Discuss the concept of The Johari Window as a model for personal and Essay

Discuss the concept of The Johari Window as a model for personal and group development - Essay Example ft and Harry Ingham, who conduct studies on human personal characteristics and how it positively or negatively impacts individual, or group behaviour and interaction. Since different people possess different behaviour attributes, it is necessary to know both individual and group behaviour in the context of work environment, not only for gaining optimum work output, but also to ensure harmonious interaction between different members of the group. Through knowing ourselves deeper, broader and better, especially our interacting and interfacing with others, it is possible to introduce positive personality changes in our outlook and interpersonal relations with others- superiors, peers and subordinate groups. This could bring about more effective communications, greater degree of understanding and empathy with others as well as greater a more constructive and harmonious relations with other individuals in our working place. In the long run, this could reap rich benefits for all members of the force and, more significantly, entire corporate as a whole unified unit. At the first stage, a list of attributes or characteristics are provided to the respondents, from which the respondent has to choose a few attributes which he believed he possesses- these could be adjectives like supportive, noble, patience, tolerance, empathy, caring, helping, modest, etc. The list of what the respondents thinks about himself, and what other peer groups, or members of known circles think about him, are compared and fitted in the appropriate quadrant of the Grid Matrix shown below: The four quadrants mentioned above represent the four possible permutations and combinations in terms of one’s self opinion about oneself vis-à  -vis what others may think about the respondent. â€Å"Each of these regions contains and represents the information - feelings, motivation, etc - known about the person, in terms of whether the information is known or unknown by the person, and whether the information

Individual Food Intake Essay Example for Free

Individual Food Intake Essay After using the food assessment tool at www.choosemyplate.gov I found that my daily intake of food was not sufficient for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Many of my goals were not achieved or were overachieved. This assessment revealed an imbalance in my eating habits. Like many Americans I am on the run and constrained by time. Going to school and working fulltime often forces me to eat quickly and make hurried choices. Often my choices are not in my best health interest but rather based on what is fast. When I have time, I tend to try to make better eating decisions but this is not sufficient for a good diet. In accordance with the Food Guide Pyramid I fell short in many areas of necessary consumption and went over in other areas. For the three day period I went over in grains (14.5 oz.) and over in proteins (10.5 oz.). I was insufficient with vegetables (1 cup), fruits (3/4 cup), and dairy (1 cup). What I found disturbing was that the bulk of the items I went over on was not balanced across three days but was instead committed on one to two days of the tracker. This means that on one day I had reached limits. This could be seen clearly on the third day and specifically with regard to lunch and my numbers jumped dramatically. I believe that I need to reshape my diet around the six classes of nutrients. The six nutrients include: 1. Water 2. Carbohydrates 3. Proteins 4. Fats 5. Vitamins 6. Minerals Each of the six nutrients is necessary in varying degrees in the body. Using the Food Pyramid I can identify the levels of nutrient intake and then  design my diet in accordance with balancing these numbers. For example, I eat a banana each day but this only provides me with a portion of the fruit intake I need and thereby cuts down on the vitamins and minerals I receive. By increasing my fruit intake I can increase this number but this is only part of the solution. I need to add more variety of food which will better encompass the wide range of nutrients needed. For example, strawberries and blueberries could be added to my diet and this would increase antioxidant intake as well as vitamins such as C. It is not just fruit intake that would need to be altered in this way; vegetables and meats also need to be examined. The intake of green vegetables would help to increase vitamin A, foliate, and iron, among other essentials. By expanding my varieties of foods I can incorporate this into my diet, as well as the elimination of certain types of foods could be used to increase nutrient intake such as removing the fast food burger in lieu of leaner fish which contains higher levels of Omega 3 and better quality proteins. Leaner meats that do not require heavy cooking also require less energy for the body to process and provide more useful calories. By modifying my diet in accordance with the Food Pyramid, I believe I can become healthier. The key is to determine the different foods that I will need to incorporate into my diet and to find the quantity that balances my caloric intake. For this I will need to do some research because I still need my diet to be somewhat convenient as well as nutritionally balanced. I believe it should also be mentioned that the level of fats that are taken in should be monitored as well, because almost a third of my diet was empty calories which had no nutritional value. There was also a very high sodium intake and my saturated fats were over the limit. These issues present many long term concerns which need to be addressed. This diet failure also explains my feelings of fatigue and my propensity for illnesses. My body has simply not been receiving the nutrients and levels that it needs to properly function. By watching these numbers I should be able to increase energy and make sure that my future health is strong. I also need to watch what I consume because my mother has had colon cancer, so the healthier I eat the  chances are less that I will contract that cancer. References Contemporary Nutrition, WileyPLUS ®, iProfile

