.... who have entered the courthouses scattering the United States, like the colorful leaves scattered across peoples' yards during autumn, have pleaded innocence - blaming parents and their unjust upbringing. They scream to the jury that it really wasn't their fault, but the fault of their parents because if they had a perfect childhood then they wouldn't have committed the crime. It is true that the values that children develop in their early years are important in influencing future decisions but how does this explain the many adults that climb above their hor .....

.... Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Here Timothy is relating a charge given to him by Paul. As a story that is being told, it can be easily inferred that Paul had confronted opposition to the belief that scripture was in fact inspired by God, and therefore valid. Using literary criticism allows us to stay on the surface of what is being said, and not necessarily have to dig behind it to find the true meaning (we'll lea .....

.... For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, if not in this life, then the next. Hindu's also believe that punishing the body is part of the path to salvation. Christianity is nothing like this. Many Christians live in high©class society. Christianity is one of the most appealing in that any sins may easily be corrected and that Christians may live comfortable, if not wealthy lives without guilt. Christianity, like other religions though, has many weaknesses. Although as time goes on, Christianity is slowly evolving and trying to becom .....

.... was written around 54 C.E. and was addressed to the congregation which was made up primarily of gentiles and was located in Corinth. At the time, Corinth was a highly urbanized and religiously diverse city which made it very conducive to the early Christian movement. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was written as a response to a letter he had received (which did not survive) from the Corinthians in which Paul was asked to settle various disputes that were arising within the struggling congregation. Writing in apostolic fashion to the congregation h .....

.... helps one have a fuller understanding of oneself. Buddha taught "the Four Noble Truths." The first is "Life is Suffering," which means everyone suffers jealously, pain, sickness, etc. even enlightened ones. The second is "Suffering is Caused by Attachment," which basically says one must accept responsibility for one's actions. The third noble truth is, "Freedom from Attachment is the Cure for Suffering"; this says when one is released from suffering he shall reach a state of mystical unity with the one that created the universe, nirvana. The l .....

.... common values. These values are based on mysticism and monism which is the world view that "all is one". The New Age movement is not a cult by any accepted sociological definition. Although there are several cults which could be classified within, such as the Transcendental Meditation and the followers of deported Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Cult membership is by far the exception and not the rule for New Agers. New Agers tend to be eclectic which means that they draw what they think is the best from various sources. Exclusive devotion to a single t .....

.... This faith includes the recognition of Satan either as a deity or as a principle. Three main denominations exist: the Church of Satan, the Temple of Set, and the Church of Satanic Liberation. Other short lived Satanic groups currently exist and have existed in the recent past. According to Statistic Canada, the 1991 census found 335 Canadians who identified themselves as Satanists. The actual Number is probably significantly larger. A United States Department of the Army pamphlet #165-13 "RELIGIOUS REQUIREMENTS AND PRACTICES OF CERTAIN SELECTED GROUPS .....

.... because they fear that the year 2000 will bring about the ending of the world. There was a time when Christians naturally turned to God when they had problems. Today that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Traditions have drastically changed. It almost seems as if religion is a dying tradition all together. “The signs of death are seen in the declining membership of the mainline Protestant traditions and in both the declining attendance and declining authority now seen in the Catholic and Orthodox churches” (Rollins). People are just not going to churc .....