Marginalia free essay sample

The poem, â€Å"Marginalia† is written by Billy Collins, American poet. In his poem â€Å"Marginalia† Collins expressed how notes in the margins share reading experiences with others. He addressed every reader that they must contribute by expressing their views in Margins. He used different expressions, to relate the meaning of Marginalia and its importance for every reader. â€Å"Marginalia is defined as, â€Å"marginal notes or embellishments (as in a book) or â€Å"nonessential items† (merriam-webster. com). In this poem, Billy Collins reflects his thought on the people and their important as they find certain notes in the margins of the book. Poet begins with explaining that how notes in the margin are â€Å"ferocious† and â€Å"skirmish† against the author. By these words, he means that notes in the margins are very irritating, cruel, and argumentative. These notes serve against the author as they directly challenge. Even if the reader is a philosopher like Kierkegaard, or a learned and intellectual man like Conor Cruise OBrien, these marginal notes are a challenge and threat for them, to explain more meanings and logical assumptions to the author. We will write a custom essay sample on Marginalia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There is another meaning by these notes in margins, which is to argue and fight against the author and philosophers of the text. In the second stanza of the poem, Billy also provides a contrasting view to enhance the importance of margins and notes. He begins with considering these notes and comments as â€Å"offhand†, â€Å"dismissive† and â€Å"nonsense†, but he soon explained the importance of such notes for the reader. Words are a link and connection between author and reader and reader always find links with the thoughts and circumstances in which the author or poet has written the text or readers have read it. â€Å"I remember once†¦ what the person must look like why wrote Dont be a ninny alongside a paragraph in The Life of Emily Dickinson. † (billy-collins. com) In the next stanza, he explained how students use margins. They keep writing notes at the margins of the page and these appear like â€Å"splayed footprints†, which provides the appearance of the footprint on seashore. It gives an idea that someone passed from here. This also provides an idea that how different readers or students, understand and read a text in a number of different ways, and how these notes acts like fans cheering for the thoughts and ideas of the author. Different â€Å"Check marks, asterisks, and exclamation points† assist and guide the reader about the text. According to Billy Collin, it is a custom, to write in margins, and if a person has never attempted this, it is the time that he or she should try it. He further adds in his next stanza that these white margins are like our property, and a platform to express our views. It is like a â€Å"parameter† that provides us opportunity to prove that we have not wasted our time or just read the text without understanding. He further gives various examples for the importance of marginalia such as along the borders of the Gospels, reading Joshua Reynolds with Blakes furious scribbling, etc. In his last stanza, he shared his experience that how these marginalia can also connect the reader with another person and the situation, in which the person read the same book. He borrowed a book, â€Å"Catcher in the Rye† from the library, and once when he was feeling lonely, he found a text written in margin â€Å"Pardon the egg salad stains, but Im in love. (billy-collins. com) In conclusion, marginalia have very important connection with the reader, apart from what author meant by the text, these marginal notes provided by different readers assist in understanding the text. Sometimes serve like footprints of old readers, sometimes like fans, Sometime these notes have no connection to the text, but these interesting margins can give enjoyment to the reader by thinking what was the situation in which the book was read previously.

ASD

ASD Pipe Organ Assignment 1.The last part of this statement refers to the air pressure inside the pipe is 500 to 1000 Pascal's. This refers to the amount of pressure that the air exerts on a manometer. A manometer measures pressure by measuring the pressure that is exerted on water that is contained in a U-shaped tube with an open end. As the pressure exerted on the manometer increases the water moves up the pipe. The last part of the statement refers to the air pressure acting on the foot of the pipe and how much the water is being displaced. In the case of the statement this is between 5 to 10 cm.Figure 1: Schematic representations of (A) a differential manometer, (B) a Torricellian barometer, and (C) a siphon.2.If a pipe closed pipe attempts to resonate a particular frequency it only needs to be half as long as a pipe open at both ends.Standing Waves - string vibration in fundamental f...

Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer And Colon Cancer

Breast Cancer My paternal grandmother has batteld cancer three times. She was diagnosed with breast cancer first and then six years later with ovarian cancer. Both times, she had to have radiation to cure her from the cancer. After four years of being in remission, the cancer came back. This time it was on a viscous rampage. My grandmother had to receive a month of intense chemotherapy and two critical surgeries to remove the tumors that were invading her body. Seeing her go through all of this†¦ Cancer is one of the most deadly disease next to heart disease. Without the proper equipment, many breast cancer could go undiagnosed and overlooked. Nancy McIlhenney was diagnosed with breast cancer ( Invasive lobular carcinoma) back in November 2015, when she noticed a large lump within her breast. When she went to the doctors, they said that the lump she was feeling was fatty tissue but the cancer itself was hidden behind it. Granted that it might be caused by environmental due to radiation†¦ Cancer is a disease that is caused by abnormal cells in a part of someone’s body. Anyone can be diagnosed with cancer, it is not something that only affects certain people. Sometimes the cancer can be hereditary meaning that a family member has had the same type of cancer in the past. However, one of the most common cancers for women is breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer that is well known since there is a month that is dedicated to bring awareness to breast cancer but not many people realize†¦ Breast cancer is one of the leading cancers that affect a myriad of people in today’s society. â€Å"About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.† (Breast Cancer, 2016). Some people diagnosed with this type of cancer could have the opportunity to detect it early on due to screenings or self-evaluations. However despite early detection, it does not guarantee that the cancer can be treated in its entirety. Different stage levels decide the degree in which†¦ losing my father to cancer. Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroys body tissue along the way. There are multiple types of treatments depending on the type of cancer. People who become weak, loss of hunger, depressed and many more. Most common types of cancers include Breast cancer, Lung cancer, and melanoma(Hill, Peter). Breast cancer is a cancer that forms in the cells of the breast. Most women growing up are told to examine their breast when in the shower†¦ Cancer refers to several diseases that the involve uncontrolled growth of mutated cells in the body. Normally, cells grow and divide based on signals and the body’s needs, and new cells replace old or damaged cells. However, cancer is able to develop when cell signaling is interrupted. The old cells stop dying and instead form new abnormal cells, possibly resulting in a tumor. Cancerous cells are malignant, which means they can invade nearby tissue, and can potentially metastasize and spread to various†¦ Introduction Breast cancer is the abnormal growing of cells within the breast tissues. It has been identified to be number two killer of all cancer demises among women. The first common sign that can lead to cancer diagnosis is the presence of a breast lump. Breast cancer is more common in women than men are, but they also need to realize that they can also be diagnosed with breast cancer. Fibro adenoma has been identified as the most prevalent form of benign breast tumor, while Invasive Ductal†¦ mother had found in her breast. â€Å"I told her, ‘Maybe it is that Froot Loop I gave you earlier,’† Sands remembered. â€Å"She laughed and said, ‘I hope so!’† That day was the beginning of Sands’ journey with cancer. Five years later, her mother died of breast cancer at the age of 43, when Sands was 9 years old. A few years after that, Sands’ aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went into remission but later died of ovarian cancer. Then a cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer at 34. Two years ago,†¦ of different cancers that people tend to hear of. Cancer is abnormal cells that grow out of control and invade a healthy person’s body. When these cells do not grow normally things can go wrong. When cancer occurs it is because the cells divide more than they should and begin to form masses also known as tumors. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the most common type of cancer is breast cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer death in woman. Breast cancer is when the malignant†¦ Colon Cancer Colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is a form of cancer that affects the large intestine and rectum. The cancer cells do not die when signaled to do so. Instead, they grow unmonitored. The cancer will grow into more tissue and organs and develop more new cancer cells. In Stage I colon cancer only affects either the colon or the rectum. The cancer cells are found in the epithelial and lamina propria layers, the top layers of the large intestine and rectum. In Stage II, the†¦

