The five values that I thought I have and should use are:
· Adventure
· Money
· Being liked
· Trust
· Fun
I think that these values are important in the following ways;
Adventure, is useful to have in your life because it could mean stepping out of your comfort zone and doing this can help you achieve things that you thought you couldn’t. I have done so in a sporting situation (soccer), I was asked to play up a year for the first time and I didn’t really want to do it at first because I didn’t think I was good enough. But my Mum kept telling me I would be fine as long as I played my best, so I did and I got commended by the coach and the players at the end, which made me feel really good. In the end, I kept on playing with them for the rest of the season, as well as my other team.
Money, you should give as if you expect nothing in return, especially money to poor people or to God, for instance, because in the long run, even though you don’t realise it you can receive many things in return, such as happiness, joy or even sometimes tangible things. In my life, I like giving money to people in need and also to God (tithes and offerings at church) because it makes me feel good and that I have done something to help someone.
Being liked, it is good to have close friends because (I think) you can always talk to them if you have any problems, if anything good happens or even just for a chat. One person that you might want to like you is your ‘boss’ because if he knows that you are reliable, he may give you something you need or want, such as a pay rise or a promotion.
Fun, it is important that you allow time for fun in your life, including times of stress because it can help you relax and calm down over any problems that you may have. In my life, I find that if I am stressed about something, such as an assignment for instance, I go outside and play for a while. This then calms me down and I can go back inside and get back to working on the assignment without as much stress.
Trust, it is important to have trust in people and also for people to have trust in you because if you feel that you need to talk to someone about things, you know that you can trust them and that they would not tell others, if asked not to. In some cases, it is good to be trusted by your teachers because then you would be allowed to do things that others aren’t allowed to do, due to a lack of trust by disobeying orders, being disruptive or doing things they shouldn’t.
So, by having these values, people will think much more of you, you will feel joyful and happy and things might even go your way, you never know.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sacred and Profane - Events in the Media
The two events that I have chosen are the Victorian bushfires, news report found at http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/nation-mourns-bushfire-victims/2009/02/22/1235237427907.html and the argument that whether female muslims should wear their burquas into banks/stores or not.
On the 14th February 2009 bushfires had started to strike many towns in Victoria, in this tragic event lots of people died trying to save their homes and others trying to escape. But many also survived by listening to the warnings, gathering important things and leaving to go somewhere safe prior to the fires.
After more than a week of bushfires blazing through towns, people began searching other people’s burnt down homes for valuable items and stealing them.
If you asked me, I would say this is utterly disrespectful for the people who are suffering from this terrible event. These thieves obviously do not have a soft spot for people in distress which is just awful. These thieves would be stealing (for some families) the only things to remember their lost ones by.
Please view this video of Today Tonight before reading this part of the blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHvKtvDudgk
Do you think women should wear burquas in shops and banks? ......... Well I don’t!
Sorry, but I think that if they come to live in our country they should abide by our laws, especially if women who go over to their country have to abide by their religion, which is pretty much their law.
I think that any staff at banks/stores should have the right to ask the mmuslim women politely to remove at least their face covering, so that they can tell who the person is. But if they refuse to do so, I believe that the staff can ask them to leave (politely).
I can understand where the staff are coming from with this argument because people wearing burquas can easily hide and steal objects underneath their covering. This is the only reason that they are asking the women to remove their burquas.
But coming from a female muslims point of view, this is a sacred thing to them and also a law in their country. If they are seen with skin showing (other than their eyes), it may 'turn on' men which could then lead to sexual assault. So it is understandable why they seem to wear the burquas in other countries aswell.
On the 14th February 2009 bushfires had started to strike many towns in Victoria, in this tragic event lots of people died trying to save their homes and others trying to escape. But many also survived by listening to the warnings, gathering important things and leaving to go somewhere safe prior to the fires.
After more than a week of bushfires blazing through towns, people began searching other people’s burnt down homes for valuable items and stealing them.
If you asked me, I would say this is utterly disrespectful for the people who are suffering from this terrible event. These thieves obviously do not have a soft spot for people in distress which is just awful. These thieves would be stealing (for some families) the only things to remember their lost ones by.
Please view this video of Today Tonight before reading this part of the blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHvKtvDudgk
Do you think women should wear burquas in shops and banks? ......... Well I don’t!
Sorry, but I think that if they come to live in our country they should abide by our laws, especially if women who go over to their country have to abide by their religion, which is pretty much their law.
I think that any staff at banks/stores should have the right to ask the mmuslim women politely to remove at least their face covering, so that they can tell who the person is. But if they refuse to do so, I believe that the staff can ask them to leave (politely).
I can understand where the staff are coming from with this argument because people wearing burquas can easily hide and steal objects underneath their covering. This is the only reason that they are asking the women to remove their burquas.
