Doctrine and Covenants Summary Essay #1 †Theology Essay

Doctrine and Covenants Summary Essay #1 – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers Doctrine and Covenants Summary Essay #1 Theology Essay At the top of my mission statement, it reads, â€Å"I found my existence on the principles of integrity and excellence.† I hold this sentence very dear to my heart; it is the foundation of the purpose of my life- of my very existence. I constantly strive for the best. I continuously pursue the path that leads me highest in any endeavor- be it academic, physical, or spiritual. And I had not always espoused this philosophy to the degree I do now- the effort to strive for the top in my early years was never quite serious or even remarkable, so I really had never come into any conflict with the principle of equality embraced by the law of consecration. No conflict, of course, until complete application of this philosophy of excellence made me realize the full power of the law and understand its potential greatness†¦ and its danger. In section 82 of the Doctrine and Covenants we come to a scene in the spring of 1832 where the Lord has decided to introduce a key element in the path towards creating a people worthy of Zion- worthy of living under the glory of a celestial law. This element is the law of consecration. To begin with, the Lord tells a group of his servants, Edward Partridge, Newel K. Whitney, and others that they â€Å"are to be equal, or in other words, [they] are to have equal claims on the properties, for the benefit of managing the concerns of [their] stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just† (DC 82:17). The Lord is basically giving them a commandment that they are to be equal. Now, granted this verse is simply talking about the management of certain businesses, but it is a part of a great whole- the whole commandment of the Law of consecration. In this Law, the central principle dictates the saints are to be equal; they are to â€Å"be e qual in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (DC 78:5, italics added). The Lord of course mentions that they are to be equal in heavenly things, but the striking addition is that they are also to apply this equality to their worldly possessions and activities! The law of consecration is part of the â€Å"celestial law,† meaning it is that which those who are worthy of and striving for the Celestial Kingdom embrace. Truly, a mode of living worthy to be called â€Å"celestial† falls within that category of excellence that we are striving for. However, when first examining the law of consecration and its principle of total equality for all, I couldn’t help but feel a certain tie with the equality of man promised by communism and socialism. Not that I have a problem with human beings being equal economically or in any other manner. However, although my full understanding of true excellence bloomed later in my life, the concept of compelled equality always gave me a sense of discomfort and repulsion. I now understand why- it is contrary to the very essence of excellence to force a group of people into dead-level equality; I have always, consciously or otherwise, believed that there is nothing more unequal than the equal tre atment of unequal people. When you force those who are striving to be great to come down to the level of those who are putting forth little effort, or worse, those putting forth only enough effort to plunder the labors from the noble individuals on top, you punish excellence. You punish ability and talent; you stifle competence and genius. This was my objection to forced equality. And for a short time, it seemed that the law of consecration was just this very thing- after all, wasn’t it a commandment? Herein lies the paradox. It seemed that the Lord was telling the saints to strive for excellence, but simultaneously instituted a program that punished and stifled it. However, God is not a god of contradiction and confusion. The most important thing the reader must understand in examining this apparent incongruity is the very nature of the people who make up the true United Order, the Law of consecration. First, â€Å"equality† in that sense as it is spoken by the Lord in sections 78 and 82 does not mean dead-level equality. President J. Rueben Clark, Jr. stated that the equality spoken of in these sections of scripture are â€Å"not a case of ‘dead level’ equality. It is ‘equality’ that will vary as much as the man’s circumstances, his family, his wants and needs, may vary† (Conference Report, Oct 1942, p. 55). Obviously then, God is speaking here of relative equality- dependent on the circumstances and positions of His children. Furt hermore, coming back to the nature of the people who comprise the celestial society of Zion- they are not the bottom-feeding, looter type. They do not hope to steal from the efforts of those who are striving to be great. They strive to be great themselves. True equality is wonderful; the equivalence that comes from an individual freely choosing excellence and then surrounding himself with similar individuals is truly celestial. But this equality cannot