Christianity Questioned Essays - Culture, Arts And Crafts Movement

Christianity Questioned In "Christianity and the Machine Age," Eric Gill attempts to prove that Christianity is true. To answer this question, Gill turns not to philosophers, theologians or archaeologists, but to his own consciousness. "If there be God, if there be Christ,... it is to man, to the individual man that he calls." (Gill, 219) Gill bases his argument on the presumption that the truth is the correspondence of thought with thing. "In Christianity thought and thing correspond. It is in that sense that we say Christianity is true, is the truth." (Gill, 219) Gill says that what he knows of Christ corresponds with what he knows and desires and loves as a human. Gill also asserts that he has no reason to suppose that he is any "different in kind or in powers or in experience from other men." (Gill, 219) Gill says it follows that since Christianity is true for him, it must then also be true for all men. According to Gill, those who do not accept the truth of Christianity are simply wrong. Gill continues, asserting that Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and all other faiths are lesser because they are "more partial, less profound, and therefore less widespread." (Gill, 219) This is a poor argument considering that Christians were a minority group for thousands of years. While Gill does not feel that other faiths are untrue, he says that the only faith with a clear view of reality is Christianity. "Observe, for example, an object under a microscope. Attempt to get it into focus. But, unless the object be absolutely flat, you will get one level in focus and not another. You will not be able to see it all at once, and you will perhaps pass some levels altogether." (Gill, 219) This metaphor is an excellent way to explain why so many differing religions exist when there is only one Truth. Gill does not, however, provide any reason to assume that Christianity is seeing the truth any more clearly than the other major world religions. The argument that Christianity is more correct because it"affirms" more sets Christianity as the lowest common denominator. This does not prove that the truth as seen through the Christian ?microscope' is any clearer that when the truth is viewed through any other religion's ?microscope.' Gill's point about denials is well made, however. "The only thing to beware of is denial. It is on the plane of denials that we fall foul of one another." (Gill, 219) I agree with Gill that it is more productive to examine the commonalties than the conflicts when comparing religions. Gill's purpose in attempting to answer such a profound question is tied to his definition of proper work in the Age of Machines. "Christianity...must imply something as to the object of human life and the object of human work." (Gill, 220) Gill says that if Christianity is removed from the process of work, the work(wo)man will be lowered to a subhuman condition by degrading labor and focusing on profit-gaining ends. For Gill, this is the true threat of the Machine Age. "The effect of the Machine Age is to secularize human life, to abolish the Christian criterion of holiness, understood both morally and intellectually." (Gill, 235) Gill does allow that machines may help to alleviate some of the suffering that exists in the world, but he has no confidence that the influence of capitalist industrialism will be overcome. "The spirit which has animated merchants and industrialists and financiers from the beginning of the Machine Age, whether in big business or small, is not the provision of social amenity or the relief of suffering, but the aggrandizement of themselves." (Gill, 235) For Gill the only hope for humanity lies in the creation of a Christian world, a world based on "Christian faith, ruled by Christian thought, and moved by a Christian will." (Gill, 236) I agree with many of the values and ideals that Gill espouses. It is obvious that something must change, particularly with regard to the overemphasis on the profit motive. I do, however, disagree with his notion that these ideals can only be applied through the template of Christianity. Christian leaders have shown themselves to be no more fair or humane than non-Christians. Neither has the influence of Christian religious leaders, particularly Catholic leaders, been proven superior. If fact, the countries most deeply entrenched in industrial capitalism are predominantly Christian. Any challenge to the status quo, whether issued by a Buddhist or a Christian, would be an excellent start in the effort to change

Free Essays on Ken Kesey And One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

