Christian Values and Americas Historical Documents Essay Example for Free

Christian Values and Americas Historical Documents Essay While socially networking, a person will run into many different opinions on all topics. People have their own beliefs and ways of looking at things, so when I was expounding on my ideas, the inevitable topic of religion was brought up. As much as the Golden Rule flows through most religions, there are people who are not able to put their ego aside and open their minds to the simplest possibilities. The specifics of this topic were of such that the United States was founded on Christianity. Religion and politics are highly volatile topics and most people will only argue emotionally instead of stopping and critically thinking about any information they may be given on these two subjects. Many people believe that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were founded on Christian values, but in closer examination, they both have vague wording and Deist beliefs. Counterarguments There are several reasons that people believe that the historic documents of the United States were written with Christian values in mind. One reason is, in the 19th Century, a movement started which believed that the settlers were led here by the hand of God (Allison, 1998). This was a popular belief and many people still hold true to this belief. It is taught in public schools that the colonists came over from England because of religious persecution. Another argument for this way of thinking is that, because of the belief that God showed the settlers where to go, that He also must have had led the Founding Fathers to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (Allison, 1998). This lead to the belief that God is needed to preserve not only religious institutions, but also democracy. Human rights are seen to be given by God, which, in a nation that was intolerant of non-Christians, meant the Judeo-Christian God (Cherry, MD, 2011). Our Founding Fathers separated Church and state, but not God and state. Church and state and God and state are sometimes seen as  the same idea, which can be confusing, even to a Christian. In addition to this, many believe that this country was founded with Christian values because of a statement that was made in Madison’s Federalist Paper Number 37 where it states, that only, â€Å"†¦ a finger of that Almighty hand† could have shown him the insight to write the Constitution (Ferguson, 1987). United States Constitution The United States Constitution was written in such a way as to be intentionally vague and without Christian values, but Deist values instead. The Constitutional Convention had many problems in coming up with this historic document. Every man that attended this convention had their own ideas and ways to convey what they believed needed to be included in this document. Vague Wording Ben Franklin’s ambiguous wording in the Declaration of Independence led Madison to exaggerate the wording even further in the Constitution. The intentionally ambiguous wording that Madison used in the Constitution was used â€Å"to bring conformity within a divided country,† (Ferguson, 1987, p. 159). In the 14th Amendment it states, â€Å"Any person†¦,† but when this document was written African-Americans were not considered people, so Jim Crow Laws were kept in place in many areas of the country. In the convention meetings leading up to what the Founding Fathers wrote to become the Constitution, compromises were made. In the second amendment, it states that people have a right to keep and bare arms. What makes this vague is that most of us take this to mean any, and all people, but what the Constitutional Framers meant was to indicate those that were in the militias. So, those â€Å"people† that were in the â€Å"militias† could keep and bare â€Å"arms,† not just anyone could. Deist Beliefs The Constitution forms a secular document and is in no way related to God (Walker, 2004). God was not forgotten in the writing of the Constitution. This omission was purposely done to keep the government and religion separate from each other. The Constitution’s preamble starts out â€Å"We the people†¦,† and clearly states the intention of the men who framed the Constitution, including â€Å"establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility,  provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity†¦.† Nowhere in the Constitution is the word God, so there would be no mistake as to the thoughts of Madison. The First Amendment to the Constitution even states that, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof†¦,† which means that the government is not supposed to support any one religion or to stop any individual from practicing their religion or lack thereof. Religionists and atheists are able to equally practice their belief system because of this. This alone is a contradiction to the First Commandment, which demands fealty to a specific god (Trent, 2012). The Constitution’s confusion stems from the ambiguous wording of the Declaration of Independence. Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence’s wording and belief system is not only vague, but also Deist. This historic document did not take sides and was intentionally meant in an unbiased way. This can be shown in several different ways. Vague Wording Ambiguity in the wording of this document by Ben Franklin tends to give many the misunderstanding by using phrases such as, â€Å"Nature’s God† and â€Å"their Creator,† which leads people who are Christian, by default, to the thought that this is a Christian-based document. Wording such as this is intentionally vague, because it comes from the belief in a higher power; whatever that may be to each individual as opposed to strictly Christian beliefs. The intentionally vague wording, such as, â€Å"unalienable rights† and â€Å"laws of nature,† transcends the political, and even the religious, arguments of from where these rights came from and by whom they were given. One of the words in the introduction is necessary and when this document was written, this word had a much more significant meaning than we have today for it. Back then, it meant that it was something that was made in association with fate and was beyond control of human agents. An example of this meaning is the Revolutionary War was going to happen and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The division of the people between England and the settlers could not have been repaired by anyone or anything. Deist Belief System As it is stated in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Deism is a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th Century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe. The Founding Fathers, such as Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and several others, were only strictly Christian in appearance, but Christian-Deist in belief. These men followed the works of philosophers, such as Descartes and Voltaire. This led these men to question Christian beliefs. Believing in what the classic philosophers wrote, had the Founding Fathers put the test of reason to every idea and assumption. When they put this test to religion, they found they needed to strip away revelation, which led to Deism (Johnson, 2004). The Founding Fathers were very closed-mouth about their personal religion, but encouraged religious tolerance and a belief in God. When writing the Declaration of Independence, they were in reality writing the reason of their actions to the rest of the world for why they did what they did. In short, it was a foreign policy document. The second and most famous paragraph of the Declaration of Independence states that the Founding Fathers believed that it was self-evident that all men are created equal. The Creator, as is believed by any one person, granted all men with certain rights; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which is given by the universe’s natural laws. This one belief shows that at least some of the Founding Fathers were Deists, as this is a Deist belief. The Declaration of Independence is interpreted many different ways to fit neatly into everyone’s individual belief system, when it should just be read the way it is, and not try to make more of it than it is. The Declaration of Independence is a statement of why everyone deserves liberty and freedom. Conclusion The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were written without Christian values because when the settlers came to America they were trying to get away from a government that was telling them what to do and how to believe without the â€Å"voice of the people† reaching those in power. If the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written with Christian values, the Founding Fathers would not have put in  the segments about religious freedom into these documents. I believe that if Christian values were used to write the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, that religious freedom would not have been a part of these historic documents. Everyone has their own way at which they look at and perceive things, and they will make things fit into their belief system to make it easier for them to understand. Sometimes, this is not necessarily the way that things in history were meant to be interpreted, such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We are taught this in school through text books, at home with taught beliefs, and political affiliations see this topic differently, but if we break out of the mold, and try to think for ourselves, we can learn and enjoy from the simple beauty in which these documents were written. With an open mind, we are more apt to realize the original intent of historical events and documents. References Allison, J. (1998). Declaration of Independence: Its Purpose. Retrieved from http://candst.tripod.com/doipurp.htm Cherry, MD, R. R. (2011). American Judeo-Christian Values and the Declaration of Independence. Retrieved from http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.9876/pub-detail.asp Ferguson, R. A. (1987). Ideology and the Framing of the Constitution. Early American Literature, 22(1987), 157-165. Formisano, R. P., Pickering, S. (2009). The Christian Nation Debate and Witness Competency. Journal of the Early Republic, 29(Summer), 219-248. Johnson, R. L. (2004). The Deist Roots of the United States of America. Retrieved from http://www.deism.com/deistamerica.htm Rubicondior, R. (2012). Founded on Christian Principles? Retrieved from http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com/2012/04/founded-on-christian-principles.html Trent, B. (2012). First Amendment or First Commandment. Up Front, May-June (N/A), 10-11, 37. Walker, J. (2004). The Government of the United States of American is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion. Retrieved from http://www.nobeliefs.com/Tripoli.htm

