Introduction
Reading has been a pastime many have enjoyed in their lives. Throughout history civilizations have sought out scholarly books, scriptures, and books of interest. They have delighted in the pages that brought them adventure, courage, hope, and solitude. Technology has allowed us to have easy access to e-books and scriptures. We can read anywhere we like. But has the quality of our reading declined? Are we having meaningful learning either spiritual or temporal? Are we taking the time to read, ponder and pray on the things that we learn or are we just reading a verse or two and calling it “learning”? Are we able to focus on Spiritual matters as we look at our phones, tablets, and computers or are we distracted by the Facebook notification
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She expanded her understanding of sacred text by using the skills she developed in studying other works. She claims the greatest book she has ever come upon is the Book of Mormon. Arnold says (1996 p.17) “The near perfect blend of poetry and truth is, in my view, simply unequaled” She contends that the first few pages of a book is critical. You can tell if a book is deceitful in the first few pages, Arnold challenges her readers to apply this test to the Book of Mormon. She also claims that one needs no education to be able to read, understand and enjoy the Book of Mormon. She makes her point clear in her closing the Book of Mormon is an inspired text and by reading it, you will never learn or understand in a lifetime all that it has to …show more content…
To have a desire to know truth you have to be willing to work, read, ponder or meditate, and have sincere prayer. We have to be willing to take those words that we have ponderized and act upon them. This type of studying takes time and patients. This is not something we do for a few minutes just to say we read for today. Tanner says (p.497-498) “We are to learn spiritual truth by heart and then retain in remembrance what we have placed deep in our hearts.” Retaining a remembrance means we should be ready to use, display, and act on the knowledge that we have. Which means you take the things that you have read and study them all day. As I have read these two essays I have come to a greater understanding of what to do with the truth that I have. I should not take for granted the words of God. That just reading a verse or two does not constitute a desire to know truth nor is it deepening my understanding of gospel learning. I must ensure this desire of Spiritual learning does not fall by the waste side that I have a true desire to learn truth. Whichever method is used we can be sure that our desire to know the truth will put us on the path of enlightenment, preparedness, and become a son or daughter of Jesus
The op-ed writing of Solomon does bring some insight about reading to readers, but overall it does not do a good job as a persuasive argument because of all the biases involved, along with the lack of evidence and poor logic. His article is too opinion-based and very vague, and his views are very linear without considering the bigger picture and all the other factors that can affect his argument. Overall this article was not a good model of inspiration or encouragement.
If there is one thing that a person can take out of this book and nothing else is how we are to see people and how God sees people. Dr. Elmer is also correct when he say “that all who desire to follow Jesus must desire to be servants. We must put aside the robe and pick up the towel.”
Each year as I grow old, I tend to discover and learn new things about myself as a person as well as a reader, writer and a student as a whole. My educational journey so far has been pretty interesting and full of surprises. Back in Bangladesh where I studied until high school, my interest for learning, reading or writing was so very different compared to how it has become over the years. I could relate those learning days to Richard Rodriquez’s essay “The lonely Good Company of Books”. In the essay the author says, “Friends? Reading was, at best, only a chore.”(Rodriguez, page 294). During those days I sure did feel like reading was a chore for me and how I was unable to focus and I could never understand what all those jumbled up words ever meant. It was quite a struggle for me in class when the teachers used to assign us reading homework. I felt like reading a book was more difficult or painful than trying to move a mountain. Just like how moving a mountain is impossible, trying to find an interest in reading was
We have been counseled heretofore by prophets of old, "to seek learning, even by study, and by faith". We have an obligation to search the scriptures and to learn what the Lord is teaching us and warning us of. We must go forward with faith, and not backward. We must come unto the Lord, and not expect the Lord to come unto us.
Equally important, the author describes the Christian life as a “dynamic faith journey” (p.224) which remind us that is not just a linear process but a never-ending lifestyle that is constantly changing. It is like the worldview, described in Why College Matters to God, “continuously subject to growth and revision as we encounter new people, ideas, and experiences” (Ostrander, 2012, p. 28). That is why she claims that even during the adulthood people can keep building their knowledge in a different but excellent way. Adults have built their personal perspectives of situations in life, so she emphasizes that during this process, there are going to exist changes and that is how people acquire new information. That is why Marmon reaffirms: “Adult learning is tricky; grown men and women often must unlearn
Books are less common today than they were in the past. Fewer people read for pleasure now that technology is present. One study that shows that today, less than half of seventeen year olds read for pleasure more than once or twice a year. However, sixty-four percent of teens of the same age said they read at least once per week in the year 1984 (Alter). This only goes to show that technology is taking up more of people’s time for reading and other activities that were popular in the past. Overall, books are not as popular now as they once were.
