have been shocked to learn that Lazarus was spending the afterlife in the intimate company of the great patriarch Abraham. He has enjoyed a complete reversal of fortune as suggested by 2Hendrikesen, after all the Rich man had several opportunities to help the beggar ut did not do so. It is also suggested by 3Drury that the Rich Man may, perhaps, have been of the Sadducee party. The Sadducees, a small but powerful group within Judaism, from whose ranks the top officials in the Temple. This elite often were the richest and the most powerful people who believed in preserving their traditions and would have kept In Luke 10:25-35 we have the Parable of the Good Samaritan, one of the most famous stories of Jesus and outcasts. The parable itself talks of how a man is beaten and robbed and left for dead by the roadside. A priest and a Levite walk by, ignoring him. The only one who stops and helps is a Samaritan. The Jews hated Samaritans at this time, and they wouldnt have liked that teaching. Jesus was saying that our neighbours might be the people we least expect. In that last parable, Jesus would have caused great offence by hinting that a Samaritan, a foreigner, and so an outcast, could reach the kingdom of heaven. Jews had the belief that they were Gods chosen people, and so were the only people who would enter heaven. Jewish law told that some groups should be ostracised and so they became outcasts. Jesus open welcoming of outcasts would have provoked hostile reactions among Jews as He was clearly breaking laws. Jesus himself was made an outcast for associating with other outcasts, which even helped his teachings. Jesus, however, welcomed and helped these people. He openly broke down the barriers that society had placed between themselves and these outcasts. Jesus touched lepers, talked with tax collectors and ate with sinners. One of the many examples of this is told in Luke 19:1-10. It is the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, in which Zacchaeus is a chief tax collector who wanted to see Jesus. As he was small he climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. Jesus called him down and said he would stay in his house. The people were shocked that Jesus was going to and outcasts home. Zacchaeus promised to give half his belongings to the poor, and pay all he had cheated back four times as much. Jesus said that salvation had come to him and used a Messianic title talking of himself. This story is one of conversion, where the people were shocked that Jesus was actually calling a sinner and associating with him. How far does a social and historical background of first century Palestine contribute to an understanding of these events? In the time of Jesus, many people were marginalized; meaning that they were ostracised, or separated from the rest of the community. These outcasts included lepers, Romans, tax collectors, women (especially widows), sinners and foreigners. It was thought that these people deserved to be in treated like this as it was there own fault and that their sickness was a punishment from God. Jesus obviously did not agree with this opinion and showed that everyone was equal and deserved respect and care just like everyone else. The Jewish teachers of law would have been enraged by Jesus actions. He was going against major teachings of the law. On the Sermon on the Mount, he had taken it upon himself to, in the Jews eyes, to rewrite what had been passed down form generation to generation from Mosses and others. Although not completely changing them, some would have found that the new laws were much harder as they required real commitment to God. They considered that if you gave money to the church, you were a good person. Now they were shown that they must have the spirit and the faith, which was much more important. In many of Jesus miracles he did them because of the strong faith of those who received. Jews saw the Romans as an occupying army and the fact that they were foreigners and so in the Jews eyes wouldnt enter heaven. Jews would have believed that these were second-class citizens and anyone who worked for them were disloyal to the Jews. Also many Jews felt that tax collectors charged much more than was required. This was immensely irritating to the Jews and therefore tax collectors were considered unclean spiritually and morally.

