... the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it; and those who love his name will dwell there.” God does not intentionally inflict despair and heartache on his believers for no reason at all. I think the despair we experience, and how we deal with it, is a test to show our true selves. The Lord does not make us suffer because of what we have done. Through suffering, we become better people and grow as an individual. You find your identity through terrible experiences. I have dealt with serious heartache and do believe that I have grown from it. I have learned how to react to certain situations a ...

... or nobly born were able to spend the time learning. However, they were spending time learning the wrong information. The rulers of the time had spent their entire life learning how to control others so as to increase their personal wealth. They had been consumed by their lust for greed and power. When Jesus Christ came proclaiming the word of God, he was branded a fool by these so called "wise men." Throughout his life, these people attempted to discredit all of his work and teachings. Eventually, he was taken by these rulers and crucified for his so called crimes. "To the world the wisdom of God is folly and weakness, but to those who are being saved, Chris ...

... in the 7th century A.D. The term Islam virtually means “surrender”. Within Islam the believer (called a Muslim) use the Arabic word for God, Allah, to refer to the creator of the world and of all life within it. Allah is viewed as the sole God----creator, sustained, and restorer of the world. The will of Allah, to which man must submit, is made known through the sacred scriptures, the Qur'an (Koran). Allah revealed the Qur'an to his messenger, Muhammad. According to Islamic beliefs, Muhammad is the last of a series of prophets (including Adam, Noah, Jesus, and others). Muhammad's message concurrently perfect and do away with the “revelations” attributed t ...

... and food to survive. Koala bears, for instance, only eat leaves of the Eucalyptus tree. Also, no matter what time of year it is, many creatures would be hibernating (it's always winter somewhere on the globe). Many creatures are only found on one continent, indeed some are limited to a small island, forest, and/or mountain. How could the ark cope with all the specialized requirements of food and environments for millions of creatures? 320 different species of hummingbird alone, for example, have very high metabolic rates and have to consume large amounts of nectar throughout the day. The Ark would have had to cater for 640 hummingbirds, requiring a constant supply ...

... to leading a happy life for yourself. Jesus reflects a God that does not expect virgins or animals to be sacrificed in His name; but, a God that is pleased by followers that love not only God, but each other also. These seem like simple, logical rules to live by. But, they reflected a time in history where that kind of love for one another was hard to find because of the hardships inflicted upon the people. I find some conflict in Jesus' actions, however. Jesus never (as far as I know) says to ignore to commandments of God in the Hebrew Scriptures; however, constantly breaks the Sabbath (Matt 12:13 and others), and gives VERY flimsy and unconvincing exp ...

... affected history (i.e. Crusades, King Henry, etc.). Many of the lower-ranking bishops strove to become the pope, yet they took part in adultery, murder, and the like. They also persecuted anyone of another religion, and tortured him or her until confession. These examples do not speak highly of the man and religion that now do not want their good name smeared. Yet, times change. In modern times the Catholic Church has changed dramatically, and the view on religions has as well. Hopefully, there is no more adultery amongst bishops and torturing has stopped. For as long as the living of today remember, the pope has indeed been a symbol of spiritual uplifting. ...

... was created for a reason and that reason was God's will. In the text Medieval Philosophy, St. Thomas Aquinas' article entitled Does God Exist? , Aquinas tries to show the different steps that can prove God does exist and that the world had to have been created by God. This article is comprised of five different ways in which Aquinas tries to prove that we can be sure that God exists. In the third way, Aquinas tries to show that God exists if it is true that we exist. In the article Aquinas says that it is possible for things to exist and for them not to exist. He means that living things will one day become non- living things. Aquinas believes that all thing ...

... gospel) he had taught them to the ends of the world. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible says, "It is the word of God for those only who "listen" to it." The Gospels are really testimonials of faith, not of biographies. They are divided into two parts -- sayings and narratives. The narratives include miracle stories and biographical legends, while the sayings are more on the complex side. The sayings contain apophthegmata, proverbs, parables, and more. They invite the reader to believe in and obey Christ as the Lord. The meaning of the gospel changes from the coming of the kingdom to the meaning of the coming of Jesus Himself, and of His life, death, an ...

... a practitioner of the religion known as Wicca, Witchcraft, or simply The Craft; resembles these “Witches” as much as a straw broom resembles the Dirt Devil Upright. The Craft is a religion based on the worship of a supreme divine creator, the practice of magic, and a reverence for the earth and all her inhabitants. Deity Concepts and Worship Practices "All religions are structures built on reverence of Deity. Wicca is no exception. The Wicca acknowledge a supreme divine power, unknowable, ultimate, from which the entire universe sprang,” (Cunningham, 9). This is a Witch's concept of the Divine. However, it is a distant, powerful image that is not easil ...

... imprisonment, "to be perpetually clothed in the penitential garb, to recite the Credo and one third of the Rosary, and to make confession four times every year". Molinos recanted publicly. His admirers said that he was behaving consistently with what he believed and taught. His accusers said that his recanting was a proof of his guilt. What were real motives why Molinos admitted his "guilt"? Molinos once said: "The true quietists are always quiet, serene and eve-minded in Graces and in extraordinary favors as also in the most rigorous and bitter torments. No news causes them to rejoice, no event saddens them". Was Miguel de Molinos trying to be consistent w ...