Solomon, Andrew. “Reading at Risk: Lack of Interest in Literature is a Crisis.” Commentary – Columbia Daily Tribune. 8 Aug. 2004. 19 Sept. 2004. <http://www.showmenews.com/2004/Aug/20040808Comm007.asp>.
Rainie, Lee, Kathryn Zickuhr, Kristen Purcell, and Mary Madden. "The Rise of E-reading." Pew Internet Libraries RSS. Pew Research Center, 5 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 May 2014.
Something rarely mentioned when discussing The Awakening by Kate Chopin is the possibility of the main character, Edna Pontellier, having a mental illness. Her unconventional awakening and suicide is often attributed to Edna not being able to withstand the pressures of society. However, there is a deeper reason for her motives. Edna Pontellier struggled depression and other mental illnesses, which ultimately resulted in her awakening and suicide.
D.A. Carson introduces the essay by explaining the overall difficulty of interpreting the Bible in honesty and truth. Because the Bible is the Word of Truth, Carson informs the reader of the importance in understanding the Word of God before accepting the difficult task of interpreting it. He continues by focusing on the idea of hermeneutics and three primary ways that the interpretation of text has changed in the past few years.
Reading is on the decline and our reading skills are declining right along with the amount of reading we do. This is happening right across the board through both genders, all age groups and education levels, people are busy and they just do not have time to read books that they are not required to read for school or work. There are serious consequences to this neglect of reading that will continue to worsen if ignored. We need to take notice of what is happening to our culture and stop this situation from continuing, we must act to correct these issues that we are faced with. These things are discussed in the essay “Staying Awake’’ by Ursula K. Le Guin who uses the NEA essays “To Read or Not to Read’’ and “Reading at Risk’’ to support her argument that there is a decline in the amount of time that we are spending on reading and our ability to understand what it is that we are reading.
On a daily basis, people read to increased their vocabulary, improve writing skills and keep updated with daily news. However, we waste
If I want to benefit from the readings, I must be willing to let God change me and have faith that He will meet my needs. In order for me to help other people convert to God, I need to make sure that I am humbled at the Cross and forgiven first (Hession v). In Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of They Found The Secret, I learned that I have to go directly to Christ for salvation. Hudson Taylor's life showed me that to fully know Jesus and feel His presence, it's crucial that I recognize my sins and confess them first. Just like Taylor, if I do not come to God for salvation or trust Him to meet my desires, I will never experience His gift of unchanging joy. In Chapter 2, I was touched by the fact that Samuel Brengle saw himself as his greatest enemy for not effectively serving the Lord. He made me realize that it's important that we pay attention to our own actions and sinful behaviors that may be keeping us from God. This reading reminds me of God's affectionate character. He is reliable in the sense that we can trust Him to take care of us because He has plans for all of us and watches out for our futures. In Chapter 1 of Spiritual Disciplines, I learned that we need to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness in order to be Christlike. We can find godliness through the practice of spiritual disciplines. Disciplines are things that we do to make us more like God; they are not qualities that we may have or form
Rainie, L., Zickuhr, K., Purcell, K., Madden, M., Brenner, J. (2012). The rise of e-reading. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 3-11. Retrieved from Education Resources Information Center
...wan believes, one of the best things about our digital lives is the ease with which we can share ideas with others. It is now possible for readers to connect with each other worldwide, as well as recommend and share their opinions about a particular piece of literature. Our need to engage in “deep reading” will not go away, as Rosen believes. The act of how we read may evolve as it has been evolving since beginning of mankind. How we read and write has evolved from cave walls to stone tablets to paper to keyboards. The digital world will not change what we read, but how we read. Because the experience of reading, the love of narrative, and cravings for story-telling is instilled into our DNA. Reading is a basic human need, it is evolutionary. Even though our means of attaining information or story telling may change, the act of reading is literally forever-lasting.