Mormon Church of the Latter Day Saints Research Paper

Mormon Church of the Latter Day Saints - Research Paper Example The wise, prudent and intellectual individuals, by dint of their spiritual thoughtfulness and strong religious belief, rose to the occasion to warn and forbid the people from making alterations in the real teachings of the founders of the religion, so that the true spirit of faith could be rejuvenated out of the misconceptions and amendments inaccurately taken place with the passage of time; the Latter Day Saints Movement was also launched with the same motifs and objectives in view. Launched by Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844) out of some powerful, unabated and unremitting spiritual inspirations, the movement was determined to give up and eradicate every unnecessary addition from the religious norms and beliefs, which had no roots in the faith introduced by Jesus Christ and the saints belonging to the earliest Christian centuries. It is, therefore, the movement is frequently argued to be the fundamentalist movement of restoration for the real teachings of Christ, and its spiritual leade rs are called the latter day saints in order to distinguish them from the early era saints of Christianity. Smith Jr. â€Å"was restoring the only true church which had been lost for centuries due to the corruptions into which all supposedly Christian groups, whether Catholic or Protestant or Orthodox, had fallen.† (Moorhead & Heuser, 1985:1) Hence, like Martin Luther’s reform movement, Mormonism was also interested to mitigate the corruption and exploitation of church being conducted at the hands of religious dogmatism. Mormonism refused to accept the false notion that the historical events, described in the Bible, were just parables; on the contrary, the church strongly believed that all the Biblical stories are based upon the real events occurred from God either as reward on the pious humans for performing excellent deeds, or the punishments for making mischief and going astray from the right path of glory and virtue. Consequently, Noah’s survival in the grea t flood was the sign of the Lord’s blessings upon Noah, his family, and true followers, while the same was the token of His wrath on the disobedient and transgressors. Similarly, Abraham’s seed was bestowed upon with mercies and bounties in the form of spiritual and worldly leadership, while the later generations had to lead the life of slavery because of the malpractices the children of Israel had started committing. For instance, Judah’s scheme of throwing Joseph into the well, and people’s worshipping the golden calf in the absence of Moses invited the wrath of God on transgressors. All these incidents had occurred in reality, so declaring them as the parables and folklores really meant disclaiming the powers of the Lord and His universal system of justice and fair play. Mormon Church also disregards any claim regarding the evolution process and declares Darwin’s evolution theory as baseless and imaginary one in nature and scope.

The father and son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel Essay

The father and son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel - Essay Example Ironically, the way in which this motif permeates the poem gives rise to nearly all of the stages of the story. This essay will argue that the father-son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel demonstrates the implicit vulnerability of all patriarchal relationships; more particularly, this essay will explain how Dryden employs the father-son motif in order to highlight the danger of a patriarch loving uncritically, the danger of a patriarch offering mercy and restraint to enemies, and the painful burdens that patriarchal figures must endure if they are to survive in such a role. The poem begins almost as an apology; it is apologetic because patriarchs and fathers are forgiven in advance for the miseries to be encountered in the current age. This reference to simpler times is introduced in the first few lines, when Dryden offers that, "In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin, Before polygamy was made a sin; When man on many multiplied his kind, Ere one to one was cursedly confined; When nature prompted, and no law denied, Promiscuous use of concubine and bride;" (1-6). The implication is that there was a time when fatherhood implied no predominant obligation; indeed, this reference to pious times views the father-son relationship without the imposition of certain conditions or risks. Having a generalized duty to many people, being promiscuous and without the curse of being confined, the father may pursue his life freely. The patriarch, in short, may interact with others when nature prompts, he may choose and discard his relationships arbitrarily, and he wi ll not be judged a legitimate or illegitimate father by others. The pious times, in effect, were without negative consequences. These pious times, on the other hand, are at an end. The father-son motif, particularly with the birth of Absalom, demonstrates the most immediate vulnerability of patriarchy. Patriarchal consequences arise and vest most forebodingly with the birth of Absalom. The indifference notable in pious times is notably absent; quite the contrary, King David, was borne a son described as "So beautiful, so brave,Whether inspired by some diviner lust, His father got him with a greater gust; Or that his conscious destiny made way, By manly beauty, to imperial sway" (18-22). The "imperial sway" language is particularly significant; it is significant because King David is creating a special place in his heart and in his monarchy for Absalom. There is no longer any indifference; more interesting, the son has been elevated to a position higher than that enjoyed by either King David's other children or by King David's subjects. It is easy to ascribe the villainy to come to Achitophel, and yet the first sign of a faction is created by the father himself. To be more precise, rather than maintaining a strictly patriarchal relation to all men, King David instead elevated the s on whom would later become his enemy and the cause of much sadness. Thus, if Achitophel might be blamed for taking advantage of this father-son relationship, then King David must accept responsibility for having given so much favor to Absalom in the

