Miracles provide great hope for a hurting world Essay Example for Free

Miracles provide great hope for a hurting world Essay Miracles can provide great hope for a hurting world because they can be a last resort when all else fails. If someone has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and doctors have given up on them, the hope for a miracle can be the only thing that keeps them from total despair. When nature seems insufferably cruel, believing that God can overcome nature is infinitely reassuring. Miracles also reaffirm the believer’s faith, thus providing hope. Miracles by their very nature are sign that reveal God’s great nature. For example, the Bible records that when Jesus was crucified a great darkness covered the land. This miracle has been historically verified by contemporary middle-Eastern historians Thallus and Africanus. Miracles such as this can be used to convert people to God and give them a sense that he cares for them, thus providing hope. Theologians such as Dr Michael Brown assert that miracles are proof of God’s continued presence in this world through the Holy Spirit, and if we pray earnestly we may be able to experience a miracle. Jesus himself said, â€Å"ask and it shall be given unto you. † Finally, miracles point to an eternal hope beyond this world. They suggest that this world is not all there is; there is another much greater world that we catch glimpses of through miracles. The miracle central to Christianity – Christ’s resurrection – can give a hurting person hope. Christ said that, â€Å"In my father’s house there are many rooms, I will go to prepare a place for you. † Even if they are not healed in this world, the miracle of the crucifixion gives them the hope that they can experience heaven. On the other hand, miracles may not provide hope and happiness because they are so sporadic and seemingly random. Wiles said that miracles were the work of, â€Å"a capricious and arbitrary God. † By this he was referring to the fact that God heals some and not others. Why doesn’t God heal all sick children, instead of a select few? This calls God’s traits into question. If he was omnibenevolent he would want to heal everyone, and if he was omnipotent he would have the power to do so. But he doesn’t, so this calls his very existence into question. Therefore miracles do not provide hope. Dawkins also disagrees with the premise that miracles could provide hope. He claimed that miracles were simply events that fell towards the end of the probability spectrum, and if they do occur they are immense luck. He believes that there is no point in raising people’s hopes for an event that statistically will never occur to them. Many believers, particularly more conservative ones, would believe that miracles and wonders have mostly ceased in our time and what the hurting world really needs for hope is faith. Scholars such as Dr James White believe that modern churches that place far too much emphasis on needing miracles for hope are pushing people away from true, saving faith in Christ. Jesus himself chastised the people for only wanting to see signs and wonders rather than having true faith. Furthermore, miracles are not what is needed to provide hope for a hurting world. Science is. Instead of wasting time praying for individual healings, we should pour out time and energy into discovering cures and vaccines instead. Atheists such as Hawking use smallpox as an example. The human race was able to eradicate this disease through effort, intelligence and science. There was no need for divine intervention to cause hope. Overall, even if miracles are not real, what is wrong with giving desperate people a bit of hope? Nearly all nations have their own accounts of miracles which bring their people hope, it is unlikely they are all wrong.

Dolores Huerta :: essays research papers

1. Dolores Huerta was a member of Community Service Organization (â€Å"CSO†), a grass roots organization. The CSO confronted segregation and police brutality, led voter registration drives, pushed for improved public services and fought to enact new legislation. Dolores Huerta wanted to form an organization that fought of the interests of the farm workers. While continuing to work at CSO Dolores Huerta founded and organized the Agricultural Workers Association in 1960. Dolores Huerta was key in organizing citizenship requirements removed from pension, and public assistance programs. She also was instrumental in passage of legislation allowing voters the right to vote in Spanish, and the right of individuals to take the driver’s license examination in their native language. Dolores Huerta moved on to working with Cesar Chavez. Dolores was the main person at National Farm Workers Association (â€Å"NFWA†) who negotiated with employers and organized boycotts, strikes, demonstrations and marches for the farm workers. 2. Possibly when Dolores Huerta first started working and really was unknown. Employers were not intimidated by her. Dolores would hear sexist comments and would ignore them. Dolores soon proves to anyone who doubted her why she was the negotiator and why she was important to the United Farm Workers union. Once she was heard people started to respect Dolores. Soon enough Dolores Huerta was given the nickname â€Å"Dragon lady,† because she was a fierce negotiator and organizing the rights of farm workers. 3. Dolores Huerta was the main negotiator during the Delano grape strike. In 1965 Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez were approached by Filipino members of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee ("AWOC"). AWOC wanted higher wages from the Delano are grape growers. AWOC wanted to negotiate new contracts with their employers but they needed the help of Huerta and Chavez. The NFWA was still new and growing although Huerta thought that NFWA was not ready to attack corporate America she could not refuse to help AWOC. The two unions formed into one union called United Farm Workers union. Under this the union Dolores began the battle with the Delano grape growers. Dolores organized over 5,000 workers to walk off their job and to strike until they could reach an agreement with their employers.