5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present Tense

5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present Tense 5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present Tense 5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present Tense By Mark Nichol Writers often fall into a tense trap and don’t even notice. A tense trap is not a trap that makes you tense; it’s when you get stuck in past tense when the phenomena you are describing is perpetual or at least valid to the present moment. Here are some sample tense traps and their simple fixes: 1. â€Å"Bush lost me as a supporter when he said that outsourcing American jobs was a good thing.† This sentence from a newspaper column correctly reports in the past tense at the beginning of the sentence. But Bush likely said something like this: â€Å"Outsourcing American jobs is a good thing.† Even in paraphrase, the writer should retain the present tense: â€Å"Bush lost me as a supporter when he said that outsourcing American jobs is a good thing.† 2. â€Å"The two men chimed right in with their own stories about what wonderful people Jack and Margaret were.† Because this sentence is taken out of context, you have no idea whether Jack and Margaret were still alive at the time they were being discussed. To your credit, though, that thought occurred to you but it didn’t occur to the person who referred to the still-alive-and-kicking couple in the past tense. Unless Jack and Margaret later suffered from a personality disorder that transformed their natures, the writer should have made the observation in the present tense: â€Å"The two men chimed right in with their own stories about what wonderful people Jack and Margaret are.† 3. â€Å"These remarks infuriated French president Jacques Chirac, who declared that his country loved Jews and was not at all anti-Semitic.† Methinks Monsieur is suffering pied-en-bouche disease when he clumsily protests France’s apparently nonabiding affection for Semitic peoples. But it’s not his fault; the paraphrase should support the intent of his sentiment by using the present tense: â€Å"These remarks infuriated French president Jacques Chirac, who declared that his country loves Jews and is not at all anti-Semitic.† 4. â€Å"He wanted to know: Did it really do all the things people said it did?† Assuming you know that the product in question is extant and that its operating features are persistent, reference to it should be in the present tense regardless of the framing tense: â€Å"He wanted to know: Does it really do all the things people say it does?† 5. â€Å"Even when he was young, Dali was fascinated by and disturbed about how ants ate animal carcasses.† Because ants (disregarding the fact that Dali remains neither a youth nor alive) still eat animal carcasses, the verb should appear in the present tense: â€Å"Even when he was young, Dali was fascinated by and disturbed about how ants eat animal carcasses.† But look at this sentence from the same article: â€Å"This experience convinced the late artist that it was useless to represent reality in his painting.† This statement is correct as is. Knowing, as we do, that the artist is no longer alive and that the sentiment refers specifically to him, the point is no longer valid, so past tense here is proper. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for MoneyCapitalization Rules for the Names of GamesA "Diploma" is not a "Degree"

Select a community concern and address the problem and findings in a Essay

Select a community concern and address the problem and findings in a report - Essay Example The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that â€Å"cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for approximately 443,000 deaths, or 1 of every 5 deaths, in the United States each year† (CDC, 2012, par. 2). Likewise, statistics revealed that more than 68% of smokers have signified intentions to stop (CDC, 2011) and that â€Å"the combination of medication and counseling is more effective for smoking cessation than either medication or counseling alone† (CDC, 2011, p. 1). Government agencies have acknowledged that a coalition between the state and local communities would assist in helping smokers control and ultimately lessen or stop smoking. Accordingly, â€Å"communities need to work toward transforming the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of users and nonusers by changing the way tobacco is promoted, sold, and used† (CDC, 2011, p. 1). The solution to stop smoking is a collaborative effort that starts with the smoker, the family members, and the local community where he or she is an active part

Wk2 INTL304 Forum Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wk2 INTL304 Forum - Coursework Example Human source intelligence is considered the oldest method of information collection. The intelligence is collected from human sources. Collection of such data entails clandestine acquisition of documents, photographs and other related materials1. Going for the source of information ensures that the data collected is reliable and viable. Human intelligence entails all the information that is directly obtained from various human sources. It includes a wide range of activities from direct observation and reconnaissance to the use of spies and informants. The source of information is of essence since the information can be distorted when being moved from one source to the other. It is important to evaluate the target of collection before actual collection is done to avoid confusion and to ensure the information is thoroughly collected2. The intelligent information may end up not being viable in cases where wrong targets are selected. It may also take a long time to reach the source if the wrong targets are the ones selected in the beginning. Being aware of the source of intelligence information will help to identify the magnitude of the threat and thereby coming up with effective mitigation measures. Intelligence officials are t herefore tasked with a mandate of ensuring that the information collected is reliable and of

