Pre contract cost planning and pre contract cost controlling Essay

Pre contract cost planning and pre contract cost controlling - Essay Example James Nisbet was the first who conceived and developed the technique of elemental cost analysis for construction projects. Nisbet technique demanded the architects to ‘design to cost’ in opposition to the approximate quantities’ method of estimating, which basically involved costing a design: with very little control. Thus, the elemental costing approach facilitated the client to get a more consistent pre-tender estimate, and offered the design team a model so as to control cost at the design development stage itself. As per Nisbet, the cost planning should be developed jointly by the quantity surveyor and the architect and postulated that such close cooperation could, in the long run, result in the integration of the profession of quantity surveyors and the architects as one-stop supply of consultancy firms. In 1962, the cost research panel of RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) established the Building Cost Information Services (BCIS) mainly to gather cost data for the introduction of such cost plans. Now, BCIS has developed a national database in excess of 16,000 element cost analysis, which is available online now. Such data can be utilized to prepare the pre-contract approximating process in the construction sector together to make sure the value for money by assisting the designer to make certain about the most proper distribution of costs well within the concerned project. Thus, cost management is the process of assisting the design team to design to cost instead of the quantity surveyor costing a design (Potts & Ankrah 2013:59). Cost management is a complete process, which make certain that the contract amount is within the approved budget or cost limit of the client. The modus of the design cost control is that by employing the cost planning method which is the evaluation of existing projects into various functional elements so as to offer a means of evaluation between

Catholic Church Essay Example for Free

Catholic Church Essay Dorothy Day was a journalist, social activist, and a devout Catholic and preacher of the Catholic way of life. In her later years, she also became a preacher of the nonviolent way of living. She started a newspaper, the Catholic Worker to teach the Catholic way of life to people. She led a movement of noncooperation and civil disobedience to teach pacifism to the people. In this essay, I am going to discuss the life and work of Dorothy Day. Dorothy Day was an American journalist and social activist, who was also a staunch Catholic and a devotee of Catholic way of life. She was born on November 8, 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. Day started her career as a reporter in a newspaper. In November 1917, Day went to prison for protesting for women’s suffrage. She had a common-law marriage in 1924 from which she had a daughter in 1997. Her marriage ended by this time. By this time, Day had a strong unshakeable belief in God and the Catholic Church. On December 28, 1927 she joined the Catholic Church. She tried to bring together her religious beliefs and her radical thinking. In December 1932, she met Peter Maurin who was a devout Catholic with whom she had a common-law marriage. He envisioned a future in which society would be based on the social values of the Gospel. They decided to start a newspaper that would promote Catholic ideals and transform the society to adopt these ideals. They started the paper, the Catholic Worker, on May 1, 1933. The paper met with instant success. The paper’s circulation increased to 100,000 copies by December. In the paper, Maurin called for a renewal in the Christian practices of hospitality to strangers. Day and Maurin began providing shelter to homeless people in several houses. By 1936, the Catholic Worker had assumed the proportions of a national movement. They set up several farming communes (Forest). Day was also a staunch advocate of pacifism. Throughout the Second World War, Day preached pacifism and nonviolence. She maintained her stand during the Civil War in Spain, World War II, and the Vietnam war. Her supporters refused to cooperate in the war against Vietnam or to be conscripted. When the hydrogen bomb was being tested and there were civil defense drills, she refused to cooperate with the drills and was jailed several times. Day was honored for her achievements by the Church. She died in 1980. The Vatican has approved a process, which may canonize Dorothy Day as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church (Forest). References Forest, Jim. A Biography of Dorothy Day. Catholic Worker Home Page. Retrieved October 20, 2008 from http://www. catholicworker. com/ddaybio. htm

What Problems Are Facing Alexandra Near Johannesburg Environmental Sciences Essay