Insights On De Tocquevilles Democracy In America :: essays research papers

Insights on De Tocqueville's Democracy In America It has been said that a French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville, who visited the United States in the 1830's, "understood us" in a way that few observers (foreign and domestic) have. Furthermore, Tocqueville's Democracy in America is often cited by present-day critics because so many of the observations in it seem extraordinarily suitable even more than one hundred and fifty years later. Alexis de Tocqueville was born 1805 into a minor noble family, in which his grandfather had been guillotined during the French Revolution. He had come to the United States in 1831 to study the prison system, in which he did not do, instead he wrote Democracy in America. He had stayed in the United States through February 1832 for about nine months, so intrigued by democracy, majority rule, and the absence of social hierarchy. Democracy in America was first published in 1825, full of observations and interpretations, was written as a sort of warning for European readers; "Is this what you want?" he asks. This book was famous for two accurate predictions, one, the U.S. would someday be a world power as would Russia, second, race would prove to be the most intractable problem for the U.S. One of Tocqueville's observations about the United States is that he thought there is no country in the civilized world that is less attention paid philosophy than the United States. This is applicable to American life in 1997 because the whole world is practically joined to the United States. Just about every country in the world trades with, tours in, and watches for the United States. What I mean by watches is that they practically always know what's going on (except for the top-secret things) in the United States, whether it be by television, computers, or satellites they know what the U.S. is doing. The U.S. is basically a "free-for-all" county; the laws and schools are less strict than other countries such as, Japan in which the students there have to go to school six days a week with much more homework then U.S. schools. Another observation of Alexis is that religion is associated with all the customs of the nation and all the feelings of patriotism. Another way of saying this that there is a religion for everyone. This is still true in 1997 because everyone has there own belief and goes to the church or believes in the religion that they desire. The religious person believes in what he or she wants to believe in and in most case respects what another persons religion might be.

Do We Have True Separation of Powers in Trinidad and Tobago? Essay

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely! (Lord Acton, 1834-1902). This phrase aptly demonstrates the reason for the separation of powers, which is meant to prevent abuse of power in a democracy and preserve each and every citizen’s rights through the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches, averting one branch from gaining absolute power or abusing the power they are given. The intent is to avoid the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances. Though it can be traced as far back as ancient Greece, the first modern interpretation of the separation of powers was introduced by the French enlightenment writer Charles Montesquieu in De L’Esprit des Lois (The Spirit of the Laws) in 1748. He believed that for liberty and freedom to be maintained a safeguard against centralisation of power in one person should be provided. Montesquieu wrote that a nation’s freedom depended on the three powers of governance â⠂¬â€œ legislative, executive and judicial – and that these three powers must be separate and act independently to effectively promote liberty. This principle has been widely used in the development of many democracies since that time. The question is asked though: ‘Is the separation of powers truly separate?’ This essay would be focussing on the separation of powers in Trinidad and Tobago and the question of whether there exists true separation of powers in this country. For this purpose we will also examine the differences of the Unitary and Federal State and will be using the USA as an example of a Federal State. Trinidad and Tobago is a Unitary State governed by a democratic system. Unitary States exists in homogenous societies; there is one central government and all taxes goes back to the central government; one law making body and the laws made applies to the entire State. It is a single state. Federal states consists of a heterogeneous society, it is a combination of states and each state has the authority to make certain laws which may differ from state to state but Federal laws can override State laws; power is shared; and there is a State and Federal tax system. The USA is a Federal State. These two countries are governed under a democratic system which abides by the separation of powers and whose governmental systems both  consist of an executive, judicial and legislative branch. The legislative branch is responsible