New Testament 'Queer' interpretations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

New Testament 'Queer' interpretations - Essay Example Christians regard the Bible as a record of God’s connection with mankind, written by persons who were inspired by Him. Imbedded in the Bible are teachings that show which deeds are judged as good or sinful by God. Conservative Christians consider the Bible as infallible in that it is a direct representation of God’s word, which represents their ultimate source for belief and behaviour. Eastern Orthodox Christians consider the Bible as totally originating from Jesus Christ’s apostles (without involvement of divine inspiration by God). The Christian Left considers the Bible as a fallible record that is the result of a little divine inspiration, but which is tainted by defects arising out of being recorded, reproduced, censored and updated by men other than Jesus Christ. Non-believers look upon the Bible as a collection of traditional local stories that contain a moral message; however the morality from which those messages are taken is obsolete and old fashioned.1 Jesus Christ. It contains 4 Gospels (by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), and several Epistles by other apostles, most notably by Paul. There are several passages in the New Testament that refer to homosexuality. In the Epistle to the Romans 1: 26-27 (King James Version of the Bible {KJV}), the apostle Paul wrote: â€Å"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.† This passage has been singled out as the one and only specific reference to female homosexuality or lesbianism in the New Testament, and it is the only passage where male homosexuality and female homosexuality are both denounced as deviations against the divine order [PENNA]. It is important to analyse the words of

Stratification by Gender and Agege Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stratification by Gender and Agege - Essay Example To make this discipline work, theoretical frameworks in the form of theories are used to explain and analyze social actions, structures and various social processes. These theories aid in organizing social research. It is imperative to realize the significance of these theories not only to develop a positive attitude towards life and society but also to modulate the situation so as to add meaning to it in a cognitive and overall holistic development (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). Sociological theories explaining stratification by gender and age are based on theoretical assumptions encompassing positivism, materialism, idealism, determinism, individualism and free will (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). They provide an attitude towards critical thinking that includes rationality, logic, objectivity and knowledge (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). It is an essential tool used by scholars to analyze the society and therefore these are interdisciplinary, drawing ideas from and contributing to various disciplines of human endeavor (Stark, 2007). Gender responsibilities require proper behavior, attitudes and activities of both males and females in the society. The social theories defining stratification by gender signify women as an oppressed majority group and must be feminine, soft, emotional, sweet and submissive while boys or males must be masculine, aggressive in temperament, tough, daring and dominant (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). ... Women perform the roles of being expressive and emotionally supportive while men take the role of being instrumental and practical (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). According to the conflict response of the sociological theory there is no parallel power relationship between men and women. Women are always considered as the weaker gender and men have a dominant position over women. This difference is due to suppression of women by men (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). According to the feminist perspective, in capitalist societies, women's subordination in injustice and exploitation is prevalent. This has gained pace with the rise in private property during industrialization (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). The dominance of men is also seen in the interaction theory which states that men are more likely to change topics of conversation or rather ignore topics chosen by women. The theory further states that if the idea is given by a women then it doesn't gain much appreciation rather women are always interrupted (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). The stratification by gender also brings focus on the ideology of sexism which states that one sex (male) is superior to other (female). It also encompass discrimination and male prejudice leading to sexual harassment. Sexual harassment also involves work benefits, favors, touching, lewd comments and thereby creating hostile environment (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). This stratification is prevalent all over the world and therefore women remain in second-class position in major part of the world especially in the developing countries and are exploited for labor (Schaefer, R, 5th Ed). The gender stratification is also prevalent in developed nations like US but still is underrepresented in occupations defined as "men's jobs" which keep