But coming from a female muslims point of view, this is a sacred thing to them and also a law in their country. If they are seen with skin showing (other than their eyes), it may 'turn on' men which could then lead to sexual assault. So it is understandable why they seem to wear the burquas in other countries aswell.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Worship DVD - Passion '06 Everything Glorious
The title of the worship DVD that I am analysing is ‘Passion ’06 – Everything Glorious (this was played in class)
The first thing the class looked at was the title screen, there were people singing, a cross hanging from the ceiling and song titles with religious elements, these are classed as sacred. There are also things that could be classed as profane, such as the coloured lights, spotlights and even the swirl patterns on the border.
One of the songs we watched was ‘Made to Worship’, the most obvious sacred thing in this song was how the audience exhibited their meditative pose with their hands raised towards the ceiling, as if they were reaching out for God. They also closed their eyes, this might be to close any distractions out and to focus on God. Some things that may be profane are the electric guitars being played, the amps and the smoke from the smoke machine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu2xXyf5Nzc
Then we watched ‘Jesus Paid it All’, this is a hymn, in this video were candles (which are in all the big old churches) this may represent sacred/alone time with God. This also shows a big cross being raised up towards the ceiling. Also in this hymn the musicians played louder after each verse, this could be classed as profane because hymns are usually quiet songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBY95eS3fiA
And we also watched ‘We Win’, this was more of a loud song. This song has similar sacred things as the songs before, but there are some “profane” things in it, such as the D.J., sound effects, electric guitars, keyboards (instead of piano) and even the fact that it is a loud song. But because the people are using to worship the Lord, then this would then become sacred.
Sorry, but the Passion '06 film clip for 'We Win' couldn't be found, so you will just have bear with this one.
Coventry Cathedral
The religious building that I am analysing is the Coventry Cathedral, it is a place of worship and has been since approx. 1095-1102.
The photo above shows, the old building on the left, the entrance in the middle and the new building on the right. With the entrance in the middle, this could represent a ‘pathway’ between ‘old life’ and ‘new life’. But it could also show the old building as the underworld, the entrance as the earth and the new building as Heaven.
The objects inside the cathedral also make this building sacred, with things such as a big cross hanging from the ceiling for everyone to see, stain glass windows for when the sun sets and shines through them making shadowed images inside.
The photo above shows, the old building on the left, the entrance in the middle and the new building on the right. With the entrance in the middle, this could represent a ‘pathway’ between ‘old life’ and ‘new life’. But it could also show the old building as the underworld, the entrance as the earth and the new building as Heaven.
The objects inside the cathedral also make this building sacred, with things such as a big cross hanging from the ceiling for everyone to see, stain glass windows for when the sun sets and shines through them making shadowed images inside.
The painting of God on the wall could be profane because different people see God in several different ways. But could also be a sacred thing because people could relate to this painting and feel comforted.
An interesting sight is that there are coins in the floor, these coins were made the year that the new Coventry Cathedral was reconstructed (after being bombed in World War II). It was reconstructed in 1962.
Sacred Space
Definition of sacred space: ‘Sacred Spaces evoke a feeling of a sacredness of space and time, where Heaven seems to touch Earth and we find ourselves aware of the Holy, and filled with the Spirit.’
The places that I find are sacred in my life are Church, where I can pray and worship the Lord and home, when I listen to worship music and play my guitar.
There are many sacred spaces around the world, one of them is the World Trade Centre in New York, after the terrorist attack on the 11th September, 2001 this became a sacred space for many people. The loved ones of who died regularly visit this site to stop and remember them.
The reason that I think the World Trade Centre became a sacred place is because there was a sense of Christ that came over the site, which then people went to for comfort and support.
This event affected me and many other people deeply because of all the innocent people who died in the tragic event. It made me sad and made me feel sorry for every one of them.
Our class also listened to the song ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ by U2 and discussed how it was an attempt to describe the concept of Heaven and how it was similar to the way many other people see Heaven, with words like 'light', 'freedom' and 'shelter'.
There can also be other sacred things (it is not just sacred ‘places’) you can also have sacred ‘time’, where you have uninterrupted time to do things that you like doing, like worship, play or even talk with family and friends.
The places that I find are sacred in my life are Church, where I can pray and worship the Lord and home, when I listen to worship music and play my guitar.
There are many sacred spaces around the world, one of them is the World Trade Centre in New York, after the terrorist attack on the 11th September, 2001 this became a sacred space for many people. The loved ones of who died regularly visit this site to stop and remember them.
The reason that I think the World Trade Centre became a sacred place is because there was a sense of Christ that came over the site, which then people went to for comfort and support.
This event affected me and many other people deeply because of all the innocent people who died in the tragic event. It made me sad and made me feel sorry for every one of them.
Our class also listened to the song ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ by U2 and discussed how it was an attempt to describe the concept of Heaven and how it was similar to the way many other people see Heaven, with words like 'light', 'freedom' and 'shelter'.
There can also be other sacred things (it is not just sacred ‘places’) you can also have sacred ‘time’, where you have uninterrupted time to do things that you like doing, like worship, play or even talk with family and friends.
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