be forced- such a constraint is the element of Lucifer’s plan. The true follower of celestial law espouses excellence by free will and endeavors to seek â€Å"the interest of his neighbor,† and do â€Å"all things with an eye single to the glory of God† (DC 82:19). Eventually, however, as outlined primarily in section 104, the law of consecration was rescinded only two years after its introduction to the saints. This section details centrally the procedure of taking the ownership of the various businesses involved in the United Order out of the names of the order itself, and into the names of several individual servants of the Lord, including Edward Partridge and Newell K. Whitney, as mentioned above. Thus, the order was officially dissolved. Why was this celestial law revoked? Why was it taken away from the lives of the saints when the potential for greatness and progression was so imminent? The Lord mentions specifically several times that they had â€Å"broken the covenant through covetousness, and with feigned words† (DC 104:4). They were covetous of their neighbor. In short, they were guilty of the great sin- pride. Pride is a disease. It stifles righteous progression in every form. The most evil of all- our brother Satan, fell to his pitiful and lowly state because of his pride. The early saints, although certainly not as evil and malicious as Lucifer, nevertheless were perpetrators of the sin of pride. C.S. Lewis tells us that â€Å"Pride is essentially competitive- is competitive by its very nature- while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident† (Mere Christianity, p. 110). The â€Å"other vices† Lewis speaks of include all other sins, including greed or immorality. A greedy man may want to hoard millions of dollars for the pleasure, but a prideful man will do the same just to be above all the others. It is enmity and evil competition in its very basic form. Someone guilty of pride does not necessarily take pleasure in being rich, or smart, or handsome. They only seek to be richer, smarter, or more handsome than the next man. Thus, it is the very opposite of the law of consecration- the celestial law which advances excellence in the individual- in essence being the â€Å"best one can be.† Additionally, rather than competition, consecration encourages the care and help in advancement of one’s neighbor. The saints were condemned for the lack of ability to stifle pride and live the Law of consecration, but Heavenly Father is forever merciful to his children. He took away the celestial law, removing further condemnation, and instituted a the new law of tithing as outlined in section 119. This incident has a glaring parallel to the children of Moses. Unable to live the higher law, the Israelites were given a law of carnal commandments, which was a â€Å"schoolmaster† to bring them to Christ (Galatians 3:24). In this same manner, the Latter-day Saints have also been given tithing, a schoolmaster to bring us to the celestial principles of consecration outlined by Christ. It is comforting to know that our Lord will never give us greater commandments than what we are worthy of. It is equally comforting to understand that He wants us to be excellent- he has given us guidelines and commandments for us to progress in that manner. Does consecration contain danger? Does it really repress talent? In continuation of the passage from section 82, â€Å"and all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, even a hundredfold† (DC 82:18). Truly, we have nothing to fear. I am thankful for the opportunity to progress and help my fellow man become excellent even as I strive to be. Creation of united order Principle of excellence and â€Å"shooting for the top†living the celestial law however, causes conflict with my own philosophy of excellence because I had thought that forced equality punishes the excellent for being excellent true followers of celestial law espouse excellence Dissolution of united order celestial law is brought down because of pride – expound on prideSimilar to children of Moses – preparatory law of tithing in place to be a schoolmaster for consecration Research Papers on Doctrine and Covenants Summary Essay #1 - Theology Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayResearch Process Part OneRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresHip-Hop is ArtWhere Wild and West MeetAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Air pollution Essays