What Problems Are Facing Alexandra Near Johannesburg Environmental Sciences Essay The name Alexandra was the name of a farmers wife who in 1905 transformed his dairy farm into a township and named it after his wife. Over the last century Alexandra has been refuge to many poor immigrants looking for better standards of living, waging their lives in the city of Johannesburg, also known as the place of gold. According to Alexandra Renewal Project(2006), Alexandra has grown to a population of approximately 350 000 people, squeezed into an area of about 800 hectare and still showing no sign of decrease. This pattern of urban migration is painted across the history of Alexandra and was influenced by many political events, one of which is the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, when extensive labour was needed for widespread expanding of the industrial and commercial sectors, empowering the force of urban migration. Alexandra even endured through the struggles of apartheid to become home to a diverse population of urban poor settlers. Alexandra Renewal Project(2006 ) states that Alexandra had until recent developments, a huge amount of informal dwellings where estimates ranged from 34 000 upwards. Consequently the township of Alexandra has a proud but tragic history, which ushered it into the new century in desperate need of regeneration. This paper exemplifies the slum characteristics of Alexandra, a rural area located on the ridge of Santon a rich suburb. Alexandra also is in close proximity to the major economic hub of Gauteng, the city of Johannesburg. This article focuses on the analysis of the situation currently found in Alexandra, which was undertaken through a in depth field study. In addition, this paper addresses the social and economic benefits that the work of civil engineers can present to Alexandra to elevate it from slum status. This will be done by defining the concept of a slum and moreover examining the situation in Alexandra.(Alexandra renewal project,2006 ; Morris,2000 ; Bonner Nieftagodien,2008). The term slum identifies with a range of low income settlements and poor standards of living. Furthermore, according to UN-HABIT (2007) a slum could be defined as a heavily populated urban area characterised by low standard housing and squalor. This apparent ill nature of slums leave many asking why do slums exist? According to UN-HABIT (2007) slums exist because of a number of forces. Some of these consist of rapid rural-to-urban migration, increasing urban poverty, inequality and globalisation. Applying these concepts to S.A its easy to see why Alexandra fell into the abyss that is slum status. With the advent of a new democratic government in 1994, people in search of newly promised jobs have flocked into the major hubs of S.A., which dramatically increased the rate of unskilled labour migrating to major cities, thus demonstrating rapid rural to urban migration. Furthermore UN-HABIT (2007) explains that the boom and busts of the economy such as that of S.A. churn up inequality and distribute new wealth unevenly , which consequently contribute to the enormous growth of slums such as Alexandra. (Bonner Nieftagodien,2008 ; UN-HABIT,2007) The United Nations Human Settlements Programme(2006) specifies a slum to be an area or suburb to be deprived of access to safe water; unsecure residential status, inadequate access to sanitation and other infrastructure; poor structural quality of housing and overcrowding. That is, if anyone of these defining characteristics are found in an area, that area is to be classified as a slum. Alexandra status in relation to these characteristics will be discussed below. Water and sanitation are key factors in the elevation of Alexandra from slum status. The ever increasing population growth within Alexandra, has overloaded the infrastructure to a point where water pressures are too low and sewers frequently over flow. In the areas with the highest density of informal settlements within Alexandra, water is collected by navigating dangerous paths between closely spaced shacks and collecting it from overloaded taps. These water taps do not have adequate drainage, consequently water is left to flow between shacks. Moreover, pools of stagnant water form. According to United Nations Environment Programme(2000) these stagnant water pools are ideal breeding habitats for disease vectors such as mosquitoes. Because of this apparent lack of drainage systems below the informal settlements of Alexandra, people tend to disperse of waste water into these waterways that flow between the shacks, causing ill smelling odours to settle and give way for water borne dise ases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid and parasitic worms to thrive.( United Nations Environment Programme,2000 ) Sanitation services play important role in healthy environment especially in areas like Alexandra which are defined as slums. According to Barnes et al,(1999,p13) census data, 81% of the households in Alexandra have access to aflush or chemical toilet, 1% of households use pit latrines and approximately 15% use the ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½bucket latrineÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ system. The informal homes of Alexandra are not connected to the formal waterborne sewerage system, thus chemical portable toilets service residents. These portable toilets are usually located next to streets on the outskirts of the informal settlements or shacks. These toilets are located in this way because there are no access roads nor space between the informal housing for municipal services to collect sewerage waste from these toilets. As a result residents have to navigate dangerous pathways to get to these sanitation services. Mirriam a person who currently lives (guide) explains that as these passages become dangerous to navigate