Christian Ethics free essay sample

Christian ethics are theological teachings which govern decision making and the moral position of the Church based on various sources of guidance. These are traditions, church authorities, human experience, the Natural Law, the Bible; in particular Jesus’s Commandment of love, the Beatitudes and the 10 Commandments â€Å"You shall not steal† (Ex 20:15). HISTORICAL SETTING Christian ethical teachings vary between denominations for example, the Catholic Church places particular emphasis on Natural Law and authoritative bodies. The Protestant Church turns to scripture as its main source of ethical guidance due to the belive in â€Å"sol scriptura† (salvation through scripture alone, a belief originating in the Reformation of the Church. ) Despite these differences, the Bible remains the common source of morality among all denominations. Christian environmental ethics are specifically concerned with the belief in humanity’s role as stewards of the Earth and how this role should be responsibly undertaken being a privileged bestowed by God. Prominent issues within Christian environmental ethics include Climate Change and deforestation. Climate Change is defined as a long term change in the Earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. There are many factors believed to be contributing to Climate Change. These include an overconsumption of fossil fuels which when used emit greenhouse gases. The Church’s stance on Climate Change is that it is the result of humanity abusing the role as stewards of the Earth by taking more than they need from it. Using the words of Pope John Paul II, Climate Change is caused by modern society being given to â€Å"instant gratification and consumerism. † There are many national and international Christian initiatives which aim to address Climate Change such as Caritas Australia’s â€Å"A Just Climate† campaign. Established in 2011, this campaign aims to promote ecological sustainability to minimise the impact of Climate Change. Its focus is the poorer communities of the world, being the most vulnerable to the effect of Climate Change such as rising sea levels. Its methods include: community awareness programs and facilitating participation of poor communities in national discussions. Internationally, the Ecumenical World Council of Churches (WCE) is an example of the Christian communities response to Climate Change. It has been present since 1992 at every United Nations Climate Change Conference and is especially concerned with the effect Climate Change has on the world’s poor, promoting the concept of sustainable communities. It’s motivation lies in Genesis 2:15 in which God entrusts Adam with the Garden of Eden â€Å" the Lord God, took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. † Today, humanity like Adam has the obligation to the world as responsible stewards. Using the words of Pope Benedict XVI â€Å"The wonder of God’s creation reminds us of the need to protect the environment and to exercise responsible stewardship of the goods of the Earth Deforestation is the loss of forest cover being converted into things such as agricultural land, golf courses and cattle paddocks. Consequences are wide ranging and include soil erosion, extinction of tree species as well as the endangerment or extinction of animal species which inhabit these forests. The Church’s opinion of deforestation is similar to that of Climate Change. Responsible stewardship of the land would not have caused not have caused such damage as deforestation has done. Society’s role as custodians of the land is demonstrated in the Bible by the quote â€Å"The land is mine;) with me you are but aliens and tenants† (Lev 25:23). This excerpt illustrates society’s role as caretakers of the land and that the responsibility is to preserve the world. From this and other teachings found in the Church, it can be seen that the Christian ethical stance on forestation is that taking from the Earth should not be motivated by overconsumption but by sustainability. As Pop John Paul II said â€Å"Man cannot make arbitrary use of the Earth, subjecting it without restraint to his will. † Various Christian organisations established for the protection of the environment include Catholic Earthcare Australia (CEA), founded in 2003 by Australian Catholic Bishops. Its aim is to promote understanding of the sacredness of nature and functions as an advisory agent on ecological matters for Catholic Bishops and initiating sustainability programs. An example of this is the publication of â€Å"On Holy Ground† which is a faith based program for reflecting on environmental issues created by the CEA in conjunction with the Catholic Education Office (CEO). An international example of the Church’s response to deforestation and other sustainability issues is POPPA Benedict XVI’s address at the opening mass of World Youth Day Sydney, 2008. He states â€Å"There are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation in order to face and insatiable consumption. With such a large audience the message of sustainability was spread to many countries. CONCLUSION Ethical issues are significant to the adherents of Christianity as they provide a means to living based on the teachings of Jesus who preached love and respect for God’s creation. The growing environmental concerns of Climate Change and deforestation are examples of modern society’s neglect of the Earth and, by extension their obligations to caring for it. Christian adherents are therefore called to encourage change and sustainability in the world around them.