Geography of minnesota Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Geography of minnesota - Assignment Example Due to glaciation much of the sandstone was eroded leaving eroded igneous material on the surface. The North Shore rises has an elevation of about six hundred feet and is said to have been as low as 250 feet from its current position and as high as five hundred feet from where it stands now. Minnesota is a state where three of North America’s biomes converge but the North Shore contains the boreal forest although it has some of the prairie grasslands. Although the state of Minnesota records the two extremes of the weather that is the hot summers and very cold winters the temperature the temperatures in the North Shore are no different as mean temperatures range from 2degrees centigrade to 5dergrees centigrade. Lake Agassiz was a lake which was located at the Northern part of America that was larger than the Great Lakes but all that is left is Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba and Lake of the Woods all which are the relics of Lake

The crime control methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The crime control methods - Research Paper Example According to the research findings since police initiated computerized crime analysis, identification of crime trends in the cities is significantly easy. Police use accuracy of computers to focus patrol resources on times and places that crime do take place. As Lawrence portrays in his work, if there is more patrol on at â€Å"hot spots† and â€Å"hot times† of criminal commotions, there would be less occurrence of crime at those places. When police have an idea of where certain criminals hood and engage in illegal drug, it would be more effective than just wandering about looking for criminals. This introduces the emergence of hot spots policing traced from improvement of computerized mapping and database technologies that deals with criminals who illegally possess guns and those involved in illegal drug business as Weisburd and Braga found. Directed patrol reduces gun crime. Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) tried out this method and results were welcoming. They a pplied directed patrol method in two police districts, which had occurrences of violent crime. These crimes included illegal possession of guns and drugs trafficking amongst many others as indicated in report done by Edmund, Steven and Alexander. Deferred sentencing refers to a sentence postponed for a certain period as a guilty drug offender undergoes probation. Shouse Law Group observes that nonviolent drug offenders benefit a lot from treatment and education as compared to jail and criminal record. This method is effective in rehabilitating the offenders. While on probation, the drug offenders undergo regular treatment and this makes them show health improvement. Instead of subjecting drug offenders to harsh treatment in jail, deferred sentencing is an alternative that proves to be more effective. Chemical Castration for Sex offenders as a Crime Control Method There are many sex offenders that exist all over the world. They include among other rapists, pedophiles and exhibitionis ts. Other offenders are individuals that molest children. Such people commit a shameful sex offence and surprisingly, the number of these individuals is enormously large. Their crime inflict fear into the general public and a real threat to them those who live in the neighborhood. Chemical castration is all about administering Depo-Provera that reduces the level of the hormone testosterone. As a result, recidivism rate falls. It is an alternative punishment to pedophiles rather than taking them to prison where they might sneak out and go scot free. Considering sex crimes that men impose on women and children, chemical castration is an ideal form of punishment even though some may complain it is a cruel mode of punishment. Student Behavior Modification Program as a Crime Control Method It is a clear fact that students involve themselves in criminal offenses of different categories. The crimes they commit portray an appalling picture of them to the general public. They become a proble m to police and a threat to vulnerable individuals who cannot tolerate any kinds of mischievous behavior. However, existence of schools where these students study is an

Philosophies from Aquinas, Augustine, and Irenaeus and other theologians Essay Example for Free

