... the gods and spirits of the family. The two faced god Janus who sat over the doorways watched the entry and exit of every door in the house. Penates, god of the interior, protected accumulations of the family in its storerooms, cupboards, and barns. The father and mother, the child was taught, are the embodimentof Genius and Juno, respectively. Both had to be treated and nourished divinely. Hung on the walls were death masks of the Di Manes, warning him to stick to tradition. Other gods included: Cuba, protector of sheep; Abeona, guiding the first steps; Fabulina who taught speech; Terra Mater - Mother ...

... of cults. Although most of the practices and elements common to cults are legal, they are, at best, suspect. The following should constitute the line of telerance society should not cross. Firstly, what distinguishes cults from religions is the manner in which they operate. Cults are designed with a view of insulating the individual from the rest of society. Once a member of a cult, in most cases, the individual is removed of most (if not all) of their personal autonomy. Most decisions are made by the cult leader, access to the outside world is often denied, and all information about the outside world is disto ...

... while some even sleep in them. During the Succot festival, thanks are given for all growing plants by using four plants which are symbolic of all the rest. These four plants also represent the Jewish people. The Etrog, or the citrus fruit, stands for the people who are educated in the Torah and who do good deeds. The Lulav, or branch of the date palm, stands for the Jewish people who have knowledge but no good deeds. The Hadas,or myrtle, symbolizes the people who do good deeds, but are not educated. The Aravah, or willow, stands for the people who have no good deeds and no education. These plants are carrie ...

... It understands what being a human really is. It lets a person live for the right reasons and have a full understanding of his place on the earth. I have found that there is not one set definition for . The word is over two thousand years old. All of the Chinese philosophies used the word but the context in which the word is used varies. Tao originally meant “the way�, to a Taoist Tao is regarded as a substance or non-substance. One context in which a Taoist knows the word Tao is in the sense of a method and a course of conduct. Taoist writings are wise and mystical. They are written in a poetic form. ...

... altar, because this is the eye level of th e spectator, who looks up at the Trinity and down at the tomb. The vanishing point, five feet above the floor level, pulls both views together. By doing this, an illusion of an actual structure is created. The interior volume of this 'structure' i s an ex tension of the space that the person looking at the work is standing in. The adjustment of the spectator to the pictured space is one of the first steps in the development of illusionistic painting. Illusionistic painting fascinated many artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The proportions in this p ...

... took particular advantage of the practice. Innocent VII is the earliest acknowledged pope during the Renaissance to have taken liberties with the church's finances. Although he engaged in the practices of simony and the selling of indulgences, his most noted mistake was raising donations for a Crusade that never took place. In 1486 Innocent announced a crusade, as well as at the same time declaring a tithe on all churches, benefices and ecclesiastical persons of all ranks. Military plans were drawn up but, in the end, no great army ever assembled or departed from Europe's shores. Instead, in a twist of irony, the ...

... stop. People didn't have the same beliefs when it comes to religion, if a family absent even believe in god why should their child be forced to pray? On many different occasions questions similar to this one were brought up and complained about. That is what started it all real big. When complaining, arguing and fighting all started over the silent moment. In 1978 a few lawyers got together and considered a constitutional law. The original law said that public school teachers in gr ades 1-6 "shall announce that a period of silence, not to exceed one minute, shall be observed for meditation." This law did not work f ...

... and true God, Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor of the universe, as it solves so many problems, resolves so many doubts, banishes so many fears, inspires so many hopes, gives such sublimity to all things, and such spring to all noble powers, we might presume would, as soon as it was announced, be received by every healthy mind." Some, however, contrary to their higher interests, have refused to have God in their knowledge and thus have become vain in their reasonings and foolish in their philosophy (Romans 1:21,22,28). They do not see the folly (Psalm 14:1) of saying there is no God. ...

... in private. They transposed Catholic saints onto the tribal deities, called loa, to please their owners. Instead of hindering the faith of the slaves, the incorporation of the saints added something new to their religion. Because of this they included into their rituals statues of the saints, candles, and other Christian relics. It is combinations like this that form religions such as Santeria, a blend of Voodoo and Spanish Catholicism, that proves what a malleable religion it is. Voodoo has spread throughout the world into major communities on Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, Miami, and New York city. Vodoun has as ...

... his tests and for being the perfect tool for God’s plans. In the Old Testament stories, God seems to want his earth to be peaceful and without sin and when he sees that the world is corrupt, he decides to conduct a purge. In the first two books of the Bible, there are two distinct covenants made, one with Noah and the other many generations later with Abraham. God talked to Noah and he was chosen to be the father of a renewed civilization after an enormous purge would wipe out the evil in the world. Noah had to undergo many trials and tribulations. He had to experience embarrassment and ridicule because of ...