Cognitive Development of Infants and Young Children

Question: Discuss your understanding of the physical development of children 0-8 years to present guidelines for child safety in a day care facility. Answer: Physical development of a child refers to the characteristics such as appearance, growth in size, height, body coordination and the development of fine and gross muscles. As they grow between 0-8 years, children develop motor skills such as jumping, throwing, climbing, running, skipping and kicking. It also includes body movements and body organization (Rivkin, 2006). Due to the busy schedule in todays lifestyle of most parents, day care centres have become an integral organization in the development of children. Sometimes parents; scared by the escalating cost of day care centres are forced to turn to in-home caretakers who might live down the street, watch children during the day and essentially operate their own business. However, such caretakers cannot be held to the same standard as larger operations. In choosing the appropriate day care centre for ones child, it is essential that a parent considers the day care facility that will ensure the safety of their children and not only emphasize on the cost. In the course of overseeing the physical development of a child, a day care facility should be able to ensure the safety of a child in the following ways: Toilet Training Children at a young age of 0-2 years are not able to use the toilet. It is essential for the day care to maintain the cleanliness of such a child by changing the nappy each and every time the child defecates. The child should be washed properly and immediately after changing the nappy the caretaker should wash his/her hands to avoid contamination which may lead to diseases such as diarrhoea. At an advanced stage 2-8 years, children are able to use the toilet. They should be trained on hygiene measures such as use of toilet paper and washing hands after visiting the toilet. The day care should also ensure that toilets are located away from the place where the children reside. Some children at this stage could also be introverts hence the caretaker should encourage them to speak whenever they are pressed (Bredekamp, 1986). Conducive playing environment The playing environment for the children should be clean, well ventilated, spacious, slippery free, have sufficient lighting, free of dangerous objects, well arranged and away from transport lines. Children should also be trained on first aid skills to assist them in case of injuries during play. The playing materials used by the children should be blunt, light to enable lifting, attractive, adequate and poison free (Diamond, 2011) Proper nutrition Food is essential for the health and holistic development of a child. The day care centres should give age appropriate diet to the children. For instance, parents of children below six months should be requested to bring breast milk for the children. For older children; above six months, they should be given a balance diet (Ormrod, 2013). Children should be given clean foods and encouraged to wash their hands before eating. Proper medical attention Day care facilities should advice parents on the health condition of the children. They should also ensure that the children are given medical interventions such as immunization, child monitoring and deworming. References Bredekamp, S. (1986). Developmentally appropriate practice. National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1834 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009-5786 (NAEYC Publication# 224, $3.00. No shipping charge on pre-paid orders). Diamond, A., Lee, K. (2011). Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science, 333(6045), 959-964. Ormrod, J. E. (2013). Educational Psychology: Pearson New International Edition: Developing Learners. Pearson Higher EdMcDevitt, T. M., Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education. Pearson College Division. Rivkin, M. S. (2006). Moving learning TOGETHER! Scholastic Early Childhood Today, 20(6), 32-34,36. Retrieved from proquest Sep 13.

SAT Practice Essay Topics - How to Use SAT Practice Essay Topics to Your Advantage

SAT Practice Essay Topics - How to Use SAT Practice Essay Topics to Your AdvantageThe SAT practice essay is one of the most important areas to master in the prep course for the SAT. The problem with this is that not all essay topics are appropriate for each student. For instance, you can't have a great essay topic about Shakespeare if your high school English teacher doesn't like that writer. It's a bit like giving your child an ice cream.Fortunately, there are many places to find practice essays, and some of them are very helpful to the SAT prep course. The first place to start is the SAT website. Many of the practice essay topics are available as practice questions on the SAT website.When you've found a few topics, then you need to make sure that you're focusing on the same topics for the essay. Most people do not cover the same subject two or three times. For example, you may want to include a discussion of gardening in your essay topic, but it's much better to write about that to pic once or twice and then draw parallels to other areas of your life. That way you can learn to use your natural writing style and express your ideas clearly.At this point, you may want to write out your topic in full. You should consider a word count of around 100 words per paragraph. If you choose to write your essay online, consider choosing a template to help you get your text onto the right page for the math section. Make sure that your grammar and punctuation are perfect.Once you've finished your essay, submit it to a site that specializes in SAT practice essay topics. This is usually a blog or forum that focuses on SAT practice topics. Remember to limit your topics to the topics that are best for you and that you have tested yourself with. Also, make sure that your sample essay is reflective of your personality and academic abilities.While SAT practice essay topics can be helpful to the SAT prep course, there are other places that are great to hone your SAT skills. This incl udes asking questions of yourself at home. Most students love answering surveys and knowing that they have answers is helpful to them.Overall, the SAT practice essay is not the only tool you need to hone your skills. You need to include many different tools to help you reach your fullest potential.

