Christopher M. Moereman's Beyond The Threshold

When comparing Wicca to Christianity there can be found a few similarities and many differences. To give a better understanding into the comparison of Wicca and Christianity this paper will focus on how the practitioners of each religion create order and meaning within their belief systems; their central beliefs and deities; their ritual practices and ethical views; and other differences and/or similarities between the two.

In the novel, “A Hope in the Unseen” written by Ron Suskind explains the journey of Cedric Jennings from the Inner City to the Ivy League. Throughout his journey Cedric Jennings has had to navigate many challenges first at Ballou High School, then MIT in the summer, and finally at Brown University. During his High school career at Ballou he received many backlash from his peers because of his devotion to his studies. In Ballou High School, “the school’s dropout/transfer rate at nearly 50 percent, it’s understandable that kids at Ballou act as though they’re just passing through”(Suskind 3) but not Cedric. He had a determination like no other to succeed academically where he would often stay after to finish his homework and work on SAT practice

In the chapter, the gray zone, the author Primo Levi describes the human relationships inside the Lager. In describing the gray zone, Levi discusses the different roles of prisoners assigned by the Nazi. The prisoners that did the work were seen as being more privileged which at the end of the day helped them get more food and live better. Therefore, the concept of the gray zone is analyzing the difference between the privileged and the non-privileged in the Lager. The difference can be seen by the tasks that the prisoners carried out, for example, one of the groups were seen as, “Low ranking functionaries... sweepers, kettle washers, night watchmen, bed smoothers... checkers of lice and scabies,

As a text written in the early middle ages, the Canon Episcopi by Regino of Prüm was revolutionary in the fact that it exemplified a growing skepticism for magic within the Christian community, and most importantly, it served as a strict call to arms for church officials to identify and eliminate practices of magic within parish communities. As a major theological text in the time where Christianity is finally solidifying doctrine, the Canon Episcopi should both draw upon existing ideas of its predecessors and shape the theological works of its successors. While the works of other theological minds show evidence of a common theme or influence, there is still extreme variability and sometimes even direct opposition to Regino’s themes. While

The anthropological studies of religion show that individuals use religion to serve different purposes, but they rarely note that these functions are different in some cultures. These religions involve both cosmological and transcendental which vary in their beliefs and practices. The transcendental religions view the existence of the universe as strong evidence for God’s presence. This religion assumes a Supreme God created the universe and that he still maintains its existence. Cosmology, on the contrary, is highly individualistic in both character and philosophical outlook and they resist any common doctrinal stance. While transcendentalists believe in ultimate power in supernatural powers, cosmological religions believe in ultimate power from the natural world. The essay will compare between two cosmological religions which include, archaic religion and the primitive religion as well as one transcendentalist religion of Christianity together with how disenchantment de-legitimize cosmological religions.

Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been many different ideas on how a Christian should interact with the world in which they lived. From the biblical writings of The Gospel according to Matthew, and The Acts of the Apostles, to the non-biblical writings of On Philosophy, and The Prescription Against Heretics, the ideas of Christianity were brought together. The two non-biblical documents highlight the arguments of whether or not Christians should study Greek philosophy. The books from The Bible showed that Christian beliefs focused on how one should primarily seek their ultimate reward or satisfaction in the Kingdom of God (spiritual), rather than in the here and now (temporal). Christianity, as it began, was a faith that emphasized the importance of acting charitable towards the less fortunate, while understanding that it was ones duty to worship God and spread that love for Him to those who didn’t believe.

The history of religion continues to play an important role in defining why certain aspects of religion are the way they are today. Understanding religion’s history can also help one appreciate the importance, value, and determination that certain individuals went through in order for that particular religion to gain freedom and acceptance in society. Throughout history, Christianity has shown exactly this. By learning about its history, one can gain an understanding of how it emerged into being one of the most popular religions in the world. Furthermore, better understanding of the religion, both historically and contemporarily, can help dispel any negative preconceived notions about Christianity.

The ungodly, pagan concept of dualism (Plato’s forms) – that there is a radical separation of worth and value between the physical and meta-physical, or between temporal and eternal reality – is not compatible with Biblical Wisdom. The realm of the natural and physical, of material and mutable things, whether abstract or concrete, is not less real or valuable, or “evil” by itself alone, as it was originally created. Neither should it be “deified” or worshipped as though its reality and value was ever in any way independent of a First Cause. Dualism is diametrically contrary to, and irreconcilably in conflict with the doctrine of redemption which teaches that everything – all things, including the physical and material realm in both its abstract and concrete manifestations – are worthy of being redeemed and restored to their original condition and content of value and worth. In fact, the pagan and secular worldview of dualism, which dominates Western thinking, is quite degrading, harmful and corrupt, both in its thinking and in the wreckage it has wrought upon humanity from its beginning to the present.