Philosophies from Aquinas, Augustine, and Irenaeus and other theologians Essay The study of religion and philosophy is infinitely confronted with the problem of evil and its broad association to sin. In facing this debacle, there is a tendency for religion to deny the existence of evil and clearly explicate that it is a mere event in the undeveloped minds of people. Religion may also uphold that there is a competent rivalry between evil and good as evil can be considered as a rival authority, containing power equal to the divine good. It can also be derived that evil is the imperfect cooperation in the good explained under the presence of a deity deemed as omnibenevolent and omniscient. Some response concerning the evil include that debates which inculcate that the true free will cannot be established without the possibility of evil. This idea can be translated to the notion that humans are not able to understand and comprehend God, that spiritual growth and development necessisitates suffering and that evil is the impact of effect of the fallen and disrupted world. Many disciplines have attempted to provide a concrete definition of evil and sin and the proposed assumptions on the connection of evil to sin have encountered denials coming from other scholars. In this paper, multiple philosophies and valuable insights concerning the association of evil to sin will be explored. The teachings of Thomas Aquinas, Irenaeus and Augustine and of others will be discussed in order to define evil and sin, describe the relationshipof evil to sin, and to explicate the difference and the causality of sin and evil in the contemporary world. This papers central focus is on the inquiry: Every evil is sin, but is every sin evil? The Teachings of Thomas Aquinas on Evil and Sin The concept of evil by Thomas Aquinas and his entire miscellany of philosophy are naturally grounded upon the teachings of the St. Augustine who created a philosophical theological position on evil. Evil is an English noun that is commonly used today to describe anything that is undeniably horrendous, particularly in the aspect of human behavior. However, Thomas Aquinas says that the term evil has more inclusive sense than evil does for people. According to Aquinas, â€Å"we are dealing with evil whenever we are faced by whatever can be thought of as a case of falling short. † For Aquinas, there is no evil substance in the world and neither God nor man creates evil. In saying this Aquinas proves that the world is â€Å"created and governed by a perfectly good God who is also omnipotent and omniscient. † This teaching negates the argument of humans who say that each time some of the good stray aways from an object then it is evil. Aquinas says no this argument by declaring that no evil exists materially. Aquinas explicates that human beings are wholly good but have the tendency that some of their goodness will be removed. Aquinas strongly argues that there is a â€Å"serious sense in which it can be thought of as lacking in being. † Take for instance the thought of Adolf Hitler as wholly good. This example may raise several criticisms since Hitler has enjoyed being a household name for evil, but it is to illustrate Aquinass concept of evil caused by the removal of good. For Aquinas, Hitler is good- he has competent brain, his physique is complete, and he almost bares resemblance to God. But Hitler has some of his goodness removed when he tries to rule the world with tyranny. According to Aquinas, â€Å"evil is there only in the sense that something is missing. † Aquinas continues to say that â€Å"what is not there cannot be thought of as made to be by the source of the being of things. † In this sense, Aquinas follows Augustines thought and says that God can never be the cause of evil because evil is not an actual thing but the â€Å"absence of a good that ought to be present. † What causes people to be bad is the gap between who they are and how they should be but are not. Aquinas points rules out his concept of evil by illustrating that there will be no badness unless there goodness yet there can be goodness without any badness. In the aspect of sin, Aquinas writes that it is not the disobedience of irrational authority, but it is a violation of well-being. According to Aquinas, heologians may describe sin as an act againts God and philosophers may signify it as opposed to reason, but it is St. Augustine who aptly defines sin. Aquinas explains that it is more accurate to define sin â€Å"as being contrary to the eternal law rather contrary to human reason, especially since the eternal law includes many things beyond the scope of reason, such as matters of faith. † Even though Aquinas is an advocate of the philosophy of Augustine, he recognizes that the Augustine sometimes talks only about will in describing sin. Aquinas explains thaat the exterior act, which is the veruy substance of the sin, is evil itsefl and thus it is necessary to include exterior acts in the definition of sin. † However, Augustine and Aquinas both agree that the sin is evil because it harms and diminishes natural good. Aquinas takes into consideration the application of the natural law. According to Aquinas, â€Å"when it is said that all sins are evil but not because they are prohibited, that prohibition is understood as an act of positive law. † Aquinas emphasizes that since the natural law comes fron the eternal