Comp. Essay Street Car Named Desire Essays - English-language Films

Comp. Essay Street Car Named Desire Struggles Within: A Comparison of Amanad Wingfield And Blanche Dubois In todays rough and tough world, there seems to be no room for failure. The pressure to succeed in life sometimes seems unreasonable. Others often set expectations for people too high. This forces that person to develop ways to take the stress and tension out of their lives in their own individual ways. In the plays The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams, none of the characters are capable of living in the present and facing reality. Two of the characters are Amanda Wingfield and Blache Dubios. In order for these characters to deal with the problems and hardships in their lives they retreat into their own separate worlds of illusion and lies where all their pains are gone away. Amanda Wingfield is mother of Tom and Laura. She is a middle-aged southern belle whose husband has abandoned her. She spends her time reminiscing about the past and nagging her children. Amanda is completely dependent on her son Tom for finical security and holds him fully responsible for her daughter Lauras future. Amanda is obsessed with her past as she constantly reminds Tom and Laura of that one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain when she once received seventeen gentlemen callers (pg.32). The reader cannot even be sure that this actually happened. However, it is clear that despite its possible falsity, Amanda has come to believe it. Amanda also refuses to acknowledge that her daughter Laura is crippled and refers to her handicap as a little defecthardly noticeable (pg.45). Only for brief moments does she ever admit that her daughter is crippled and then she resorts back into to her world of denial and delusion. Amanda puts the weight of Lauras success in life on her son Toms shou lders. When Tom finally finds a man to come over to the house for diner and meet Laura, Amanda blows the situation way out of proportion. She believes that this gentlemen caller, Jim, is going to be the man to rescue Laura. When in fact neither herself nor Laura has even met this man Jim yet. She tries to explain to Laura how to entertain a gentleman caller; she says-talking about her past They knew how to entertain their gentlemen callers. It wasnt enough for a girl to be possessed of a pretty face and a graceful figure although I wasnt slighted in either respect. She also needed to have a nimble wit and a tongue to meet all occasions. (pg.33) By Amanda saying that she did not have a pretty face and a graceful figure she was waiting for a compliment from her children to feed her narcissistic and vainglorious ego. She tells Laura when Laura is nervous about the gentleman, You cant be satisfied with just sitting at home. (pg.85) When in fact, Laura was quite happy and content sittin g at home. Amanda cannot distinguish reality from illusion. When Jim arrives, Amanda is dressed in the same girlish gown she wore on the day that she met her husband and she regresses to her childish, giddy days of entertaining gentlemen callers. These actions made her life even more miserable because she realizes she chose the wrong man, a man that left her and her children to struggle through life while he went and chased his dreams. Amandas childrens fate is her own fault, her constant living in the past generates devastating consequences for her children, crippling them psychologically and seriously inhabiting their own quests for maturity and self-realization. Because Amanda lives in a fantasy world of dreamy recollections, her children cannot escape from this illusionary world either. The bottom line is that rather than deal with her distresses in life, Amanda chooses to live her life in a fabricated life of the past. Blanche Dubios the main character of the play a A Streetcar Named Desire is a neurasthenic, hypersensitive, faded southern belle who after some rough times back in her home town of Laurel moves to New Orleans to live with her sister Blanche and brother-in-law Stanley. To fully understand Blanches character you must understand her reason for moving to New Orleans and

Discover More About Sea Kelp

Discover More About Sea Kelp What is kelp? Is it different than seaweed or algae? Actually, kelp is the general term that refers to  124 species of brown algae that are in the Order Laminariales. While kelp may look like a plant, it is classified in the Kingdom Chromista. Kelp is a type of seaweed, and seaweeds are a form of sea algae. The kelp plant itself is made up of three parts: the blade (the leaf-like structure), the stipe (the stem-like structure) and the holdfast (root-like structure). The holdfast grips a substrate and anchors the kelp to keep it secure despite moving waves and currents. The Value ​of Kelp Forests Kelp grows in forests in cold waters (usually less than 68 F). Several kelp species can make up one forest, the same way that different species of trees are found in a forest on land. A multitude of marine life lives in and depends upon kelp forests such as fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, and birds. Seals and sea lions feed on kelp, while grey whales may use it to hide from hungry killer whales. Seastars, kelp crabs, and isopods also rely on the kelp as a food source.   The most well-known kelp forests are the forests of giant kelp that grow off the coast of California, which are inhabited by sea otters. These creatures eat the red sea urchins that can destroy a kelp forest if their population is not controlled. Sea otters also hide from predatory sharks in the forests, so the forest also provides a safe haven as well as a feeding habitat. Many Common Uses Kelp is not only useful to animals; it is helpful for human beings, too. In fact, you probably even had kelp in your mouth this morning! Kelp contains chemicals called alginates that are used to thicken a number of products (e.g., toothpaste, ice cream). For example,  bongo kelp  ash is loaded with alkali and iodine and is used in soap and glass. Many companies derive vitamin supplements from kelp, as it is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Alginates are also used in pharmaceutical medications. SCUBA divers and water recreationists also enjoy the kelp forests. There Are About 30 Different Species There are about 30 different species of kelp: Giant kelp, southern kelp, sugarwack, and bull kelp are just a few kinds of kelp. Giant kelp is, not surprisingly, the largest kelp species and most popular or well-known. It is capable of growing 2 feet per day in the right conditions, and up to about 200 feet in its lifetime. Threats to Vital Kelp Forests There are several things that threaten kelp production and the health of vital kelp forests. Forests can become degraded due to overfishing. This can release fish into different areas, which can cause overgrazing of the forests. With less kelp or fewer species available in a sea, it can drive out other animals that rely on the kelp forest as their ecosystem or cause other animals to eat the kelp instead of other creatures.   Water pollution and quality, as well as climate changes and introductions of invasive species, also are threats to kelp forests.

