It is not possible to be a disciple of Jesus in the modern world Essay Example for Free

It is not possible to be a disciple of Jesus in the modern world Essay It is not possible to be a disciple of Jesus in the modern world I disagree with this statement, although I recognise that it is not always easy to be a disciple I believe it is possible for those who have faith. We are first called to discipleship at Baptism where the father of the child lights a candle from the Pascal candle as a sign of his responsibility to enable his son/daughter to grow in full faith. I believe that faith makes everything possible, if we have faith in God and his teaching we can achieve our hopes and dreams. If we have faith then living, as a true disciple is part of our way of life, we as Christians in todays world should try to live our lives as Jesus lived his. Without faith what meaning would life itself have for us, what would be the use in perusing life if it had no meaning to us. If we believe then we can reach goals and discipleship can bring joy and purpose to our lives we can achieve goals and targets we set for ourselves. Nothing is impossible to he who believes Faith in God is not always easy to maintain; if we pick up a newspaper what headings do we usually see? Usually something related to drugs, alcohol, kidnapping, and murder. What example is this setting to children? While there parents are teaching them about how caring we should be, and how we should love our neighbour as ourselves, these children look at the newspapers or even the news and see people who have lost arms or legs as someone has shot them. What kind of example is this of loving your neighbour? What affect is this going to have on these children in the long term? They will grow up with the opinion that this is acceptable and everybody does it why should they be different to the rest? To be a true disciple we must have immense faith in God, if we have faith nothing is impossible. But there are many difficulties which disciples of Jesus have to face when trying to carry out the work of God, one of the most difficult to deal with is peer pressure. Many people, particularly the young people, feel unable to resist the pressures put upon them by their peers and therefore behave in a way which goes against the teaching of the gospel. There are many pressures maybe to smoke, drink, vandalise others property, tell lies, use foul language, and have a sexual relationship before marriage. If enough pressure is put on these people it is very difficult to say no! And therefore they are going against the teaching of Jesus not because they want to it is because they are not strong enough to resist temptation, and they are afraid others will treat them differently. Other pressures come from the media we usually get a picture from the media of very anti-Christian values and standards. Take magazines for example they tell stories of unmarried people having a sexual relationship or young people smoking and drinking, and this is all classed as Normal and acceptable in our world. They do not present the Christian way of life as being worthwhile and Cool or up to date. We also get a lot of anti-Christian standards from the television, films, and videos. These can have a very powerful influence on the lives of many people; most soap operas and films present a non-Christian way of life. How often do you see a Christian family in a soap opera, and if there is Christian families do you ever notice that they always seem to be laughed at by the rest of the families as they are seen to be out of date and definetly not trendy. Television I believe influences many people, who is going to get up early on a Sunday morning to watch the Christian services carried out in different chapels, while they could be watching Eastenders or a popular music show! There are many ways television influences us they give us pictures of what is normal in our society such as sex before marriage, abortions are acceptable, divorce is a fact of life, the only purpose in life is to search for pleasure, and violence is acceptable and part of everyday life. Media can make Christians feel confused and unsure of their own beliefs The way of life presented by the media is often made to seem more attractive, more enjoyable, easier, and more glamorous. However we as Christians should always remember that Jesus never promised that being a disciple would be easy, in fact we must deny ourselves take up our cross and follow him. We should make up our minds whether we want to be a disciple; many people are unable or incapable to make such decisions in life because of addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, and solvent abuse. Becoming addicted to any of these can make people lose all sense of reality of right and wrong, of what being a Christian really means. If a person is not in total control of their life then being a Christian is almost an impossible task. The family is an extremely important unit and source of Christian discipleship in our society, it is within the family that children first learn about the love of God, right and wrong and acceptable and unacceptable modes of behaviour. Parents are the first teachers of their children and the church relies on these parents to pass on the faith to their children by what they say and through their actions. There are many broken families in todays society and many children do not receive the Christian teaching and example, which they need, such as love and understanding and therefore grow up not using the example in their life. So to be a good disciple is extremely difficult but not impossible. In todays world there are many distractions and other Gods, which can lure us away from love of the one true God. Things such as money, possessions, wealth, search for pleasure, and success, laziness, indifference, friends, and Greed. These things all tempt us in many different ways, it is as if they are trying to make us forget our first priority which is God. The easier route in life is often to give into these temptations, to become distracted by worldly and materialistic values and to become neglectful to our Christian duties. If we consider all the pressures people today face we see that it is not always an easy task to follow Jesus through thick and thin, but it is not an impossible one. When Jesus chose his first disciples he knew that it would not be easy for them, nor is it easy for us in the twentieth century. The world as we know it is becoming less and less accommodating to the Christian way of life and it is not going to get any easier, this is why we should never give up and our faith should see us through even the worse times in life. We should not become what society wants to become and is encouraging us to become we should not be lured away from God so we can fit in and act like people want us to. This is the challenge of Christian discipleship.