Throughout the ages, the Christian worldview has been one of the most popular and substantive religions in the world. There are many topics within the Christian worldview and have an impact on millions of lives today. From the strong belief in God and Jesus Christ, from the standpoints of human nature and restoration, to the benefits of the Christian faith as well as the influence on a Christian’s behavior. The Christian worldview has proven to be a successful religion when it comes to personal faith and worship. There is many key components within the Christian worldview that has been many topics within our world today.

LGBTQ social movements have evolved over time from liberationist politics of the 1970s to an enormous contemporary focus on gay and lesbian marriage rights, a controversial and arguably assimilationist priority for mainstream LGBTQ advocacy groups. Different forms of activism have approached assimilationism versus societal reformation or preservation of unique constructions of queer identities with a myriad of arguments. In “The Trouble with Normal” by Michael Warner, the author focuses primarily on a criticism of gay marriage rights activism in which he posits that all marriage is “selective legitimacy.” He points to other LGBT movements and issues as more worthy of pursuing, particularly intersectional pursuits of equal rights for people regardless of coupled status. In “Marital Discord: Understanding the Contested Place of Marriage in the Lesbian and Gay Movement” authors Mary Bernstein and Verta Taylor give a snapshot history of LGBTQ activism since the 1970s and offer similar arguments as Warner about the heteronormative and neoliberal nature of placing the fight for legal marriage rights at the forefront of LGBTQ activism, although they do also introduce emerging improvements with the increasingly intersectional awareness of modern advocacy efforts.

Approximately 185,000 amputations occur in the United States each year. (Kozak,1998). That’s 185,000 people who may be battling with finding themselves unable to connect to people in the U.S population due to their insecurities. Imagine what it is like for amputees trying to discover a companion to give them a long term loving relationship. Not everyone is accepting of someone who can unlatch their metal rod of a leg after a long day at work. In the article by Andy Greenburg, “A Step Beyond Human”, Hugh Herr tells his story about how when he was only 17 he lost both his legs due to a serious frostbite incident. According to the article “Relationships and Technology” by Joseph A. DeVito, it states that “Computer talk is empowering for those with physical disabilities or disfigurements” (DeVito, pg. 334). Through the advancements of technology, the disabled population is capable of boosting their confidence, meeting others, and bettering their quality of life.

When most western people think about Native American or African religions there is a certain stigma that comes with the topic. This is in part because there is a lot of misinformation in the world about Native American and African religions. When most westerners think of African religions they think of voodoo and black magic. Likewise, the view of Native American religions is still looked at through the lens of the pilgrims who wrote about Native Americans as being savages and less than human. These stereotypes were all formed from a lack of accurate information. African and Native American religions are very similar. It is difficult to find a lot of accurate information on African and Native American indigenous religions because of the lack of written history but there is a lot of oral history that has been passed down from generation to generation. From this information, it is clear that Native American and African religions have many more similarities than they do differences. Three of these similarities will be discussed in this paper. The first topic of discussion is the similarity between African and Native American people when it comes to their perception of the spirit world. Following this topic are the similarities between Native American and African views on the afterlife and finally, the diversity of beliefs within African and Native American religions.

Religion is one of the most controversial and complex concepts created and practiced throughout the ages. Those who do not have much knowledge about religion may believe that every belief, ritual, practice, and god is the same. Fortunately, this is not true and there is a vast amount of differences among eastern and western religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. In essence, this paper should discuss the differences between eastern and western religions regarding the path to god, judgement day, and the nature of worship.

Religion has existed for countless centuries. Christianity is one of the major religions in this world, which had people be criticized, battle in wars, and killed for, but it still survived to this day. The purpose of this paper is to study the source of the religion, recognize the teachings, observe its spread throughout the world, and to identify how it stands among people today. Approaching this paper by a factual report I will explain these major points and why we need to know about this religion and other religions that existed before our generation.

Eschatology is defined as a branch of theology that outlines the final events of the world and of mankind. It is also the study of the ultimate purpose of the world and God’s intentions. In Christianity, eschatology is often viewed as a forbidden subject in the study of theology. On the other hand, some regard eschatology as the most influential part of their religious life because they it determines the way in which they live their lives. These people live by a set of rules and ethics set by the Bible because they want to have the favorable experience after death that was outlined in the Christian Eschatology.