for the making and changing of laws. Trinidad and Tobago has a Bicameral Parliament, which means there are two houses, the Upper House or Senate and the Lower House or the House of Representatives. The Senate consists of 31 members: 16 government senators appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, 6 appointed senators on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, and 9 independent senators appointed by the President to represent other sectors of society. They are all appointed by the President. The ratio in the Senate is always fixed because that is what is allowed in the Constitution. The number of members in the House of Representatives is not a fixed ratio because it all depends on the voting process during elections, which are supposed to be free and fair and free from fear, meaning that you can choose to vote for whoever you want without any victimisation or force to do otherwise. Whoever wins the seat will be appointed a Member of Parl iament, by the President, and allowed to sit in the House of Representatives. Currently the House of Representatives, in Trinidad and Tobago consists of: 27 People Partnership seats, 1 ILP seat and 13 People National Movement seats. The party who wins the majority of seats would form the Government for the next 5 years. The United States Congress is also a bicameral legislature consisting of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both representatives and senators are chosen through direct election. Members are affiliated to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party and only rarely to a third-party or as independents. Congress has 535 voting members: 435 Representatives and 100 Senators. The Vice President is also the President of the Senate.The Congress debates on and approves bills concerning various matters and approves all treaties and all nominations to key foreign policy postings. The most important authority given to Congress overall is the power to declare war. But there has always been a tension between this and the president’s constitutional role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. According to the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, Ch 5 (74) and (75), Executive authority is vested in the President and, subject to the Constitution, may be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him. Supreme command of the armed forces is also vested in the President and the exercise of this power shall be regulated by law. Under Ch 5 (80) 1, â€Å"In the exercise of his functions under the Constitution or any other law, the President shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet†. The Cabinet falls under the Executive arm and have the general direction and control of the government of Trinidad and Tobago, and is collectively responsible to Parliament. The Cabinet is headed by the Prime Minister who is appointed by the President. The leader of the political party that won the majority of seats via the voting system in a general election usually becomes the next Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is responsible for the allocation of function among Government Ministries. Other members of the Cabinet include the Attorney General and other Ministers of government appointed by the Prime Minister. Apart from the Prime Minister the Attorney General is the only member of the Cabinet specifically mentioned in the constitution relating to the executive branch of government, which is why they must be present for this arm to function. The constitution also provides that in exercising his powers, the Attorney General shall not be subjected to the direction or control of any other person or authority. Also, the Prime Minister can remove any member of Cabinet or a Government Senator because they are chosen by the Prime Minister, but not a member of the House of Representatives because they were voted into office by the peop le. The functions of Cabinet include the initiating and deciding on policies, the supreme control of the government and the coordination of government departments. According to the Constitution Ch 5 (77) 1, where the House of Representatives passes a resolution, supported by the votes of a majority of all the members of the House, declaring that it has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister does not within seven days of the passing of such a resolution either resign or advise the President to dissolve Parliament, the President shall revoke the appointment of the Prime Minister from office by members of the legislature on a vote of no confidence, but this is unheard of since the members of both arms share the same political agenda. They may  also vacate office by replacement or by ceasing to be a member of the house to which they belong. Apart from being the leader of the Cabinet which has effective control of the nation’s affairs, it is most certain that by the power vested in this arm of government it is easy for intimidation to occur, contradicting the very back bone of Montesquieu’s theory on the hallmark of democracy with regards to the separation of powers, with his main argument being for liberty and freedom to be maintained the three arms of government should be separated and apart – entrusted to different people. In a Federal State the President is the head of the executive branch of government. The Cabinet also consist of the vice president and fifteen executive departments – the Secretaries of agriculture, commerce, defence, education, energy, health and human services, homeland security, housing and urban development, interior, labour, state, transport, treasury, veterans affairs and the Attorney General. The