Text and Image in Landscape Painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Text and Image in Landscape Painting - Essay Example The essay "Text and Image in Landscape Painting" discovers the nature of painting and analyzes text and image in landscape painting. This silk panel is filled with intricate detail, while it retains the impressionistic character of Chinese silk paintings. The brush techniques used allow the deposit of varying amounts of ink from different parts of the brush. The technique took many years of practice to perfect, especially in consideration of the medium and the canvas: ink from solid sticks and silk. The brushes were very soft and it was difficult to learn to control them. One can imagine that many many practice paintings were done before the various techniques were mastered. Chinese silk painting is not an art one can master overnight. It is easy to believe that the artists of the day, including Guo Xi, did extensive travel in order to investigate all the various landscapes around, and then, having once chosen one to paint, spent hours, or even days, contemplating the scene they were going to paint. It is obvious at close inspection that there are many layers to this painting, and knowing the characteristics of the block ink, it had to be done slowly, a little at a time. We can imagine that the artist applied layer after layer of almost transparent ink before daring to add any details with a drier brush. Guo Xi’s document begins with an appreciation of what such paintings can do for busy men, especially rulers and others with heavy responsibility. He also talks about the responsibility of the artist.

Community Oriented Policing Program Research Paper

Community Oriented Policing Program - Research Paper Example Since the implementation of the community-oriented policing, there have been significant changes with the organization of policing in United States. The effectiveness of the community-oriented policing has been attributed to various factors. Community-oriented policing breaks down the barriers separating the community from the police, while at the same time instilling a wider set of community ideals to the police officers (Dempsey & Forst, 2010). Organizationally, community-oriented policing shifted the police policy making from a traditional officialdom to one that stresses on greater environmental-organizational association and coordination. Concurrently, the change to the use of community-oriented policing came along with the crushing of the police hierarchy and the establishment of the harmonized service delivery with a huge number of private and public agencies that impact on the neighborhood safety (Oliver, 2008). These factors have contributed to the effectiveness of community -oriented policing in the reduction of crime in the society.Engaging the CommunityCommunity-oriented policing has from its onset sought to involve the community in public safety matters while establishing and solidifying the ability of the society to fight crime. For example, Operation Weed and Seed stresses on generating an active and noticeable police incidence to impact distressed communities and at the same time do capacity building in the same communities to sustain the benefits once attained (Rogers, 2009).

