St. Augustine s Confessions - 1607 Words

Saint Augustine’s â€Å"Confessions† is an extremely important book, not only for the reason it is the very first, or one of the first spiritual biographies, but because Augustine was and continues to be one of the most important Christian theologians in history. His biography reflects his views on Christian scripture and theology as well as his personal journey on how he came to be a part of the Christian faith. Some noteworthy parts of his biography are; how he becomes a Manichean, when he meets Faustus and Bishop Ambrose, when he repudiates Manichaeism and gives up his career to devote himself to god and finally, how he discusses how Christian scripture can and should be interpreted. â€Å"Confessions† allows people to see Augustine as a man and a human being who had to struggle to find himself just as we all must do. Even one of the greatest theologians and greatest thinkers in history had to find his way in life, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally; all which are demonstrated in his biography. Augustine was attending school in Carthage at the time he became involved with the Manichaean tradition. His studies in school were originally in law but during his studies he found a deep love for philosophy and decided to change his focus in school. His studies in philosophy eventually led him to study the Bible. However, he was not pleased with literary style in the Bible stating in his biography that â€Å"when I then turned toward the scriptures, they appeared to me to be quiteShow MoreRelatedSt. Augustine s Confessions1914 Words   |  8 PagesSt. Augustine was a theologian and philosopher born in Africa to St. Monica. Although he is now known as a an incredibly influential Christian writer and thinker, his early years were defined by rebellion and discord that did not, in the least, reflect Christianity or the values that he is now known for supporting. His early years were freckled with mindless disobedience, wretched behavior, and characterized godlessness that makes his conversion to the faith incredibly remarkable and one that isRead MoreSt. Augustine s Confessions Essay1885 Words   |  8 Pagesexamined in the stories, Genesis, as God creates human beings to live amongst his other creations but to have free reign over the land, the Romans Corinthians, as even Jesus’ faith was to put to the test, and it is deeply explored in St. Augustine’s Confessions. Furthermore, the compatibility of faith and reason is seen in The Book of Matthew as Jesus travels the lands of Israel blessing them with his own faith. Faith and reason would not be attainable if it weren’t for our triune God subtly givingRead MoreJohn Augustine s The Confessions St. Augustine1466 Words   |  6 PagesIn Chapter IV of his Confessions, St. Augustine describes his terrible grief at the death of a friend, and then to the adherence to mortal things, and why he regrets them. He writes that everybody experiences dea th differently, but the death of his close friend made him realize that this life is temporal. He continues saying that he was stricken with grief from the death of his friend and that made him want to move away from his hometown. Everything there brought his friend to mind, and he was alwaysRead MoreSt. Augustine s Confessions984 Words   |  4 Pagesfaith. For St. Augustine, faith provides more questions than answers, but consequently leads to his life as a bishop and eventually sainthood. For some, however, the Bible provides the answers to all the questions that go unanswered by common sense. In St. Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine is able to further understand himself and his faith in Christ by reflecting on anecdotes of his past. Conversely, the Bible’s use of etiology provides spiritual justification for physical realities. In St. Augustine’sRead MoreSt. Augustine s Confessions Essay1534 Words   |  7 Pages greed, and sloth (â€Å"The Seven Deadly Sins,† 1). In Saint Augustine’s Confessions, readers get the chance to learn about sin through Saint Augustine’s experiences of sin confrontations and temptations. For instance, in Confessions, the pear tree is depicted as a sin, a symbol of pleasure—Saint Augustine’s original sin. How so? Well, stealing the pears with his friends is Saint Augustine’s first memory of sinning. Saint Augustine sees a parallel connection between the pear tree and the tree of theRead MoreSt. Augustine s Confessions1233 Words   |  5 PagesSt. Augustine’s Confessions has often been referred to as a book undertaking the subject of conversion. Throughout Augustine of Hippo’s life he underwent several conversions so it is unsurprising that those experiences influenced his books. Although he was baptized as a Christia n at birth, he rejected Christianity until his final conversion at age thirty. After his conversion and eventually beginning a monastic life he became the most important theologian in Christian history until the ReformationRead MoreAnalysis Of St. Augustine s The Confessions 1297 Words   |  6 PagesJake DeLeers Second Four-Page Essay In Books VIII and IX of the Confessions, St. Augustine describes a long and difficult personal spiritual journey to the end of being to accept and receive God’s grace. Augustine finally had to come to terms with his own intellectual and moral pride masquerading as autonomy and independence. He finally realized that his intellect could not serve as a tool to help a will incapable of overcoming his own sin. One useful way to compare Augustine’s spiritual struggleRead MoreAugustine s Confessions And St. Paul Essay1979 Words   |  8 PagesIn Augustine’s Confessions and St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, both authors discuss the relationship between fleshy temptation and the purity of the spirit. The Confessions is Augustine’s writes of his extensive search for truth and conversion to Christianity, as he struggles against fleshy temptations and his soul to find rest in God. Augustine’s writes of a constant struggle to reconcile between the dualistic notion of the flesh and spirit with a nuanced understanding of flesh. On theRead MoreConfessions : The Role Of Friendship On St. Augustine s Spiritual Journey Essay2131 Words   |  9 PagesCONFESSIONS: THE ROLE OF FRIENDSHIP ON ST. AUGUSTINE’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Originally written during the fourth century, St. Augustine’s autobiographical book, Confessions, was among the most influential models for Christian writers over the course of a millennium. As it is arguably Augustine’s most important text, it continues to influence theological discussion even today. Through writing Confessions, Augustine proves himself to be a professional scrutinizer. He analyzes every aspect of his ownRead MoreSt. Augustine s Confessions And Dante s Inferno1746 Words   |  7 PagesIn St. Augustine’s Confessions and Dante’s Inferno, the central characters in their respective narratives are presented a message from which induces distinct reactions. More importantly, their reactions are reflections of their perspective concerning the Christian outlook towards life and passion. In Book VIII.xi (29) the reader finds St. Augustine in a state of despair and anguish because of his ongoing internal struggle between his mind and body. Afterwards, he undergoes a surreal experience