purpose of the cabinet is to advise the president on matters relating to the duties of their respective offices. These members of cabinet are appointed by the president and must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate. They cannot be a member of congress or hold any other elected office. They can be dismissed at any time by the President, without the approval of Cabinet.The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by congress. The main duties of the executive are making sure that the laws of the States are obeyed. They deliver programs and services to the population within the framework of laws, expenditures and tax measures approved by legislature. The Judiciary is known as the third arm of government in a unitary or federal state. The Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago is headed by the Chief Justice, and in a democratic country as this, the Judiciary is established by the Constitution to operate independently from the executive arm. They interpret and enforce the laws, and acts as a forum for the resolution of legal disputes among citizens of the State. The hierarchical order of the courts is as follows; magistrate, supreme, appeal and Privy Council which is the last and highest level located in England. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Under the constitution the judicial and legal  services commission (JLSC) which is made up by the Chairman of the Public Services Commission, one person who was a Judge, two persons with legal qualifications and the Chief Justice, is charged with the tasks of appointing Justices of Appeal, High Court Judges, Masters of the High Court, Magistrates, Registrars of the Supreme Court and the Administrative Secretary to the Chief Justice, all of whom are judicial officers. Although the law clearly protects the Judiciary from political interference, the Judiciary is economically dependent on the executive arm of government for the allocation of funds causing them to not be as independent as proposed. The Attorney General, who is the second in command in Cabinet under the Executive, is the Minister responsible for the administration of legal affairs. There were complaints made by the Chief Justice in 1999, about the Attorney General’s plans to make the Judiciary a department under his Ministry, requiring the Chief Justice and his staff to report to him on matters concerning the operation of the courts in general. A detailed report by the Attorney General to the Parliament argued that a dispute did exist concerning his role in relation to the administration of justice, and he asserted his right of control over administrative matters not pertaining to the judicial function. He saw it fit that he should superintend the administrative affairs of the J udiciary. Another issue facing the judiciary is the national awards. The Chief Justice heads the committee which receives recommendations of citizens deserving of the award, this is then passed to the Prime Minister who has the power to insert and delete nominees. This has caused major concern in the real independence of the Judiciary as it pertains to the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary and some may see this as being politically motivated. In the past an inquiry into the interference by the other arms of government in the Judiciary was investigated by one of the Lords at the Privy Council. His findings gave no comfort to the allegations made, instead he noted that the real issue was the lack of co-operation by the Executive and the Judiciary arm of government and stressed that they should work together for the good of the country. In a federal judicial system such as the USA more than 600 judges sit on district courts, almost 200 judges sit on courts of appeals, and 9 justices make up the Supreme Court. Federal judges have life terms, therefore, no single president will make all of these appointments.The Supreme Court is the highest court and consists of the Chief Justice and 8 other associates. The Constitution provides broad parameters for the judicial nomination process giving the responsibility for nominating federal judges and justices to the President, who relies on many sources to recommend appropriate nominees for judicial posts.Recommendations are received from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, members of Congress, sitting judges and justices, and the American Bar Association. Some judicial hopefuls even nominate themselves. Nominations are also required to be confirmed by the Senate. A special, very powerful tradition for recommending district judges is called senatorial courtesy. This practice allows senators from the state in which there is a vacancy, and who is also of the same political party as the President, to send a nomination to the President, who almost always follows the recommendation. To ignore it would be a great affront to the senator, as well as an invitation for conflict between the President and the Senate. The Constitution guarantees that judges would be protected by any reduction in salaries and removal from office. This concept is the backbone of the judicial independence which was establish by Brittan. The judiciary arm of government in a federal state may serve different purposes. Their functions can range from judicial to non-judicial with its main function being the administration of laws, interpretation of laws, guardianship of the constitution, advisory jurisdiction, protector of the fundamental rights and supervisory to smaller courts. Whilst stressing on the independence of the judiciary in the separation of powers external threats arise from the powers that the Constitution leaves