What have been the most frequently cited Bible passages used by Research Paper

What have been the most frequently cited Bible passages used by perpetrators of family violence to justify their actions and what are the common contours of those arguments - Research Paper Example This essay makes a literature review of frequently cited Bible passages perpetrators of family violence quote to justify their actions while also assessing the common contours that the arguments take. Fortune, Abugideiri and Dratch (2010) explores how misinterpretation of religious texts can have a detrimental result for members of the family when handling disagreements. The authors note that many confrontations within the family are as a result of facing a crisis in determining meaning in one’s life. The authors note that religion is the most preferred basis for individuals to try and identify meaning and direct their lives. However, since many individuals have a narrow grasp of the religious concept, they end up relying on inadequate religious resources to come up with solutions for complex human experiences such as domestic violence. Fortune, Abugideiri and Dratch (2010) cite Ephesians 5:22 and Colossians 3:18 as the misinterpreted parts of the Bible that perpetrators of violence in the family use to justify their violent actions to counsellors, members of the clergy, and to the victims of the abuse. The As a consequence of misinterpretation of religious doctrines indiv iduals end up suffering in the family due to the pain inflicted on them by spouses or other members. Cummings (2010) notes â€Å"My sheep hear my voice and another he will not follow† in John 10:27 as being among the verses that men cite to justify physical violence against their wives. As a Christian counsellor who specializes in women who are victims of domestic violence, the author creates a parallel between the sufferings of Jesus and what these women are going through. Cummings (2010) asserts that putting oneself in the position that Jesus was during his persecution will be an important step in determining the best step to be taken when one is hurt by the spouse. The author singles out the church as propagating domestic violence in situations where they

President Barack Obama as a speaker, discussing his content and Essay

President Barack Obama as a speaker, discussing his content and delivery style - Essay Example Ageism is a set of beliefs that enable people to justify prejudices based on age, its use being either casual or systematic. This form of discrimination is increasingly becoming common especially against elderly people. There is an increasing belief that the older people, or the elderly, are past their prime and that they cannot function well in society. In fact, it is said that these people have become useless to society and should therefore, not be shown any form of respect by the younger generation. President Obama has in his speech and in support of universal healthcare indirectly come in support of the elderly. In essence, his belief in universal healthcare has shown that he does not believe in ageism and, in fact, values all the people in society. Racism is the belief that Man is divided into various groups known as races and that such groups bear certain characteristics, which make them either superior or inferior. Racism is one of the most predominant forms of discrimination today, and it is experienced by people in all occupations. President Obama, in many of his speeches on racism, the most notable being the one to the NAACP, states that America has come a long way in fighting against racial discrimination. However, he also states that the fight against it in American society is not over and that it is likely to go on well into the future (Thompson and Thompson). Religious discrimination is the treatment of certain people in a different way because of their spiritual beliefs. This is usually done most especially against those people who belong to either a different religion, or a different denomination. Those who adhere to different religions are usually discriminated against in such cases as legal proceedings, or when attempting to get employment. One of the people who tend to face religious discrimination in the Western world is

