.... we can hopefully derive some deeper meaning which God working through the author intends. On the surface, we see a story of rivalry that is typical even in modern times, yet we can also look to some valuable truths that are revealed about how God sees our personal motives and actions through the characters of Jacob and Esau. Gaining an understanding of the characters, their motives and the overall big picture of God's plan, we can better find some spiritual lessons of our own life. Jacob was the third link in God's plan of the patriarchs. In Gn 25:23, the Lord tells Jacob's mother, Rebekah, that she has twins. The Lord .....

.... 70 C.E. and more than liking the unsettled date of 85 C.E. Luke's primary audience was a man named Theophilius who he addressed at the beginning of his writing, however, Luke's Gospel addressed the group of people who ere already Christians. This was to help them in better understanding their faith and its roots. Thus Luke's audience is comprised of Gentiles and Christians. Luke's central theme is focused on Jesus' mercy and compassion. His theme illustrates that the message is for all people. And that great joy is shared by those who experience God's forgiving love in Jesus. The author of the Gospel of Matthew was, early .....

.... views abut abortion. If a women is at risk of death, if she is raped, or if she pregnant as a result of a failed birth control device the pregnancy can be terminated. Yet, if the abortion called for because of deformity in the fetus, it is opposed because it interferes with Karma. recognizes that everyone has their own road to choose. People need to make their own decisions and answer to the Laws of Karma. .....

.... existence today. Overall, Ovid is very detailed in explaining the formless mass, creation of the earth, waters and land metaphorically. The Biblical account seems to be more plain, simple, and organized; not spending time on intricate detail. There seems to be no specific time frame for creation in Ovid's writing, whereas, the Bible states that it takes God six days to complete His creation; resting on the seventh. In Metamorphoses, the creation story is seven stanzas, a compilation of eighty lines. It takes Moses thirty- one verses of Old Testament history to complete his story of creation. There are a few discrepancies i .....

.... language? They are children of God, just as we are. Science today is still discovering new evidence that proves the existence of a "mother of all humanity." We all share a common gene pool, we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. Since the beginning of recorded history, religion has had a profound impact on the present society. Romans, Greeks, Hindus, and Catholics have all molded their societies and laws around religion. As far as impact goes, look at the Spanish Inquisition. It is difficult for one to refute that Catholicism had little or no impact on the Aztecs of modern day Mexico. Even our laws today reflect .....

.... The goal in Taoism is to achieve tao, to find the way. Tao is the ultimate reality, a presence that existed before the universe was formed and which continues to guide the world and everything in it. Tao is sometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all things. That source is not a god or a supreme being as with Christians, for Taoism is not monotheistic. The focus is not to worship one god, but instead on coming into harmony with tao. Tao is the essence of everything that is right, and complications exist only because people choose to complicate their own lives. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are s .....

.... most scholars believe that the biblical account is based on historic realities. According to the Book of Genesis, God ordered the patriarch Abraham to leave his home in Mesopotamia and travel to a new land, which he promised to Abraham's descendants as a perpetual inheritance. Although the historicity of Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob is uncertain, the Israelite tribes certainly came to Canaan from Mesopotamia. Later they, or some of them, settled in Egypt, where they were reduced to slavery; they finally fled to freedom under the leadership of an extraordinary man named Moses, probably about 1200 BC. After a .....

.... one who declared that if the prince were to see a sick person, an old person, a corpse, and a world renouncing ascetic, he would become dissatisfied with life and become a wandering monk in order to seek final peace. King Shuddhodana decided to prevent his son from running into any of these four sights and surrounded him with pleasant diversions during his early years. Finally the prince convinced his father into letting him visit a part of the city that was beyond the palace gates. Before allowing the prince to ride out in his chariot, Shuddhodana first ordered the streets to be cleared of the sick or the infirm, that the prin .....

.... Maya of the indigenous tribe known as the Shakyas. (Encyclopedia Americana, page 687) Queen Maya soon became pregnant and had a dream shortly before she gave birth. In this dream a beautiful, white elephant with six tusks entered her room and touched her side. This dream was soon interpreted by the wisest Brahmin, or Priest of Brahmanism, that she was to give birth to a son that would, if he were to remain in the castle, become the wisest king in the world, but if he were ever to leave the castle he would then become the wisest prophet far into future generations. (Encyclopedia Americana, page 410) In around the year 563 BC, .....

.... to maintain sporadic but precious contact with Africa through networks of friends and traders. They sought the sacred cowries, seeds, and beads of Africa for their religion." This example of perseverance of their native ritual and worship practices, shows the magnitude that region held for many Yoruba Africans. They kept their own religion alive through many hidden tactics such as unsuspected culinary art, by giving the gods the food they needed to be strong. "But these were more than foods: they were writings in code. African system of logic and belief flowed unsuspected from the kitchen, giving the gods the dishes the .....