Christian and Wiccan beliefs Essay

Two miles south of where Mary Anne lived, I encountered Sheila, a 36 year old self-professed astrology and tarot card reader working part-time for a local pharmacy. My initial data revealed that Sheila belonged to the Wiccan Rede principle which is currently considered radical among traditional Wiccan groups. Fortunately, Sheila was at home on her day-off and was talking animatedly with a client in her front porch. While waiting for her client to leave, I was allowed to wander around her house which was surrounded by huge trees making her home look gloomy. After a few minutes, I was ushered in and Sheila welcomed me graciously knowing full well about my intentions. She began by explaining how their group had grown lesser over the years as the other wiccan practitioners complained on the religious incorporation of Christian and Wiccan beliefs. Sheila added that the element of Wicca which includes fertility and reincarnation is incorporated in the key points of the divinity of Jehovah, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit as retained from Christianity that was also quoted in Guiley (1999). According to her, the combination of two religions, which was traditionally at odds with one another, is frequently criticized by members of other wiccan sects. For her, there is no other One God as the greatest and the Lord of all and that the Earth is the Goddess of common Wicca. She has equated the Holy Spirit as a Feminine deity that may be regarded as the Great Mother Goddess similar to the Christian thought. With this in mind, she showed me a picture of the Madonna and Child and claimed that the Holy Spirit is actually embodied in the Virgin Mary. Their small liberalized group was initiated by the BTW or the British Traditional Witchcraft coven. They were widely criticized according to her because many Wiccan practitioners consider Christianity to be incompatible with the pagan philosophy. She added that the merging of Christian and pagan beliefs was considered a lambaste to the Wiccan religion since the Christian faith is male-dominated and an insufficient acceptance of true Wiccan belief. She explained that Wicca, as a ditheistic religion may contain a male god and female goddess giving equal emphasis to the aspects of both divine beings. Admittedly, she said that the principal tenets of Christian Wicca elevate the status of a God which altogether makes it different as there is no equality between the male and female according to Guiley (1999). In the elements of nature symbolically represented by different objects, the Christian wicca believes in the instance of crystals and stones as objects for the element earth, and seashells for the water element in Salomonsen (2002). Sheila added that their group also worships and observes the eight sabbats of the year and the full moon. Most of the practitioners in their group may practice in solitaries but do attend gatherings and other community events but reserve other rituals when they are alone. Their initiation into a coven begins with a one-year study before the actual initiation that spins a religious dedication. She related her initial experience at the thrill of being able to join the coven six years ago which had been a long time dream for her. She had already ventured in yoga and Asian Buddhism before finally exploring the Christian wicca. Sheila unlike Mary Ann does not want to show me her altar and her wares but pointed out a small hut beside the family house as her â€Å"solitary camp† to prevent family members from disturbing her. For Sheila, wicca should not be mistaken for witchcraft as they are simply a religion with ethical standards to live by.

