Retribution Theology

God delivered the children of Israel out of the Egyptian’s abusive hands and gave them the Ten Commandments. These rules were given to live by and form an everlasting relationship with their God. But, if they failed to keep their end of the bargain, God would have to punish them. Retribution theology is the belief that those who are obedient to God are called righteous and will be blessed, while those that are disobedient are wicked and will be cursed (Tullock 2006). From the beginning of Exodus and beyond the Babylonian Exile, retribution theology was prevalent in the lives of Israel. The Old Testament writings reiterate God’s faithfulness towards Israel. â€Å"The Old Testament indicates that God’s law was specially revealed to Israel in the context of His redeeming and delivering His people from bondage,† (Bahnsen 1980). But before Moses, God established an unconditional covenant with Abram when he obeyed Him. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan forever. â€Å"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. † (Genesis 12:2, NRSV). These descendants became known as Israel and after 500 years of being God’s chosen people, they became the slaves of the Egyptians. Since God is faithful and Israel was His people, He had to remove them from the oppression of Pharaoh. In a theophany, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and commissioned him to deliver the children of Israel. Once God freed them and provided them an escape route, under the leadership of Moses, He endowed them with the law and His blessings. â€Å"Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. (Exodus 19:5, NRSV). After freeing them, God provided them with the means for remaining freed and receiving His provisions. In spite of their deliverance, the Israelites’ problems did not end with their exodus from Egypt. They suffered many trials and tribulations, but from the hand of the God who had promised to bless them (Deffinbaugh 1976). Because of their murmuring, com plaining, and unbelief, God allowed Israel to walk around in the wilderness for forty years. This was literally only a three day journey. In addition, God never intended for Israel to have to fight their way into the Promised Land; He wanted them to have faith and obey Him. Again, because of their disobedience, God allowed them to suffer the consequences of sin. God called Israel to be righteous before Him. Righteousness was what the people were to be and to do because of God. It meant to be in the right relationship with God, and to act accordingly in the world based on that moral relationship. He blessed Israel out of His love and cursed out of His righteousness or holiness (Deffinbaugh 1976). To be righteous was to have the teaching of God in one’s heart, to know and to understand the things of God. While the term could be used to describe ethical actions in the world, the primary focus of righteousness was toward God, what the people were in relation to God. Righteousness was the people’s relationship to God based on the fact, that â€Å"I am your God. † Therefore, God felt that He had every right to curse them when they were disobedient to His covenant. The first commandment God gave Israel was to have no other gods before Him because He was the one true God. Clearly, God knew and acknowledged that there were other gods or objects the people in that time worshipped. But He had proven to the Hebrew people that He was their deliverer, provider, and their God. The second commandment said not to make for themselves any type of idol, that God was jealous, and that He showed mercy to those that loved Him and kept His commandments. Now, He revealed His nature and how He was to be honored. It was only right, just and honorable that they worshipped and obeyed Him. There did not seem to be any secrets or mysteries on what God expected from Israel. But, Israel just could not stop worshipping idols. They continued to worship Baal, the god of sun, rain, thunder, fertility, and agriculture despite the prophets’ warnings. Many prophets such as Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, and Micah warned Israel of their wickedness and the consequences. When Israel became a nation, God’s law of righteousness did not change. He still expected them to obey His word. God’s national blessings and cursings were conditional as well. If a nation repented of its sin and turned to God, its threatened judgment could be prevented. If a nation turned from God, its promised blessings would be taken away. Many forms of divine retribution can fall on a human life which is worse than immediate death. In fact, Jeremiah made just such a complaint about the punishment inflicted on Jerusalem (Lam. 4:6, 9). One might think also of King Saul, whose last days were burdened with such mental and emotional turmoil that death itself was a kind of release. 10:30-31. No one should regard such a warning as an idle threat. God Himself has claimed the right to take vengeance and to judge His people. In saying this, the author quoted twice from Deuteronomy (32:35-36), a chapter which most vividly evokes the picture of God’s people suffering His retributive judgments (cf. esp. Deut. 32:19-27). Those familiar with this text, as well as other descriptions of God’s wrath against â€Å"His people,† agree: it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Not only did God operate in that manner of retribution theology, but Israel believed that if you obeyed the law, you would prosper. If you didn’t obey the law, you would suffer.