law and acts of positive law are derived from the natural law, then all sins are evil. It is argued by Aquinas that evil is the privation of good and an individual can identify the extent of privation by what is left after such action. In this idea, Aquinas is stressing that â€Å"what remains of good after every sin is the same, since there remains after every sin the very nature of the soul and the freedom of choice by which humans can choose good and evil. † Aquinas tells that all sins are equal and are evil. The focal point of Aquinas in saying that all sins are evil and that all sins are equal is the only main source capable of commanding humans what they ought to be. As a theologian, Aquinas gives emphasis to God as the main source the nature and eternal and divine law. Aquinas says that â€Å"since all are the same in turning away from God, all sins are equal. † For Aquinas, every sin is evil because it is a deviation from reason and law. Aquinas describes sin as having no cause because it has the nature of evil. It has been discussed earlier that evil is the removal of goodness whats is lacking in humans as a wholly good. Aquinas emphasizes that what is missing cannot be thought of as made to be by the source of the being of things. The same goes for sins. This concept makes both sin and evil as original which thrive on will that act against reason and divine moral law. Same with evil, God can never be the source of sin. Likewise evil can never be the cause of sin. In this sense, the evil of punishment serves as the sequel to sin. He compares evil of guilt to sin and declares that they have no difference. In saying that sin has a cause, Aquinas is quick to clarify that such cause is not necessarily a cause for sin can be impeded. This musing denotes that if there should be a necessary cause for sins, then people will keep on making sins since there is a cause inherent to them that makes them commit sins. Such notion echoes the perspective of Aquinas on whether sin has an internal cause. Aquinas argues that if sin has an internal cause, then man would always be sinning and since it has a cause, there will always be an effect. Aquinas also defines sin by mentioning virtue. Aquinas says, â€Å"But sin is evil because it takes away virtue. Therefore, all sins are equally evil, since every one of them equally takes away virtue. † Aquinas thinks of sins as contrary to virtues and that all virtues are equal. Therefore, Aquinas reaffirms that all sins are equal. He also come up with the idea of malice that is the equalizer of all sins. Aquinas says that â€Å"sin has malice in relation to turning away from God. † This feature in relation to the deviation from God states that circumstances tag the malice of sins as being more serious. Aquinas adds that â€Å" if circumstances should themselves have malice, they constitute species of sin and if they should not in themselves have any malice, there is no reason why they should make the sins more serious. † On the on the hand, the diversity in sins that other arguments are pointing to is a mere presentation of morally indifferent genus. Overall, Aquinas writes that all sins are evil in a sense that they both result in being unnatural, the failure of the natural rule that man ought to observe and obey. Evil and Sin According To Augustine Many of St. Augustines teachings on evil substantiate Aquinas concept. They both believe that the immutable God created only good things and He alone is the source of all being. Augustine negates all forms of theological and metaphysical dualism and puts great emphasis on God who is wholly good. According to Augustine, there is no dualism existing in the problem of evil. The thought of evil as not a being, a thing, or substance or entity liberates him from the Manichaean dualism,the belief that there exists two powerful beings, the good and evil. He realizes that all the God created are metaphysically and ontologically good in their being. He proposes that if evil were a being, a thing or an entity, then the problem fo evil will not be solved because it has a source. If the evil comes from God, then God is not all good and if it does not come from God, then He is not the powerful creator of all things. Augustine says that God is a spiritual and not a corporeal being and he â€Å"rejects Manichaeisms materialistic dualism but embraces a different dualism between corporeal and spiritual beings, with God, angels, and human soul falling into the latter class. † Upon rejecting the Manicheism and its simple concept on the origin of evil, Augustines obliges himself to establish an alternative solution to the origins of evil and starts to proclaim that evil represents a free deviation from God and is not a positive entity in its own right. All of the works of the immutable Creator of men are revelations of Gods nature and therefore, all of His works are of wholly good. Both Augustine and Aquinas believe that evil does not come from God. In his struggle concerning