Importance of Communication Skills

Importance of Communication Skills I feel a deep sense of gratitude for this rare opportunity to address the concept of the importance of communication to such a respectable body of students[1]. I may be politically incorrect but as part of the Information Age generation, I try incredibly hard to convince myself that despite the lack of appreciation of the significance of communication, it is the most powerful tool one can have. To say the least, communication is complex. While it may be regarded as a personal expression of oneself, it is an exchange of communication, a method of coordination, an agent of social change and a process of development. At the same time, communication is a potentially devastating weapon. Beyond these banal clichà ©s, what I need to call attention to is the unrecognised power of communication. We take communication for granted, just as we take our eyes, our power of vision, for granted[2]. I take the perspective that communication is a powerful instrument applied in unlimited ways, and which makes up one of the principal forces that control and form human behaviour[3]. To explain the significance of communication is like to explain the significance breathing. If communication means interchange and interchange is a central aspect of human existence then no human can survive without interchange. The ability to communicate is therefore central to how we relate, what we are, how we live and how we learn[4]. To provide credence for my argument, I will take you through the four themes to show that communication is indeed important to us, as students and future professionals[5]. First, we will explore the importance of communication in development of a person. Second, we will consider the impact of communication in improving the impact of education in advancing societal interests. And finally, we will examine the importance of education to career and business advancement. First, communication is crucial for the development of a person. Researchers and educators have pointed out to the importance of communication in self-development. To this end, I must quote Morreale, Osborn and Pearson (2000) who stated that communication should in itself be viewed as general education since it improves personal skills and abilities such as critical thinking, leadership and management skills, social skills and media literacy. While we, as students, recognise the importance of communication education, we underestimate the importance of having communication skills. To this end, the significance of the ability to communicate effectively cannot be downplayed. In my view, the communication discipline should be regarded as central to student successes (Prinsen Punyanunt-Carter, 2009). I suggest that we should equate communication to feeling comfortable with people’s perceptions of us, using language effectively, reasoning with people and feeling confident about our selves[6]. Second, communication ensures effective education delivery. It checks that classroom instruction is improved and is central to effective collaboration within the entire education enterprise. To this end, communication skills are vital for the teachers, school administrators and librarians[7]. Effective communication is a prerequisite to students’ personal, academic and professional accomplishments. In fact, most of the instructions are delivered to use through oral communication. I must make reference to Morreale, Osborn and Pearson (2000) study that explored the importance of non-verbal communication within the context of education. The study found that majority of messages exchanged within a classroom setting originated from nonverbal communication. I take this angle to argue that by consciously controlling our individual nonverbal expressions, we can be able to maintain positive relationships with our audiences within the classroom setting[8]. Third, communication is essential for continuation of the society and for cross-cultural interaction. Through effective communication, we develop the proficiency to speak and interact with people from different cultures. Effective communication also enables us to take part in public life. It also enables us to gain an understanding of people from different cultures[9]. The importance of education within this context has been extensively investigated. A landmark study by Morreale, Osborn and Pearson (2000) made an insightful critical review of the importance of communication media in the society and found that communication greatly influences the direction that democracy takes in a country[10]. I anchor my argument on this study to assert that a society that has an interplay of many forces, such as; apathy, volatility, sense of vulnerability and extreme hostility, people tend to undermine the political stability of a nation, media organisations are therefore at the centre stage of res toring sobriety and order. Taking a different perspective, developing the ability to communicate effectively qualifies us to take part in public life. Like investigated by Morreale, Osborn and Pearson (2000), there is a correlation between effective oral communication through public speaking and civic responsibility. Hence, effective communication plays a critical role in qualifying one to participate in public life. As students, we should learn to appreciate effective reading and writing as a pathway for growing into citizens who can express themselves effectively and participate in public life, as great speakers. Think about all the greatest speakers and the extent to which they have moved crowds with their eloquence. Historically, public speaking was the primary medium for engaging in public affairs at the dawn of democracy in ancient Athens. It is still the primary means for taking part in public life. Fourth, effective communication is essential for career success as well as effective business operation. Take for example; most job interviews base their selections on how effective a candidate communicates. On the other hand[11], the candidate will rely on their communication skills to convince their employers that they are fit for a position. This perspective has been explored by several researchers[12]. According to Bardwell (1995), having effective written and verbal communication skills can help students to get a desirable employment. Essentially therefore, communication skills are crucial for career development. Far from this, the power of communication skills has also not been neglected in various career fields such as engineering, banking, sales and marketing, public relations, information science and politics. All these fields need effective communicators, either through the written or spoken word. Think of the accounting field for example. It consists of systematic communic ation of quantitative information on a company’s finances. Businesses also depend on communication to advertise their product, where the most effective communicator wins most customers[13]. To conclude, we should come [14]to a common understanding that communication is a powerful instrument applied in unlimited ways, and which makes up one of the principal forces that control and form human behaviour. It helps in human development, it improves the impact of education in advancing societal interests and lastly, it promotes career and business advancement. References Bardwell, C. B. (1997). Standing out in the crowd. Black Collegian, 28, 71-79. Bjerregaard, M. Compton, E. (2011). Public Speaking Handbook: Suppliment to Public Speaking. Retrieved: http://www.snow.edu/communication/public_speaking_handbook.pdf Littlejohn, S. Foss, K. (2009). Encyclopedia of Communication Theory. London: Sage Morreale, S., Osborn, M. Pearson, J. (2000). Why Communication is Important: A Rationale for the Centrality of the Study of Communication. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration 29, 1-25 Prinsen, T., Punyanunt-Carter, N. (2009). The difference in nonverbal behaviors and how it changes in different stages of a relationship. Texas Speech Communication Journal, 34, 1-7. Watt, S. Barnett, J. (2013). persuasive speaking. Retrieved: http://www.publicspeakingproject.org/PDF Files/persuasion web 1.pdf> [1] Attention step: gain attention and interest of audience: Personal greeting (Watt Barnett, 2013; Bjerregaard Compton, 2011). [2] Attention step: gain attention and interest of audience: illustration (Watt Barnett, 2013; Bjerregaard Compton, 2011). [3] Agenda-setting theory: stunningly telling the audience of what to think about, hence influences perception (LittleJohn Foss, 2009) [4] Need step: show the reason for the problem: connecting audience to problem (Watt Barnett, 2013; Bjerregaard Compton, 2011). [5] Need Step: Describe the problem: Show ramifications (Watt Barnett, 2013) [6] Need step: show the reason for the problem: connecting audience to problem (Watt Barnett, 2013; Bjerregaard Compton, 2011). [7] Satisfaction step: offer solutions for needs described in the need step: Explanation (Watt Barnett, 2013) [8] Satisfaction step: offer solutions for needs described in the need step: Show evidence, theoretical demonstration, practical experience (Watt Barnett, 2013) [9] communicators accommodate different cultural practices in cross cultural situations to relate to audience (LittleJohn Foss, 2009) [10] Satisfaction step: offer solutions for needs described in the need step: Show evidence, theoretical demonstration, practical experience (Watt Barnett, 2013) [11] Visualisation step: To help audience visualise results: contrast to compare contrast (Bjerregaard Compton, 2011). [12] Satisfaction step: offer solutions for needs described in the need step: Show evidence, theoretical demonstration, practical experience (Watt Barnett, 2013) [13] Symbolic interaction: the human mind is influenced by constructing things he can identify with (LittleJohn Foss, 2009) [14] Action Step: motivate the audience to act: Illustration (Bjerregaard Compton, 2011).

