Rap based on the parable of Lazarus.

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is often presented as Bible "proof" that good people go to heaven and bad people go to a "hell" where they are tormented by fire. Here is the text of the parable, as found in Luke 16:19-31: There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27. Then he

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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conflict between Islamic and West

Question 1: Some see the conflict between Islamic and Western societies as being based solely on religious differences. Choose a particular area of conflict between these two societies and evaluate the influence of religion in this issue. The term "Jihad" has been loosely used in recent and past times. This simple term and multiple meanings it holds has evidently caused great conflict between Islamic and Western societies. Some see this conflict of Jihad as being based solely on religious differences. On the other hand, many disagree with this opinion and believe that even though religious differences contribute to this conflict, there are other factors that fuel ongoing clashes between the societies. The following essay will evaluate the influence of religion on the conflict of Jihad as well as examine some other factors affecting the conflict. Before examining the conflict of Jihad between Islam and the west, we first need an understanding of Jihad itself. Despite a bad reputation it actually has positive connotations and is simply defined as the struggle for something greater. It is used frequently in the Islamic holy book, the Quran, as a sense of effort and strength in adversity and not in the sense of war and fighting as believed by many Western societies, such can be seen in the following quote, "Fight for the sake of God those that fight against you, but do not

  • Word count: 1103
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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"Belief in the resurrection of Jesus has more to do with wishful thinking that with historical fact."

"Belief in the resurrection of Jesus has more to do with wishful thinking that with historical fact." Do you agree? I agree that belief in the resurrection of Jesus has more to do with wishful thinking that with historical fact. Jesus could not have been resurrected as professional scientists state that dead people do not rise from the dead unless if they are placed into a coma and comas probably existed in Jesus' times but people probably didn't know the difference. Others could say that witnesses could have made the stories up to tell everyone that they had seen Jesus. It was all pure imagination and wishful thinking. However others may disagree with me and say that the resurrection was a historical event because the Christian Church was inspired by the resurrection and without it the Christian faith would not exist and be emptied of its meaning. Other people could say that if the tomb was not empty why did no one ever see Jesus body? Also, if the disciples had stolen the body, is it likely that they were prepared to suffer and die for belief in the resurrection? If the story was made up, why did the disciples use women as witnesses as women were unable to give evidence in a Jewish court? People could say that the resurrection did happen as Jesus' physical state after the resurrection was that he could be touched and he could eat food so he was not a ghost and

  • Word count: 543
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Every person is unique

Coursework second draft Part A Every person is unique, they think for themselves, feel for themselves, and have a right to be their self, life is extremely valuable, not to be thrown away not to be wasted not to be destroyed. In war whether intentional or not lives are lost. If we look at the bible closely we can actually see it doesn't just support one theory on war. As times change so do the teachings in the bible, much of the Old Testament is supporting the view of war whereas the New Testament is supportive of pacifism. For centuries violence was used to support religions to spread faith, and it wasn't frowned upon. However nowadays there is much controversy over what part war plays in people's religion and there very varied opinions on war and fighting in general. Each and every Christian however will have there own views on whether we should be pro war or pacifism and what God would approve and disapprove of. If asked where Christians would take their advice from the most likely answer would be from the bible, but with its different views the bible can confused or put across messages that are interpreted differently by different people. Christian teachings on war However many pacifist teachings there are, there are still some supporting pro war and their messages are very clear. Many of the passages contain teachings which claim you will be rewarded for

  • Word count: 3892
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Parables. The main theme of the parables and of the gospel is the kingdom of God. When Jesus began to travel, he spoke about the kingdom of God.

Introduction My name is Carlene and this coursework is based on parables. Parables are important in the teaching of Jesus, as these are the stories that Jesus used to teach his followers-disciples/apostles in order to teach them lessons about life. Parables are important for the study of Christianity, as they were a central feature of Jesus' teaching. Parables are stories told to convey a spiritual point. Ai) what is meant by the term parable? A parable is a simple story with a clear teaching. The meaning is left for the listeners to work out for themselves. A parable relates to real life and everyday events to illustrate truths about God. Parables can be short e.g. the parable of the yeast Lk13: 20-21 and some are long e.g. the lost son Lk15: 11-32. A parable can be described as "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning". The word parable comes from the Greek word parabole and it means a comparison or an analogy-some of Jesus' parables are comparisons, they compare what is known and familiar on earth with the kingdom of God which is spiritual and less familiar. Parable can also mean, "throwing beside" or "placing beside". Biblical parables were originally examples of a Hebrew genre called meshalim. Well-known examples of parables include The Good Samaritan and The Lost (or prodigal) Son. The word allegory derives from the Greek word Allegoria meaning "speaking otherwise"

  • Word count: 4157
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Christian Beliefs

RE Coursework Part A2 Some Christians feel that they have been called to dedicate their entire lives to God and that they should follow the Gospel by adapting to a religious life by becoming a member of a religious community. The two types of orders are contemplative and apostolic and they both involve prayer and work, but are done in different ways. Members of a contemplative order are enclosed and stay within their community they have joined. Members of an apostolic order work closely with the public through care, education and advice. Members of both religious orders are consecrated by God by three vows, known as the evangelical counsels. They are vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. People first began to join religious communities during the first three centuries, when Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. They needed to have some faith that God existed and that he would save them from the Romans, but to become a faithful Christian meant being willing to become a martyr and this required a high level of dedication to the Gospel. When Christianity came into favour and the persecutions stopped, many Christians wanted to restore the same level of dedication, so they went and lived in the desert as hermits. They then joined together in communities and this marked the beginning of the monastic life. The first evangelical counsel is the vow of poverty.