Air pollution Essays Air pollution Paper Air pollution Paper Vicar Guppy, M. D. , and Santos Ass , M. D. Stated in Air Pollution: Indian Scenario, Disease and malformation caused by air pollution is not a natural occurrence to be overlooked because if people themselves try to help reducing the pollutants, then health risk can be controlled. 5. RECOMMENDATION FOR AIR POLLUTION Solution efforts on pollution are always a big problem. Several attempts are being made worldwide on personal, industrial and governmental levels to curb the intensity at which Air Pollution is rising and regain a balance as far as the proportions of the foundation gases are concerned. This is a direct attempt at slacking Global warming. This is why prevention interventions are always a better way of controlling air pollution. We are seeing a series of innovations and experiments aimed at alternate and unconventional options to reduce pollutants. Air Pollution is one of the larger mirrors of mans follies, and a challenge we need to overcome to see a tomorrow. In many big cities, monitoring equipment has been installed at many points in the city. Authorities read them regularly to check the quality of air. The lesson to be taken is from the case study of Mexico City. The government introduced air laity improvement programs ? PICA and PAIRED that include, among other measures, a rotating one-weekday ban on private car use. On days of high pollution, the ban extends to every second day and some manufacturing activities are curtailed. In addition, car owners must have their vehicles certified every six months. The following are some recommendation action to reduce air pollution. . 1 Government (or community) Level prevention 5. 1. 1 Emphasis on clean energy resources Government throughout the world would have already taken action against air pollution by introducing green energy. Some governments are investing n clean energy technologies like wind energy and solar energy, as well as other renewable energy, to minimize burning of fossil fuels, which cause heavy air pollution. Governments are also forcing companies to be more responsible with their manufacturing activities, so that even though they still cause pollution, they are a lot controlled. 5. 1. Use energy efficient devices CFML lights consume less electricity as against their counterparts. They live longer, consume less electricity, lower electricity bills and also help you to reduce pollution by consuming less energy. Companies are also building ore energy efficient cars, which pollute less than before. 5. 2 Individual Level Prevention 5. 2. 1 Use public mode Of transportation Encourage your family to use the bus, train or bike when commuting. Also, try to make use of carpooling. If you and your colleagues come from the same locality and have same timings you can explore this option to save energy and money. If we all do this, there will be fewer cars on road and less fumes. 5. 2. 2 Conserve energy Use energy (light, water, boiler, kettle and fire woods) wisely. This is because lots of fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity, and so if we can cut own the use, we will also cut down the amount of pollution we create. 5. 2. 3 understand the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Recycle and re-use things. This will minimize the dependence of producing new things. Remember manufacturing industries create a lot of pollution, so if we can re-use things like shopping plastic bags, clothing, paper and bottles, it can help. . BIBLIOGRAPHY REFERENCES or. Amandine Sings, MD, Dry. Vicar Guppy. MD, Dry. Santos ass, MD. (2009). Volume 10. Number 2. November 2009. Air Pollution : Indian Scenario in The Pacific Journal of Science and Technology. Http://www. Sentimentality. S/ PAST. HTML . Accessed 9 October 2013. John Fletcher (201 1). Air Pollution . Geography. Michelle Hobbler, (2003). Health A n Ecosystem Approach. Wham. Dire. Ca/ cheesecloth . Accessed 9 October 2013. Website references: http://en. M. Wisped. Org/WI ski/Kyoto_protocol http://en. M. Wisped. Org/WI ski/Air_poll lotion http://environment. Cinematographic. Com/environment/global-warming/ pollution-overview http://schooldays. Com/pollution/air-pollution/air- pollution-prevention-HTML Mass. Gob/deep/air/aqua/envy_effects. HTML Conserve-energy-future. Com/causes-effects-solutions-of-air- pollution. PH . APPENDICES CASE STUDY : MEXICO CITY Taking Control of Air Pollution in Mexico City A clean air drive targets health improvements and health care savings Located in a pollutant-trapping valley, Mexico City ? one of the worlds largest cities ? has had limited success in battling suffocating air pollution. A new understanding of the health impacts of this pollution ? and of peoples role in both the problem and the solution ? could lead to better targeted, more effective air improvement programs. Famous for its size, its history, and the warmth of its people, Mexico City is also infamous for its air pollution. In 1992, the United Nations described the citys air as the most polluted on the planet. Six years later, that air earned Mexico the reputation of the most dangerous city in the world for children. This is a reputation Mexico has been working hard to improve. But despite more than a decade of stringent pollution-control measures, a dull haze hangs over the city most days, obscuring the stunning snow-capped mountains that frame the city and endangering the health of its inhabitants. Many factors have contributed to this situation: industrial growth, a population boom (from 3 million in 1950 to some 20 million today), and the relaxation of vehicles. More than 3. 5 million vehicles ? 