Law of Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law of Contract - Essay Example Acceptance: This refers to an expression of unconditional agreement that all the terms and conditions in the offer will be adhered to. The acceptance in this case can either be written or oral form and it should reflect the original offer made. Competent persons: In a contract the parties involved should have knowledgeable individuals who are able to handle every issue and agree to all terms and conditions having understood what all of them mean and what they require. Mutuality of obligation: This is a term used in a contract meaning that each individual involved should be ready to show commitment since it is an agreement and the duties assigned if any, should be performed as expected. These are the four main elements of a contract. Law on the other hand, refers to a system of guidelines and rules enforced in social institutions, meant to govern behaviour. Laws are usually made by legislatures in which their formation can be influenced by rights defined therein and constitution which can be written or unwritten. This essay seeks to give more information on contract law and how it applies to real life. Contract law therefore, refers to the set of terms and conditions that ought to be followed b individuals who have participated in making an agreement. Contract is based on the principle that agreements ought to be kept. Contract law is classified as habitual contract under the civil law systems. It is also known to be part of general obligation law along with unjust enrichment, tort and restitution. In this case, the essay will discuss on a condition where the contract law is applied. This essay seeks to make an accurate analysis of the problems raised by the case, identify the legal principles relevant to the case as well as the implication for the contract law and the outcome of the case. There are various sources of contract law which are: Common law Restatement Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) United Nations Convention on Contrasts for the international Sale of Goods (CISG) UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contrasts. Uniform Computer Transactions Act (UCITA) Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-Sign) The case here involves two main participants who are Alan and Dona. Alan is an individual who owns a restaurant that specializes in Italian food. He has recently secures a lucrative booking for a large wedding. One of the participants of the agreement is Donna who is in this case, the bride. She agrees to pay $ 30,000 for the event. This amount is enough to cater for everything to make certain that the event is successful. She goes ahead and pays $ 20,000 where it is agreed that the remaining $10,000 will be paid on the wedding day. This gives a clear impression that Donna as the bride is hiring Alan’s restaurant for the event. Charles turns out to be the chef in Alan’s restaurant. Sometime ago, he designed a beautiful Italian themed menu which will be used at the wedding. Alan is pleased wi th this menu and believes it will work best for the occasion. Alan goes ahead and tells Charles that he will offer him $50 for his effort. Alan goes right ahead and hires Charles Your Dream Builder to carry out some alteration including installing a fountain in the courtyard. Allan sees that the progress is slow and decides to offer an additional $ 1,000 for the progress to be sped up. It is agreed and the refurbishment is finished just at the right time. The wedding day comes and Donna has a wonderful

Women and Men Entrepreneurs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Women and Men Entrepreneurs - Essay Example The British Government estimated that by year 2006, there will be 18 to 20 per cent of women-owned business in United Kingdom (SBS, 2005). However, there are always critics about women's performance at micro and small business entrepreneurship. Some commented that women out performance men, while some do not agree. This paper aimed to discuss about the differences between men and women's entrepreneurs from different aspects in term of personal characteristics, motivation, and ethnic and cultural background influence on the performance. Definition for an entrepreneur is someone who pursues a management opportunity regardless of currently available resources (Stevenson, 1989). Entrepreneurs concentrate on maximizing profit, growth and innovative behaviour (Carland et.al, 1984). As in the definition, one who wishes to become entrepreneur would have be courageous, risk-taking, independent and desire for a sense of achievement besides discipline in self. An example of a successful entrepreneur would be Bill Gates that started Microsoft Corporation. With the insight of the future technology development, he braves himself to start-up a business which leads the development of the computer operating system now. Another successful entrepreneur is Winfrey Oprah who started out as a host for a talk-show and finally success as a writer. Bill Gates is a male entity while Winfrey Oprah is a female entity. There is a saying where "men are from mars and women are from venus". This saying provides a lot of space of thought where men and women are so distinctively different. As both names quoted are successful in their own field. The question is - are the differences here contributing to different outcome of their success Is it tougher for a woman to be recognized as success Gender War Though god created Eve from Adam to compliment each other, their relationship turns sour lately. In the past, women have taken a softer role as a homemaker. But, today they can be breadwinner! Women compete with men to get scholarship, education, important roles in business world, earn more money and own more power. The competition created a tense between the relationships of both. Are both cooperating with each other to create more miracles in the society or are they at war Interestingly, this is a very subjective topic! It leads to the critics of role performance of both genders either at work or home. The differences between the personal characteristic, goals, desire and managerial style do provide clues for various behaviours among men and women entrepreneurs. Differences between Men and Women Entrepreneurs Like the saying "men are from Mars and women are from Venus", both genders exhibit different behaviours. Even a man is different from another man, there are a few qualities that makes the entrepreneurs. a. Personality traits Since 1980s, there have been a lot of studies carried out to identify the personal traits of entrepreneurs (Aspray and Cohoon, 2007). They are a group of people who are more than just business man. Focusing on maximizing profit, create innovations and growth, and have a need to achieve, they have certain personality traits which are more than usual white collars. They are risk takers with self-discipline; possess insights and intuition in their own fiel