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you! Thomas Parke D'Invilliers Jay Gatsby went through most of his life striving for a new beginning, a chance to start over and succeed. He forced that aspect of life, into his own, by changing his identity. He was James Gatz a man who's unknown soul was left to linger in the past. Now he is Jay Gatsby. Gatsby does not realize that life can be difficult. You can not just move on and pretend that the past never happened. If you do not face the real and original you, you will never find success or happiness in the way you wish to live your present life. All through Gatsby's life he looked to the green light on the dock across the bay for hope and reassurance. He needed to know that his dream was still as bright as it was the day he met Daisy. Gatsby lived for an American dream. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God - a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that. (Pg.104) Gatsby created himself to be his own hero, through the eyes of a seventeen year old boy. He began to wear that gold hat and rise in society with money, friends, and a love life he dreamed of returning. You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to me. (Pg.71-72) Gatsby smothered himself in popularity to try and block out the memory of the man he was before his change. He has been grieving for a love that he lost when drafted to the war. His only hope left is a green light across the bay which seems to shine through the unhappiness in Gatsby's life. Daisy, as pure and sweet as the flower itself, is the only thing left that is needed for him to complete his dream. He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say, I never loved you. (Pg.116) We know that Gatsby is asking for to much of Daisy, he knows it too. Can't repeat the past?

