YOLB

1. I think the most interesting aspect is the argument about abortion in the bible. In the bible, there is no clear side to whether abortion is allowed or not. Some people who are pro-life find certain passages and interpret them to being a message of pro-life. However, others find different passages that they interpret to be pro-choice. For instance, a quote from Ecclesiastes states that if a man begets a hundred children, lives many years and does not enjoy life's things, then the untimely birth was better off than he.

2. Circumcision goes back all the way to Abraham. Even though it might be crazy, Abraham had it performed on him at the age of 99 and so did many others. (not nescesarily at this age though). It is a ritual that has gone back thousands of years and is part of the religion, so Jacobs should probably not dismiss it.

3. With reference to why Jacobs was advised to "pretend to be better than you are is better than nothing," when you pretend you are better than you are, then at least you are making an effort, which can be associated with many things. I find that when Jacobs wanted to put Memphis up for adoption, he had been a lousy neighbor in his opinion, but dicided that he should put the dog up for adoption anyways because that would be better than doing nothing, even if he is doing it just because the bible said so.

4. When Jacobs was dancing, he was felt a religious experience, which meant he gave up full control of himself, which he stated at the beginning of the book was the hardest thing to do. All of his work from previous months had finally paid off to give him this experience where he was almost in a buddhist-like meditation state.

5. I think one of the most important aspects of Jacobs year was pretty much going through all of the religious motions and getting a feel for what people have done every day for every year of their lives. I think it gave him a better understanding for religion and also he can be more open minded about it and understand the concepts more. I also think that he understood that the bible can't be taken completely literally and that certain parts are based on your interpretion and how you want to do it.

The Last Judgement

The Last Judgement is where people will be judged based on how people served God in their lives. This can include helping the hungry and the poor and done good things just to be good people. These are the main ways one is judged in the last judgement. If you have not done these things, then there will be different circumstances for you which can include going to hell. It is important to have had faith in God and done the best to worhip God because God realizes that everyone makes sins and forgives those who have.
Jesus states that those who have followed him will be known by their treatment of others. This is one of the key concepts for getting into heaven. They are actions that follow in his example such as helping out a sick person on a given day and giving clothes to someone in need and many other things. These small things get you into heaven.
The way to go to hell is by neglecting to follow Jesus' teachings and not helping other people out. Jesus focuses on the ten commandments and states that now following certain commandments is a definate way to go to hell. Also, there are the seven deadly sins which are a certain way to hell if you commit them. Jesus says to love your neighbor and your enemies and to be accepting.

One of the aspects of Michelangelo's painting is those who have been saved on the Last Judgement. Those who have been saved are those who followed Jesus' teachings and the commandments. They are good Christians and helped with the less fortunate in thier lifetime. Another aspect is the last trumpet. The Last Judgement was said to be followed with "angels with a loud trumpet." who stand in the four corners of the earth. The last trumpet and also the symbol of hope are interesting concepts that are somewhat of a silver lining to the Last Judgement, where many complex and crazy things are all happening at once. The last aspect is the boatmen of the dead. This is pretty interesting because the boatman symbolizes the damned going to hell and is their transportation device. He and the other demons of hell are weird looking because Christians believe that the people who reject Christ's teachings and do evil things are less than human.

The Reformation

The reformation is when different denominations of Christianity had a various ideas on how to live closer to Christ's teachings. Some of the denominations had certain practices that others didn't think were the right ways to follow Christ. Certain ways of practice began to emerge because of the increasingly amount of Bibles at the time period. In the 1500s, the protestant churches emerged and they focused on that each person's relationship with Christ does not need a priest or a pope as an intermediary. Also, they used the Scripture as a primary tool for preaching, salvation and teaching. This new form was a lot different than the older ways and created conflict among the Protestant Churches and the others

Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church is self-governing and their history dates back to the apostles. They are similar to other churches in some of their beliefs but differ in certain ways. One of the ways they are different is that they don't recognize Roman papacy, unlike the Protestant churches. Another difference is how they recognize saints. Unlike the Roman Catholics, they are not as formal and can be decided from bishops or the popularity of that saint. Another difference is that they don't recognize a pope or an archbishop as other forms of Christianity do because they are broken up into smaller divisions with bishops.

The Religious Life

One of the ways Christians live religiously is by being nuns, monks or friars. These are Christians who take Christianity very seriously and perform the work of Christ by following Christ in his poverty and having strong obediance to Him. There are other Christians who have devoted themselves to prayer whereas others devote themselves more towards the sick and the poor. There are many different ways to live religiously and some of the ways are pretty interesting such as the Trappists who live in large communities and stay in thier house all day and devote themselves towards prayer. Also, they live a life of austerity and silence. Another group of Christians who call themselves the Little Brothers of Jesus look ordinary but do the most menial work available.

The Church

1. The Church is also known as the body of Christ, where Christians continue Christ's teachings on earth. The Church literally is an interesting type of building, which usually consists of a steeple, cool glass art, an organ, lots of seats, etc. It is a gathering place for Christians where they hear Christ's teachings and follow his example by teaching others, helping others and many other things. It is metaphorically Christ's body on earth, where all of the teachings Christians do are in the name of Christ and to serve Him. Two sacrements, Baptism and Eucharist come from Christ, where Baptism is the act by which people are accepted into the Church and perform Christ's work, and Eucharist is where Christians recieve the bread and wine of the Last Supper which symbolizes Christ being with them always.

2. One of the sacraments is prayer, where each Church has a place for praying to God. When they pray, they ask Him for his help with their lives or other types of things. In the church I go to (2-3 times a year if my mom doesn't make me go) there are comfortable pads to rest your knees on, because I don't think God would want it to be painful to pray. However, I do my best not to fall asleep on these comfty knee pads.
Another sacrament is confirmation. Confirmation is where Christians reaffirm their beliefs and to follow the teachings of Christ. Usually a bishop puts his hand on the person as a sign of the gifts from the Holy Spirit.
Some of the Churches focus on Bishops, who have a great amount of authority in the church and oversee everything. Some of the reformed churches don't have Bishops. The Bishop in my church is a pretty good speaker and doesn't bore me to death like the regular sermon does.

Saints and Martyrs

1. Saints are Christians who show extroardinary faith, love and loyalty towards Jesus, the church and fellow Christians. Being a saint can refer to anyone that is a Christian or anyone in heaven. The Roman Catholic Church sets apart saints by a process called canonization, where they declare someone a saint based on their devotion to Jesus, loyalty etc. They are then added to the list among people who are saints already. Some of the saints of the past are questionable by the Roman Catholics such as St. Christopher and St. Lucy because they are not sure of their existance. They believe that the saints have a role to take care of or be patrons of certain things, they have a certain duty. Such as how St. Christopher looked out for travelers. The Roman Catholics view saints in this sort of way and ask them for thier prayers. The Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that a saint is anyone who is in heaven, which includes Adam and Eve, Moses and other prophets. The Anglicans believe that saints are people who have a certain level of holiness and are elevated by popular opinion based on it.

2. One of the reasons Francis of Assisi was quickly canonized because he followed Jesus and his teachings very closely and radically, which inspired many people and he was declared a saint. Another reason is because Francis did so many things under the teachings of Christ, such as helping out the poor to a great extent, praise God to a profound level by leaving his family and set off to be part of a spiritual army for Christ.