Free Essays on My Fairy Tale Comes True

My Fairy Tale Comes True† â€Å"Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s finger (Anderson).† Competing in track and succeeding is my fairy tale come true. Working hard towards reducing my track times changed my life for the better. I see my track goals, of being the very best in the region and in the state, as being only seconds within my reach. The spring of 2000 was my first season of high school track, starting at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning with the team warm-up jog and stretches. Both Coach Owens and Coach Summerville were amazed by my speed, questioning why I did not run my freshman year. Practices continued, with our first track meet just around the corner I pushed hard to attain the speed the coaches felt I had within me. My coaches knew I was fast in the 200 meter run, with times averaging 26.16 seconds. This was good, but they said I could be better. They were right! My times improved and at the State Track meet I ran the third leg of the 800 sprint medley, running my 200 meters in well under the 26.16 seconds I averaged earlier in the season. I contributed to our relay team earning the State title of being fourth in the entire state. As my sophomore year quickly came to an end my coaches confronted me about running the 400 meter race. They saw more potential than I did. I was afraid, afraid of the length, the competition and most of all the idea of failing. Even though the coaches knew my fear they still encouraged me to run the 400. I reflected on how true their previous belief in me, then so I reached deeper down inside myself and said ok. We were off and running as the training began at the beginning of my junior year. Workout’s became longer and harder. The coaches belief proved true; I had stronger abilities. Through their encouragement I learned a great lesson; If you pull from deeper down within yourself you can succeed. Someone once said â€Å"Failure teaches successï ¿ ½... Free Essays on My Fairy Tale Comes True Free Essays on My Fairy Tale Comes True My Fairy Tale Comes True† â€Å"Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s finger (Anderson).† Competing in track and succeeding is my fairy tale come true. Working hard towards reducing my track times changed my life for the better. I see my track goals, of being the very best in the region and in the state, as being only seconds within my reach. The spring of 2000 was my first season of high school track, starting at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning with the team warm-up jog and stretches. Both Coach Owens and Coach Summerville were amazed by my speed, questioning why I did not run my freshman year. Practices continued, with our first track meet just around the corner I pushed hard to attain the speed the coaches felt I had within me. My coaches knew I was fast in the 200 meter run, with times averaging 26.16 seconds. This was good, but they said I could be better. They were right! My times improved and at the State Track meet I ran the third leg of the 800 sprint medley, running my 200 meters in well under the 26.16 seconds I averaged earlier in the season. I contributed to our relay team earning the State title of being fourth in the entire state. As my sophomore year quickly came to an end my coaches confronted me about running the 400 meter race. They saw more potential than I did. I was afraid, afraid of the length, the competition and most of all the idea of failing. Even though the coaches knew my fear they still encouraged me to run the 400. I reflected on how true their previous belief in me, then so I reached deeper down inside myself and said ok. We were off and running as the training began at the beginning of my junior year. Workout’s became longer and harder. The coaches belief proved true; I had stronger abilities. Through their encouragement I learned a great lesson; If you pull from deeper down within yourself you can succeed. Someone once said â€Å"Failure teaches successï ¿ ½...