An Examination of the Power of the Dark Side

Entrepreneurship does have a Dark Side and It Is powerful, Indeed. With rare exceptions, the literature about entrepreneurship Is positive and supportive and implies that uniform benefits accrue to the economy, to businesses, and to individuals as a result of entrepreneurship. This is only half the story. A small number of researchers have examined the dysfunctional aspects of entrepreneurship and pointed out that a Dark Side definitely exists (Sets De Varies, 1985; Solomon & Winslow, 988; Winslow & Solomon, 1987; 1989).This paper will look at those who turned to the Dark Side for their very existence. The authors have surveyed prisoners who have been convicted of a felony and who are serving sentences In a Federal Prison in the Midwest. The participants were enrolled In a continuing education course Involving entrepreneurship and small business startup Ideas and they all espoused a desire to â€Å"go straight† when their sentences had been served. How did they become criminal s? Did they view their criminal satellites as entrepreneurial ventures? Will they become legitimate entrepreneurs in the future?Can entrepreneurship education alleviate the problems faced by these offenders when released and is there a greater or lesser chance of acidifies when these inmates are given the opportunity to study entrepreneurship while still incarcerated? If they exist, are Dark Side Entrepreneurs different from main stream Entrepreneurs? These were the questions which drove our research. A major problem facing society today Is the Impact that the growing number of inmates serving sentences have on the economic vitality of our nation.The problem has been exacerbated because our Jails are not only filled with first time-offenders but with a large population of repeat offenders, those returned to prison because nee were unmade to malting a crime-Tree Testily rater Deluge released. According to the Bureau of Justice (2000), in the United States released prisoners were re-a rrested at an average rate that was greater than 60%. The high percentage of re-arrested former prisoners is a clear indication that Just serving one's sentence is not a deterrent to committing more criminal acts.The economic cost to society and to those directly affected by criminal activity is tremendous. According to the Bureau of Justice (2000), one of every fifteen people in the U. S. Will be incarcerated. That figure is staggering. During the past 25 years, the penal system in the United States has implemented a strategy of â€Å"lock ‘me up and throw away the key. † As a result, there has been an unprecedented growth in the prison population in the number of incarcerated inmates even though the crime rate has been decreasing.Further exacerbating the situation is that incredibly high rate of recidivism. According to the Three State Recidivism Study (Stouter, Smith, and Tracy, 2001) released inmates reported that less than half had a Job awaiting them after they we re freed from prison. While most (about 87% of those who had received training hill in prison and 83% of those who did not participate in training) believed that they had a place to stay after they were released, the remainder were released as homeless, left to roam the streets, mostly in urban areas.The economic cost of incarceration and the cost to society of criminal activity, plus the lost wages due to imprisonment of convicted workers and the cost of providing welfare for their families is creating a substantial burden on local, state and federal budgets. The combination of rising costs multiplied by an ever greater number of incarcerated inmates is putting pressure on the penal system to find an alternative, deter strategy for success after release. Is there a strategy that can lead to a lower prisoner population through a decrease in recidivism?

Thinking in regards to a Child, Types of Language and Persuasion Essay

Thinking in regards to a Child, Types of Language and Persuasion - Essay Example Children can also enjoy this site for free but, their chance to maximize their fun is quiet limited so they need to sign up, but of course it has to be with a payment. The third site is for children who find fun in reading comics and books about their favorite cartoon and comic characters. They can also read for free, but like with the previous mentioned sites, they need to subscribe in order to ensure good read about comics and books of various choices. These sites have one thing in common; they certainly attract kids who have the affinity for cartoon characters and magical fantasies (Luckycharms.com, 2008; Marvelkids.marvel.com, 2010; Dckids.kidswb.com, 2011). This is the very vital persuasion that these sites used in order to entice children and catch up their attention. Children can play or read for free, but in the long run this eventually convinces them to ask for more and the only way to address their cravings is to sign up or subscribe with payment. The languages used are ver y familiar to children. For instance, various languages are stored in these sites which include but not limited to characters in action such as X-men, Batman, Hulk, Spiderman, Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Lucky Charms and more. These are words that common and familiar among children who have the attraction for cartoon hero characters or renowned cartoon shows that eventually children followed in various TV programs, movies and other media. Other languages used include advertising icons that once a child clicks on it, it will redirect to actual game or subscription process. Privacy statement I do not think children would be attracted to privacy statement. What matters to them is to have fun and pursue excitement the way these sites are promoted rather than to understand a privacy statement except if their guardians or parents require them to do so. In the above mentioned sites there are no remarkable attractive icons for their privacy statement although all of them have placed it somewh ere below the webpage. This is vital information among guardians or parents in order to ensure the site their children are using adheres to various regulatory board requirements. Worrisome or offensive to parents Perhaps the offensive part of these sites could be found in the actual game or use of the featured products. These may include violent moves of the characters and so on. However, the worrisome part among parents would be in line with the purchasing of these products which particularly would include bank accounts, credit cards and other disclosure of essential and confidential information. Some children can do this among themselves even without their parents’ supervision. This may lead to susceptibility to hacking and disclosure of essential information to unreliable sources. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Kidswb.com is giving notice governing its collection and use of information in its site. Marvelkids.marvel.com on the other hand emphasizes its sta ndards met by â€Å"Children's Advertising Review Unit's Kid's Privacy Safe Harbor Program†. However, the Luckycharms.com only informs parents that its site is fun and safe for kids. These sites at some point or another may have informed parents about the level of online safety of the children. However, based on their privacy statement, it turns out that they have the prerogative to accept information and disclose it to other parties such

