Persecution.

My dear friend Mary Nymark sent me a link to read and analize about religious persecution. Its about how people in Iraq. Being a muslim state christians get harassed and exiled from some places in Iraq. They are persecuted in many ways some of which are brutal and unkind. Canon Andrew White of St. George's Anglican Church in Baghdad claims that a total of 83 congregates of his church were killed last year because of this procecution of christians in Iraq. The fact that innocent people can be killed by their religions, is a sad thing because Iraq wants religious freedom as well.

Lyle, Jenna. "Iraqi Christians still face Persecution." Christian Today. March 18, 2009. http://christiantoday.com/article/iraqi.christians.still.face.persecution/22810.htm

three

A culture different from my own is Anarchism. Most forms of anarchy states that compulsory government is unnecessary, harmful, or undesirable. Though sometimes I disagree with the Government and their decisions I'm not going to rebel it or start a fight againtst it. Anarchists have been known to protest voilently with guns and drugs and fire but thats not how all anarchists act. I used to feel like Anarchy was a goood thing people were doing to rebel "the man" now I feel that you can make a point and not have to be violent about it. You don't need to pick a fight to make people hear you, you just need to get a lot of people to hear your points and mutually agree to make the government listen to you.

two

In the book Jemima Jones the main character is a overweight 25-year-old who is constantly trying to lose weight. She tries many diets and excersizing etc. to lose the extra pounds but nothing seems to work because she's got these strange cravings for a cookie, or bacon sandwich, or mayo on fries. Her struggles are seen in much of our worlds today. Most people look at models or the people on tv and ask ourselves why can't we look like that. I feel like we should accept who we are and what we look like as long as we are healthy. You don't need to be stick thin and be healthy and beautiful, you just shouldn't be 200 pounds overweight because thats really bad for you and you should talk to a doctor or someone to get help in becoming healthy again. 

seven

"I've realized people will change, and that things go wrong, 
shit will happen, but life goes on." This is one of my favorite quotes, its about change in people but no matter how much you or someone else changes life still goes on. The world doesn't stop because someone isn't a friend or someone dumped you. There are bigger things going on in the world. Some people were crushed when Obama won the presidancy but that doesn't mean their still not part of our nation. They just need to realize change can be for the better or for worse, but it doesn't mean you need to reject it. Good or bad change is happening and we need to accept it as it comes. Though it may be rough sometimes you need to think of it as one door closing, but two more opening. 

six

What hope means

Hope is bright shining light which keeps darkness at the bay
Hope is gentle cold breeze on a hot summer day

Hope is to remain positive when going gets tough
hope is seeking more when others think u had enough

What hope means

Hope is dreaming of tommorow
Hope is simmering under sorrow

Hope is sparkles when tears in our eyes
Hope is a beautiful thing & beutiful things never dies

What hope means

Hope is as light as a feather
Hope keeps all of us together

Hope is ubiquitous and free of cost
hope is the last thing ever lost..... 

Hope is all about feeling good and living for something that without it you would have nothing. Soemthings to hope for are family, love, life, etc... A life without hope would be... hopeless. Hope gives us something to wake up to tomorrow morning, it gives us a thought of 'maybe i'll find the love of my life today' or 'maybe i'll become a millionare today' or 'maybe someone will choke and I'll save them becoming a hero in many peoples lives today.' this is why we need hope, this is why without hope we might not get out of bed in the mornings. We might just sit here by ourselves melting into a hopeless lump of nothingness which i'm not sure how you feel about that but I for sure do not want to slump down in my seat and do nothing because I have no hope for the future in my hands. Hope is a magic part in our lives, we don't even realize it either! So many people think there is no hope but they have no idea, hope is everywhere and in everything, you just have to open your eyes and find it!

five

For my religious text I'm using a quote from the bible. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." —I Corinthians 13:4-8a"  This text talks about the christian view of love. Everyone loves something in their lifetime, its inevitable. This text describes how love should be, and how you should love others. Now many people might take a literal sense of the word love and say 'well shouldn't christians not have sex?' where as this text is saying you dont need to have sex to love someone you just need to be selfless when you loce someone. This is said as a vow at many weddings because its true, love is paitent, love is kind, love always preservers! And thats what we need to realize in our lifetime, that love is like nothing else and we need to treat it like nothing else in this world.

eight

In the movie Mean Girls a cultural (as in their "plastic group") is they all wear pink on wednesdays. This may seem inferior to you and many others, but in effect because they are the most popular girls in the school they automatically have a say in everyones mind of whats "hot or not". and obviously they feel pink on wednesday is hot so that will effect they whole school system and more into wearing pink on a specific day of the week. This effect on the high school culture, though a bit dramatic, is very intriguing because it shows how willing people are to change just so they can fit in or pretend to be someone else. Everyone tries to be someone their not, its a part of life. The thing is how many people will try to be someone else and not themselves? Through the chain effect of peoples own networking sooner or later everone will be wearing pink on a wednesday just to become a "plastic."

four

I was in history class and we were talking about the difference between men and womens roles in the Middle Ages. Peasant men were in charge of farming a lot and getting food for the family. Peasant women were in charge of going around and cleaning the house, taking care of children, cooking, etc. Noble men were in charge of making sure their land was being well kept by the peasants, where as all the women had to do was go take care of their kids and teach then how to become a respectable man or woman. Over time I think the roles of men and women have changed gradually. Women are able to become the 'leader' of the household and have a steady job and not just take care of their children. Also men can become stay-at-home-dads, and take over the classical "womans jobs" in the home. I think its nice that our generation has the options to be either or in the roles within our lives. [:

One

I read an article online about tornadoes, it talked about how they are one of the most devistating disasters that could possibly happen. They come in and in a matter of minutes they destroy someones life completly, making it nearly impossible to reconstruct it! On the flip side they can also bring familys together, making them stand strong and become close through their hardships. The fact of the matter is that Tornadoes have to very dirastic sides. A good, and a bad.