Benito Mussolini :: essays research papers

Benito Mussolini   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Benito Mussolini was the founder of Italian Fascism and premier of Italy ruling as a dictator from about 1925 until his dismissal in 1943. Mussolini was born to a socialist blacksmith. As a child he was unruly and undisciplined. He shared his fathers views picking up other ideas from authors of the time. Mussolini became a schoolteacher and journalist. He spent several years in Switzerland and took Rachele Guidi as is wife, they had five children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1913 Mussolini became editor of the Milan Socialist newspaper Avanti! When World War 1 began in 1914 he first opposed Italy's involvement, until he changed his mind, saying that Italy should take a stand with the Allies. This got him expelled from the socialist party. He soon founded his own paper, Il popolo d'italia, which became the backbone of his Fascist movement. He then served in the Army until he was wounded in 1917.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1919 Mussolini and some other war veterans founded a nationalistic revolutionary group called the Fasci di Combattimento. His movement turned into powerful radicalism, obtaining support from landowners in the Po valley, industrialists, and many army officers. Fascist blackshirt squads carried on civil war with Socialists, Communists, Catholics, and Liberals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In October 1922 Mussolini secured permission from King Victor Emmanuel lll to form a coalition government. In 1925-26, after a lengthy crisis with the parliament following the killing of the Socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti, he imposed a Totalarian Dictatorship. His Corperative State came to terms with Italian Capitalism but abolished the free trade unions. In 1929 he ended conflict with the church through the Lateran Treaty of 1929.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the 1930's Mussolini turned to an aggressive foreign policy, conquering Ethiopia(1935-36) and helping General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In 1936 he joined with Hitler's Germany and soon formed a military alliance(1939). In 1939 Mussolini ordered his armies to occupy Albania. However he kept out of World War ll until 1940, when the fall of France was imminent and the Germans seemed to be winning the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a series of Italian military disasters in Greece and North Africa, the leaders of his party abandoned him. The king dismissed him on July 25,1943 and had him arrested. On September 12 the Germans rescued him, making him puppet head of a government in northern Italy. In April 1945 Mussolini and

