... it illustrates the fact that Mark was trying to author a "readable" story for people, rather than a book of facts. The best example would be in Mark 10:17-31 (Jesus Counsel to the Rich) & (Parable of The Camel and the Eye of a Needle). It is doubtful that these things happened at the same time; however, they are GREY in The Five Gospels anyway ... and probably didn't happen as Mark describes. This brings us to Mark's writing style. Mark seems to "tack-on" sentences to Jesus' teachings to make them more "Christian." This really changes the meaning more than any other tactic! Who knows what Mark may h ...

... life form on earth -- a bacterium. Other life forms evolved from the bacterium through natural selection. These microscopic organisms formed symbiotic relationships with each other and produced larger, multicellular organisms, such as man. It may seem like a gigantic leap, bacterium to man, but given billions of years, it is certainly possible. It is true that The Bible holds certain truths which would imply a reliable source of information; however, some parts of The Bible are not true at all. According to science, life evolved in the following order: bacterium to fish, fish to various land animals, and animals ...

... in the more orthodox Roman Catholic church decreased, membership in Protestant churches increased. In recent years, the Catholic Church has become politically active and more vociferous concerning its views on moral issues such as war, abortion, and euthanasia. It is my feeling that many Catholics are searching for sects that will allow them to retain their faith in Christ without a central body (i.e., the Vatican) speaking on behalf of them on issues that they are capable of rationalizing for themselves. Among Catholics and Protestants, there is a trend toward less rigid attendance of religious services. If we ...

... and sustainer of the universe. This God, Allah, is compassionate and just. Because He is compassionate, He calls all people to believe in Him and worship Him. Because He is also just, on the Last Day He will judge every person according to his deeds. On the Last Day, all the dead will be resurrected and either rewarded with heaven or punished with hell. The life of each Muslim is always within the community of the faithful, all are declared to be "brothers to each other," with he mission to "enjoin good and forbid evil." Within the community, Muslims are expected to establish social and economic justice. They are ...

... (v.8). That images sin as an entity. It does not seem to be an action or a response, but a condition of existence that we all take part in. Verse 9 talks about sin being removed from us in Christ, but then v. 10 refers to the act of sin and the fact that we have all been there. The author uses strong language to let the audience know that we have all sinned and that there is sin in us. Chapter 2 begins with an admonition to not sin, "but if anyone does sin," there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Sin in this passage is something within us that we have all at one time acted on, but now, as followers of Christ, must f ...

... interests, it is surprisingly common to attack anyone, or any ideas that are different from our own. If John Calvin had lived in today's society, he might be considered a cult leader, similar to David Koresh. The word cult has been used very loosely during the past couple of decades. It has been used recently by the media in the headlines to describe the events that took place at Ruby Ridge, and Waco. Each of these events has several things in common. In both instances, there were references to secret societies, a religious belief that deviated from the accepted norm, and a strong authority figure at the head. ...

... a community or congregation in order to restore the holiness of the community and of the Temple. It was believed that if there was sin among the people then God would not come and be with them. After the Temple was destroyed during the war with Rome, these animal sacrifices were stopped, and there were no more active Jewish priests. The religious leadership in the synagogue was led by the rabbis. In the Protestant religion there exists a "priesthood of all believers"("Priesthood", 529). This meant that each member in the community serves as his or her own priest, with direct access to communication with God. Pro ...

... This American Way Of Life. Herbergs says so well , "the American way of life is a symbol by which Americans define themselves and establish their unity." The author means to imply that unity is something we all strive for. To be American is to be part a huge family, no matter what gender, color, or background. We stick together. We fight together, we laugh together, we grieve together as Americans. Terms like democracy, individuality, self-reliance are all words we relate to as Americans. We teach our kids that we should be grateful everyday to be Americans. In this country we can choose our own destination. We ca ...

... in Mexico and central America from 250 to 1600 A.D. ("History of Agriculture" Grolier). Their ancestors had crossed the Bering land Bridge from Asia (Miller "Maya" Grolier). Honduras was once a part of the Mayan Empire. It had flourished between 250 and 950 A.D. (Seligson "Honduras" Grolier). The Mayans also had lived in Mexican states: Yucantan and Chiapas, British Honduras, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador (Burland 1770) By 1200 B.C., they had dominated trade routes. The trade routes extended from the modern Mexico state of Guerrero to Costa Rica (Miller "Maya" Grolier). The Mayans had constant cultural ...

... the death of Jesus, Which was 33 A.D. Under the Christian idea, which Jesus first started to preach, God created man. The first man who was created was Adam. The only reason that we don't use Neanderthals, the early cave dwellers, as a way to identify our first man is that they were not able to talk back to their Creator, worship him, and choose among alternative ideologies (Eerdmans' Handbook 31). Buddhism was founded about 500 B.C. or shortly afterwards. The teacher who founded it was Buddha. The tradition is that he was shocked into seeking the meaning of life by the sight of a leper, an old man and a co ...