In approaching the meaning of life we have to examine the nature of meaning
itself. Meaning is by definition the point, or the intended goal. Consider the point of
humans and the universe as seen from monotheistic religion. If life and the universe is
some sort of toy or form of entertainment for some prime mover, his point, his own
entertainment, would then be the meaning of humans and the universe. Consider the
goals of the deities of various cultures. Some strive for a balance between the forces of
'good' and 'evil'. This balance seems to simply be a choice of the deity, the way he thinks
it ought to be. The concept of a prime mover as a source of the meaning of life is flawed,
because in talking about an actual point to absolutely everything, we are simply
considering the goals of a being more powerful than ourselves who has chosen one of
many possible goals that humans can conceive of. This is to say that, if a god like this
exists, his goal for life and the universe is not necessarily valid as a meaning of life, the
universe, and himself. For instance, the Bible claims that the Christian deity created the
universe and placed humans in it that they might be in awe of his power. If this is so,
why is worship the correct response? The meaning of the universe as created by God is
the entertainment of God, but what is the meaning of the larger system containing God
and his creations? We could conceive of an even 'primer' mover, but that simply takes us
all the way back into the wall of infinite regression.
When I first read the Bible, it struck me as neutral on the idea of worship. The
Bible flat out tells you that God created humans so that they would be in awe of him,
which amounts to saying God created us to inflate his ego. We are to God as our pets are
to ourselves, sources of unconditional love. In the book of Job, God essentially makes a
gentleman's bet with Satan that Job's worship is genuine and not inspired by God's
kindness. In other words, you throw a rock at my dog and I'll swing my arm so it looks I
The idea of getting into the mind of a serial killer can either be frightening or fascinating, or both. Everyone is affected by the senseless killings of these serial killers. I can’t imagine a person that was not affected in some way or another by the Charles Manson murders or the Timothy McVeigh bombing. Although you may not know somebody that was killed by a serial killer, you have been affected.
On December 13, 1973, a French man named Claude Vorilhon claimed that he encountered an extraterrestrial being. The alien, called Yahweh, explained that he was a representative of an advanced race of beings, the Elohim, who created humankind is their image via cloning techniques. As an experiment, humanity failed to achieve equilibrium within itself and the world it lived in. Throughout history, the Elohim sent prophets to Earth to guide people’s way of life based on that of the superior race. A primary reason that people failed to achieve that peace is that the prophets, “whose teachings, actually scientific and not religiously oriented, had been misunderstood.” (Laderman 248) Religions thus misinterpreted the Elohim’s teachings, and their different understandings of them separated humanity.
he exists. Has he contradicted himself? In claiming that he exists has he taken something back from his
...ea of desecration and violence. However, Duneier concludes his book by conceding to the fact that many of those beliefs still do exist in modern day society. He ends his book with a powerful quote. After completing a conversation with a man he knows in a bookstore, he states after some discourse, "When we stop trying to feel good about ourselves, or to increase our power by asserting our innocence, we begin to look for answers by searching for truth." Slims Table is all about this quote. Mitchell Duneier felt it was time to search for the truth in regards to the black working class. He wanted to try and address the long-term myths about them, and although he conceded that he may not have gotten the whole picture, after all it would be pretty hard to; he truly did feel that his work allowed people to see what the black working man, living in a ghetto, is all about.
A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a "cooling off" period between each murder, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. Most people do not understand what can make a person want to kill multiple people for no reason other than own satisfactional gain. In actuality serial killers have been studied for over hundreds of years, and the information that has been documented continues to grow. The research that I have gathered about serial killers focuses on their childhood development, the differences and similarities between men and female serial kills, and finally general information on how their brains operate and their motives for committing such harmful acts.
In order to make sense of these inherently opposite features, we must seek a higher authority and focus on God’s beauty, mercy, love, and grace. Our God, who is the creator of the world, has a plan for us all and intends for us to seek out His will. When we look around us and see that God created and feeds the sparrow just as he created and feeds us, we can begin to understand God’s will and His purpose for us. The entire enormity of this world and what God created becomes clearer. God seeks a relationship with us. There are times when reading the Bible, a passage or verse may seem too confusing or unrelatable in our current situation, although a God who created nature and everything in it always reveals the truth in His time for His plan for
goal. It is only us who have to walk the final path of attaining our
known as a cooling off period. The style and motivation of the killings can vary greatly.