Controversy on the Mixing of African and Cuban Culture Essay

The personal narratives, â€Å"Afrocubanismo and Son† by Robin Moore, â€Å"Dance and Social Change, â€Å"Rumba† by Yvonne Daniel, and â€Å"Buena Vista Social Club† by Dir. Wim Wenders offer an extensive look at the Afro-Cuban music and dance. Moore writes his article based on the Son. Son is a mixture of African and Spanish influence. Daniel in both of her articles talks about rumba, which is a dance and music genre that originated in Cuba in the mid 1800s. She talks about the different kinds of rumba, which are the Yambu, the Guaguaco, and the vacunao. Wenders is providing us with an image of how Cuban musicians play their music, providing us with some the most popular songs from Cuba. Thousands of African slaves were brought to Cuba, and although treated like animals, their music has had a major influence on Cuban that any other type of music from other countries, creating a bond between both cultures. I found all three articles very informative. Moore, Daniel, and Wenders exposed a number of new information into my mind, and maybe into any other individual that didn’t had much knowledge about Cuban music and dance. As an example, I hadn’t thought about the fact that after much discrimination against Africans, they were going to end up mixing their music and dance with African music and dance. I really like the fact that Cubans ended up accepting part of Africans Culture. Although, we see that the government in many occasion prohibited the people to play the Son and many other influences from African Culture, it was not enough from them to stop the people from mixing both cultures. We also see in â€Å"Buena Vista Social Club† a man who brings together a group of mostly aging and forgotten artists. I don’t like the fact that political events and social issues have played a role in the segregation of these artists. I don’t believe that those people should have been discriminated in such way just because they were mixing both cultures. As the slaves were able to buy their freedom an increased interaction and ethnic mixing among Cubans and Africans was the result. As I was reading that both cultures began to combine, it came to my mind that African people really have a nice heart because by uniting with Cubans they are demonstrating that they had forgiven all the suffering they went through. An example of they unity is the son, and the different kinds of rumba mentioned by Daniel and Moore. We see that the people that were coming together were mostly from working class Cubans and Africans. I find it shameful that most rich people weren’t accepting African culture, and to make it worse ended up making people like those musicians that we see in Buena Vista to be forgotten. In reading Daniel’s articles, I was able to see how people enjoy dancing rumba and many other kinds of dances. And how people especially among the working class uses dancing and music as a way to blow off steam and have fun. Now, I can see why African were always dancing and singing, because that way they could forget about the pain and suffering that they were going through. I didn’t like the fact that the government was calling most of the dancing and music from Africa â€Å"immortal†. I don’t believe that it was appropriated to call their dancing that way. In conclusion, although there was a lot of controversy on the mixing of both cultures, it wasn’t enough to stop the people from mixing it. It was like a destiny meant by God to mix those cultures, to create not just Afro-Cuban culture, but Cuban Culture.