AIDS: The Search for a Cure :: Free AIDS Essays

AIDS: The Search for a Cure 788,400 minutes In 1999 the New York health department released figures indicating that after diagnosis of full blown AIDS, patients had an average of 19 months left to live: 788,400 minutes. These figures with only about 20 years of knowledge to work with: the AIDS virus didn’t start appearing in the United States until the late seventies, and was unacknowledged until the 80’s, making AIDS research a relatively new field. First stigmatized and associated with unsafe homosexual sex and then mainstreamed when professional basketball player Magic Johnson announced he was infected, AIDS awareness has come a long way. AIDS education through schools, public service announcements, and government organizations has informed the populace of the various ways the disease is spread. Media attention in the mid-90s promoted research and drug development for HIV and AIDS, but in more recent years it seems to have been dropped from public consciousness. With over 800,000 people living with AID S in the United States today it is our public amenability to provide adequate care for patients and to study the virus, that we might work towards education and a cure. The Facts Although there may never be a definitive cure for AIDS, the chances are very good that a vaccine will be developed for HIV, saving the lives of millions and eventually also saving our citizens billions and billions of dollars in health care. However, it takes a long time for drugs to be researched and made available on the market. Teams of highly trained and educated scientists spend many hours in the laboratory to develop medicine capable of combating the AIDS virus. All of this requires money. Experienced scientists must be paid accordingly, and it can take 20 years of research to test one drug. This time is precious to those suffering from disease and patients sometimes take dangerous risks, buying drugs from other countries before they have been approved in the U.S. or taking completely untested drugs. Plus, even when millions are already spent, if the product is ineffective or has counterproductive side effects the work is started all over again. In the private sector, the money for drug research comes from investors who hope to make a profit once the medication is on the market. Drug companies have to make enough money to cover the costs of production and their investors, this is one reason prescription drugs are so expensive for consumers.

Preparation

Classrooms no longer have to be In a building In a school. Students can now take classes at schools around the country and world without actually having to attend In person. This has given students the ability to reach more goals. Those who want to go back to school are no longer limited to local universities and colleges but now can choose from a broad range of programs. This lack of limitations is making it easier for people to get the education they need.It opens them up to possibilities they might to have had otherwise. The ability to earn your degree online has made It possible for people with other commitments to still get the education they want and need. This technology has made it possible for them to take classes and complete them on their own time fitting it into their schedule. They are able to design a course load that allows them to care for their family and even work a full time Job and still get the education they are looking for.For many, making the decision of what school to attend Is the hardest art of the process. Taking the time to visit remedying. Com could prove to be very helpful in your decision making process. There Is no doubt that technology has become heavily Integrated Into our everyday lives. Classes at schools around the country and world without actually having to attend in choose from a broad range of programs. This lack of Limitations Is making it easier for people to get the education they need.It opens them up to possibilities they might The ability to earn your degree online has made It possible for people with other It into their schedule. They are able to design a course load that allows them to care looking for. For many, making the decision of what school to attend is the hardest There is no doubt that technology has become heavily integrated into our everyday Classrooms no longer have to be in a building in a school. Students can now take The ability to earn your degree online has made it possible for people with other

