Tuesday, January 28, 2020
God Loves Uganda Response Paper Essay Example for Free
God Loves Uganda Response Paper Essay I was aware of strong anti-homosexuality prejudice in Uganda from discussions with friends and some news coverage I saw on the internet. However, I was unaware of the influence of U. S. evangelical missionaries until I saw the documentary God Loves Uganda. The film’s director, Roger Ross Williams, illuminates how American missionaries in Uganda campaign to condemn homosexuality and ban condoms as part of their abstinence only education. Missionaries in the film hail from the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri. They take direction from the charismatic Lou Engle, who is a prominent leader of the evangelical Christian right. Throughout the documentary, these missionaries speak candidly about their core religious beliefs without coercion or the trickery of film editing. The American pastor behind the anti-gay vitriol spread by these â€Å"well-meaning†IHOP missionaries is Scott Lively. It is important to note that Scott Lively is quite the conspiracy theorist and anything he says should be taken with a grain of salt. He co-founded the anti-gay group Watchmen on the Walls and authored books such as The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, 7 Steps to Recruit-Proof Your Child, and The Poisoned Stream: â€Å"Gay†Influence in Human History (Scherr). Lively has forged relationships with Ugandan religious leaders, who preach his toxic message to their congregations. Two of the biggest myths that Lively and IHOP missionaries teach in Uganda are that homosexuality is a Western import trying to recruit children and that homosexuals can choose to be heterosexual. In Uganda, Same-sex relations have been deemed â€Å"unnatural†and laws against it have been in place forever. However, in 2009, anti-gay fervor reached new heights when the Ugandan Anti- Homosexuality Act was introduced to parliament. The bill criminalizes homosexual relations, which are punishable by life in prison or even death for serial offenders. Inspiration for the AntiHomosexuality Act directly stems from Scott Lively’s seminar titled, â€Å"Exposing the Truth Behind Homosexuality and the Homosexual Agenda†, which he presented before Ugandan Parliament. (Lapin) In conjunction with anti-homosexual propaganda, the missionaries preach that condoms should be banned, as abstinence is the key to lowering the HIV rate. The Ugandan government supports this flawed abstinence only policy. As a result, both hetero and homo sexual relations are stigmatized and condoms are not used. Therefore, disease continues to spread and wreak havoc on Ugandan society. Race and colonialism are not explicitly mentioned in the film but they are undeniable factors. Race has been beneficial to the missionaries. As ex-communicated, Bishop Christopher Senyonjo says of Ugandan’s relationship to the missionaries, â€Å"Because they are white, people believe them. †Colonizing of values is certainly happening. Africa has always been a place in which colonial aspirations come to fruition. Rather than exporting a way of governing to the colonies, missionaries are exporting religious governance. In addition to building orphanages and other good works, IHOP missionaries have exacerbated the anti-gay climate in Uganda. These people infiltrate Uganda in the name of God, demonize homosexuality as part of Biblical law, and then leave citizens to take the real law into their own hands. Consequently, LGBT people in Uganda fear for their lives. Now I must ask, is this what Jesus would want? Bibliography Lapin, Andrew. God Loves Uganda. The Dissolve. The Dissolve, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. Scherr, Sonia. U. S. Anti-Gay Activists Under Fire for Role in Uganda. Souther Poverty Law Center. Intelligence Report, Apr. -May 2010. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
Monday, January 20, 2020
The Maya Essay -- essays research papers fc
The Maya were a dominating society of Mesoamerica, rich in culture, community, and art. While life may not be completely interpretable yet, much in known about how these societies were constructed, and how their religion dominated their lives. Much is generally made of their massive stonework, their ceremonial complexes, and ritual sacrifices, but their small jade, ceramic, and stone sculpture deserves as much attention as the works of much larger size have received.      The Maya, inhabiting southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize, began to settle in communities around 1500 b.c. By A.D. 200, these communities had grown into large cities with expansive areas of temples, pyramids, ball courts, and plazas.1      Pre classic Maya sculpture developed under the geographic expansion of the inhabitants into a variety of ecosystems, inspiring technical and artistic change. The highland inhabitants may have been earlier in initiating stone sculpture.2 Figure 8, an anthropomorphic mushroom figure found in Guatemala may have been a symbol of fertility, judging by its shape’s connotation. Other regional sculpture includes figurines with swollen bellies, accentuated sexual regions, and even pregnant animal depictions. This could be because of the association of maternity and fertility with nature and Mother Earth.      The Classic Period of the Maya began to develop around A.D. 250 and flourished through A.D. 900. Around that time was the start of the Post Classic Period, which was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century.3 The information about the classification of these cultures is not strong in that it may be considered inappropriate to call certain periods Classic, Pre Classic, Post Classic, etc. because the rise and fall of Mayan cities was an overlapping sensation, and the establishment of a certain style would appear at many different times throughout the domination of the culture. For classification of the purposes of this paper, however, the division of the culture is used.      