Automobile Drivers Essay

Multi tasking has become common thing in today’s busy world. It is common to find somebody a person typing on the personal computer while taking his or her favorite drink and at the same time making a point to his friend on the other end of the line on the cellphone. This trend has been adopted by many in the current busy world. Many have argued that such an act saves time and allows somebody to accomplish so many asks within a given time. To some it has been a successful adventure but to others it has resulted to serious repercussions. Drivers have also been tempted to multitask while on the wheel, this is one of the most dangerous things to do while on the road. Use of cell phones while driving has become so common such that it attracted lawmakers’ attention as it is a disaster waiting to happen in this country. This habit has been equated to drunken driving which has claimed so many lives and left other serious injured through road accidents which have occurred in the recent past. Use of cell phone while driving is such a dangerous habit which puts the life of those driving and their passengers at risk. It is high time that a law was enacted prohibiting this particular practice before it gets out of hand. (Sturnquist, D 2006 29) Drivers who use the cellular phones either on hands free or handheld are as impaired as those who drive under the influence of alcohol. This was according to a research that was carried out by researchers from the University of Utah. The research showed that the use of hands free is just as distracting as the handheld mobile phones. To address this distraction the study recommended for the outlawing the use of cell phones while on the wheel. Use of the cell phone while driving has been known to cause physical and cognitive distraction on the driver, to start with when the phone rings the driver has to look for the phone, this means that his or her attention will be distracted as he picks the phones to answer the call. By the time the drivers mind hit back on the road an accident may have occurred or he might been forced to slow down to concentrate on the phone resulting into a traffic jam. This causes inconveniences to other road users and at the same time threatens the life of the driver as it is hard to concentrate in two involving tasks at the same time. Drivers who text while driving are even at a greater risk as this activity requires full attention than receiving or making a call. They need to look at different keys so that they can write a comprehensive text, in the course of locating these keys their eyes are off the road oftenly. It only takes a few seconds for a driver to make a mistake and through a flash of second an accident will have occurred. If strict laws were enacted prohibiting the use of short text messaging while the driver is on the road the number of accidents that have been occurring due to such a habit will be minimal. Some cities have put these laws in place and the results have been seen. The number of people driving while texting have decreased and so is the accidents. (Sturnquist, D 2006 30) Talking on the phone while driving is equally dangerous as texting, the driver will first be distracted by the ringing tone as the phone alerts him or her. This distraction can come at a time when the driver was at a point where maximum attention was required. This will drift the drivers’ attention from the road to the phone. To reach for the ringing phone or search for it the eyes will be moved from the road to the direction of the phone. The driver will have to remove one hand from the steering wheel and receive the call. As the conversation begins the drivers attention will be further drifted away to get the details. In such a situation he or she may not be in a position to apply brakes in case a pedestrian is closing the road or an approaching car comes by his side. The driver may also get news which might make him or her excited or greatly disturb. This will lead to loss of concentration as the driver tries to come in to terms with the news. He forgets that he was on the road as the mind tries to solve the current issue. At this point the driver is not in full control of the vehicle. Anything that requires an immediate action will make the driver panic and an accident will have occurred. (McDonald, K 2006 31) The use of cellular phones by automobile drivers is as dangerous as driving under the influence of the alcohol or even performing other tasks such as eating, operating a radio. The policy makers should come up with the strict laws which will restrict such a practice as it the only way through which the road carnage will decrease. Though cellular phones are convenient to use as people can communicate promptly regardless of the distance, it should be used cautiously especially for those who are driving as it might lead to serious repercussions. Whether one is sending a short message, making or receiving a call it equally dangerous as all these activities leads to the distraction of the driver. This distraction might cost one life or lead to the inconveniences of other road users. Prohibiting the use of cellular phones for the drivers might not be taken positively by the cellular service providers and the drivers themselves but it might be the only way through which the government can ensure that road accidents have been reduced. Use of phone while driving should be taken as dangerous driving as it risks the life of the drivers and other passengers as well as other road users. If drunken driving has been prohibited other dangerous habits should be outlawed so as the safety of the road users can be guaranteed. Work Cited McDonald, K Shifting Out of Pack, Lawyers and Judges Publishing (2006) Sturnquist, D Mobile Phones and Driving, Nova Publishers (2006)

Alice s Three Gifts By Louisa May Alcott - 1904 Words

â€Å"It’s amazing how lovely common things become, if one only knows how to look at them† (Alcott). A woman by the name of Louisa May Alcott said this in one of her books titled Marjorie s Three Gifts. When Alcott mentions this, she brings up the idea that everyday objects can be beautiful, and that it depends on how you look at them. This difference in the way people view everyday objects is the difference between just walking past something or stopping to admire the object. There are many ways to view beauty, and because of this, many people do not see beauty in the same things. When it comes to myself, this is also true. I am able to see beauty differently than others because I see beauty in a unique way. I view beauty as different areas of the body being able to detect different features of an object and therefore allowing people to feel pleasure from a variety of objects as a result. Many people have written articles about the varying views of beauty. One example of this is Richard Monastersky’s article called â€Å"A Billion Years of Beauty† that talks about beauty in history. In this article, Monastersky specifically talks about how some people view a dinosaur skeleton as beautiful. He also talks about the process of replicating fossils due to the inability of being able to take the original fossil due to their location. People went back and forth discussing if the replica of the fossil was art because of the fossil itself, or if the fossil was art because of theShow MoreRelatedA Feminist Study of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women5846 Words   |  24 PagesA FEMINIST STUDY OF LOUSIA MAY ALCOTT’S LITTLE WOMEN CONTENTS Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Little Women and the Feminist Imagination 3 Chapter 2 Jo March: A Woman Ahead of her Times 10 Conclusion 17 Bibliography 19 Introduction If the first woman God ever made was strongRead MoreChildrens Literature13219 Words   |  53 PagesChildrens texts written by child or adolescent authors, such as Daisy Ashfords The Young Visiters(1919) or Anne Franks Het Achterhuis (1947; The Diary of a Young Girl, 1952), are exceptions to the rule. Many famous childrens authors, such as Louisa May Alcott and Lewis Carroll, produced family magazines as children, and bits of their juvenilia were reworked into published childrens books. More often, childrens books result from the collaboration or direct inspiration of a specific child or group