.... and the nature of man and held programs to reconstruct one's spiritual self. (Pardue, page 228) Background Near the town of Kapilavastivu, today known as Nepal, lived King Suddhodhana and Queen Maya of the indigenous tribe known as the Shakyas. (Encyclopedia Americana, page 687) Queen Maya soon became pregnant and had a dream shortly before she gave birth. In this dream a beautiful, white elephant with six tusks entered her room and touched her side. This dream was soon interpreted by the wisest Brahmin, or Priest of Brahmanism, that she was to give birt .....

.... and of ultimate reality. St. Anselm of Canterbury developed what we have learned to be the ontological argument. He began his argument by saying that even a fool can grasp or understand the concept of “a being than of which nothing greater can be conceived.” He continues to state that a fool would say that the concept of this being’s existence is only in his mind and in the mind of others but not in reality. However he also admits to the possibility of this being existing in reality. Whatever is understood by the fool is argued that than which nothing is .....

.... as the second coming, or the rapture. The Bible is Christianity's holy book. This book is divided up into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The New Testament was written about and after the birth of Jesus Christ. The two sections are divided up into 66 separate books in all. The most famous books are the Gospels, which are the first four books in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Other famous books in the Bible are Genesis, Exodus, Acts, and Revelation. Revelation is the last book in the Bible and tells about what will hap .....

.... Brahmin who came and said if her son were to remain in the castle he would become the wisest king in the world, but if he were to leave he would become the wisest prophet far into future generations. In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of pure luxury. His father wanted to make sure that his son was well taken care of as he grew to prevent him from desiring to leave the palace. Suddhodhana, listening to the prophecy, kept Siddhartha away from the pain of reality so that he could follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a well- .....

.... something they did not want to do. The government is not upholding their part of the constitution. They are trying to tell people that saying prayer in public school is unconstitutional. In fact, prayer in public school is legal, so is prayer in church and prayer in stores etc... . The area which is not legal is when students or teachers pray when engaged in school activities or instruction. This means students or teachers may pray in an informal setting, such as cafeterias and hallways. They may talk about and discuss problems with religion and thei .....

.... ran courts where a common man could obtain a fair hearing of his grievance according to the Canon Law. The churches were "places of refuge" where a fugitive could be safe until a proper Canon Law Court could hear his case. Priests were a class apart. They did not marry; they took vows of chastity and obedience to the bishop and Pope. Many even took vows of poverty. Most important, priests were not allowed to accept positions of temporal leadership. No matter how "high born", priests were not authorized to serve as a king, duke or baron. They might aspire to the .....

.... to open a pagan shop in a predominantly Christian town. Due to differences in religious views, their land lord refused to renew their lease. Many townspeople, including several town ministers, publicly voiced their objections to the couples business venture. The Riley's gathered fellow Pagans from surrounding areas and marched down the towns main street publicly displaying their beliefs. People began to compare this incident to the Salem Witch Hunts. Just as Jan Phillips ancestor was tortured because of she allegedly chose to practice her beliefs, so were .....

.... of another religion, and tortured him or her until confession. These examples do not speak highly of the man and religion that now do not want their good name smeared. Yet, times change. In modern times the Catholic Church has changed dramatically, and the view on religions has as well. Hopefully, there is no more adultery amongst bishops and torturing has stopped. For as long as the living of today remember, the pope has indeed been a symbol of spiritual uplifting. We have also learned to accept other people's beliefs, or at least tolerate them. I feel stro .....