to congress and the president to control the judiciary’s resources. In both the Unitary State which is Trinidad and Tobago and the Federal State which is the USA there exist a system in place for the separation of powers but in Trinidad and Tobago there is an overlapping in the system. The Parliament and the Cabinet has some of the same people, for example the Prime Minister, Attorney General and Government Ministers form the Cabinet  but they are also members of the Parliament. This means that there is no true separation of powers between the Parliament and the Executive because according to Montesquieu to ensure that liberty and freedom is maintained the three arms of government should be entrusted to different people and this has not happened with these two branches. The only one that remains totally separate is the Judiciary. In an article from the Guardian Newspaper, Tony Fraser wrote on the Separation of Powers, he said: â€Å"Having an operational separation of powers is important to achieve democratic and quality governance. It is absolute ly dangerous for the Government/Cabinet and the Prime Minister to have full control of the passage of legislation, to be in a position to implement policies and programmes, the vast majority of which have a base in the laws passed, and to then have control of the judiciary whose responsibility is to interpret the laws. Imagine the power of a prime minister as CEO who could pass legislation which does not require a special majority, have a majority to alter the Constitution to take away the right to free expression, have total control of all major appointments to state office — including the President of the Republic and the Chief Justice, the Commissioner of Police, the operations of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, the Service Commissions — and appoint independent senators and on and on. Imagine, too, a Prime Minister having full control of the operations of the judiciary so that judges and magistrates would have to make judgements based on the desires of the CEO. Effectively, this would mean that the PM could determine who among the political opponents of the Government should â€Å"make a jail† and who among the supporters of the ruling party could engage in corrupt activity â€Å"la blash,† free sheet without fear of prosecution. If the doctrine of the separa tion of powers does not function effectively, the Prime Minister would have total legislative power and power too over the judiciary, and all of this in addition to being in total control of the establishment and functioning of the Cabinet including, for instance, deciding which minister should be fired, who should be protected, and what policies and programmes are to be implemented without a continuing check on the power.† This article clearly illustrates the importance of the separation of powers, and the corruption that could ensue without it. In Trinidad and Tobago the separation of powers does not truly exist because too much power is centralised in one person – the Prime Minister. In a federal state there is true separation of powers because each branch is entrusted to different people. The only exception is that the Vice President is also the President of the Senate, which can lead to abuse of power, such as in the case of Senators who gives recommendations to the President, forcing the President to choose the person they recommended or face conflict in the Senate. Lord Acton could not have said it any better, power truly corrupts but he also said that â€Å"Great men are almost always bad men.† If no one else believed what his words conveyed then a need for the separation of powers would never have been realised. Checks and balances are not just needed for Government officials but also in everyone else’s daily lives. Businesses has managers, supervisors and labourers and they all have different degrees of power which helps to keep staff in check and ensure that everything is running efficiently, if they all had the same status then there would not be an incentive to keep others in check and chaos would reign supreme. There must always be a mechanism to help maintain order/good governance and even though it may not be a perfect system, some abusers of the laws have been brought to justice, more so in the federal system. We do, however, look forward to the day that it works efficiently in a Unitary State. BIBLIOGRAPHY Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Act 4 of 1976. http://www.ag.gov.tt/Portals/0/Documents/TT%20Constitution.pdf Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved from http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/1.01.pdf Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Contributors, Gaurav Shukla, Grace Young, Separation of Powers, The Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/topic/473411/contributors http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/az.htm Martin Kelly, Separation of Powers, About.com American History http://americanhistory.about.com/od/usconstitution/g/sep_of_powers.htm NCSL, Separation of Powers – an Overview. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers-an-overview.aspx Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved from http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=25 The Phase Finder: Retrieved from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely.html Tony Fraser, Separation of Powers, Guardian Newspaper Article. Retrieved from https://guardian.co.tt/columnist/2012-12-19/separation-powers Wikipedia: The United States Congress, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress

Jesus and Mohammad Essay