Case Study - Organisational Development Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

- Organisational Development - Case Study Example Notably, such poor leadership skills portrayed in poor organizational communication usually lead to increased conflict thereby leading to poor production. Therefore, this case aims at addressing vital interventions and the modes they can be applied towards achieving their intended applications towards correcting the current lame organizational leadership systems. To manage systematic changes in an organization, often organization development interventions prove useful. The Chris Argyris’ Ladder of Inference is the first intervention used to solve the problems of VRD (Argyris, 1985; Pg. 37). The Ladder of inference illustrates that to reach to a conclusion or draw inference it is necessary for follow the steps in the ladder that includes observing the available data, selecting the relevant data, affixing meaning to the data, making assumptions, developing belief and drawing conclusion and finally taking action based on the belief. In this applications, the inference to be applied in working the conclusions to the underlying organization problems include opinions, beliefs, and or conclusion drawn from gathering data that are based on cultural or personal experiences. The same data must be supported data based on the premises that the same data is true. In VRD, the implication of the Ladder of Inference can be explained base on the available data or evidence that shows that the organization lack strong leadership and employees are not ready to quit the status quo or to accept organizational changes. Notably, both the employees and the management are unable to understand the need of a radical change among other factors such as ineffective communication, lack of innovation, and change in the VRD’s organizational management. Other data sets that can be drawn in case for managerial management adjustments include the inadequate organizational communication that leads to poor production and

New England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New England - Essay Example Booming with urbanization and trade, East Anglia forced majority of Puritans to leave and seek solace in America where they could worship and carry out religious practices at will. Chesapeake settlers came arrived earlier with a view to make quick riches and return to England without involvement in agriculture. The Puritans in New England had come to farm and settle hence emigrated with their families. Their settlements quickly flourished due to large available land left by inhabitants who had been swept by diseases (Jacobs and Mitchel 93). Geography and Settlements Chesapeake, an English colony founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London, comprised of Virginia and Maryland. The colony had its economic headstart after a successful tobacco biotechnology by John Rolfe, a scientist cum farmer. The headright system of land ownership was popular which granted 50 acres to colony immigrants as well as to impoverished immigrants who were required to work for between four to seven years to allow their passage. Settlement was determined by the availability of water and land for tobacco growing (Meade and Merry 82). With increase in immigrants, fresh land and more irrigation water was required to increase tobacco output. Besides, they adopted representative mode of government initially constituting the house of burgess, which conducted proceedings on business and defense functions. Uprisings threatened the colonies existence in early 1620s forcing many colonists to return home. The colony became a solace for English Catholics who were facing persecution in England. This was necessitated by the passage of Toleration Act which allowed freedom of worship to Protestants and Catholics (Meade and Merry 94). New England which was formed from clustered migration from Massachusetts Bay colony gave rise to Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire in the late 1620s. The settlers were informed by their religious consciousness and deep sanctification to Christianity. Two popu lar groups, the puritans and pilgrims had divided perspectives which informed their settlements. The pilgrims who were dominant in Plymouth had extremist views of the church. They held the notion of anti-reform and thus demanded for separation from the Puritans circles. Puritans, who settled outside Plymouth, carried a purification agenda establishing congregational churches which led to the formation of new towns with similar structures. An agreement dubbed the mayflower compact was signed by mayflower colonists as a unity pact. With great will to retain the English unwritten laws, the pact provided a common concord. Later, Boston became a religious pluralist which allowed equal worship rights (Simmons 82). New England experienced cold climate and barren land inadequate for cultivation. Industries emerging out of tobacco and sugarcane cultivation in Chesapeake had little impact in this colony. Farms were small and therefore could not reap from economies of scale. With growing urban ization in New England, crop farming took peripheral role but trade grew from level to level with agricultural produce dominating trade cycles. Industrialization grew faster and to greater leaps. Chesapeake had suitable agricultural conditions, warm climate, fertile soils sufficient for corn, tobacco, sugarcane among others. Coupled with vast agricultural land, Chesapeake drew workers from far and wide especially slaves. Those who could not afford to use slave labor were