Preincible of leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Preincible of leadership - Essay Example Sample bias can be avoided by selecting the right people to ask the questions. Similarly, response bias can be avoided by making sure that respondents are asked questions right after the event while the information is still fresh. Another good avoiding such error is to make respondents note down or evaluate each stage of leadership separately from different aspects. This will enable them to note down the information and will prevent information overload and all of this will avoid all types of bias from the research. 2) Question 1: Is causal relationship always cyclic? Answer: Causal relationship is not always cyclic and can mislead the researcher if precautions are not taken well in advance. Cyclic complexes can exist in a research, but they can be avoided by defining a dependent and independent variable and conducting the research keeping in mind the nature of the test, and dependent variable that has to be tested. Question 2: What bias can exist in a causal research? Answer: The bi as that can exist in a causal research is researcher bias. A research should try to minimize this bias by using proper data analysis programs and other tools that may help him with the research. Works Cited: Malhotra, Naresh.. â€Å"Marketing Research: An applied orientation†. London: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print

Class and Money in Jane Austens Persuasion

Class and Money in Jane Austens Persuasion CLASS AND MONEY IN PERSUASION In most of the novels written by Jane Austen one clear topic is the social class. This topic becomes relevant in her novels because, in that way, readers can know how society was structured in the later 18th and the early 19th centuries when Austen lived. In the studied book of the course, Persuasion, the topics of social class and money are important to understand the behaviour of the characters through the novel and how, as the story progresses, some of the main characters change their opinions adapting them to the circumstances. In this essay, I am going to make an analysis of the thoughts of two characters in relation to social class and money and how these thoughts change to others totally opposed throughout the book. The characters that I will analyze are Sir Walter Elliot and Mr Elliot who are the ones in which the change of mind is clearly. First of all, I will start talking about Sir Walter and his thoughts that class is superior to money by making reference to the novel. The book starts by saying that â€Å"Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Baronetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one;†¦ he could read his own history with an interest which never failed – this was the page at which the favourite volume always opened† (p. 3). It is clear that only by reading the beginning of the novel, readers can understand how important social class is to Sir Walter because the passage is saying that he can spend a lot of time reading his own status in society. Also, the first chapter shows the vanity in Sir Walter. This can be seen in the sentence â€Å"vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character† (p. 4) which explains itself how his personality is and how his principles are. Moreover, his family’s position and name is very important for Sir Walter and the beginning of the book is full of examples that can prove it. One of them is when he talks about his daughters as if they can add name to the status of the family by getting a good husband who belongs to a superior family and thus raise its own name. First of all, he makes reference to his little daughter, Mary, when he adds her to the Baronetage writing her marriage with Charles Musgrove. Sir Walter says that Mary only â€Å"acquired a little artificial importance, by becoming Mrs Charles Musgrove† (p. 5). Later, he talks about Elizabeth, his elder daughter, who still has the potential to marry well and, for that, is the more valued by her father. Finally, he makes reference to Anne who is treated badly by Sir Walter because he thoughts that Anne is a lost cause and for him â€Å"she was only Anne† (p. 5). So, with all this information, the conclusion is that the love and treatment Sir Walter gives to his daughters depends on what they add or could add to the social status of the family. Another example where Sir Walter favours class over money is in relation to his financial situation. Lady Russell presents a plan which consists on apply a more controlled strategy to solve Sir Walter’s debts, but he refuses and finally he decides to move to Bath and rent Kellynch Hall because, by doing this, he thinks that he can still maintain his image. In other words, if he remains in his house controlling the money he spends, everybody would notice that Sir Walter went through financial problems. Other issue concerning this financial problem is that, instead of selling the house, he prefers to rent it; that is, he prefers to mortgage the powers he has but he never would sell them. All this is a proof of how he considers money inferior to class because he thinks it is worst that people know his problems than having them. Arriving at this point, it is necessary to talk about who rent the house because, obviously, the person who rents it cannot be nobody but, at the same tim e, he cannot be better than Sir Walter in society as it is clearly defined in the following quotation â€Å"I have let my house to Admiral Croft, would sound extremely well; very much better than to any mere Mr An admiral speaks his own consequence, and, at the same time, can never make a baronet look small†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 21). In addition, readers can see in Sir Walter’s attitude towards the Navy that he prefers the traditional upper classes based on inherited titles to the new ones who work to get money and social status. Sir Walter uses the expression â€Å"persons of obscure birth into undue distinction† to refers to people who earn their money in the Navy and, also, he says that the Navy â€Å"raises men to honours which their fathers and grandfathers had never dreamt of† (p. 17). Furthermore, the importance of class is seen in the way Sir Walter talks about Bath when Anne arrives to Camden Place. He says about his house that is â€Å"undoubtedly the best in Camden Place† and that â€Å"their acquaintance was exceedingly sought after† (p. 119). In the two sentences above, it is clear that the only thing important to Sir Walter in Bath is what people thinks about him and his family and, obviously, to keep a social status, although he had to leave Kellynch Hall for his bad economy. Additionally, the cousins of Sir Walter arrive to Bath and that fact is other example of how important is the class for him because they are people of higher social status and the connections with them will be beneficial for his family. It happens another issue in relation to the arrival of his cousins when Anne decides to visit an old friend called Mrs Smith, who is a widow, instead of going with her father and Elizabeth to visit the Dalrymples. In relation to that, Sir Walter says â€Å"A Mrs Smith. A widow Mrs Smith; And who was her husband? One of the five thousand Mr Smiths whose names are to be met with everywhere?