Uses and Abuses of Biochip Technology - 1704 Words

Topic: Biochip Technology; Uses and Abuses Working Hypothesis: What is the correlation between the prophecy of the mark of the beast, and current trends in biochip technology? Intro/Thesis statement: Technology is chipping away at our personal freedoms. In the New Testament, Revelations 13 warns He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the Beast or the number of his name.... Bible scholars fear that this passage reflects the modern world, and its use of numbers for authentic identification. Imagine the potential of a computer chip to help or hinder the†¦show more content†¦Applied Digital Solutions, based in Delray Beach, Fla., said that its devices which it calls VeriChips, could save lives and limit injuries from error in medical treatment. And it expressed hope that such medical uses would accelerate the acceptance of under-the-skin ID chips as security and access-control devices. Feder and Zeller capture the various topics, which trail the current growth in biochip applications. Some financial details a re listed. International acceptance and usage of the biochip are also briefed upon. This is a powerful article, because the average reader may not know how to acquire information about advancing technologies. Garfinkel, Simson. Database Nation(the Death of Privacy in the 21st Century). OReilly Associates, Inc. Beijing, 2000. 1st ed. Net Library. Manhattanville Coll. Lib., Purchase, NY. 28, Nov. 2004 http://www.netlibrary.com Database Nation illustrates current trends central to the technology sector of society. By addressing the role of the government and its correlation with technology, the concept of privacy is thoroughly examined. It is written with the intention of reminding the audience, technology will continue to violate the right to privacy. The more informed the individual, the better chance one has to understand, and address the hazards of technology. This book was first published in 2000, with the intentions of informing the general public of the role that governmentShow MoreRelatedAnimal Experimentation Essay1307 Words   |  6 Pagesnoteworthy medical advancements, such as the polio vaccine, insulin for diabetes, and antibiotics for pneumonia, have been said to have not been possible without the use of animals (Hurley n. pag). However, this alone does not prove that animal testing is essential for human health. Many other significant progressions were made without the use of animals, including the discovery of penicillin, development of the x-ray, and the espial that a high level of cholesterol can lead to heart disease (Animal TestingRead MoreThe Argument Against Transhumanism : Religion1469 Words   |  6 Pageschemical attributes but a social context that is nurturing.† (Koch 693) Essentially, the technology we develop can drastically improve our capabilities but that will amount to nothing if we do not use them for the greater good. There is no point in boasting about the possible future without first compelling people to utilize their enhanced capabilities for their fellow man. Going further, the capacity to use the new power they possess for evil, for hurting their fellow humans, is an extremely concerning