at night, thus people tend to desiccate into bags and discard them into these narrow passageways, which attributes to countless diseases and the appalling stench in the area. The lack of access also inhibits waste collection services to collect waste between the shacks, resulting in poor waste removal services in the area. Because of this, the overall area is contaminated by waste lying around, furthermore the lack of waste collection attracts disease infested vermin and animals, worsening health conditions within the slum The congestion and overcrowding in Alexandra act as a catalysts to all problems found in the area. Overloading in informal settlements, hostels and along the banks of the Jukskei river make living conditions stressful, unhealthy and dangerous. The unplanned nature and the overpopulated ground usage, has forced some settlers to build informal housing below the flood line of the Jukskei River and in some instances on unsafe slopes. According to United Nations Environment Programme(2000) during January 2000, unusually heavy rains precipitated and 120 informal households were washed away. In addition to over usage, structures have been built over previously installed sewer lines and manholes that make access for maintenance a tedious endeavour. Moreover, the overall high density of the informal settlements cause amplify the spreading of disorder like fires and diseases. Recent news reports that a devastating fire on 2 May 2011, killed three people and left 5000 people destitute living in Masiphumelele township, civil organisation in the informal settlement accuse the high density of settlement and lack of access roads to be responsible for the sheer scale of devastation within the township. (Alexandra renewal project,2006 ; Special Interest Group in Urban Settlement,2001 ; Eye Witness News,2011) The Childrens charter of S.A. , according to New Africa Education(2004) states that all children have a right to a safe environment and the right to recreational facilities so that children can be children. Alexandra is home to thousands of families, the Alexandra Renewal project (2006b) observes that over 120 000 children ranging from ages 2-18 years live in Alexandra. The slum conditions in Alexandra hinder children to develop into skilled professionals. That is, the over utilisation of the space available causes children to have nowhere to play and consequently compel them turn to dangerous streets to occupy themselves. For some of the children who live on the opposing side of the Jukskei river, going to school comprises of having to wade through the Jukskei r river as bridges crossing the river are too far away. Some of the valiant students cross the river by walking across a pipeline that spans the river, this perceptibly is a dangerous feat and place children in unnecessary dan ger. Alexandra has access to electricity, but many illegal connections exist, these electrical connections pose another threat to children as substations are insecure and present a considerable danger to children with easy access available. These connections also give way to many fire hazardous in Alexandra. All aspects mentioned clearly classify Alexandra as a slum in accordance to the defining characteristics specified earlier. It was seen that Alex illustrates lack of access to water and sanitation, consists of non durable housing built on dangerous areas where insecure tenure is definite and that overpopulation gives way to insufficient living areas and dangers to children. Furthermore this in depth look at the situation in Alexandra emphasizes the dire need of a new age of renewal, hope and upliftment in this area. When reviewing the purpose of this paper it dictates that some form of solution to the uplift Alexandra from slum status imposed by the civil engineering will be addressed. Consequently these aspects will be argued below. Investments in civil engineering projects can substantially increase living standards within Alexandra. The Alexandra Renewal Project(ARP) is one of eight projects that form part of S.A. Integrated Sustainable Rural Development and Urban Renewal Programme, enforced by President Mbeki in 2001. This programme is an approach to address urbanisation and housing challenges in S.A. According to Alexandra Renewal project (2001) the budget in 2001 for the ARP was estimated to be R1.7 billion over seven years. The Alexandra Renewal Project includes extensive use of civil engineering skills to promote the Alexandra from slum status. Special Interest Group in Urban Settlement (2001) points out that improvements in sanitation and water services can be identified as imperative to the elevation of Alexandra. This could be achieved by firstly overcoming the general overloading of the sewerage system. By investigation it was found that civil engineers can construct new interceptor sewers which will connect to a new outgoing sewer carrying sewerage off to the bulk sewerage system. According to Special Interest Group in Urban Settlement (2001) if such a system would be in place, it could provide adequate services to slum dwellers. The location and alignment of these new sewers is vital because for such a system to run adequately, there has to be access to manholes and pipes to provide maintenance services. Consequently this would mean improving the alignment of informal houses. Moreover, the construction of