† (p. 136). With that speech, Sir Walter shows his displeasure for people of lower class than his own and, also, that he values more connections with upper class people than friendship because he tries to persuade Anne to cancel her meeting with Mrs Smith. Arriving at that point, it is time to talk about the change of thought that happens to Sir Walter in relation to social class and money. So far I have been spoken of the importance of social classes for him, but when he meets in a concert with his cousins and Captain Wentworth, who acquired his fortune by working hard, arrives Sir Walter and shows his recognition of him. At the beginning of the novel, Sir Walter dislikes Captain Wentworth because he get his money working and he has not inherited title, and in that way, Captain Wentworth becomes a new rich man, that is a person who does not deserve to be part of upper classes according to Sir Walter as it is mention when I talk about his opinion about Navy in page three. In the last chapter of the book is where readers can see the complete change of mind that Sir Walter has towards Captain Wentworth, where Sir Walter goes of thinking that marrying his daughter Anne, Captain Wentworth would be â€Å"a very degrading alliance† to consider him â€Å"very far from thinking it a bad match for her† (pp. 23-216). This could be considered as a turning point in Sir Walter because he leaves his prejudices and his consideration of classes. The second character that I am going to analyze is Mr Elliot, who considers money more important than a title in his youth but his attitude change when he arrives to Bath. When Mr Elliot is introduced, readers do not have much information about him and in the last chapters is when people know more about this character by the information that Mrs Smith provides to Anne. Mr Elliot,† replied Mrs Smith, â€Å"at that period of his life, had one object in view: to make his fortune, and by a rather quicker process than the law. He was determined to make it by marriage. He was determined, at least, not to mar it by an imprudent marriage; and I know it was his belief (whether justly or not, of course I cannot decide), that your father and sister, in their civilities and invitations, were designing a match between the heir and the young lady, and it was impossible that such a match should have answered his ideas of wealth and independence. That was his motive for drawing back, I can assure you. (p. 175) In the episode above, it is clear what the intentions of Mr Elliot are when he was young; he wanted to make money at any cost by marrying a suitable girl. He does not expect if the girl belonged to a high social class or if her family possessed a lot of titles, his only interest was money as it is shown in the following paragraph; Money, money, was all that he wanted. Her father was a grazier, her grandfather had been a butcher, but that was all nothing. She was a fine woman, had had a decent education, was brought forward by some cousins, thrown by chance into Mr Elliot’s company, and fell in love with him; and not a difficulty or a scruple was there on his side, with respect to her birth. All his caution was spent in being secured of the real amount of her fortune, before he committed himself. (p. 176) In addition, it is clear in the book that Mr Elliot is not interested in his future inheritance except from Kellynch Hall which can get money of it. Also, in a letter that he wrote to his friend, Mrs Smith’s late husband, expresses his displeasure for his surname and he claims that he wished he had any name instead of Elliot. But there are two clearly situations in which he changes his attitude towards social class. One of them is in the discussion with Anne about the Dalrymples and the other situation is when he takes Mrs Clay to London and installs her in a house there. In relation to the first situation, the conversation that Anne and her cousin maintain is: â€Å"My idea of good company, Mr Elliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.† â€Å"You are mistaken,† said he gently, â€Å"that is not good company; that is the best. Good company requires only birth, education, and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential†¦ (p. 130) The idea of this passage is that Mr Elliot thinks that people should socialize with others who have an equal or superior status to them, but in contrast, he claims that the best company is clever people to have interesting conversations. The second situation is relevant to the fact that he takes away Mrs Clay to avoid a possible engagement with Sir Walter and the possibility that he does not inherit his fortune if they have an heir. In conclusion, with all the information given above, it is a clear fact that these two characters change their mind and their principles in relation to money and social class. Sir Walter, at the beginning of the novel, thought that social status is more important than money as people can see in the situations that I describe; for example, his attitude towards his daughters, his thoughts about the Navy or his interest of maintain his reputation when he discovers his financial problems. But, at the end, occurs a turning point when Sir Walter shows his recognition for Captain Wentworth and he approves the engagement with Anne. On the other side, Mr Elliot in his youth thought that money is more important than social class but with the two situations explained in page six, the discussion with Anne about the Dalrymples and the situation concerning Mrs Clay, he changes his attitude.