Should lethal injection be considered cruel and unusual punishment Research Paper

Should lethal injection be considered cruel and unusual punishment - Research Paper Example Lethal injection is problematic in that there are bound to be problems that might cause infliction of pain, torture and lingering death. One of the reasons for this is that the procedure was invented by an individual, Fred Leuchter, who had no medical training, and invented the method by reviewing literature on the effects that the protocol had on pigs and estimated accordingly. Although these recommendations have been discredited, they still form the basis for the protocol in â€Å"the overwhelmingly majority of states that use the death penalty† a development that caused Debra Denno, author of the most comprehensive report on death penalty protocols in the United States to state â€Å"it is not clear how or why this chemical combination has persisted† (Wong, 2006, p. 269). Another of the reasons why lethal injection may be considered to be cruel and unusual punishment is because of the way that it is carried out. Lethal injections are often botched, as there have been over 30 cases of such botched executions since the death penalty was reinstated by Gregg v. Georgia (Wong, 2006, p. 264). Specifically, medical personnel, personnel that would be trained to carry out lethal injection in such a way that it would be complication-free and painless, typically does not want to carry out the punishment. Approximately 19% of medical personnel do go ahead and do this, yet these individuals are met with opposition from medical societies (Denno, 2002, p. 2). After all, they take a Hippocratical Oath that states that they are not to do any harm, and administering lethal injection would be a direct contradiction to this basic oath. Therefore,... As a consequence of the fact that medical personnel by and large are not able to participate in lethal injection protocols, there is a chance that the official who is administering the protocol will put the intravenous line into the muscle, as opposed to a vein, or the needle may become clogged. This would cause the inmate to experience extreme pain. For example, when James Autry was put to death in Texas in 1984, it took him 10 minutes to die, while he moved around and complained of pain. Moreover, because the technicians performing the protocol are inexperienced, it is sometimes difficult to find a good vein, and this is compounded when the inmate was an intravenous drug user. Such was the case with Steven Morin in Texas, who was a former heroin user, which caused the technician to have to stick Morin’s arms with needles 41 times. Crucially, lethal injection consists of three different procedures – the first is the anesthetic; the second induces paralysis; the third causes death. The first of these procedures that is the most important is the administering of the anesthetic, for this is what causes the procedure to be pain-free. If a medical personnel is not administering the anesthetic, then it stands to reason that the anesthetic might not be administered properly, which means that the prisoner may feel excruciating pain in dying. Konarias et al. sought protocol information from Texas and Virginia, as these two states constituted 45% of all death penalty cases carried out in the United States.

The Imminet global crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Imminet global crisis - Essay Example The world now is on the verge of unprecedented fresh water crisis. This global issue is very alarming, because it affects every single aspect of our lives on Earth. The prime cases of the water crisis are the climate change, population growth and human waste. Climate change and in particular the global warming is the primary force triggering the water crisis. In his article Madrigal (2008) says that 60% of the changes in the West's water cycle are linked to the atmospheric greenhouse gases. He describes a research conducted which found that the increases in winter air temperature reduce the amount of snow which falls in the mountains. In return, the snow packs that acted as water storage provide less water as they melt in the spring. Furthermore, human activity can lead to the global warming too. Burning of fossil fuels are blamed for the melting of glaciers and leaving less drinkable water and less water for crop irrigation. Population growth requires more fresh water for the basic needs of food production. According to the Population Reports (1998) the increase in population "alone will push an estimated 17 more countries, with a projected population of 2.1 billion, into these water-short categories within the next 30 years (69)." By the year 2025, 35% of the projected global population which will account to 2.8 billion people will be affected by the water scarcity (1998 135).