Final Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Reflection Paper - Essay Example I consider the 2nd reflection as the most significant of the three with the reason that it builds the foundation of Christian understanding that were it not for Christ’s sacrifice, mankind could have perished in sin. It is through Christ’s redemption that all these things such as peace, forgiveness, justice, and life were granted to us. Considering that Christianity is the major religion in focus, all issues addressed in the course are based on the fact that all human beings are created in God’s image and thus have to do what is expected of them by God and what pleases him most. No person is superior to another and that guarantees equality in all spheres of life. Violating human rights as well as disrespecting others is sinful and against the teachings of Christ. Generally, all religions have some principles and beliefs that may be in common regarding humanity, thus they should act in unison to establish peace and seek for justice whenever necessary (Moore 440). The course has also taught me the biggest lesson that for all the above to be achieved, each individual has an obligation to act responsibly and account for his or her action. Self respect, morality, and repentance are the building blocks of peaceful co-existence. How the Christian doctrine, â€Å"God hates sin† provides resources that help Christians to respond to the global concern of Justice In one way or another, every human being has sinned against God, straight from the time of Creation in Genesis. Several Biblical teachings act as resources for teaching believers that God really hate sin and he punishes evil deeds. This is seen from Lot’s story when God turned her into a salt pillar on her way from Sodom. This was due to the crime of a backward glance, according to chapter 19 of Genesis. When a Christian reads this story, he gets to question himself if the act of turning back to look at her home really deserved a death punishment. Similarly, in Acts 5, when Anan ias and Sapphira lied to the apostles, God stroke them to death in the midst of the entire church. Believers tend to struggle to get an understanding on how something that seems so minor could result into a severe judgment. One of the most fundamental tenets of justice is that the given punishment must be in line with the crime committed. This reminds Christians that God hates sin and that their actions qualify them for eternal sentence of sin. According to the doctrine, â€Å"God hates sin,† sin is any act of treason against the only judge of the universe and the sovereign lawgiver. Sin is described as ungodliness, rebellion, wickedness, abomination, ad lawlessness. In this sense therefore, sinners are traitors, who refuse to think, love, obey, and serve God who endowed them with breath, life, and everything on earth (Tiessen 249). Those who sin spurn the love of God, despise his sovereignty, look at his commandments with contempt, and mock his justice. God finds our sins mo rally revolting, cruel, monstrous, issues that are a reality. If people cannot view their sins the way God views them, then it stands to reason that they do not see the just judgment the way he sees it. Clearly, Christians live by this established principle that the seriousness of an offense is measured by its inherent nature as well as by the one offended. Our sins have offended a holy and glorious being and

One Hundred Secret Sense - Amy Tan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

One Hundred Secret Sense - Amy Tan - Essay Example Chinese culture and English culture are so inherently different from each other that it often takes a lifetime for an individual of Chinese origin to adjust in an English or American culture. The difference between the two cultures is almost as strong and evident as the difference between the Chinese and English language. The narration of Chinese superstitions and tales strengthens the relationship between Kwan and Olivia. Kwan’s belief that she can see ghosts because of having yin eyes originates in her relationship to the past because it is a belief of the Chinese culture. Her relationship to her past is particularly evident from the fact that Kwan recounts tales from the past life. The story The Hundred Secret Senses revolves around the process of creation of the new Asian-American identities that Kwan and Olivia, and millions of Chinese girls like them undergo while living in a culture that is worlds apart from their original culture. The fundamental reason why Kwan contemplates a trip to China is to find out more about her connection to the Yin world. Remembering and accepting her past has a significant effect on how Kwan lives now. It eventually becomes obvious that there is a connection between the fidelity of Kwan to Olivia and that of Nunumu to Miss Banner in terms of past lives being in the present. As the visit of Kwan, Olivia, and Simon to China is transformed into a tragedy, Olivia happens to accept the faith of Kwan. It is because of Kwan’s remembrance and acceptance of her past that she manages to lead Olivia to the realization that in addition to what can be perceived with the use of five basic senses, there is a whole lot of other things which cannot be understood without the use of the hundred secret senses. Olivia gushes in the conclusion of the novel, â€Å"The world is not a place but the vastness of the soul. And the soul is nothing more than love, limitless, endless, all that moves us t oward knowing what is true. . . . And