ablution blocks on the side of streets, instead of the portable chemical toilets, would therefore mean the elimina tion of poor level of service and high maintenance costs of chemical portable toilets. The ARP included the upgrading of the outfall sewers in Alexandra between 2001 and 2004. The rehabilitation of water systems is closely linked to the treatment of the sewerage system, as it would be easier to install improved water lines in junction with sewerage. The civil engineers attended to the low water pressures by upgrading water mains and by the construction of a new water reservoir, this formed part of the ARP. (Special Interest Group in Urban Settlement,2001 ; Alexandra Renewal project,2010 ) The improvement of building infrastructure can transform Alexandra into a thriving urban area. Civil engineers can contribute by installing building infrastructure in a planned way, this includes the realignment of properties into small narrow stands. Which therefore results in the decrease in high densities of land usage and improves accessibility into Alexandra. Improved accessibility promotes better living conditions, as waste services are able to move between housing. Building infrastructure in the ARP included the construction of many buildings which act to improve social and economic status of the people living in Alexandra. These buildings includes construction and improvement of police stations, people centres, 1400 housing units, 350 social housing units, Alexandra transit village and Marlboro transit village upgrade. These building improvements give owners a secure tenure which in turn spur them to maintain and invest in these building. The installation of this infrastructu re give place to economic behaviour to form and to forester a spirit of entrepreneurship within Alexandra, as small business and educational services arise. The ARP included centres which is called clusters where slum dwellers are able to attain marketable skills such as care worker skills, tourism skills and construction skills.( Alexandra Renewal project,2010 ) Social end economical benefits do not only come in the form of new buildings but also includes the improvement of road and overall infrastructure. This includes the construction of recreational parks and sport fields, upgrading of roads, widening of London bridge, construction of a pedestrian bridge across the Jukskei river and the improvement of storm water drainage. These improvements influence the social and economic aspects of Alexandra. The improvement of roads give Alexandra access to business markets outside of Alexandra, the pedestrian bridge relieve children from the dangers of crossing the Jukskei river and parks and sports fields remove people from a sense of squalor.( Alexandra Renewal project,2010 ) To conclude, this essay depicts the situation found in Alexandra, an area defined as a slum. It was found that slums mainly exist due to rapid rural to urban migration, high levels of inequality and globalization. Moreover, slums where defined by the lack of the access to water, sanitation, durable housing, secure tenure and sufficient living areas. It was then illustrated that Alexandra can be characterised as a slum, because of its poor quality of water and sanitation services. Furthermore congestion proved to act as a catalyst to other problems such as unsafe tenure and spreading of diseases . Also, dangerous aspects such as illegal electrical connections and inadequate lack of infrastructure was illustrated.

William Shakespeare :: essays research papers

	William Shakespeare was one of the best authors, actors/playwrights of all time. William's poetry was full of images from nature, gardening, agricultural, pursuits, and country folklore. He was born and died on exactly the same date 52 years later. William has written a total of 37 plays including articles of time, love, death, friendship and the immortality of poetry. William was exceptionally good at his work and he generated a few enemies along the way. 	William was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564. His parents, John and Mary Shakespeare lived on Henley Street, Stratford. His father was a whittawer, which is a maker, worker and seller of leather goods such as purses, belts, and gloves. His father was a well-known man in society, occupying such positions as a member of council, constable, chamberlain, alderman, and also a high bailiff. Shakespeare's father died in 1601 and his mother died in 1608. 	William was married at the age of 18 in 1582. His bride Anne was three months pregnant and eight years' older then William when they wed. His wife Anne was the daughter of Richard Hathaway. Richard was a substantial Warwickshire farmer. He had a spacious house and owned large amounts of farm land. Anne's father Richard called her Agnes which was interchangeably in the sixteenth century. The Hathaway farm house has now become known to the tourist industry as "Anne Hathaway's cottage." William and his wife Anne had three children. Susanna was born on May 26, 1583. The other two children, Judith and Hamnet were twins, born in 1585. Susanna married Doctor John Hall in 1607. Their home Hall's Croft, is today preserved as one of Shakespeare's properties. Judith Shakespeare married Thomas Quiney in 1616, at the age of 31. Hamnet Shakespeare died at the age of 11 in 1596. 	Shakespeare was unquestionably a famous man because of the distinguished plays he wrote throughout his live. In 1599 the Globe theatre was built and Shakespeare received 10% of their profits. This theatre burnt down while William Shakespeare was preforming one of his master pieces. Shakespeare's comedies of the late 90's relied very strongly on women's parts. One enemy, Robert Greene, wrote a poem conveying his feelings about his younger rival Shakespeare: 			Groats Worth of Witte: 	For there is an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, 	that with his Tygers hart wrapt in a players hyde, supposes 	he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best