Religion is the food for the soul, a type of food that never spoils or depreciates. It is the vessel of life, a vessel that is unbreakable and never shudders even from the most destructive outside force. It is the cup of morality, the one that shapes our character and personality. With these different views, one can say that religion is an important aspect of one’s life. It constitutes and contributes to the spiritual well-being of an individual, which is faced today with different options regarding their religion of choice. There are Methodists, Protestants, Muslims, Roman Catholics, and more. However, the two most influential and widespread religion are Islam and Christianity. Christianity is believed to be founded by Jesus Christ, the redeemer of humanity. The beliefs of Christians, which are also shared by Roman Catholics, are summarized in a doctrine called the Nicene Creed. In general, Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, that there are three superior beings: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Believers of this religion grew up with teachings about the creation of the world by God in seven days, the fall of Adam and Eve, the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, and the redemption of mankind (Walsh, 2005). On the other hand, Islam is considered to be founded by Mohammad or Muhammad. Its followers are called Muslims and they believe in only one God, Allah. They believe that Muhammad is the last prophet and Jesus is only one of them. Just like in Christianity, they also believe in the final judgment to be passed on to the blessed and the damned (Braswell, 2000). To know better the concept of these two religions, it may be helpful if one will look at the historical background of the prominent personalities of Christianity and Islam. Jesus Christ, also known as Jesus of Nazareth and the Messiah, was the child of Mary and Joseph and born in the humble stable of Bethlehem during the reign of Augustus. The famous Nativity is described as the birth of Jesus where he was visited by the shepherds and the three kings to give their offerings. He is said to be born without original sin and is said to save humankind from sins. One of the most prominent incidences during his childhood years is when he and his parents visited Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. It was during this time that he was lost for several days and nights, and was found by his parents in the temple teaching about the Word of God. After the incident, Jesus made subsequent visits to Jerusalem allowing him to see how corrupted religion was and the need to reform both its doctrine and practice during that time. He performed miracles and taught the Word of God through fables. Most of his teachings focused on the kingdom of God, how God loves mankind, and how God forgives people when they ask. He became well known and was praised by many people. This caught the attention of the Roman governors and the scribes, who ordered his execution when Jesus claimed that he was God. He was tortured, crucified, and died on the cross. After three days, he resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven. Thus, it marks the start of the salvation of humankind (Stalker, 2009). Conversely, Mohammad is the most prominent personality in Islam. Mohammad or Mahomet was born in Mecca in 571 during the reign of Khusro Anosharwan. His father was named Abdallah while his mother was named Amina. His father died several days before his birth. He became an orphan when he was six years old. It was during this time that his mother died while they were in a journey to Medina. Abdl al-Muttalib, his grandfather, took care of him but died when he was eight years old. Finally, he was taken care of by his father’s brother, Abd Manaf, who joined Muhammad on a caravan to Syria (Rodinson, 2002). He became a camel driver on their journey from Syria to Arabia but soon established his career as manager of caravans together with the merchants. On his travel, he met numerous people with various nationalities such as Christians, pagans, and Jews. At the age of 25, he married Khadija whose age is 15 years older than him. Throughout his life, he sought for contemplation and solitude by visiting Mecca and the caves in Mount Hira. On one of his visits, he was visited by Angel Gabriel and asked him to proclaim the Word of God. He was reluctant at first but later accepted that he was the messenger of God after receiving support from Khadija and subsequent visitations of angel. His teachings include worshipping Allah, repenting from evil, and truth about materialism and immortality. He did not perform miracles but only taught what he received. At the start of his struggle as a prophet, he had only 40 followers, who experienced prosecution because his teachings were said to be a great threat to the Meccan life. However, good news came that there was a small group of people supporting his movement in Yathrib, later called Medina. He established his teachings in Medina and began a movement to reclaim his former land, Mecca. After several battles, he regained Mecca and the entire Meccan population was converted to Islam. He returned to Medina in 632 where he died but Islam had already conquered most of Arabia (â€Å"Life†, 2010). The death of both personalities brought immense impact in their respective religion. Without the death of Jesus, Christianity will not be born. It was through his death that Christianity flourished as his apostles began to preach his word across the nation (Ermatinger, 2007). His death became the heart of Christian faith as it became a proof of God’s love for mankind. â€Å"For God so loved the world that He gave us his one and