Consumer Culture in the Twenty First Century Essay

Consumer Culture plays a significant role in our everyday lives. The articles In Praise of Consumerism and Needing The Unnecessary; The Democratization of Luxury by James Twitchell show strong arguments in favour of consumer culture. Both articles focus on how important consumerism has become in the modern commercial world and how more people wealthy or middle class are buying luxury items to be accepted by others in society. People in today’s society who buy luxury items find it â€Å"arousal seeking† and it is believed that consumerism will soon be the new world culture. These two articles show similar views on consumerism and hold valid information in favour of consumer culture. Korten shows that the transition from an Empire to Earth Community would be alot easier without the increase in consumerism in the 21st century. James Twitchell wrote an article In Praise of Consumerism about how consumerism is a significant part of everyday life. Commercialism is in practically everything that we encounter on a day to day basis. It is in the water we swim in, the air we breathe, our sunlight and shade. In our society you can’t consume an object without consuming meaning which is a major part of the modern commercial world. People like having things and it has come down to the quality and quantity of what you have as to how you are perceived by others in society. Twitchell states in his article that the American Century will be the next era and that it will likely be the commandeer of the 21st century. So basically American culture is well on its way to being recognized and used by cultures all over the world. It will soon be the new world culture. Korten states that the United States has been the world’s most aggressive national proponent of economic growth and consumerism as the tickets to happiness; however what did clearly increase in the United States over this period were measures of depression, anxiety, distrust and psychological dysfunction. Although this article focuses on consumerism being a positive development for the 21st century, Korten shows that along with consumerism comes many personal and social issues. In the article Needing The Unnecessary: The Democratization of Luxury he talks about how consumerism has changed from the 1950s to the twenty first century. In the 1950’s the wealthy upper class people were the ones who had  the luxury items and they could flaunt what they had. But if you were a middle class person who had luxury items you had to be very subtle about it. If you flaunted what you had you were frowned upon by other people in society because luxury items were lightly tainted with shame. In the 21st century it is completely the opposite. Since the 1980’s more middle class people have been buying more luxury items as opposed to the wealthy. Alot of people are buying things they can’t afford with money they don’t have by using credit cards, loans, mortgages and cash advances. This allows more middle class people to buy more luxury items as opposed to wealthy people, but this doesn’t mean they can actually afford it which in time can cau se many more problems. According to Twitchell to understand the material culture in the beginning of the 21st century, you have to understand the high importance of unnecessary material. It is believed that you are what you consume and practically everything you consume is not needed. Consumer culture focuses on community. People regardless of their class are buying more luxury items to look cool and also to be admired and welcomed by others of the same lifestyles. Earth Community offers an alternative to the alienation and the sorrows of Empire, a way of living that places life values ahead of financial principles of domination. Korten shows that in an Earth Community you don’t need luxury items to be accepted by society. Consumerism focuses on providing society with its unnecessary and necessary needs. Twitchell believes that in this post modern world we have replaced the knowledge of production with the knowledge of consumption. To justify this way of thinking many people feel that nowadays not everyone is a worker but everyone is a consumer. So why not focus on educating society on the area that will be useful for all. Twitchell believes that what you buy becomes more important than what you make therefore luxury is not a goal, it is a necessity. Twitchell believes that Humans are consumers by nature. Consuming luxury has gone from telic (arousal reducing) to paratelic (arousal seeking). Consumerism provides individuals with a temporary â€Å"high on life†. Buying new things makes them feel momentarily happy, powerful and superior. These are all good feelings however they don’t last and many people who don’t have the resources to buy luxury items are buying them. This creates  for them debt, stress, frustration and competitiveness. Those who can’t afford these luxury items show resentment for the ones who can. This causes tension in society and can create an Empire where people are competitive and hostile. The golden rule of Earth Community is do unto your neighbours as you would have your neighbour do unto you as you work together to create a better life for all. Consumerism is focused towards making individuals happy as opposed to everyone. Those people who can’t afford to have the nice things are forced to live with daily reminders through advertisements of things they want but cannot have. Consumerism doesn’t create a better life for all but creates one for those who can afford it. Consumers are fully aware that they are more interested in consuming appearances rather than the object. They enjoy the status that surrounds the objects they buy/own. Korten’s concept of Earth Community is in favour of creating relationships and developing communities by bringing people together. Twitchell makes a good argument showing how consumerism has brought people together. People can now blend into society by simply buying the latest fashions and are no longer being excluded due to their ethnicity, social status, family name, language or religion. High-end items are decreasing the past social restrictions for the 21st century. Twithcell states that high-end consumption promises to do exactly what critics of stuff have always yearned from namely, to bring us together, often traumatically. The transgenerational poor are excluded, as the bottom fifth of our population has not budged an inch in the luxe explosion. Yet more people than ever are entering the much-vaunted global village because of consumption, not despite it. Consumerism is allowing for most people similarities that connect them together and eliminate the previous gaps between social classes. Korten states that relationships, not money are the true measure of well-being. What matters most is our connection to and participation in the life of community. If we were to define human progress by the measure of human happiness we would devote far less of our resources to making money and far more to building community. Korten shows that relationships are more important than money and Twitchell shows that consumerism can help build relationships. As a supporter of David Korten’s concept of Earth Community consumerism makes people more interested in material possessions than community. Consumerism does have some good affects on the community but it restricts people moving away from an Empire towards an Earth Community. If people weren’t so busy trying to get the things they desired they would focus more on meaningful relationships. Korten shows that people who have lots of money are just as happy as people who don’t. When surrounded in a caring community money makes little difference in regards to happiness. Twitchell makes an interesting argument in favour of consumerism and shows that consumerism has an ability to fade the lines between social classes. Consumerism still ignores the extremely poor; however, it can create a larger community of middle and upper class. Works Cited Look Smart; In Praise of Consumerism. James B. Twitchell, Online Edition. Look Smart; Needing the Unnecessary: The Democratization of Luxury. James B. Twitchell, Online Edition. Berrett-Koehler Publishers; The Great Turning from Empire to Earth Community. David C. Korten, San Francisco, CA

Simon and Smith Who Is Your Target Audience Free Essay Example, 1750 words

Advantages. Market expansion takes place when other strategies have reached its saturation point and changing a customer base is needed (Pradhan, 2007, p. 113). Attracting young people as new customers did not mean that the old customers are being left out. The retail strategy will only be adjusted on acquiring new customers while existing customers are retained because it is important to understand that different customers have different needs and demands. The business will grow in a profitable relationship and at the same time, it will create a valuable competitive advantage. The retailers must acknowledge that the young generation constitutes a large population compared to the old market. Therefore, this innovation strategy would surely bring more profits to the business. Nobody can tell the intensity of population growth in Brookline if the place becomes more industrialized. If this will happen, for sure several shopping centers will arise and a fiercely competitive environment will be created. For the business to cultivate an internal framework, purpose, and culture, it must rapidly adapt to the new opportunities no matter what are the threats and challenges involved (Barnett, 2008). Disadvantages. We will write a custom essay sample on Simon and Smith: Who Is Your Target Audience or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page They should consider their capabilities as retailers and also the attractiveness of the retail market. The business can adapt the market position matrix or competitive position matrix to determine its position in terms of market attractiveness and the retailer s competitive position.