Ancient Greeks :: essays research papers

Hesiod: Works and Days, c. 750 BC First of all, get a house, and a woman and an ox for the plough--a slave woman and not a wife, to follow the oxen as well--and make everything ready at home, so that you may not have to ask of another, and he refuse you, and so, because you are in lack, the season pass by and your work come to nothing. Strabo: Geographia circa 550 BCE And the temple of Aphrodite [at Corinth] was so rich that it owned more than a thousand temples Slaves---prostitutes---whom both free men and women had dedicated to the goddess. And therefore it was also on account of these temple-prostitutes that the city was crowded with people and grew rich; for instance, the ship captains freely squandered their money, and hence the proverb, "Not for every man is the voyage to Corinth." Antiphon: On the Choreutes, c. 430 BCE So powerful is the compulsion of the law, that even if a man slays one who is his own chattel [i.e., his slave] and who has none to avenge him, his fear of the ordinances of god and of man causes him to purify himself and withhold himself from those places prescribed by law, in the hope that by so doing he will best avoid disaster. Demosthenes: Against Timocrates. c. 350 BCE If, gentlemen of the jury, you will turn over in your minds the question what is the difference between being a slave and being a free man, you will find that the biggest difference is that the body of a slave is made responsible for all his misdeeds, whereas corporal punishment is the last penalty to inflict on a free man. Aristotle: The Politics---On Slavery, c. 330 BCE Let us first speak of master and slave, looking to the needs of practical life and also seeking to attain some better theory of their relation than exists at present. Property is a part of the household, and the art of acquiring property is a part of the art of managing the household; for no man can live well, or indeed live at all, unless he be provided with necessaries. And so, in the arrangement of the family, a slave is a living possession, and property a of such instruments; and the slave is himself an instrument which takes precedence of all other instruments. The master is only the master of the slave; he does not belong to him, whereas the slave is not only the slave of his master, but wholly belongs to him.

What is religion

What is religion? There are many definitions for the term â€Å"religion† in common usage. On this web site, we define it very broadly, in order to include the greatest number of belief systems: â€Å"Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life. † Thus we include here all of the great monotheistic religions, Eastern religions; Neopagan religions; a wide range of other faith groups, spiritual paths, and ethical systems; and beliefs about the existence of God(s) and Goddess(es). We recognize that most people define â€Å"religion† in a much more exclusive manner. Christianity: There are many definitions for this term as well. Again, we use an inclusive definition: â€Å"An individual or group is Christian if they sincerely, thoughtfully and devoutly believe that they are Christian. † This generates a lot of angry Emails from some visitors to this site who are insistent on excluding the Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholic Church, the Mormons and some other denominations as sub-Christian, quasi-Christian non-Christian, or anti-Christian. We treat Christianity in greater detail than other religions, simply because about 75% of North Americans identify themselves with that religion. Christians outnumber the next largest organized religions, Judaism and Islam, by about 40 to 1 in the U. S. and Canada. We are not in any way implying that Christianity is superior or inferior to other religions. It is simply much more popular. Destructive, doomsday cults: These are fortunately few in number, and are listed elsewhere. Information for these essays was extracted from reliable sources, and believed to be accurate and reasonably unbiased. Where possible, they have been reviewed by a group (typically 3 or more) of persons who follow the belief before the material is placed online. â€Å"World† Religions: There are many, long established, major world religions, each with over three million followers. We have shown the five largest North American religions in bold: Baha'i Faith Buddhism Christianity; Christian groups, denominations and families (Amish to The Way) Confucianism Hinduism Islam Jainism Judaism Shinto Sikhism Taoism Vodun (Voodoo) 1 Neopagan Religious Faiths Neopagan faiths are modern-day reconstructions of ancient Pagan religions from various countries and eras. They experience a high but diminishing level of discrimination