only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life† (John 3:16 New King James Version, 1985). His death allowed people to become closer to God. In addition, his death followed by his resurrection allowed man to have new hope. The first book of Peter stated that: â€Å"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you† (1 Peter 1:3-4 New King James Version, 1985). The death of Muhammad also allowed Islam to spread. It now extends on both sides of the earth reaching the Atlantic on the other side then reaching the borders of China on the other. The success of the spread of Islam can be attributed to the works of the caliphs, Muhammad’s successor with great political and military abilities (â€Å"Life†, 2010). However, the death of Muhammad brought conflict to the Muslims. Debates conjured and are present up to these days whether leadership must be placed upon Muhammad’s direct descendants (according to Shia) or upon the caliphs (according to Sunni) (â€Å"Comparison†, n. . ). In Christianity, the life of Jesus was celebrated starting from his birth up to his death and resurrection. The birth of Jesus is commemorated by Christians every 25 December and is marked by the giving of gifts and sharing of love. Before this day comes, Christians celebrate the season of Advent to prepare their hearts for his coming. His death and suffering are also commemorated by Christians through the season of Lent. During this season, people subject themselves to fasting and reconciliation of their sins. Moreover, Jesus, which is one of the Holy Trinity, is worshipped by most people through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist every Sunday. Unlike Christians, Muslims do not worship Muhammad. They only view him as the last messenger of God but worship Allah alone (â€Å"Comparison†, n. d. ). Even after the death of Jesus and Muhammad, their words and preaching continuously spread. In Christianity, there is the Bible. Bible comes from the word â€Å"biblos† which means book. It is the compilation of the works of prophets recounting the good deeds and mercy of God on humankind. The bible is also divided into two testaments: the Old and the New. The Old Testament, which consists of 39 books, contains the writings of the Jewish people that reflect their philosophy through literary compositions such as hymns and songs (Weatherall, 2009). The New Testament, on the other hand, is a collection of 27 books that provide a significant influence on Christianity and is recognized as a Sacred Scripture by the Christian Church. Included in this part of the bible is the so-called â€Å"Fourfold Gospels† written by Gospel writers with the books of Mathew and Mark recounting the biographies of Jesus Christ (Achtemeier, Green and Thompson, 2001). In Islam, the means of spreading the word of Muhammad is through the Qur’an or Koran. Its contents are revealed to Muhammad in stages for 23 years. It is considered as the holy book of the Muslims where the revelation part is intended to correct the error found in the Old and New Testaments. It has 114 chapters but is divided into 30 parts called juz. During Ramadan, the Muslims read one juz per day until they complete the whole month celebration (â€Å"Qur’an†, 2009). In conclusion, the two most influential religions in the present society have their own similarities and differences. Despite these, what is more important is how people respect and follow the doctrines of their religions. It does not matter whether he or she is a Christian or a Muslim. What matters most is how that people work themselves to build a life of morality and treasures in heaven and not on earth.

Nominations to the Supreme Court essays

Nominations to the Supreme Court essays When nominating a justice to the Supreme Court the President must take a variety of factors into consideration, the main factor that the President must take into account is the nominee's ideology since it influences how the Senate will react to the confirmation. The Senate is less likely to confirm a justice who is ideologically distant from the majority of senators of from the senator's constituencies. The President must also take into account several other factors, many of which will be discussed in this essay. Research shows that the President takes five majors factors into account when choosing a nominee for the Supreme Court: the ideology of the nominee compared to the President and Senate; the makeup of the Court; the background of the nominee, including race, gender, geographic location, and religion; the qualifications of the nominees; and the political power of the President. A President is more likely to choose a nominee that he feels has ideological similarities to himself. Presidents nominate those who have consistent conservative, if the president is a Republican, or liberal views, if he is a Democrat, in order that the future decisions of the nominee on certain issues may be ascertained beforehand. Simply, a Republican President will nominate a more conservative justice that shares his views on certain issues, and a Democratic President will nominate a more liberal justice that shares his views. However, the President must also take into account the ideological makeup of the Senate. Therefore, most justices confirmed are considered moderate because of compromise the President must make between his ideology and the ideological makeup of the Senate. The President also takes into account the makeup of the Court at that time. The President may attempt to move the Court in one direction or the other to make it further reflect his and his administration or party's views. However, if the Senate majority is not of the same...

