... of the larger, older and more visible ones. Injustices are suffered within the church body itself. The plight of the African-American and Latino-American is one still being sung in dirge today. The dynamics of North-American Catholicism are still being played out even on a global stage. What does the Roman papacy mean for North American’s Latino and African descended followers? What challenges do they face? What is the sense of groundedness, comfort, and community that bonds them? The end of the fifteenth and start of the sixteenth centuries ushered in the introduction of Christian-Trinitarian-monotheism to t ...

... community, many people have reasoned that the creation model should be completely rejected without fairly examining its claims. Even many Christians who have deep trust and faith in the Bible have never really understood the claims of the creation account (McLean 11). Over the past several years, a great deal of controversy surrounding the creation-evolution issue has been generated by scientists who have based their claims on the creation model and have been willing to let their reputations stand. Creationists have openly requested that when the discussion of origins occurs in the public school system, both th ...

... only permits, but often requires a person to violate the commandments if necessary to save a life. A person who is extremely ill, fore example, or a woman in labor, is not permitted to fast on Yom Kippur, because fasting at such a time would endanger the person's life. Doctors are permitted to answer emergency calls on the Sabbath, even though this may violate the day's whole meaning. Abortions, when necessary to save the mother, are mandatory. In Jewish law, the unborn are not yet considered human, thus the mother's life is far more important. Because life is so valuable, we are not permitted to do any ...

... apart from other religions of the time was its monotheistic basis. The ethics of Judaism is historical and traditional as opposed to philosophical and theoretical. “In Israel, for the first time, an ethical conception of God is attained, and this not philosophically but historically; while its view of the moral life is certain of justification not only by reason but by history.� Thus God is looked at as an ethical personality and is looked to as an example of good and right. In the Old Testament, God's voluntary (voluntary for God) covenant with man must be looked at as the prime example of ethical va ...

... jolly old St. Nick. Many of our current American ideals about the way Christmas ought to be, derive from the English Victorian Christmas, such as that described in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." The caroling, the gifts, the feast, and the wishing of good cheer to all - these ingredients came together to create that special Christmas atmosphere. The custom of gift-giving on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends. The very first gifts were simple items such as twigs from a sacred grove as good luck emblems. Soon that escalated to food, small items of jewelry, candles, and statue ...

... The focus of this paper is to explore the ideas and beliefs of the group, analyze the importance of religions dialogue, and to discuss the challenge of religious pluralism in the contemporary world. The first group member states her firm Christian views. Melissa recognizes all the religions of the world, but she holds Christanity to be the only true religion. To her, Christianity is the only way one person can attain salvation. All other religions are false and those who do not follow Christanity are misguided and will not attain salvation. It is only through Jesus Christ's death on the cross that one can repe ...

... elements of Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, and Taoism. This “Folk Religion� is what influences Japanese holidays, weddings and funerals. The religion of Japan is a mosaic of religions, some are foreign, others are they’re own . Then they are all assimilated into the same, making it uniquely Japanese. Of all the religions in Japan, Shintoism is the oldest. Shintoism is a religion that worships nature. A Shintoist believes that kami , deities that reside in all natural objects, are forces of nature and are to be worshipped in Shinto shrines, where worshippers ask for blessings. Today in modern Japan, no ...

... the person who was transferring their sins would begin chanting. When the ceremony was finished the animal would be sent away into the dessert. Yom Kippur is practiced very differently today. Instead of transferring their sins to animals people donate money to charities and throw stones into ponds. On the night before Yom Kippur, people prepare for the following day's fast by eating an enourmous meal. Following the meal candles are lit and the Shehecheyanu is recited to bless the candles. The following day is spent at the synogauge where services are conducted all day long. The most important part of ...

... is structurally shaped like a cross, the symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus. Delving deep into these religious symbols, there exists a common thread uniting all religions. The aspect of community becomes the "heart and soul" of almost all religious groups around the world. It is this upon which George Weckman focuses his article. The author defines the characteristics of a community in a number of ways. For one, he claims that some sort of initiation or "entrance ritual" needs to occur in order to mark the acceptance of an individual into the community as a whole. In addition to these entrance rituals, t ...

... than white witches. White witches were doctors and used their spells for doing good deeds. They were also known to aid in romances. To know that a black witch was present, there was always the sudden death of a victim’s animal. The black witches most commonly performed the religious traditions of Voodoo. The practice of Voodoo enabled witches to put spirits and evil demons into one’s head. The movie "The Exorcist" was a fictional horror movie based on a young girl being possessed by the devil, coincides with the 11th century practice of Voodoo. As in the movie, when Voodoo was performed the victim would go i ...