.... pipe," and sweat lodge ceremonials. The sacred pipe ritual is loaded with symbolic meaning, and offers a generous insight into Native American belief systems. This essay will first look at the dynamics of the sacred pipe ritual and offer some explanation into its religious significance, then draw some parallels to the more common sweat lodge ceremony. If a recurring spiritual theme appears in separate rituals, it can be considered evidence of a consistent, structured belief system. The use of smoking pipes in Native American cultures is a popular and very ancient practice. Direct predecessors of the modern pipe appear 1,500 year .....

.... to this one were brought up and complained about. That is what started it all real big. When complaining, arguing and fighting all started over the silent moment. In 1978 a few lawyers got together and considered a constitutional law. The original law said that public school teachers in gr ades 1-6 "shall announce that a period of silence, not to exceed one minute, shall be observed for meditation." This law did not work for long, because it still allowed oral prayer in public high schools. Later in 1981, the Alabama State Senator D onald G. Holmes successfully passed a bill that included all grades calling it "the moment of silenc .....

.... reference to determine superiority of genders in the church. "Jesus was a man who chose 12 male apostles to carry on his work, therefore only men could be priest" (Connel A1), is a common reference used to the scriptures found in the Bible. This attitude labeled tradition is still around today and is being taught today throughout the world, basically in the Roman Catholic religion. The Bible states "Let your women keep silent in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law" (I Corinthians 14:34). When a person receives the calling, whether man or woma .....

.... Hinduism for instance do not believe this. For everything you do wrong you will be punished. 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 bec .....

.... are a captive audience. How could a second-, fourth-, or even sixth-grader view the routine recital of prayers during the school day as a voluntary action? This invasive practice would create unnecessary divisions among children by making them unduly aware of their religious differences. Public schools are for everyone, whether they are Buddhist, Catholic, Muslim, or Taoist. The practice of organized prayer in schools invades the student's right to an education free of the discrimination which organized prayer would encourage. Many people mistake the religious indifference of public schools for hostility. Public school .....

.... Neanderthals, the early cave dwellers, as a way to identify our first man is that they were not able to talk back to their Creator, worship him, and choose among alternative ideologies (Eerdmans' Handbook 31). Buddhism was founded about 500 B.C. or shortly afterwards. The teacher who founded it was Buddha. The tradition is that he was shocked into seeking the meaning of life by the sight of a leper, an old man and a corpse (Eerdmans' Handbook 43). He practiced austerities for many years until he achieved the illumination he was seeking. Buddha was said to be an atheist, or at least have abandoned the usual worships of gods (Eerdmans' Hand .....

.... are confronted with people doubting the validity of the scripture, and trying to discredit it. "All 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 tru .....

.... mystery, wonder and the relation to how true they are. I have a monotheistic way of thinking, though the bible is said to be the writings of the way of life of Moses and the Hebrews, I am puzzled by how certain writings pertain to society, culture and the life of man and women today. As I try to decipher this passage in my own words of Isaiah. One is speaking of the oppression committed by man upon man. It is Jesus asking why man whom were created as brother and sister making unjustly laws...deprive the poor of their rights...withhold the justice from the oppressed of my people. I strongly believe there is a judgment day. For all the .....

.... were never written down by him, but his conversations and sayings were written down by his disciples in the analects. CONFUCIANISM Confucianism was the single most important thing in Chinese life. It affected everything in China; education, government, and attitudes toward behavior in public and private life. Confucianism is not a religion, but it is more a philosophy and a guide to morality and good government. At the time Confucius was born, China was in a constant state of war, and rapid political change altered the structure of Chinese society so much that people no longer respected the established behavioral guidelines. Confu .....

.... 10). Of course these are not the only Greek gods and goddesses. Other examples of Greek gods and goddesses are Apollo, god of music, poetry, medicine, archery, and young unmarried men and Hestes, goddess of the home. As you can see, the Greeks believed in many gods unlike the people of the Jewish fate who believed in one god. The Jewish god does not have an emblem that which it is represented by. The belief is that the god is represented by everything. For example, members of the Jewish religion believe god is everywhere, in everything, and represented by everything they do. Another example of the religious differences is how Ancie .....