the confusion over evil, Augustine further says that the evil is not something that is completely real biut only fragment that is dependent on that which is absolutely real. According to Augustine, evil is not a thing or substance but he is aware of its existence and that it can be divided into three kinds. Metaphysical evil is the lack of mans perfection not because of his given nature but because they all fall short of complete perfection that only God can obtain. This is not actually considered evil. The second kind is the physical evil that is the privation of a certain perfection because of nature. This kind is being justified by Augustine together with the other theologians as under the jurisdiction of the general order of nature. The third kind if the moral evil, the only real evil. It is a sin or an act opposed to the will of God. The source of the moral evil is the faculty of free will in which man is able to turn away from the right order and deviate himself from the will of God. Augustine says, â€Å"sin is so voluntary that there is no sin unless it is voluntary. † He implies that there needs to be an act of moral will in any sin or the consent to turn away from God and to His will. Augustine emphasizes that moral evil is truly a sin for there is a consent. Sin settles itself in the free will, option, intention, and the motion of the soul, which instigates a wrong order into the world. Evil is â€Å"nothing but a privation of good until at last a thing ceases altogether to be. † An evil will is a kind of will that deviates away from God, the creator. Moreover, Augustine says that it is a disordered love and will, the wrong conformity to Gods will. The writings of Augustine on sin are associated with his Christian definition of evil. Augustine defines sin as the movement or the deviation of will endowed to humans away from God. He furthers his discussion of sin by stating that God can never be the author of sin just as He can never be the source of evil. Such movement of the human will away from the God the Creator is also referred by Augustine as the misdirection. According to him, as there is a misdirection on evil will, there is also a misdirection in the aspect of sin. Augustine explains that â€Å"sin is therefore an error or untruth and based upon the misconception of what is good for us. † Augustine says that when people choose to sin, they must have an intention of obtaining goodness or getting rid of something bad. He suggests that sin is more than an intellectucal error, it is the â€Å"misdirection of the will. † Augustines musing on sin as the misdirection of human will is demonstrated in mans pursuit of happiness or pride. Augustine notes that pride is the â€Å"an appetite for inordinate exaltation,it when the soul cuts itself from the Source to which it should keep close and somehow makes itself and becomes an end to itself. † Augustine continues that inordinate exaltation takes place when the â€Å"soul is inordinately pleased with itself, and such self-pleasing occurs when the soul falls away away from the unchangeable Good which ought to please the sould far more than the soul can please itself. † He also validates his definition of sin by saying that what the people do for the sake of goodness ends in something negative or bad , and what people do in making things good ends in just making things worse. Augustine explains this paradox by writing that â€Å"except that the happiness of man can come not from himself but only from God, and that to live according to oneself is to sin is to lose God. † This paradox explicates that sin is the possibility of man to focus on himself rather than on the all-knowing God. It is therefore suggested that, based upon the writings of Augustine, not all sins are considered evil due to the categorization of evil involving nature. Irenaeus On Evil and Sin Little is known about Irenaeus and his works are mostly generated fromScriptures and the biblical domain. The understanding of sin found in the works of Irenaeus of Lyons has some contradictions when compared to the dominant Christian perspective influenced by Augustine in the fifth century. Irenaeus of Lyons interprets Genesis as the disobedience of man with Adam acting like an impulsive child. Irenaeus thinks of sin as pains and errors which grow. He says that there is no such a things as original sin or guilt that man inherited from his forefather, Adam. It is seen that he has a different view of the mans fall compared to the teachings of later writers particularly Augustine. This idea posits that Irenaeus thinks of of the fall of Adam and Eve is not a rebellion against God the Creator but is a concrete illlustration of the failure of man to rise to greater heights and that humanity does not lose its original perfection. His view concerning the fall of the humanitys forefatther raises many questions as it does not seems to be based on Scripture but it is derived solely from his rational interpretation. He further suggests