Unit Three †Marketing P3 Free Essays

Marketing Research Market research indicates decisions made by a business, in this case Tesco, by helping the decision makers understand undercurrents of its market. This process involves research done on customers, competitors and the overall marketing environment. For example, when Tesco is promoting a product, they need to know the likes and dislikes of their targeted consumers in order to target the correct market successfully. We will write a custom essay sample on Unit Three – Marketing P3 or any similar topic only for you Order Now They would also be required to research about their competitors, to find out if by any chance they offered a product that was similar, and how they would differentiate their product from it. Also, as an overall, they would be required to research the environment of the market, as well as the size of their target market, in order to decide how they are going to offer the product to the consumers. Example: sold in store, online, or both. Primary and Secondary Research There are two types of research: †¢Primary Research †¢Secondary Research Information for these types of research can be done internally – within the organization, or externally, from another organization or source of information outside the organization, in this case Tesco. When information or data is gathered for a certain purpose and has not been gathered before is known is primary research. Internal primary research data source could consist of: †¢The business’s sales figures of products †¢A central database holding customer data External primary research data source could consist of: †¢Various questionnaires and surveys †¢A variety of focus groups and interviews †¢Observation techniques When data or information that has been collected before, either internally or externally, is used for research is known as secondary research. Another name for secondary research is ‘desk research’. Internal secondary research data source could consist of: †¢Sales and regional reports †¢Market research gathered in the past External secondary research data source could consist of: †¢Websites and trade journals †¢Newspapers and books †¢Public reports †¢Census data †¢Industry reports For business like Tesco that operate in many different fields, secondary research is more cost-effective, before they decide to conduct primary research. This allows Tesco to have a better understanding of the market, as well as recognize any major obstacles before conducting expensive research. Secondary research also allows them to make assumptions based on similar products and therefore, once primary research is conducted, it can be used against the assumptions to evaluate and compare. This will help indicate how much primary research they are required to do and therefore they don’t end up doing too much that is not required. However, Tesco is required to take the limitation of secondary research into consideration: †¢The information may be outdated †¢The information may be biased in order to promote particular causes †¢The methods used to collect the research may be unreliable. Qualitative and Quantitative Research Research methods can be qualitative, quantitive or can include both methods. Well-planned market research consists of both methods in order to result with a good combination of information revealing different things about the same market. Qualitative research is one-sided and normally unrestricted. It normally is gathered through interviews with customers or focus groups and therefore result in a wide range of research based on personal experiences and feelings. A qualitative question allows the individual go give a broad answer and not based against options. Qualitative research can be used to: †¢Find the perceptions of customers about an organization or brand. †¢Discover how changes in price and other factors affect customers and spending decisions. †¢Explore customer preference, interests and other factors. Quantitative research involves numbers and figures that can be examined mathematically or graphically. This may consist of sales figures, market values, etc. , as well as responses from customers on questionnaires. This is only categorized as quantitative research if the responses from the customers a chosen from series of answers provided on the questionnaire. The difference between quantitative and qualitative research: QuantitativeQualitative ObjectiveSubjective Tests theoryDevelops theory Concise and narrowComplex and broad Measurable Interpretive Basic analysis: NumbersBasic analysis: words and ideas Logical and reasonableDialectic Establishes relationshipsDescribes meaning Experimental settingNatural setting Uses of marketing research The information collected for market research prevents businesses like Tesco making wrong business decisions. If the product designer for Tesco progresses a new product without market research, then the business is not moving forward on reliable sources and therefore are unaware if customers are interested in the product or not. This indicates, effective market research improves the chances of success and reduces the risks. Tesco’s can also measure progress effectively over time. This can be done by, carrying out market research, to found out the awareness of the product before managing national advertising campaigns. Once they have conducted the research, they can put their national advertising campaigns into action and again conduct research and compare the two. Therefore, this indicates, market research can be used to measure progress as well as the effects of marketing activities. Limitations of market research – costs, effectiveness and validity of data collected Weather market research is done at a small or large scale, any time is required to be performed accurately and appropriately otherwise it gives irrelevant results. All market research conducted has the chances of being wrong no matter how well controlled and planned. There are various reasons why market research may not provide accurate or good results but a usual problem is deciding whether the research conducted really measures what it claims to be measuring. Marketers for Tesco are required to decide how reliable the information they have obtained is. Also they need to take into consideration, if the research contained had different respondents or different set of data points, would the results be similar. Validity refers to whether the research conducted is what it intended to be. Validity involves dependability, which means, a valid measure must be reliable. But, reliability doesn’t have to link to validity, a reliable measure is not required to be valid. The difference between reliability and validity: †¢Reliability guesses the point to which an tool processes the same way each time it is used in under the same conditions with the same subjects. †¢Validity involves the point of accuracy of your measurement. For organizations like Tesco’s, validity is considered more important than reliability because if a process does not precisely measure what it is supposed to, there is no use of it and therefore it being reliable is useless. Costs are also an essential consideration for Tesco when carrying out market research, as they are required to take into consideration if they money spent is worth the research undertaken and its potential benefits to the product, as well as the organization. A lot of time, effort and money can be spent on market research and in the end the solution discovered might not be worth implementing. How to cite Unit Three – Marketing P3, Papers