Gays in 9-11 Essay -- Gay Rights Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Gays in 9-11 The events of September 11, 2001 have left many people all over the world speechless to say the least. What happened that day at New York City’s World Trade Centers and Washington D.C.’s Pentagon have left many people without their loved ones, their jobs, or any sense of reason. Husbands lost wives, wives lost husbands, children lost parents, parents lost children, and partners lost their other halves. Friendships and families were destroyed. It is at our time of weakness that we are able to be our strongest. For it is at that time when there is nothing else to do, and no where else to go; when you’ve hit rock bottom there is no where to go but up. No one asked questions, people just did whatever they could to help. America’s public safety organizations didn’t hesitate for a second; they risked their own lives to help save the lives of others, people they didn’t even know. The only thing that our public safety teams knew was that all the innocent people that were attacked were fellow Americans. Perhaps that was all the information they needed, but day after day teams were back at Ground Zero and the Pentagon relentlessly looking for survivors and doing whatever they could to quickly get our lives back on track and gain some sort of closure. However, now it is time to start asking the questions no one ever wants to. â€Å"United we stand.† Direct from the media on a one way path into your homes these words and other such phrases have been tossed around and thrown in your face. Stop, and think. What is the real meaning of these inspirational and nationalistic phrases? Inspirational and nationalistic for whom? United is an adjective that means â€Å"combined into a single entity; concerned with, produced... ...size their differences or similarity from the heterosexual norm? If lesbians and gay men are increasingly integrated into society as full citizens, what will happen to other more marginalized groups, such as poor women on welfare? Does equality for some necessarily lead to equality for all† (Stein 225)? Arlene Stein is trying to articulate similar questions to those posed in the previous paragraph. What will happen to the immigrants who have been oppressed in the past, will they fall through the cracks while gays and lesbians gain acceptance? Or will they too be accepted? I assure you, the questions don’t stop here. My paper raises the question of acceptance, but is that all we really want? Do we just want acceptance across the board, or will all of us, gay and non gay, participate in the queerer project of inventing more just worlds and communities?