Everson v. Board of Education - Religious Liberty

Everson v. Board of Education - Religious Liberty Under a New Jersey statute that allowed local school districts to fund the transportation of children to and from schools, the Board of Education of Ewing Township authorized reimbursement to parents forced to bus their children to school using regular public transportation. Part of this money was to pay for the transportation of some children to Catholic parochial schools and not just public schools. A local taxpayer filed suit, challenging the right of the Board to reimburse parents of parochial school students. He argued that the statute violated both the State and the Federal Constitutions. This court agreed and ruled hat the legislature did not have the authority to provide such reimbursements. Fast Facts: Everson v. Board of Education of the Township of Ewing Case Argued: November 20, 1946Decision Issued:  February 10, 1947Petitioner: Arch R. EversonRespondent: Board of Education of the Township of EwingKey Question: Did the New Jersey law authorizing reimbursement by local school boards for the costs of transportation to and from schools- including private schools, the majority of which were parochial Catholic schools- violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?Majority Decision: Justices Vinson, Reed, Douglas, Murphy, and BlackDissenting: Justices Jackson, Frankfurter, Rutledge, and Burton  Ruling: Reasoning that the law did not pay money to parochial schools, nor did it support them directly in any way, New Jersey’s law reimbursing parents for transportation costs to parochial schools did not violate the Establishment Clause. Court Decision The Supreme Court ruled against the plaintiff, holding that the government was allowed to reimburse the parents of parochial school children for the costs incurred by sending them to school on public buses. As the Court noted, the legal challenged was based on two arguments: First, the law authorized the state to take money from some people and give it to others for their own private purposes, a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Second, the law forced taxpayers to support religious education at Catholic schools, thus resulting in using State power to support religion - a violation of the First Amendment. The Court rejected both arguments. The first argument was rejected on the grounds that the tax was for a public purpose - educating children - and so the fact that it coincided with someones personal desires does not render a law unconstitutional. When reviewing the second argument, the majority decision, referencing  Reynolds v. United States: The establishment of religion clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a wall of separation between Church and State. Amazingly, even after admitting this, the Court failed to find any such violation in collecting taxes for the purpose of sending children to a religious school. According to the Court, providing for transportation is analogous to providing police protection along the same transportation routes - it benefits everyone, and therefore should not be refused to some because of the religious nature of their end destination. Justice Jackson, in his dissent, noted the inconsistency between the strong affirmation of the separation of church and state and the final conclusions reached. According to Jackson, the Courts decision required making both unsupported assumptions of fact and ignoring actual facts which were supported. In the first place, the Court assumed that this was part of a general program to help parents of any religion get their children safely and quickly to and from accredited schools, but Jackson noted that this was not true: The Township of Ewing is not furnishing transportation to the children in any form; it is not operating school busses itself or contracting for their operation; and it is not performing any public service of any kind with this taxpayers money. All school children are left to ride as ordinary paying passengers on the regular buses operated by the public transportation system. What the Township does, and what the taxpayer complains of, is at stated intervals to reimburse parents for the fares paid, provided the children attend either public schools or Catholic Church schools. This expenditure of tax funds has no possible effect on the childs safety or expedition in transit. As passengers on the public buses they travel as fast and no faster, and are as safe and no safer, since their parents are reimbursed as before. In the second place, the Court ignored the actual facts of religious discrimination which was occurring: The resolution which authorizes disbursement of this taxpayers money limits reimbursement to those who attend public schools and Catholic schools. That is the way the Act is applied to this taxpayer. The New Jersey Act in question makes the character of the school, not the needs of the children determine the eligibility of parents to reimbursement. The Act permits payment for transportation to parochial schools or public schools but prohibits it to private schools operated in whole or in part for profit. ...If all children of the state were objects of impartial solicitude, no reason is obvious for denying transportation reimbursement to students of this class, for these often are as needy and as worthy as those who go to public or parochial schools. Refusal to reimburse those who attend such schools is understandable only in the light of a purpose to aid the schools because the state might well abstain from aiding a profit-making private enterprise. As Jackson noted, the only reason for refusing to help children going to for-profit private schools is a desire not to aid those schools in their ventures - but this automatically means that giving reimbursements to children going to parochial schools means that the government is helping them. Significance This case reinforced the precedent of government money financing portions of religious, sectarian education by having those funds applied to activities other than direct religious education.