Optional Post (Holocaust)

Optional (Extra Credit) Post

 The Holocaust

            After reading all of the information on the website, I learned a lot of details about this horrible event that happened in history.  This is something that while learning about in high school we spend very little time on simply because it is uncomfortable to talk about.  Nobody wants to hear of innocent people being murdered in gas chambers or being shot in the back of the head execution style as friends and loved ones are forced to watch. 

            I could not imagine what it would be like to be pulled fro my house in the middle of the night and then being forced against my will into these horrible disease infested concentration camps where they tattooed a number on my arm, then to be brutally killed later on.  Then the fact that some people denied the whole event form ever happening, it makes me sick.  

Post 12 (week 6)

Post 12 Christianity

            Christianity is the world’s largest religion.  Christians believe in Jesus Christ who is the Son of God who was born to a virgin Jew named Mary.  He was sent down to Earth to save everyone form the their sins.  All that one would have to do in order to receive eternal live was to believe in Him.

            Jesus was a man who lived a prefect life he never sinned, he was also part of the Trinity (God the Father, the Son ‘Jesus’ and the Holy Spirit) God is the creator of all the universe and of people, Jesus was the lamb of God he was sent to teach all of man about God, and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus healed many people and also performed several miracles.  The Holy Spirit is inside the believer it helps heal as well as guide the individual.  They all work together as one. 

            Jesus had twelve disciples who formed the Church once he resurrected and returned to Heaven.  Over the years Christianity has separated into three main branches Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestantism.  Catholicism is the oldest and consists of a pope who is said not to make any mistakes and hundreds of people below him.  Besides from having a large structure of a hierarchy Catholics take communion differently form the Eastern Orthodox, and the Protestants. 

            The Eastern Orthodox is very similar to Catholicism, however they do not have a pope and they are more popular in Eastern Europe in countries like Greece.  The Protestants separated from the Catholics not too long after the Eastern Orthodox.  They believe that the rode to salvation is an individual effort not too much of a group one.  Protestants unlike the other two forms of Christianity are encouraged to read their Bibles and learn scripture instead of just being told what to believe.  

Post 11 (week 5)

Post 11 False Testaments

            Although I found the article to be very interesting I highly doubt that people would go through all the trouble to build a religion on false accounts.  It would take so much more work to make all of this up. 

            The people who wrote this article obviously believe more in science then they do in faith.  But we must realize that science will never answer all of our questions about life.  No matter how much research is done we will never find out all of the answers.  And lets say that one day we were to find out all of the answers what would we do then we would have nothing to strive for we would have all of the answers life would be pointless if we all ready knew everything their was to know. 

            Many parts of the Old Testament can be unpractical and hard to believe maybe they were not meant to be taken literally but figuratively speaking.  The stories of the Old Testament are used as a tool of what to do and what not to do think of them as examples that everyone should be able to learn something from.  In order to truly live you must be able to put your faith and beliefs into something.  What is the meaning of life if you don’t have faith?  

Post 10 (week 5)

Post 10 Judaism

            Jusiasm has a very interesting history, religion, and culture.  The Jews were the first group of people to believe that there is one and only one God.  Because of this belief they were persecuted for years.  The Jews have a long and sad history along filled with pain and suffering.

            The Hebrew’s are descendents of Abraham and Moses.  They forced into slavery by the Egyptians who treated them as if they were animals.  Then Moses comes around and demands the pharaoh to let the Hebrews go.  From Egypt Moses led the Jews to the “promise land” which took forty years.  During this time, which is known as the Exodus, Moses went up a mountain where he talked to God, and it was then when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

            The Ten Commandments are some very basic guidelines to life in which many religions share a few of them.  They believe in the Torah, which is basically considered the Old Testament for Christians. 

            Jews celebrate many holidays which include Passover it has to do with the Exodus from Egypt it is a very symbolic holiday that includes bread without yeast and wine.  Another important holiday is Yom Kippur in which Jews fast for twenty-four hours.  And finally the most popular holiday Chanukah or the festival of lights.  Chanukah last for eight days and for every day a candle is lit and gifts are exchanged, this holiday is to celebrate the rededication of the second temple.

            The Hebrew’s follow a very kosher diet meaning that they cannot eat pork, and a lot of their food products should be blessed by a Rabbi.  Some of the rules may seem odd to some of this but this has been going on for thousands of years. 

            Judaism is a very interesting religion because of the fact that they do not try to convert anyone.  They believe that they are God’s chosen people, their for they are encouraged to marry other Jews, and to raise their children within the Jewish customs and culture.  They believe that if the mother is Jewish the child is Jewish. 

            Through their history the Hebrew’s have endured a great deal of suffering but yet they still have a strong core belief in God.