Teen smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teen smoking - Essay Example As a child, I remember waking up to my father coughing uncontrollably. I would always dutifully ask if he was okay, to which he answered yes, silencing any of my lingering objections. What could I have done differently? After reflecting on my fathers death, I have come to realize that if the laws were written in such a way to impose severe punishment upon teenage smokers, no one else would have to die from this slow-killing diseases. With laws in place to catch early users before they become life-time users, a multitude of future smokers would be avoided due to such laws. Why not treat cigarette smoking like one would treat alcohol use ? Our laws governing alcohol use is such that no one under the age of 21 can buy or consume alcohol Similarly, if an adult over the age of 21 facilitates a minor with alcohol, they can be charged and fined up to $1,000 for each minor that they outfitted with alcohol. If a teenager spends a night in jail for smoking illegally, then perhaps he or she would think twice about ever picking up a cigarette again. Additionally, the tacking on of fines to a minor who has used a fake ID or a proxy to ascertain cigarettes. Usually when someone is forced to pay a fine for a misdemeanor or is placed on probation, their likelihood of doing the same thing again becomes minimal. Alternatively, perhaps the police should fine the teenager. In â€Å"Teen Smokers Should Worry About Fines,† Eric Zorn suggests, "This isnt a new idea. PUP laws-so named because they ban the purchase, use and possession tobacco by minors-have been around for decades. Chicagos dates to 1992 and calls for a $25 fine for the first offense"(1) Certainly if these fines are the law, Ive never been aware of it - principally because the cops do not enforce the statutes. In the Zorn article, Professor Leonard from DePaul University in Chicago reveals that if the PUP laws had been successfully enforced, numerous teenagers would have quit long ago - or perhaps

Roles of Estrogen in Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Roles of Estrogen in Development - Essay Example Most species with two sexes exhibit sexually dimorphic behavior and physical characteristics. New research suggests that the presence of estrogen, specifically estradiol, has an active role in sexual differentiation. Several sexual dimorphic structures in the brain have been observed in laboratory experiments. This study had been performed using male and female rats and had proved the differences in size of corpus callosum between two sexes had existed facilitated by estrogen. Estrogen plays an important role in male reproduction, critical for sustained fertility in some species. Reducing estrogen's interaction with its receptor(s) in monkey and mouse models is associated with reduced sperm motility and, in some cases, documented elimination of sperm fertilizing ability, suggesting that normal epididymal function may be estrogen dependent. The objective of the experiments was to evaluate the effects of reduced endogenous estrogen on development of epididymal function in the pig, a species in which males have very high levels of endogenous estrogen. Furthermore, reducing endogenous estrogen during postnatal development appears to have transient effects on porcine epididymal function. These transient effects suggest that the pig, with its high endogenous estrogen, may respond differently than other species to reduced estrogen synthesis (McCarthy, et al). This particular study provides a viable claim of estrogens importance on development of reproductive sys tem particularly in male specie. The development of the positive feedback of estrogen in normally fed animals and its possible alterations in animals subjected to restricted food intake has been the focus of another study and had indicated that the gonadotropin response to estrogen positive feedback develops gradually and quantitatively as the animal matures and undernutrition-induced delayed puberty is not caused by inability of the hypothalamic-pituitary unit to respond to positive estrogen feedback, but rather to ovarian failure to release estrogen in amounts sufficient to trigger a gonadotropin surge (Ronnekleiv, et al). Another study had determined whether endogenous estrogen, the levels of which increase with advancing pregnancy, regulates growth and development of the baboon fetal adrenal cortex. In the end it propose that estrogen acts directly on the fetal adrenal cortex to selectively repress the morphological and functional development of the fetal zone, potentially as a feedback system to maintain physio logical secretion of estrogen precursors and thus placental estrogen production to promote normal primate fetal and placental development (Albretch, et al). Despite the estrogens' significance on development, some studies apparently speak of its contribution to developmental errors. Evidences have accumulated that exposure to environmental components with estrogenic activity causes reproductive disorders in human populations. Studies conducted over the past 50 years have clearly shown a continual decline in semen quality accompanied by an increase in male reproductive disorders during this period in industrial countries. As healthy gametes are a prerequisite for healthy children, such disorders are a significant problem not only for the current society, but also for future generations. Epidemiological, clinical, and experimental studies have suggested that excessive exposure to estrogens and xenoestrogens during fetal and neonatal