Internet Banking in India Essay Example for Free

Internet Banking in India Essay The banking sector in India has undergone a rapid transformation. Almost a decade ago this area was limited to nationalized banks and cooperative. Then came the multinational banks, but were these limited to serve small elite.  One could consider the past as the Middle Ages in the banking sector, in which each branch of the same bank acted as independent information silo and multichannel banking (ATMs, Net Banking, tele-banking, etc) was almost nonexistent. The main reason for this first transformation is due to improved methods developed encryption security and Internet. The second reason is that banks do not want to lose a potential market share for banks that are quick to offer their Internet services. The objective of this research is just comparing the modern era banking system with the old one. The evolution of modern banking technology began with the use of advanced machines shipping Ledger (ALPM) in the 1980s. The Reserve Bank of India, which is a central policy under which several public sector banks, financial institutions, NBFCs etc. working in India had advised then all banks to go massive computerization branch level. Two options were raised i. e. either to automate the front office or office. Many banks opted for ALPM office automation in the first phase. Banks as State Bank of India, a public sector commercial bank, focused on automating back office in branch level. The Rangarajan Committee 1985 report said the banks had to get computerized. The second wave of development called for Total Bank Automation (TBA) in late 1980. This automated both the front-end and back-end operations within the same branch. TBA compound total automation of a particular branch with its own database. In the third wave, the new private sector banks entered the field. These banks have opted for a different model of having one central database instead of having multiple databases for all branches. This was possible thanks to the availability of good network infrastructure. In the beginning of the 1990s, the cost of the leased line goes down. The DoT was expanding its capacity and new technologies were being implemented. Earlier, banks were unsure of directing the whole operation through a single data center. However, when a couple of private sector banks implemented efficiently, other banks began to show interest, and also began consolidating their databases in a single database [8]. Banks follow this movement by choosing appropriate application software that supports centralized operations. The fourth wave began with the evolution of ATM delivery channel. This was the first stage of training the client for their own transactions. The second stage was Suvidha experiment in the city of Bangalore in India. This showed the power of technology and how the scope can be increased at a rate unusually large. Seeing this, all banks began to renew their retail distribution channels. Their main focus became the number of customers they can service at a lower cost. The main channels are chains such as Internet banking and mobile banking. After this came alliances for payment through different gateways. The third major event happening now is the real time gross settlement system of the RBI. Once this is in place, transactions between banks can be done through the settlement system, online, electronically. So collections will become very fast. Within five years, most transactional services are provided by way of the Internet. Net-based banking takes only 10 percent of the operating costs of conventional banking practices and services. Because banks will play a key role in terms of public services related to electronic money transactions we feel that cooperative banks NET-Banking should consider in a big way. A cost comparison study by IBM Global Services Consulting Group clearly shows the advantage of using Internet for banking services through another Traditional media. The opening of the Indian banking sector to private players acted as a turning point for the transformation. De-regulation efforts led many financial institutions (such as HDFC and ICICI) and non-financial institutions entering the field of banking. With the entry of private players in retail banking and with multinationals focuses on individual consumers in a big way, the banking system experienced a change a phenomenal. Multi-channel banking gained importance. For the first time consumers have the option conducting transactions in either the traditional way (through the bank branch), through ATMs, by phone or through the network. Technology played a key role in providing this multi-platform service. Input private actors driven patterns combined with new nationalized banks forced to redefine their core banking strategy. And technology is central to this change. Internet Banking is the most effective means of banking. The bank customers changing relationships significantly, open standards replace property front ends, many-to-many substitution networks single line, links and traditional locking erosion, so that corporations enjoy lower switching costs. Corporations source worldwide and find the best cane. Corporate customers are free to disaggregate their corporate banking shopping, selecting the best genetics for every need, geographic and functionally, and the integrated use of front-end to manage the complexity of multiple vendors. Methodology: Let us now compare the IT journey of two of the leading banks of india i. e. Pnb and hdfc. Punjab National Bank Punjab National Bank (PNB), a public sector commercial bank, has come a long way since March 2000, when IT systems are deployed only 500-odd branches, and was very uneven. Only 35 percent of the bank business was