Ken Kesey had written many books after the classic novel â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,† but is best known for this work. (www.emptymirrorbooks.com) Ken Kesey was born in 1935, a time of racial turmoil and sexual discrimination. This affected the tone of â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†. There is racism in the ward where McMurphy’s is held. The character in control of the psychiatric ward is Nurse Ratched, who oversees everything and everyone. She is not viewed as a woman sexually by the male patients and, therefore, she holds power over them as a male in charge would. The white male patients, although they cannot live in society, hold power over the Black Boys because they are white. The Black Boys must clean after and take care of the patients, including giving them showers. Down at the bottom of the control is Chief. The Black Boys take their hatred of society and personal frustrations out on Chief Bromden, as he is half Native Am erican and considered beneath them. We see this numerous times in the book, including how Americans could not understand Native American culture, â€Å"Can you imagine people wanting to live this way.† (p. 199) Power struggle, due to race and gender, coincides with the culture of Ken Kesey’s time. During the 1930’s, white Americans held power, African Americans were considered lower and Native Americans held the bottom of the totem pole position. Harmonizing with the time of sexual discrimination, Ken Kesey’s gender played a role on the theme of the book which was the war of the sexes. Women in power, is thus the castration to men and an end to there rule, â€Å"If she can’t cut below the belt, she’ll do it above the eyes.† (p. 180) Evidence to this also supported that with Chief’s mother because she was white and â€Å"Much Bigger† then his father, which destroyed him. Also, Billy Bibbit’s controlling mother led to his suicide at just the thought of her disappointment. ... Free Essays on Ken Kesey And One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Free Essays on Ken Kesey And One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Ken Kesey had written many books after the classic novel â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,† but is best known for this work. (www.emptymirrorbooks.com) Ken Kesey was born in 1935, a time of racial turmoil and sexual discrimination. This affected the tone of â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†. There is racism in the ward where McMurphy’s is held. The character in control of the psychiatric ward is Nurse Ratched, who oversees everything and everyone. She is not viewed as a woman sexually by the male patients and, therefore, she holds power over them as a male in charge would. The white male patients, although they cannot live in society, hold power over the Black Boys because they are white. The Black Boys must clean after and take care of the patients, including giving them showers. Down at the bottom of the control is Chief. The Black Boys take their hatred of society and personal frustrations out on Chief Bromden, as he is half Native Am erican and considered beneath them. We see this numerous times in the book, including how Americans could not understand Native American culture, â€Å"Can you imagine people wanting to live this way.† (p. 199) Power struggle, due to race and gender, coincides with the culture of Ken Kesey’s time. During the 1930’s, white Americans held power, African Americans were considered lower and Native Americans held the bottom of the totem pole position. Harmonizing with the time of sexual discrimination, Ken Kesey’s gender played a role on the theme of the book which was the war of the sexes. Women in power, is thus the castration to men and an end to there rule, â€Å"If she can’t cut below the belt, she’ll do it above the eyes.† (p. 180) Evidence to this also supported that with Chief’s mother because she was white and â€Å"Much Bigger† then his father, which destroyed him. Also, Billy Bibbit’s controlling mother led to his suicide at just the thought of her disappointment. ...

Child Protection in School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Child Protection in School - Essay Example Safety is important to protect children from extreme pain, incapacitation, dismemberment or even death. In addition, breach of safety by supervisors, parents or (and) equipment makers can lead to legal suits for breach of safety standards. Each year, institutions of learning in Britain pay thousands of pounds to compensate injured children within school premises. For example, Gloucestershire council paid GBP 7,000 compensation to a student after a teacher accidentally injured a pupil during rugby tackle demonstration (NSPCC, 2011). Safety Safety is in everyone’s mind in the playground. As much as children require a lot of opportunities to engage in physical activities, it is important to ensure that they are safe from potential harm or injury. Dangers inherent during physical exercise include; burns, drowning, poisoning, falls, getting knocked over, cuts, breakages, dehydration, rape, beating and extreme is death. There are a number of worrying incidents where children die dur ing physical activities. Child’s serious injury during physical exercise is bad and death of a child during physical exercise is worst and unacceptable. When death in the field is reported, it sends cold shivers in people who listen and anger inhibits one’s heart. For example, according to Brighton and Hove Council, a child fell from the roof of air raid shelter when he climbed the fence to retrieve a ball. In Medway, a pupil was injured when goal post fell on him and at Cornwall; a student was injured by a ball kicked by a teacher. In addition, a child at Rotherham, South Yorkshire was hurt in the playground when another child splashed him with custard. Worst, Kyle Rees 16 year old boy at Portchester school, Bournemouth died when hit by a cricked ball on the head. Finally, a research conducted by NSPCC between 2007 and 2010 revealed that 75 percent of children were subjected to harmful treatment by coaches or their peers. Peers contribute significant portion injuries or harm experienced (NSPCC 2011). To ensure children‘s safety during physical education, teachers or guardians supervising then must be informed that children unlike adults may not be in a position to anticipate accidents or possible injuries. Therefore, it is the responsibilities and duty of adults to anticipate potential accidents and risk and prevent them from happening. According to Sportengland (n.d.), there is a safety framework that is useful in creating safe sporting environment, which prevent harm. The framework is a benchmark that is useful in making informed decisions, challenging harmful practices and promotes best safety practices. To prevent likelihood of accidents occurring, it is important to note below factors; Playgrounds need to be surrounded by handrails, fences, rubber surfaces and crash barriers to make children safe by preventing them from falling. Children need to be educated in safety measure to reduce injury risks. They also need to cover-up and gear- up during physical exercises. For example, children playing must wear helmets when riding bicycles to protect their heads from serious injury in case they fall and wear hats when playing in the sun to prevent sunburns. The people in charge with physical exercises should ensure that all sporting equipment and gears are in perfect working conditions and fitting properly. In addition, children need to shape up by preparing adequately before main physical activities to prepare their bodies and prevent them