  • Word count: 786
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Christian Pilgrimage - Lourdes and Bethlehem.

Pilgrimage Lourdes is a little village in the south of France, which is known to be a major site for pilgrimage attracting people from all over the world. Saint Bernadette Soubirous was a poor shepherd girl suffering from severe asthma. At the age of 14, Bernadette saw eighteen apparition between February to July of "a lady" which people thought that she was crazy but after finding out that the lady was the Virgin Mary and after her death, Bernadette's body remained "incorrupt" people now believe her and built a shrine and church for her and Virgin Mary. Today, many Christians from around the world come to visit Lourdes as a pilgrimage to repent their sins and pray for their families and others. During each apparitions Mary commanded Bernadette to do something. One thing that Mary told Bernadette to do was to: "Come back to the Grotto for fifteen days" Bernadette kept her promise and came for fifteen days as Mary asked her to do. So today pilgrims follow Bernadette same footprints and keep their promise by coming to Lourdes as a pilgrimage and going to the grotto to pray as Bernadette did. Pilgrims today also light candles in front of the grotto to pay respect to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. As well, some pilgrims may attend the morning mass that is held at the grotto and may receive the holy communion there. Another command Mary gave Bernadette was to: "Pray to God

  • Word count: 1065
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Explain the part pilgrimage plays in the religious life of Christians.

Explain the part pilgrimage plays in the religious life of Christians. In your answer include reference to the places of pilgrimage you have mentioned in AO1. Pilgrimage, although not as important as in some religions, plays a very important role in the life of a Christian. After going to a place of pilgrimage such as Lourdes or Lough Derg, a Christian may feel renewed strength in their faith and make lifestyle changes because of it. There are many practices that could provoke changes, and these go on in both Lourdes and Lough Derg. Becoming more in touch with your relationship with God is a central aspect of pilgrimage. In the chaos of every day life, many people lose the sense of an intimate relationship with God and pilgrimage helps to restore this feeling. In Lough Derg, as was said in AO1, is centralized around walking in the footsteps of St. Patrick. This helps people have a link with God because a saint is said to be extremely holy and closer to God than those of us on Earth. However, at Lough Derg there may be some people who are not so dedicated to their faith will react negatively to the sacrifices and feel it is a waste of time. The same applies for Lourdes in the sense that people pray at the Grotto to Mary in hope that she can pass their prayers on to God. This may affect someone's lifestyle because they might, after feeling a connection with God, go to Church

  • Word count: 828
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Explain what Roman Catholics and other Christians believe about sexual relationships outside of marriage as well as within marriage. Use bible passages and Christian teaching and practice to support your answer.

AO1: BELIEF Explain what Roman Catholics and other Christians believe about sexual relationships outside of marriage as well as within marriage. Use bible passages and Christian teaching and practice to support your answer. All Christian churches teach that sex belongs in marriage. The proper context of a sexual relationship is marriage and it was what God intended us to do, thus making it very important. God intended everyone to get married, have sex and have children. 'So God created human beings...he created them male and female, blessed them and said, "have many children, so that your descendents will live over all the earth. (Genesis 1:27-28) Sex outside of marriage is not permitted in the Catholic Church for many reasons. One of these is that it will not fulfil everything that God intended it to be, which is the expression of deep love. Also sex makes the marriage official, this is the last stage of becoming a married couple. This is also known as the marriage being consummated. The basis of this is the belief that marriage is a sacrament. It is permanent, exclusive, a sign of God's love and it should be life giving. The two most important points are life giving - every marriage should be open to the possibility of having children and a person's life is enriched through being married. The other point is exclusive - promise to be faithful and to not have an affair.

  • Word count: 1026
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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Christian Views on Life and Death

Life and Death 'Christians think it is always wrong for a person to end a life.' Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer and discuss more than one viewpoint before making a conclusion. The taking of one's own life is called Suicide. One of the most important teachings from the Bible is the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. 'Thou shalt not kill,' Exodus 20:13. Many Christians say that killing yourself breaks this commandment and therefore it is wrong for one to kill oneself. Even if the person was not well and unhappy within themselves a Christian would say that 'I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.' It does not matter if things are going badly- God has made me perfect in 'his own image and likeness' and according to his plan, so things are only temporary and are only like this because God has made it like this. A Christian would say that it is wrong for a person to commit suicide in these circumstances because it is only a passing time in the person's life. God has better plans but they could not cope. Considering Euthanasia, most Christians would take a stance that it is murder and it is therefore wrong but some would disagree and say that in some circumstances it would be better and acceptable. Jesus showed compassion to all those suffering and in need- lepers, blind men, the deaf- all people with serious disabilities. Some Christians would say it

  • Word count: 557
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)
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