buy custom Five Theme of Geography essay

buy custom Five Theme of Geography essay Geography is an interesting subject, but sometimes, the teachers may fail to express the point correctly, hence misleading the students. Teachers in Texas should employ the data presented in Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to ensure that they give all the relevant information to the students. In geography, a teacher should be able to discuss the five themes to ensure that the students receive the necessary information. These include location, place, human-environment interactions, movement, and region (Davis, Ochman, Boehmer, McLarty, Ojo, 1992). Location can be either absolute or relative. Place is concerned with human and physical characteristics of a location. Human-environment interaction relates to ways in which humans adapt to and modify the environment. Movement theme relates to traveling of goods, ideas, resources, and information from one place to another. Regions are subdivisions of the world (Davis et al, 1992). Different events and people are included in the TEKS that helps the students to understand the subject of geography. Aristotle is one of the philosophers quoted by Davis in his book Dont Know Much about Geography. Aristotle was one of the great philosophers who relied on simplified reasoning. He thought that the closer to the equator, the hotter the temperature. His argument was based on the black skin of the Libyans, which made him believe that the black skin was as a result of being scorched by the sun. He believed that life on the equator was unbearable due to excessive temperature. Aristotle also believed in the natural balance that made the continents in the south of the equator equal to those in the north. He introduced the concept of the anti-poles, which lasted from his times till the voyages of Captain Cook in mid-eighteenth century. Aristotles philosophy is presented on the TEKS. However, the students need to get more information on this philosophy because it formed the basis of the geograpy history. Students should get more information about Aristotles contribution to the division of science into theoretical, practical, and productive group views, which is fundamental in understanding the geographical science. More emphasis should be put on Aristotles argument about the shape of the earth. TEKS should explain Aristotles observation. He observed that the shadow cast by Earth on the Moon during an eclipse is an arc. He also observed that the phases of the Moon and its appearance during eclipses are spherical, which led to the suggestion that the Earth might also be spherical (Seroglou Koumaras, 2001). The appearance of the stars as a person moves towards North or South and the falling away of the horizon when a person approaches is another indicator that the Earth is spherical. The things fall to the Earth in a way that appears to be close to the surface. It is the spherical shape that facilitates this as the sphere is the only shape that has the smallest surface in consideration of a given volume. Aristotle argued that the Earth is the center of the universe since all things move around it or fall towards its center (Seroglou Koumaras, 2001). Aristotles philosophy deserves the status given by the TEKS he it gave the idea of the shape of the Earth, which is now known for sure to be a sphere. Although Aristotles philosophy was developed in 384 BC, his observation has been approved by other philosophers that came after him. His philosophy marked the beginning of determining the shape of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. For this reason, it is essential to emphasize the contribution made by Aristotle to defining the shape of the Earth. Much information should be included in the TEKS concerning how Aristotle based his argument on logics. Although he was trying to be logical, he argued that the logic is just a dialect; hence, the study of reasoning should be analytical. The modern scientists use most of mathematical models and abstracts developed byy Aristotle. There are many people who apply these theories and equations without understanding how they were developed. Although most of the natural events were associated with actions of gods, Aristotle and other ancient philosophers were not sure about the role of gods. There was controversy about who causes particular event if not gods with most philosophers trying to explain those occurrences through the application of mathematical and philosophical principles. Aristotle, being unsatisfied with such arguments, offered a suggestion that such occurrences were found within nature (Seroglou Koumaras, 2001). He argued that nature was available within nature, which was pos sible to reveal through inductive reasoning and careful observation. This kind of thinking and reasoning is essential in teaching students to enable them to exercise their thinking capacity. Davis depicts Aristotle as one of the key contributors to the evolution of physical geography. He explained how Aristotle agreed with Platos argument that the Earth is a sphere by moving from philosophic reasoning to providing observable evidence. However, Davis explained how Aristotle failed in fairly simplistic reasoning by arguing that the closer to the equator, the hotter the temperatures. Again, Davis showed how Aristotle explained the theory of natural balance. I agree with the way Davis portrayed Aristotle as a great contributor to the modern geography. It is due to his argument that the current maps are drawn the way they are, and time is also determined. However, Davis did not give details about Aristotles argument and other ancient philosophers in his book. Davis only pointed that Aristotle had given evidence about the shape of the Earth by observing the shadow cast during the solar eclipse, but he did not explain how this information is applied in modern-day science. I believe much more information should be included in the book to ensure that the students understand the depth of Aristotles philosophy. Buy custom Five Theme of Geography essay

How to Stay Organized in College

How to Stay Organized in College You might have had grand plans about getting organized in college. And yet, despite your best intentions, your plans for organization seemed to slip through your fingers. So how can you stay organized for the long road ahead? Fortunately, although there are a zillion things to manage between your first day of classes and your last, staying organized in college is a lot easier than you might think. With a little advanced planning and the right skill set, staying organized can become more of your routine instead of just your ideal. Try Various Time Management Systems If you were wholly dedicated to making some fancy schmancy new calendaring app work for you this semester, but it ended up not working at all, dont be too hard on yourself. That means a particular system didnt work for you, not that youre bad at time management. Keep trying (and trying and trying) new time management systems until you find one that clicks. And if that means using a good, old-fashioned paper calendaring system, so be it. Having some calendar is the most important part of staying organized through the chaos that is college. Keep Your Dorm Room Clean When you lived at home, you had to keep your room relatively clean. But now that youre in college, you can keep your dorm room as messy as you want, right? Wrong! As silly as it sounds, a messy dorm room can represent a messy college life. Keeping your living space clean can help with everything from preventing you from losing your keys (again) to being able to mentally focus when you need to since you wont be visually distracted by all the junk on your desk. Additionally, keeping your space clean doesnt have to take a lot of time and will lead to all those little things that make you feel like youre in control of your own life: having clean clothes to choose from in the morning, knowing where that FAFSA form went, always having your cell phone charged. If keeping your dorm room clean seems like a waste of time, spend one-week tracking how much time you spend maintaining it clean and another week tracking how much time you spend looking for stuff or trying to recover from things youve lost (like that FAFSA form). You might surprise yourself. Stay on Top of Your Responsibilities When you are faced with anything that connects with your college life responsibilities - from a cell phone bill to an email from your mom about when youre coming home for Thanksgiving - make yourself do one of four things: Do it Schedule it Toss itFile it As an example, spending the next month arguing with your mom over when youll fly home will take ten times as much time as it will for you to just give her some dates when she brings it up. And if you arent sure yet, figure out a day by which you will be sure - and then put it into your calendaring system. Your mom will leave you alone, youll knock something off your to-do list, and you wont have to spend time telling yourself Oh shoot, I need to figure out Thanksgiving a million times a day between now and then. Spend Time Each Week Reorganizing Youre in college because youve got a great brain. So put it to use on all you have to do outside of the classroom! Just like a finely tuned athlete, your mind is learning, expanding, and strengthening each week; youre in school. Consequently, what organizing systems worked for you a month or two ago might not work any longer. Spend a few moments looking at what you got done, what youre doing, and what youll need to do over the next few weeks. While it may seem like a waste of time, those precious minutes can save you a lot of lost time - and a lot of disorganization - in the future. Plan Ahead to Stay Ahead Everyone knows that student who always says, Oh, I cant do something then, Ill be up all night cramming for my midterm. Really? Because that is just planning to be disorganized! Plan for everything you have to do. If you have a significant event youre planning, make sure your homework is done ahead of time so you can focus on your event when the time comes. If you know you have a major paper due, plan to work on it - and finish it - a few days in advance. Since its on your calendar and in your master plan, youll stay organized and on top of your tasks without even having to think about it. Take Care of Your Physical, Emotional, and Mental Health Being in college is hard - and not just academically. If youre not eating healthy, getting enough sleep, finding time to exercise, and overall treating yourself kindly, it will catch up with you sooner or later. And its impossible to get and stay organized if you dont have the physical, emotional, and mental energy to function. So give yourself a little TLC and remember that taking care of your health is an integral part of reaching your college goals.

Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Literature review Example The researcher therefore seeks to review literature on what recruitment and selection processions are, how recruitment and selection can be done effectively and efficiently, how to ensure fairness in recruitment and selection processes, the risk in undertaking awful recruitment and selection exercises and finally how to maintain workers recruited into a company. 2.2 Human Resource Recruitment and Selection What is Recruitment? According to the People Management Magazine, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), www.cipd.co.uk, â€Å"Recruitment is the process of having the right person, in the right place, at the right time.† This definition however seems too broad as it goes beyond job vacancies. To narrow down the definition to the job sector, a business directorate journal, www.businessdictionary.com defines recruitment as the â€Å"Process of identifying and hiring best-qualified candidate (from within or outside of an organization) for a job vacancy, in a most timely and cost effective manner.† In relation to this research, which seeks to assess the recruitment and selection process within B&M, recruitment can thus be said to be the processes that companies go through to get new employees to work for them when there is vacancy at their work places or new positions created. Vacancies are commonly created by the exit of workers either voluntarily or by expulsion. Workers who find the need to stop working for a company apply for resignation and subsequently quit the company. Older workers also apply for retirement when their retiring age is due. Companies also dismiss workers for several reasons as defined by their code of operation. After years of operation too, certain companies open new departments, sectors and branches. All these situations necessitate the need to recruit new employees to fill the vacancies. What is Job Selection? The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) define job selection as â€Å"short listing, and assessing applicants to decide who should be made a job offer.† Jarvis (2010) also gives a very similar definition of job selection as â€Å"decision stage, of choosing suitable applicants for a job or jobs.† Job selection the activity in which an organisation uses one or more methods to assess individuals with a view to making a decision concerning their suitability to join that organisation, to perform tasks which may or may not be specified (Lewis 1992, p17). The three definitions seem to suggest that the selection stage is the climax point of getting a candidate to fill a vacant position at a work place. It is however worth saying that as suggested by Lewis, the process should involve structured methods so that the ultimate aim of getting a suitable applicant as mentioned by Jarvis would be achieved. What are the various Recruitment and Selection Methods available to a Company? Recruitment and selection methods refer to the various means by which a com pany can attract applicants to come and seek for jobs. Doan (2010) outlines ten methods by which recruitment may be carried out. These methods include recruitment by campus method, recruitment by job centres, head hunting, recruitment by advertisements, database search on job site, employee referral, contract staffing, word-of-mouth recruitment,