and persecution in North America. They were once rarely practiced in public for reasons of safety. This is rapidly changing for the better. Asatru (Norse Paganism) * Druidism Goddess Worship Wicca Witchcraft Notes: Many followers of Asatru regard themselves as â€Å"Heathens† rather than â€Å"Neopagans. † Many followers of these religions refer to themselves as â€Å"Pagans. † We use the term â€Å"Neopagan† because it is less ambiguous. Pagan† has a variety of unrelated meanings. Other organized Religions These are smaller religions, with a well defined belief in deity, humanity and the rest of the universe. Of the many hundreds of faith groups in the world, we have chosen these because of their historical significance, or because of the massive amount of misinformation that has be en spread about them in North America: Caodaism Damanhur Community Druze Eckankar Elian Gonzalez religious movement Gnosticism Gypsies Hare Krishna – ISKCON Ifa, the religion of the Yoruba people of West Africa Lukumi Macumba Mowahhidoon Native American Spirituality Rom, Roma, Romani, Rroma, (a. k. a. Gypsies) Santeria Elian Gonzalez religious movement Satanism; The Church of Satan Scientology Unitarian-Universalism The Creativity Movement (formerly called World Church of the Creator) The Yazidi branch of Yazd? ism Zoroastrianism what is RELIGION? The English word â€Å"religion† is derived from the Middle English â€Å"religioun† which came from the Old French â€Å"religion. † It may have been originally derived from the Latin word â€Å"religo† which means â€Å"good faith,† â€Å"ritual,† and other similar meanings. Or it may have come from the Latin â€Å"relig? e† which means â€Å"to tie fast. † Defining the word â€Å"religion† is fraught with difficulty. Many attempts have been made. Most seem to focus on too narrowly only a few aspects of religion; they tend to exclude those religions that do not fit well. It is apparent that religion can be seen as a theological, philosophical, anthropological, sociological, and psychological phenomenon of human kind. To limit religion to only one of these categories is to miss its multifaceted nature and lose out on the complete definition. † All of the definitions that we have encountered contain at least one deficiency some exclude beliefs and practices that many people passionately defend as religious. For example, their definition might include belief in a God or Goddess or combination of Gods and Goddesses who are responsible for the creation of the universe and for its continuing operation. This excludes such non-theistic religions as Buddhism and many forms of religious Satanism which have no such belief. Some definitions equate â€Å"religion† with â€Å"Christianity,† and thus define two out of every three humans in the world as non-religious. Some definitions are so broadly written that they include beliefs and areas of study that most people do not regard as religious. Some define â€Å"religion† in terms of â€Å"the sacred† and/or â€Å"the spiritual,† and thus require the creation of two more definitions. Sometimes, definitions of â€Å"religion† contain more than one deficiency. However, this definition contains an element of controversy, because it implies that religions, and thus perhaps deity/deities, are created by humanity and not the reverse. A less contentious meaning might be the sum total of answers to the problem of our relationship with the universe, we call religion. â€Å"Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, a philosophy of life, and a worldview. † A worldview is a set of basic, foundational beliefs concerning deity, humanity and the rest of the universe. Thus we would consider Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Na tive American Spirituality, Wicca, and other Neopagan traditions to be religions. We also include Agnosticism, Atheism, Humanism, Ethical Culture etc. as religions, because they also contain a â€Å"belief about deity. Their belief is that they do not know whether a deity exists, or they have no knowledge of God, or they sincerely believe that God does not exist. Some people do not consider their personal spiritual path to be a religion. Many conservative Christians refer to Christianity not as a religion but as an intensely personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Many Native Americans believe that their spiritual beliefs and practices are not a religion in the normal sense of the term. They form a integral and seamless part of their very being, totally integrated into their life experience. Agnostics and Atheists often do not regard their beliefs to be a religion. To most, Atheism and Agnosticism simply represent a single belief about the existence or non-existence of a supreme being. They do not necessarily include ethical matters. The New Age is sometimes referred to as a religion. However, it is in reality a collection of diverse beliefs and practices from which a practitioner may select those that appeal to her/him. The individual often grafts these beliefs and practices onto an established religion. â€Å"True religion is not about possessing the truth. No religion does that. It is rather an invitation into a journey that leads one toward the mystery of God. Idolatry is religion pretending that it has all the answers. † â€Å"†¦ just because you don't bow on your knees and worship an idol or an invisible being, does not mean you