Small Mayan sculpture has been discovered at a variety of locations. An Early Classic jade piece, 4 1/4†tall, of the Bird-Monster God (fig. 9), was found at Copan, Honduras. This tiny, sculpted piece of a deity features human hands and feet, with the figure seated cro... ...assic Maya Art and           Architecture.†In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.      Richard F. Townsend, 159-169. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,           1992. Miller, Mary Ellen. The Art of Mesoamerica from Olmec to Aztec, 2nd ed.           London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Reilly III, F. Kent. â€Å"Art, Ritual, and Rulership in the Olmec World.†In The           Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, eds. Michael E. Smith and Marilyn      A. Masson, 369-399. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. Valdes, Juan Antonio. â€Å"The Beginnings of Preclassic Maya Art and                     Architecture.†In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.      Richard F. Townsend, 147-57. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,           1992. The Maya Essay -- essays research papers fc The Maya were a dominating society of Mesoamerica, rich in culture, community, and art. While life may not be completely interpretable yet, much in known about how these societies were constructed, and how their religion dominated their lives. Much is generally made of their massive stonework, their ceremonial complexes, and ritual sacrifices, but their small jade, ceramic, and stone sculpture deserves as much attention as the works of much larger size have received.      The Maya, inhabiting southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize, began to settle in communities around 1500 b.c. By A.D. 200, these communities had grown into large cities with expansive areas of temples, pyramids, ball courts, and plazas.1      Pre classic Maya sculpture developed under the geographic expansion of the inhabitants into a variety of ecosystems, inspiring technical and artistic change. The highland inhabitants may have been earlier in initiating stone sculpture.2 Figure 8, an anthropomorphic mushroom figure found in Guatemala may have been a symbol of fertility, judging by its shape’s connotation. Other regional sculpture includes figurines with swollen bellies, accentuated sexual regions, and even pregnant animal depictions. This could be because of the association of maternity and fertility with nature and Mother Earth.      The Classic Period of the Maya began to develop around A.D. 250 and flourished through A.D. 900. Around that time was the start of the Post Classic Period, which was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century.3 The information about the classification of these cultures is not strong in that it may be considered inappropriate to call certain periods Classic, Pre Classic, Post Classic, etc. because the rise and fall of Mayan cities was an overlapping sensation, and the establishment of a certain style would appear at many different times throughout the domination of the culture. For classification of the purposes of this paper, however, the division of the culture is used.      Small Mayan sculpture has been discovered at a variety of locations. An Early Classic jade piece, 4 1/4†tall, of the Bird-Monster God (fig. 9), was found at Copan, Honduras. This tiny, sculpted piece of a deity features human hands and feet, with the figure seated cro... ...assic Maya Art and           Architecture.†In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.      Richard F. Townsend, 159-169. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,           1992. Miller, Mary Ellen. The Art of Mesoamerica from Olmec to Aztec, 2nd ed.           London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Reilly III, F. Kent. â€Å"Art, Ritual, and Rulership in the Olmec World.†In The           Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, eds. Michael E. Smith and Marilyn      A. Masson, 369-399. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. Valdes, Juan Antonio. â€Å"The Beginnings of Preclassic Maya Art and                     Architecture.†In The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes, ed.      Richard F. Townsend, 147-57. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago,           1992.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Definition of Good and Evil Essay
The nature of good and evil one of humanities never ending conflicts since the beginning of time. For instance in the novella â€Å"Heart of Darkness†by Joseph Conrad explores the issues surrounding imperialism, and centers Marlow the main character. The conflict between good and evil is particularly evident throughout the story. In following the novella you begin analyzing and thinking theories for instance: â€Å"people are inherently evil and it’s expressed in varieties of forms†, or â€Å"people are inherently good, but become corrupted by society and other outside forces†. In my perspective I’m in position of â€Å"people are inherently good, but become corrupted by society and other outside forces†I do believe they’re people who are inherently good but influenced negatively by society and endure on evil. I stand on this position because in â€Å"Heart of Darkness†Marlow expresses â€Å"The word ? ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion. †(Conrad 368) This quote Marlow clarifies that he’s in this situation because of the white man’s pursuit for ivory which caused death and greed; in which it proves the point of good people influenced by evil forces. Another example of this is in Part III in â€Å"Heart of Darkness†when Marlow and Kurtz finally meet each other through the steamship’s departure from the Inner Station. Here Marlow describes his developing relationship with Kurtz in terms of intimacy and betrayal. Marlow also indicates that the Africa natives are responsible for Kurtz’s current condition of evilness and cruelty. Finally in the end after Kurtz dies his last words were â€Å"the horror, the horror†I believe Kurtz is referring to the darkness in his heart or emptiness, also being a failure of his destiny. Chinua Achebe feels differently about the novella â€Å"Heart of Darkness†mainly because its concept of evil. She expresses that â€Å"The Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as â€Å"the other world,†the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where a man’s vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality†in other words evil. Achebe also disliked the fact how the African natives were perceived as ignorant and simply just faded into the background. Achebe concluded by stating â€Å"realized that no easy optimism was possible. And there is something totally wrong in offering bribes to the West in return for its good opinion of Africa. †In conclusion Africa was where colonist evil dwelled in â€Å"Heart of Darkness†. Evil in which takes the form of imperialism, hypocrisy, ambiguity, and moral confusion. In which case proves my theory people are inherently good, but become corrupted by society and other outside forces. You can fallow Marlow in the novella in how he is forced to align himself with either the hypocritical and malicious colonial bureaucracy or the malevolent Kurtz. This will assure the reasons why the nature of good and evil is one of humanities never ending conflicts.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
The Adventures Of Samuel Clemons - 1785 Words
The Adventures of Samuel Clemons What if I told you Mark Twain was not a real person and he never wrote the novel â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?†Samuel Clemons was his real name and Mark Twain was just his pen name. Clemons was cursed with death starting early in life. When he was young many of his relatives died and was not properly educated. As an adult, Clemons was able to write many famous novels and some lesser-known poems. He raised a family of his own, but would also suffer from financial problems. When he passed, many of his family went with him. He is still remembered today as one of the best writers of his generation. He wrote a poem, that he named To Jennie that was very true to the time it was written. Samuel Clemons had a full life, stood his ground against all of his challenges, and had many memorable experiences. Samuel Langhore Clemons had very unique experiences starting early in life. His childhood was not the easiest; he was not properly educated and death surrounded him. He also had to begin working at age twelve. This would all carve out his path to becoming one of the best writers of his generation. Samuel was born on November 30, 1835 in a small town named Florida, Missouri (†¦Childhood). He was the son of John Marshall Clemons and Jane Lampton Clemons (†¦Biography). John and Jane Clemons had seven children together; Samuel was the sixth (†¦Biography). In 1839 when Samuel was only four, his family moved to Hannibal, MissouriShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Samuel Clemons1790 Words  | 8 PagesWhat if I told you Mark Twain was not a real person and he never wrote the novel â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?†Samuel Clemons was his real name and Mark Twain was just his pen name. Clemons was cursed with death starting early in life. When he was young many of his relatives died and was not properly educated. As an adult, Clemons was able to write many fam ous novels and some lesser-known poems. He raised a family of his own, but would also suffer from financial problems. When he passedRead MoreThemes Of Huckleberry Finn3483 Words  | 14 Pagesdiscuss the life of Samuel Clemons, the author known as Mark Twain, and give the reasoning behind choosing the name of Mark Twain when writing his novels. Themes of escapism will be discussed. To fully understand the themes within Mark Twain’s novels we all must first understand his upbringing, where he was born, where he was raised, and what was going on within the era of his life. Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835; in Florida, Missouri. Samuel Clemens was raisedRead MoreEssay on A Brief Biography of Mark Twain1322 Words  | 6 PagesSamuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835. Clemons grew up in a town called Hannibal, Missouri. Here Sam Clemens saw an array of different type of people pass through his town. People such as: gamblers, entertainers, thieves, and even slave traders that influenced his childhood memories. We see traces of his rugged hometown deeply embedded with southern tradition. Clemens was known as a mischievous boy that smoked, led of crew of pranksters, and often played hooky from school. AtRead MoreMark Twain : A Man Beyond Color1541 Words  | 7 PagesBeyond Color For skilled labor workers in the mid-1800’s, jobs were plentiful; however, most required an apprenticeship to hone their skills to perfection as a way to secure a job (Armstrong, 2015). Specifically, Samuel Clemens’ mother decided, upon the death of her husband in 1847, Samuel was to begin an apprenticeship with Joseph Ament, owner of the Missouri Courier (Dempsey, 2003). Just before the death of Clemens’ father, because of financial distress, his mother took a job as cook for a local
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