What Is Forgery

Forgery refers to faking a signature without permission, making a false document or another object, or changing an existing document or another object without authorization. The most common form of forgery is signing someone elses name to a check, but objects, data, and documents can also be forged. The same is true of legal contracts, historical papers, art objects, diplomas, licenses, certificates, and identification cards.​ Currency and consumer goods can also be forged, but that crime is usually referred to as counterfeiting. False Writing To qualify as forgery, the writing must have legal significance and be false. Legal significance includes: Government-issued documents such as drivers licenses, passports, and state identification cards.  Transactional documents such as deeds, grants, and receipts.Financial instruments such as money, checks, and stock certificates.Other documents such as wills, medical prescriptions, tokens, and works of art. Passing Forged Material Under common law, forgery originally was limited to making, altering, or falsifying writing. Modern law includes passing or using a forged document with the knowledge that it is forged and the intent to defraud. The legal term for passing a known forgery is uttering. For example, people who use falsified drivers licenses to fake their age and buy alcohol would be guilty of uttering a forged instrument, even though they did not make the fake licenses. The elements of the crime of uttering are: Putting into circulation a document or an object that involves forgery.Intending to defraud.Knowing that the document or object is a forgery. The most common types of forgery involve signatures, prescriptions, and art. Signature Forgery Signature forgery is the act of falsely replicating  another persons signature. The signature can be on a drivers license, a deed, a will, a check, or another document. Placing a signature on a document implies a persons intent to agree with circumstances provided by that document. Another source of identification, such as a fingerprint, doesnt indicate intent; a fingerprint could be obtained from a person who is unconscious, for example. Prescription Forgery Prescription forgery means altering an existing prescription, forging a doctors signature, or creating the prescription in its entirety to get medication for personal use or profit. Many people commit this crime because they are addicted to prescription drugs. The most frequently abused prescription drugs, according to the law enforcement agencies, are Valium (diazepam) Vicodin (hydrocodone), Xanax (alprazolam), OxyContin (oxycodone), Lorcet, Dilaudid, Percocet, Soma, Darvocet, and morphine. Art Forgery Art forgery refers to making, using, and selling fake art. Often that means adding an artists name to a work of art to make it appear to be genuine and original. Art forgery has long been a lucrative business, dating back to 2000 years ago when the Romans made copies of Greek art. According to worldatlas.com, 20% of all artwork to date is fake. The three types of art forgers are someone who: Creates a fake artwork.Finds a piece of art and changes it in an effort to increase its value.Sells a fake copy while suggesting its original art. Intent The intent to deceive or commit fraud or larceny must exist in most jurisdictions for a crime of forgery to be charged. For example, a person could replicate Leonardo da Vincis famous portrait of the Mona Lisa, but unless the person attempted to sell or represent it as the original, the crime of forgery has not occurred. If the person attempted to sell the portrait as the original Mona Lisa, the portrait would be a forgery and the person could be charged with the crime of forgery, regardless of whether they sold the artwork. Possessing Forged Documents A person who possesses a forged document has not committed a crime unless the person knows the document or item is forged and uses it to defraud a person or entity. For example, if a person received a forged check for payment of services rendered, was unaware that the check was forged, and cashed it, then a crime wasnt committed. If someone knew that the check was forged and cashed it, then that person could be held criminally liable in most states. Penalties The penalties for forgery differ between states.  In most states, forgery is classified by degrees—first-, second-, and third-degree—or by class. Often, first- and second-degree forgeries are felonies, and the third degree is a misdemeanor. In all states, the degree of the crime depends on what has been forged and the intent of the forgery. For example, in Connecticut, forgery of symbols is a crime. This includes forging or possessing tokens, public transit transfers, or any other token used instead of money to purchase items or services. Punishment for forgery of symbols is a class A misdemeanor. This is the most serious misdemeanor and is punishable by up to a year in jail and up to a  $2,000 fine. Forgery of financial or official documents is a class C or D felony and subject to up to a 10-year prison sentence and a fine up to $10,000. All other forgery falls under a class B, C, or D  misdemeanor. The punishment can be up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. The punishment increases substantially if a prior conviction is recorded. Sources Signatures Forgery. Norwitch Document Laboratory.Uttering Law and Legal Definition. USLegal.com.What is Art Forgery? Worldatlas.com.