computerized and a number of small software packages running on independent PCs. Now 2003, GNP had 101 branches in a WAN, deployed core banking infrastructure and network works 175 ATMs. It has also deployed a reliable security infrastructure that helps make transactions within its carefree branches. The journey does not end here, but along the way banks gathered valuable knowledge and experience. Some of the preconditions were that the RBI systems must be audited by an independent auditor, and an independent agency should carry authentic out penetration tests. The bank has already had their systems audited by an external agency, and penetration testing process is ongoing. In the process, GNP has developed the skills of its own staff to take charge of security on their own at a later stage. The bank also hire technically trained personnel to provide the necessary knowledge base. With the launch of Internet banking, the bank will also strengthen its security policies. A private sector bank had a centralized IP-based network right from its inception. All branches throughout the country converge at their respective location zonal center, which in turn connects to the data center Mumbai. Based on the nature of the entity and spoke network architecture, the branches are distributed in different regions and each position has an important regional center. Falling branches under a location connected to the hub in the main area. These hubs then connect to the central site (data center) using a combination of 2 Mbps tubes and 64 Kbps, depending on the total volume of transactions passing through. A highlight of HDFC Bank Network is the presence of two or more hubs in one place. Pre-Internet banking A security issue during the pre-Internet has more to do with the internal activities of a company. From the early days as technology solutions for banking applications mainframe, AS400 or Unix- had a lot of security built. Transactions that are directed from the branch to the main server is encrypted no individual passwords and many functions have two levels of authorization. Therefore safety banking largely integrated in the software or the application itself. Today banking in India is not limited to a branch. People have less time to devote to their banking and would like to make use of banking services through other channels. In a competitive market, where services offered command market share, banks are constantly competing for customers. Banking has become a process of choice and convenience. By offering different channels until banks have succeeded in divert their operations from one branch to other channels. The result has been a reduction in the cost per transaction at the branch. An average transaction costs about 100 rupees branch, at an ATM in question Rs. 0, and the Internet is around Rs. 20. But unfortunately a very small percentage of customers out not use the Internet Banking in India. This is due to factors such as low PC penetration, and penetration of Internet itself is low. At present only a few banks (eg HDFC, PNB, etc) have demonstrated the Internet initiative banking and have a strong advantage over other banks through a large number of customers still use ATMs. Typically 55 percent, on average, the operations of these banks are in the ATM, branch 30 percent, 8 percent Phone and 7 percent Internet. As with any new technology issue new face. There are a number of problems faced by these banks. One of the first problems is that of customer service. Banks need to create a whole new customer relations department to help customers. Banks need to ensure that customers receive help quickly if they need help. The major problems or disasters can destroy banks reputation quickly and easily. By showing the customer that the Internet is reliable they are able get the client can trust the online banking more and more. Besides these the first is the main concern of the laws. While Internet banking has no national or state borders, the law does. Companies will have to make sure you have the software in place that can detect when a law of a state to another is being violated. Security of course, is a big problem with banks. Along with security problems and manage cryptographic a bank also has to worry about becoming a far too cold for the customer. Some think the banks offering Internet banking services our increasingly cold and impersonal with customer. Despite the problems that exist however, are not as bad as you think. With encryption and security technology to improve in leaps and with banks and financial institutions are allowed to use 128-bit Internet banking is increasingly Code secure. The future of modern banking integration is, as people have less time for banking. My profile revealed that the banks that offer online banking services are rapidly becoming the choice of citizens in the urban areas. People want to process more transactions online. Soon there will be more activity in terms of applications and services on mobile. Geography is not an inhibitor more, since all can run on the network. Integration will become the next big thing in real. The customer will want a one-stop workshop that will take care of all your needs. For example people will want to buy their mutual funds, redeem his mutual funds, insurance policies buy, renew policies, and buy movie tickets, train tickets and numerous similar transactions through the bank. The ATM still serve as an effective means of dispensing, but the Internet and mobile will be very active. Banks that use the Internet banking have higher rates of return deposits and provide higher interest rates in general, and not have to deal with cashiers, branches, etc. and then in the times ahead and the actual Virtual banks will not dominate the future.