are not a Satan worshiper. The worship of any other god (s) is the same thing. There are no other gods. They are demons and Satan is in control of them. â€Å"Yes, Christianity is the one true religion. That may sound awfully dogmatic and narrow-minded, but the simple truth is that Christianity is the only true religion. Jesus said that He alone was the way to the Father (John 14:6), that He alone revealed the Father (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22). Christians do not go around saying Christianity is the only way because they are arrogant, narrow-minded, stupid, and judgmental. They do so because they believe what Jesus said. How many religions are there in the world from which to locate the â€Å"true† one? According to David Barrett and team, there are 19 major world religious groupings in the world which are subdivided into a total of about 10,000 distinct religions. Of the latter, there were 270 religions and para-religions which had over a half million adherents in the year 2000 CE. Within Christianity, they have identified 34,000 separate groups (denominations, sects, individual unaffiliated churches, para-church groups, etc) in the world. â€Å"Over half of them are independent churches that are not interested in linking with the big denominations. † 1 Even considering a single religion, Christianity, within a single country, there are often thousands of individual â€Å"Christian confessions and denominations. 4,684 groups in the U. S. ,364 in South Africa. 2,079 in Nigeria. 1,581 in Brazil. 1,327 in South-central Asia. Among other English-speaking countries, there are: 828 groups in the UK. 469 in Canada. 267 in Australia 175 in New Zealand. 2 Differences in the beliefs and practices of various faith groups: Probably the one area where religions differ the most is over the nature of deity. Various groups teach Agnosticism, Animism, Atheism, Strong Atheism, Deism, Duotheism, Henotheism, Monism, Monotheism, Panentheism, Pantheism, Polytheism, the Trinity, and probably some others that we have missed. Perhaps the next greatest range of beliefs are about the fate of people after death: whether there is simple annihilation, some form of energy-less existence as taught by the ancient Hebrews, Purgatory as taught by the Roman Catholic Church, Heaven or Paradise as taught by many religions, Hell which is also taught by many faiths, Limbo, reincarnation, transmigration of the soul, nirvana, an alternative world much like Earth, and probably some other places or states that we have missed. There is also a great range of beliefs and practices among different religions over other theological beliefs, ritual, organization, family structure, personal sexual behavior, and other topics. For example, differences exist on matters such as: abortion access, adult celibacy, animal sacrifices. ppearance factors (shaving, jewelry), birth control usage, calendar, clergy celibacy, clergy gender, clergy organization, meeting day, documentation, family power sharing, family types, gender of deities, homosexual rights, meeting place, nature of deities, nature of humanity, new year date, number of deities, origin of the universe, prayer, pre-marital sex, role of women, sacred texts, suicide, surgical modifications to the body, special clothing, symbols, etc. More details To our knowledge, no two religions teach the same message or expect the same practices from their followers. One would be hard pressed to find two faith groups within the same religion which have identical teachings and practices. If a â€Å"true religion† exists, then it would probably have to be one or a few faith groups within one of the 10,000 religions. All of the other religions and faith groups would be in error. What do faith groups teach about their own status? Most religious groups teach that their own beliefs and practices are the only true set, and that all other faith groups contain some degree of error. For example, the largest single faith group in the U. S. in Canada, and in the world is the Roman Catholic Church. According to the Times News Service, a year 2000 statement by the Church titled â€Å"Dominus Iesus† implies that â€Å"Churches such as the Church of England, where the apostolic succession of bishops from the time of St. Peter is disputed by Rome, and churches without bishops, are not considered ‘proper' churches. † Only the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches are â€Å"churches in the proper sense. † They suffer from â€Å"defects. † Dominus Iesus further states that religions other than Christianity are considered to be â€Å"gravely deficient. Their rituals can constitute â€Å"an obstacle to salvation† for their followers. 