Domestic Violence Statistics states, “Around the world, at least one in every 3 women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime” (1). The United States Department of Justice defines domestic violence as, “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner” (para. 1). Domestic violence is a crime that numerous citizens fall victim to in every country. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence regardless of race, gender, sexuality or religion. Being a victim of domestic violence can affect a person’s way of life permanently and the way these victims interact with other people can become a difficult task and can eventually affect their future. Domestic violence is substantially wrong because it can cause drastic permanent effects in a person’s life, can cause physical, emotional and intellectual damage, and affects a child’s state of mind of what is normal and what is not if they are in a domestic violent atmosphere. While women are usually victims of domestic violence, men are victims of this crime as well. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney states that, “According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, men account for approximately fifteen percent of the victims of reported intimate partner crimes” (Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, par.1). Physical, emotional, economic and physiological abuses are all forms of domestic violence that many people would consider to fall under another crime. There are many crimes that many citizens commit, but domestic violence is one of many that should not be taken lightly.
Serial killing is rampant in the U.S. According to estimates in a recent study conducted by the FBI, there have been about 400 serial killers in the U.S. in the last century, with the total number of murder victims ranging from 2,525 to 3,860 . Various experts in the field have suggested that there may be anywhere from 50 to as many as 300 serial killers active at the same time, although there is no clear evidence supporting this . Certainly, an estimate of 300 active serial killers seems at odds with the FBI’s estimate of 400 over the entire previous century. But an estimated 80% of the serial killers in the past century have emerged since 1950. For whatever reason, serial killing is clearly on the rise, with the term itself coined only since the mid-1970’s, so perhaps 300 active serial killers at one time could be unfortunately possible. The number of serial killing in the U.S. is staggering.
In all creation, we human beings alone are the image and likeness of God. We can reflect, love, create, and most importantly, worship the One whose image we bear. God has given us stewardship over creation to develop a rich and godly culture that benefits others and honors God. Art and science, work and play, marriage and family, church and state are our gifts and tasks. God has crowned us with glory and majesty (Psalm 8: 5).
Organized killers often appear to many as socially normal. They typically plan their kills in advance, have some way of transportation, and carry a ‘murder kit’ with them which contains various tools necessary for their crimes. They also often cruise public spaces for victims which includes prostitutes, the homeless, teenagers, students walking on campuses, or active night spots such as bars and clubs. Additionally, their victims tend to fit a specific profile. The victims usually have the same hair color and are of the same race and ethnicity.
A biologist, known as Piaget was interested in how an organism adapted to their environment, especially behavior adaptation to the environment. Piaget hypothesized that infants are born with schemes operating at birth that he called "reflexes." However, in human beings an infant uses these reflexes to adapt to the environment, these reflexes are quickly replaced with constructed schemes. Piaget described two processes used by the individual in its at...
Life is the ultimate value for each and every one of us. Probably the single most important thing we can do in life is to serve the purpose in which we were created. I still do not have a clear view of what my Philosophy of life is, but I do have a better understanding of the path I need to take to seek those answers and am well on my way of accomplishing this goal.
The abstract idea of life cannot be explained by such simple ideas as being animated, breathing, or speaking. Ordinary machines in this century can perform all of these basic functions. The quandary with defining death is not as abstract and elusive as that of life. The problem of defining life and death has plagued philosophers and the religious bodies for thousands of years for one reason; each philosophy or religion has tried to define the meaning of life and death from only their certain perspective. The seemingly appropriate approach to this problem would be to understand the ideas presented in various philosophies and religions and through this knowledge create a new definition for each idea of life and death. The movie Blade Runner has taken this exact approach in its attempt to finally define life and death in a logical and un-spiritual manner. By taking the position that death is a concrete idea that can be explained, Blade Runner accomplishes the task of interpreting the idea of life in terms death. Through this approach, the meaning of life is redefined to accommodate for the existence of the replicants. Also, as a result of this novel notion of life, it is apparent that humans and replicants never actually live, even though they are alive.