that the without loss of life and the presence of evils, humanity will not repent. Unlike, Aquinas and Augustine, Irenaeus imparts that evil comes from God. In this idea, it is clearly manifested that Irenaeus upholds that the appearance of evil is of righteous purpose. According to him, the elements which appear evil, like death are planned by God. He says, â€Å"it is for this reason therefore that Paul calls Adam himself the pattern of the one to come because the Word, the artisan of the universe, had sketched out in advance, in order to prepare the ground for himself, the future plan of the human race in its relation to to the Son of God, with God first of all establishing natural man order, quite obviously, that he might be saved by spiritual man. † In the said notion, Iranaeus outlines two distinct phases. Iraneaus writes that the â€Å"creation of humanity comes first, secondly comes its perfection through the incarnation of the Son, Christ Jesus, who transmits the Spirit of the whole human race. † It is evident that the advent of Christ is the sole purpose behind the creation of Adam. It is written that Irenaeus â€Å"does not identify evil with sin. † It is because he acknowledges the two types of evil. The first type is the physical evil that Irenaeus refers to as â€Å"arising from the nature of the creature for its is due to the opposition of contrary forces or to the sequences of events that obey natural laws: what seems to be an evil in the short run is a good on the cosmic. † According to Irenaeus, the second type of evil is the moral evil that he considers as sin. He declares that this type of evil is sin because it arises from the â€Å"jealousy of Satan and or certain angels who lured Adam into transgression. † Influenced by the writings of Johannine, Irenaeus defines sin as the â€Å"condition of human existence rather than a collection of individual actions. † According to Irenaeus of Lyon, moral evil is to be considered as a sin because it reflects Gods original design that is putting man into the test. This type of evil is generally accounted for mans free will and his ability to discern right from wrong. Irenaeus says that â€Å"God had foreseen the angels sin as well as that of man, including the consequences, and he had sanctioned it. † Iraneaus places sin in history and writes that the fall of man is the gradual spread of evil because of the inevitability of personal sin, not as a particular shift in the human nature. Moreover, Irenaeus has made a comparison between the natural person and the perfection of the person to describe sin. According to him,body and soul constitute a natural person while the perfect human being is made up of body, soul and spirit. The inclusion of Gods spirit is the essence of Irenaeus idea of the redemption. People have been redemeed and have been saved so that they may flourish into what God wants them to be. For Iranaeus, not all sins can be considered as evil as man is not accountable for some existing evils such as those coming from the natural disasters known as natural evils. The only evil that can be deemed as sin are the moral evils caused by the selfishness of humanity. Sin and Evil According to Other Theologians Lactantius is one of the Christian thinkers to respond to the problem of evil and sin referring solely to Gods laws. According to Lactantius, the â€Å"chief good of the humanity is not to be found in the theories of the philosophers, for these have to do things common to animals as well as humans or things not available to all humans. † He refers to the one and true God as the chief good and the things which meant to satisfy the body that perishes as not good at all. For him, pleasure, power and wealth are not good and anything and the disobedience of Gods laws are evil and sin. Reinhold Niebuhr belongs to the category of formative Christian moral theorists. He says that sin is â€Å"inevitable but not necessary. † He furthers his explannation of sin by stating that the â€Å"temptation to sin lies in the human situation itself. † Niebuhr stresses that the will and freedom endowed to man is the basis of his creativity and it is also his temptation. While Irenaeus declares that people need evil to spiritual grow, Niebuhr upholds his realist theory that people do not need sin and no perfection can completely liberate human beings from the reality of sin. Walter Rauschenbusch is included into the group of thinkers who deal with the importance of sin in salvation. According to him, â€Å"when we undertook to define the nature of sin, we accepted the old definition, that sin is selfishness and rebellion against God , but we insisted on putting humanity into the picture. † He further explains that the description of sin as selfishness will be accepted for as long as the humanity is perceived as a great solidarity with God thriving on it. He emphasizes that if sin is selfishness, then â€Å"mans selfishness consisted in a selfish attitude, in which he was at the centre of