3,4 Other faith groups are either more inclusive or more exclusive than the Roman Catholic Church regarding the â€Å"truth† status of other faith groups. Which, then, is the true religion? Because religions are so different, only one could be the â€Å"true religion. † Perhaps none are. Within the â€Å"true religion† there may be more than one faith group that are sufficiently accurate in their beliefs and practices that all could qualify as â€Å"true. † The problem is how to find out which religion and which faith groups have this status. Some methods of determining the â€Å"true† religion are conduct an opinion poll. Unfortunately, beliefs differ around the world: In Saudi Arabia, the government claims that 100% of the population is Muslim. So there is probably a very high probability that a given citizen picked at random would firmly believe Islam is the true religion and that theirs is the true faith group. India is about 80% Hindu. There is a very high probability that any given citizen believes that their tradition with Hinduism is the true religion. The U. S. is about 75% Christian. The population in the American â€Å"Bible belt† is significantly higher than that. There is a very high probability that any given citizen in South Carolina, for example, believes that their denomination within Christianity is the true religion. It is obvious that one's personal beliefs about the true religion is largely a function of the country in which one happens to have been born, the area of that country, and the beliefs of one's parent(s): Pray to God 5 and ask to be enlightened. The founder of the Mormon movement, Joseph Smith, did precisely this. Mormons believe that God and Jesus Christ appeared to him side by side, and told him that none of the then existing Christian denominations were the true religion. He was instructed to create a new denomination to restore Christianity to its first century CE purity before it fell into heresy. This method appears to be unreliable. When people pray to God for enlightenment, most seem to conclude that their own religion and faith group is the true one. If people could access the will of God on this matter, then a vast majority of the world's population — the folks who pray — would realize that their faith group was not the true one. They would gradually migrate to the true religion. There would eventually be only one religion and one tradition within that religion left standing. Otherwise, people would be rejecting the will of God. All the other 11,000 religions and their tens of thousands of denominations or traditions would be phased out. The OCRT, the group that sponsors this web site, conducted a pilot study to determine whether a person can assess the will of God through prayer. We used a controversial topic: whether God favors same-sex marriage for homosexuals and some bisexuals. The answer that we found was that people appear to be unable to assess the will of God through prayer. Communication from God: God could initiate a direct communication to humanity. In order to be convincing, it would have to be totally unambiguous, clear and convincing. One example might be for God to rearrange a few thousand stars to spell out in the evening sky the name of the true religion. Unfortunately, at least within the Judeo-Christian traditions, God seems to be progressively withdrawing from humanity. He walked in person with Adam and Eve. Later, he only appeared in rare occasions as at Mount Sinai. Still later, he communicated with humans only through prophets. Most Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God and walked among humans in first century CE Palestine. However, he was seen by only a miniscule percentage of the human race. Now, access to God is through prayer. Unless God were to take the initiative, it appears that there is no way for humans to determine which religion is â€Å"true. â€Å"

Adolescent Sex

The prevalence of teenage pregnancy in the society and the alarming increase of such are often perceived to be caused by inadequate government and educational programs about sex. While most people continuously adhere to this idea, the role and responsibilities of parents in their child’s sexual quandaries, to some extent is set behind the veracity of the problem. Some parents even exhibit lack of authority over their children by allowing them to have sex at home.As a parent your basic instinct is to weigh the consequences when your child is already engaged in premarital sex or if his or her relationship is already progressing on that direction. On the affirmative side of the scale, today’s liberal society demonstrates that everyone is doing it and it is part of your child’s learning experience.The unconstructive scale on the other hand, carries out issues on morality, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Instead of allowing them to engage in premarital se x inside your home, provide your parental guidance by teaching them abstinence-only sex education which emphasizes morality and having sex within the boundaries of marriage (Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, Episode 823).This will establish a platform for your children to know that having sex at a very young age and outside the sanctity of marriage can result to heavy emotional and physical costs which are not only limited to diseases and pregnancy but is also a ground to bring into a halt their supposed bright future.Though, an open communication with your children regarding their sexual experiences is a great start to take a hold of them when they are already engaged in sexual activities, allowing them to do it in your home is improper and inappropriate decision to make as their parent and guardian.The foremost situation of your children living in your house and exclusively depending on you to fill their stomachs are substantial evidences that they still are not capable of taking ca re of themselves and their actions to include having premarital sex.ReferencesPBS, February 4, 2005 Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Episode 823 Retrieved on 2009-21-02