Business Cross Cultures Essay

The above article is about a western suburb of Sydney, called Greenacre. The article, aptly named â€Å"What happened to the suburb I used to know† is a reflection and analysis of the past and current status of the suburb and how, over time it has changed from what was described as a â€Å"home† to â€Å"a minefield, or a battlefield, or a refuge of drug dealers, criminals, drive-by shooters and terror† (Roberts, 2013). This report will discuss and explore a number of theoretical principles and topics of cross-cultural management in the everyday life of Australian’s living in this suburb, through such theories and topics as Oberg’s six-month cycle of culture shock, Cultural dimensions- Ethnocentrism/stereotyping/parochialism, Hofstede’s value dimensions theory, as well as Harris’s and Moran’s cultural profiles. Oberg’s six-month cycle of culture shock Oberg’s theory identifies 4 major stages of cultural shock and explains the â€Å"typical† transition process for a foreigner adjusting to a new county/culture. Below is a list of the stages and a brief description for each- 1. Honeymoon- minor problems will be over looked, with the excitement and anticipation of learning new things. This phase can last from a few days, up to a month. 2. Crisis/hostility- the new environment begins to seem less idealistic and can therefore lead to focusing upon the negative aspects of the host country. This period is characterised by frustration, and confusion and typically lasts up to two/three months. 3. Adjustment/humour- a respect, understanding and a further adjustment to the local culture occurs, and with this a change in attitude toward the new environment- occurs around the four/five month mark. 4. Mastery/honour- acceptance of the new culture, a sense of eagerness to help other integrate and even absorbs the habits of the new society which in turn makes him feel secure and develops a sense of dual cultural identity (biculturalism)- occurs in the 6-12 month time frame. The article focuses on the perspective of the writer and his experiences, however it does explore some of the above stages. In particular, it is apparent in Roberts recount of his memories of his parents, in the way that they stereotyped the foreigners to be â€Å"wogs, unless they were Asian†¦ which were dirty† (Roberts, 2013). This stereotype has evidently been infused in the culture and attitude towards the â€Å"foreigners† and due to this it appears that the people seem to be stuck in the crisis/hostility stage of Oberg’s culture shock. Roberts recounts that they were just told this hostility was â€Å"multiculturalism (and this) was the justification of all things hard to accept† (Roberts, 2013). Furthermore, they were told that this was just â€Å"†¦part and parcel of the greater good, of the New Australia, of the emergence of alternative cultures – it’s just a settling-in process† (Roberts, 2013)- potentially moving toward the adjustment period. However, this was over 50 years ago and it appears not a lot has changed with this â€Å"drive-by shooting† culture, which seemingly still has a firm grasp on the suburb, with â€Å"local residents living in permanent fear of reprisals† (Roberts, 2013). Cultural dimensions/effects Culture is made up of a number of dimensions and each has its effect on the culture as a whole. Below is a list of dimensions that collectively make up a culture- – Religion – Languages – Education – Economic system – Norms – Values – Social stratification The prominent religion in Greenacre is Islam, with 38.9% of the surveyed population identifying that as their religion. Furthermore, 73.6% of the population was born overseas and 42.2% of the population speaks Arabic as their first language (statistics gathered from Census 2011). These statistics are indicative of the overall population within Greenacre and as a result of this, the impending culture that was formed because of it- â€Å"little Lebanon, with all the worst features from a failed country to a new one† (Roberts, 2013). Religion is such a fundamental part of these peoples lives, and ultimately underlies both their moral and ethical norms and in turn has a dramatic affect on how their overall culture is formed. In Greenacre, 36.1% of people were attending an educational institution. Of these, 27.6% were in primary school, 23.6% in secondary school and 18.8% in a tertiary or technical institution. Evidently, from these statistics there isn’t a huge amount of the population continuing onto further education after high school. This may be a contributing factor to the increased crime rates, as this age group turn to alternative methods of income and ways of applying themselves (not necessarily in a positive manner). It is evident through the above statistics and the article, that the overseas culture has imbedded itself within the suburb and as a result, so too has ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is an attitude whereby doing things ‘their way’ is the only way, no matter the situation. Unfortunately, this subculture that has subsequently developed within Greenacre, has become somewhat of a dominant part of the overall culture and has more than likely prevented the progression/transition through Oberg’s cycle of cultural shock. Although it is very apparent that ethnocentrism is rife within Greenacre, so too is parochialism. Parochialism is where people from the host nation (in this case Australia), expect people from another country to fall into the same patterns and behaviours as them- which isn’t plausible, at least not fully. Because of this, it proves difficult for a subculture/society, such as that in Greenacre, to become apart of the greater culture of Australia and can be unfairly stereotyped. Stereotyping, particularly in a social context, is unfortunately inevitable. Hofstede’s value dimensions theory/ Harris and Moran’s cultural profiles Furthermore, Hofstede’s value dimensions theory discusses- in this case, a high-level of- uncertainty avoidance and the extent in which the feel threatened by ambiguous situations. Although this isn’t highly prevalent in Australia, it is however relevant to this situation, as there are signs of high levels of violence and misconduct (in the eyes of the law). This demographic of people also has a high level of collectivism, as they have heavy focus on family/ religion (nepotism) and also high external locus of control. They also tend to have more of a masculine skew to their culture, with â€Å"assertiveness, materialism and a lack of concern for other† (Christopher and Dersky, 2012). Recommendations Due to the situation exponentially becoming worse, it is recommended that the local and state governments provide a number of induction/education seminars on Australian culture, to aid in the transition into Australian life. Another recommendation would be to provide information days (in the local area and at high schools) for universities/TAFEs to encourage high school students to further their education- resulting in them applying themselves in a positive fashion, rather than turning to violence due to lack of mental stimulation, which will then lead to gainful employment. This would not only assist immigrants in the gradual transition into the local culture, but also would facilitate their acceptance within the greater community and encourage the youth further their education and community involvement. By proactively aiding in this transition and encouraging the youth to further educate themselves, it may reduce the amount of conflict between cultures and also hasten the â€Å"cycle of culture shock†, described by Oberg- ultimately resulting in a happier community. And not resulting like it did for Peter Roberts, having to move â€Å"to a safe haven on the north side- looking back not in anger, but disbelief† (Roberts, 2013). Conclusion This article depicts how cultures can often not mix well together and furthermore how if it isn’t managed efficiently and effectively it can lead to devastating consequences. Although this is an extreme case, with shootings, rapes and general discriminative behaviour, it shows that if the transition isn’t properly managed how far it can go wrong. Through the explanation, analysis and use of theoretical principles and relevant cross cultural management topics, it is clear that people can make a relatively smooth transition into a new culture and society, if it is managed efficiently and effectively. This would occur not only in the situation that has been exemplified in the article, but also in a within a business context- where it is markedly more important.