Giant Car case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Giant Car case - Essay Example In the current case the other elements, intention to create legal relations and consideration, are not in question, but the element of offer and acceptance is. In this respect, it is significant to show first that there was a valid offer and secondly that the offer was accepted. In order to form a contract, the parties involved must reach a mutual consent or meeting of minds. This mutual consent is attained through offer and acceptance that does not alter the terms of the offer.1 The rule applicable in determining if there is mutual consent is the application of the mirror image rule. The rule dictates that an offer must be accepted without altering the terms of the offer. An alteration of the terms of the offer amounts to a counter offer and cancels the initial offer. Lord Langdale in Hyde v Wrench2 ruled that a counter offer acts to cancel the initial offer. In this case, Wrench offered to sell Hyde a farm for ?1,000. Hyde in reply to this offer offered ?950 for the farm which Wren ch refused. Hyde thereafter wanted to accept the initial offer of ?1,000. Wrench refused to sell him the land and Hyde brought an action for specific performance. The question before the court was whether a valid contract between Hyde and Wrench existed. In deciding that there was no legally binding contract, the court noted that when a counter offer is made this offer destroys the initial offer such that the initial offer is no longer open to be accepted by the offeree. ... Additionally, these responses may deal with other issues rather than substitute the original terms of the offer.3 Their language can also manifest an intention to retain the initial offer under consideration, and they should not be considered counter offers. A mere inquiry on the offer does not constitute a counter offer Stevenson v McLean4. In this case, McLean wrote to Stevenson on Saturday with an offer to sell iron ore. The letter indicated that McLean would sell the ore for 40s in cash, and the offer was to remain open till Monday. On Monday Stevenson telegraphed McLean asking if he would accept 40 for delivery over two months and if that was not possible the longest period that was acceptable. McLean later sold the iron ore to a third party after receiving the telegram from Stevenson. McLean later sent a telegram to Stevenson that he had sold the Iron ore, but Stevenson had telegraphed Mclean accepting his offer prior to receiving the telegram indicating the ore was already sol d. The question was whether the telegram sent by Stevenson was counter offer or a mere inquiry to the original offer. In arriving at its decision, the court observed that the wording in the communication did not include anything specific to infer a rejection but was a mere inquiry which ought to have been answered and not considered a rejection of the offer.5 It is, therefore, essential to note that in order to distinguish between an inquiry and a counter offer it is prudent to look at the details of the communication. A counter offer varies the terms of the original offer while an inquiry does not vary these terms. In Simon's case, his communication that he would buy the car at ?5,500 was a counter offer to the

The Capital Appellate Process and the Unkept Promise of the Essay

The Capital Appellate Process and the Unkept Promise of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act - Essay Example All victims are entitled to appeals and should they apply for one, the state gives them an alternative for representation through a state sponsored attorney. While other convicted offenders begin their jail terms soon after the verdict is passed, death row culprits stay for long before facing justice. In Oklahoma, the duration between the judgment and the actual execution gets to up to ten years. This is contrary is normally contrary to the provision of justice, the society expects justice from the legal system, the justice in such a case is the execution of a victim, by delaying this, the society is deprived of the justice. To ensure the smooth and effective execution of criminals in time, the congress passed the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA). This Act aimed at speeding the execution process of the indicted criminals (Nicole 9). The act was informed by the fact that prisoners often suffered from death row phenomenon. The anxiety brought about by the lengthy waiting slowly seeps sanity out of such inmates. They therefore suffer mental breakdowns and become burdens to the state and risks to their fellow inmates. Th is threatened the safety of other inmates besides being an inhumane treatment. The paper is written in an official report format implying that it serves an official purpose. Its potential target is law scholar interested in understanding the operations of the judicial system and the coordination between the justice department and the department of correction. The paper provides the details of this relationship clearly outline the weaknesses that exist and the possible consequences of the weaknesses. The headline is bold and written in a font clearly larger than the rest of the text, this is a writing method employed by newspapers and magazines, its sole objective is to draw as much attention to the article from a browsing reader. Scholarly