the universe, and God and all his fellowmen were means to serve his pleasures, increase his wealth and set off his egotisms. † He also rescue the dosctrine of the origin of sin from literal interpretations by recognizing the active sources of sin in the later generations and in the contemporary period. He was criticized upon recognizing that both goodness and sinfulness can be determined by social environment. Rauschenbusch explains that what can be evil is dictated by the society and the same goes for sin. He says that the good maybe forced to do bad while the bad maybe forced to do good as dictated by the society. Conclusion In the tradition of religion and theology, the definition of sin is related to the problem on evil. The question addresed in this paper is whether sin leads to evil or evil leads to sin. The definition of evil and sin according to several theologians were explored in this paper in order to understand the relationship between evil and sin. Based from the literatures studied, it is said that the relationship between evil and sin can be associated with reconciliation, salvation, the fall of Adam and the society itself, and morality. It is clearly manifested that the connection between sin and evil can be interchangeable such that evil can lead to sin and sin can lead to evil. The interchangeable connection is due to the observed judgement that evil and sin have the same feature as the deviation from what man ought to be. In this sense, all evil can be sin but not all sins are considered evil due to the fact that sin comprises only the moral and spiritual side of the humanity. The inquiry on whether every sin is evil is answered on the definition of evil in which various theologians categorize into various theories. This paper has observed that every theologian has his or her own conception on evil and sin and it is evident that their concepts have been derived from other theologians who took insights also from other thinkers. This is to say that evil and sin can be both the same in a sense that they both have the same characteristics constructed by thinkers who draw insights from their influences. BIBLIOGRAPHY Aquinas, Thomas. â€Å"The Subject and Approach of the De Malo,† in On Evil, eds. Richard J. Regan and Brian Davies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Aquinas, Thomas, Summa Theologiae: Volume 25: Sin. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Lacoste, Jean-Yves, ed. Encyclopedia of Christian Theology, Vol 1. New York: Routledge, 2005. Mann,William E. â€Å"Augustine on Evil and Original Sin,† in The Cambridge Companion to Augustine, eds. Eleonore Stump and Norman Kretzmann. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Wogaman, J. Philip. Christian Ethics: A Historical Introduction. Kentucky: Westminster/John knox Press, 1993.

Why I Hunt: A Predator’s Mediation by Rick Bass :: Hunting Women rick Bass Essays

Why I Hunt: A Predator’s Mediation by Rick Bass Five years ago you could have found me hiding under my covers, praying to a god that I no longer believe in with my eyes shut tightly—but not anymore. These nights I offer up a two minute thanksgiving for the sake of karma; I look out into the darkness and I recognize the shadows as objects in my house rather than the faces of my dead grandfathers. It feels good to open my eyes, but I’ve traded in that old ignorant twinkle for a steady calmness. I still duck and cover when an insect the size of my pupil is within five feet of me, but from a distance I know that I am not so different from the tiny creature. If I am a predator, I am not the kind of predator who hunts but rather the one who kills out of fear. I prefer the role of the prey— it suits me well. I avoid conflict: I prefer spending time at home with my wife, I weigh less than 100lbs, and I have been notorious for becoming paralyzed with laughter upon being attacked by testosterone-laden family membe rs. If a human or other animal my size or larger were to want me for dinner, I would be an easy target though my meat wouldn’t feed a family of four. As a member and supporter of the earth’s weak little peacekeepers (small humans with loud voices), I can say that despite Rick Bass’s honorable honesty, I found â€Å"Why I Hunt: A Predator’s Mediation† to be a threat to womankind. Not all women are vulnerable, but with weapons the hunter can make most anyone his prey. There are predators in the United States who hunt women the way Bass hunts elk. If Bass’s non-human targets are replaced with women and children, the essay has quite a different effect on the reader, though the arguments don’t change. When Bass describes his love of â€Å"sitting in some leaves, completely hidden and motionless—waiting, and waiting† (63), I picture him waiting in a park for an unattended child or an unaccompanied woman. My concerns about Bass’s instincts aren’t neurotic. I’m a loving woman who occasionally hugs trees and wants to feel safe in the world—not a card carrying member of PITA.