30% of them more than 20 years old ? now ply the city streets. Geography conspires with human activity to produce a poisonous scenario. Located in the crater of an extinct volcano, Mexico City is about 2,240 meters above sea level. The lower atmospheric oxygen levels at this altitude cause incomplete fuel combustion in engines and higher emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds. Intense sunlight turns these noxious gases into higher than normal smog levels. In turn, the smog prevents the sun from eating the atmosphere enough to penetrate the inversion layer that blankets the city. Solving this problem has been a priority of the Metropolitan Environmental Commission, which is integrated with local and federal authorities. Recent efforts to curb emissions have been relatively successful. In the 1 9905, for instance, the government introduced air quality improvement programs ? PICA and PAIRED that include, among other measures, a rotating one-weekday ban on private car use. On days of high pollution, the ban extends to every second day and some manufacturing certified every six months. But if lead, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide are now under control, pollution levels of other contaminants are still far above air quality standards. A closer look at pollution When PAIRED concluded in 2000, environmental authorities undertook a longer, ambitious air quality improvement program: PAIRED 2002-2010. TO develop the program, however, accurate measures were needed to determine how improving air quality would improve health and reduce health expenditures. A number of questions also needed to be answered about the relationship between the citys inhabitants and air pollution: How do people perceive pollution? How does it affect them? What are they willing to do or pay for cleaner air? How can they be motivated to help solve it? The Mexico City government set out to answer these questions, with support from Canadas International Development Research Centre (DIRE) and the Netherlands Trust Fund through the World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization. If the first question was fairly simple ? what is the economic value of benefits reaped from reducing air pollution? ? answering it was not. No one really knows, or understands, the relationship between environmental contaminants and the health of inhabitants, says biologist Roberto Murmur Cruz, subdirectory of information and analysis at Mexico Citys atmospheric monitoring system, part of the Secretariat del Media Ambient (department of the environment). The Secretariat coordinated the project in collaboration with the Center National De Salad Ambient (national centre for environmental health), the nongovernmental organization GREECE (a study group on relations between the environment and behavior), and the Institute De Ia Meijer del District Federal (Womens Institute of Mexico City). The researchers focused on health hazards posed by the most serious Laotians in Mexico: ozone, produced when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in sunlight, and PM O ? resalable particulate matter less than 10 microns (0. 01 millimeters) in diameter. IMO comes from various sources, including road construction and dust, smoke-belching diesel trucks and buses, forest fires, and burning refuse in the open air. Both pollutants can irritate eyes, cause or aggravate a range of respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, and lead to premature death. Its not air pollution that kills people, explains Munson, but some people die sooner than they would otherwise. More than 20 researchers from eight academic, governmental, donor, and nongovernmental organizations in Mexico, the Netherlands, and the USA contributed to compiling and analyzing the findings of national and international studies of the health effects of ozone and PM O. Surveys were also carried out to determine peoples perceptions of the pollution problem, says Munson. A population exposure model was then developed, using data from Mexico sophisticated air-monitoring network. The study estimated that pollution levels in 2010 will be much the same as in the late sass when ozone levels exceeded standards on almost 90% of days ND IMO on 30% to 50% of days, explains Dry Victor Boors Abort, former Director of the Center National De Salad Ambient at the Secretariat De Salad and now coordinator of workplace health, who led the projects first module. Tangible benefits Earlier efforts to assess the Costs Of pollution in Mexico City had focused on direct medical costs such as medicines and hospital visits and on productivity losses ? income lost by those who were sick. This study, however, sought to provide a more comprehensive picture. Air quality and exposure meddlers, epidemiologists and public health specialists, economists and statisticians assessed a wide range of health benefits and savings, including peoples willingness to pay for better health and a potentially longer life. Communications and social participation specialists worked to understand peoples perceptions and get at indirect costs because, as Munson explains, not only do people who get sick lose days from work, but also mothers stay home to take care of the children who get sick. It was an important transcriptional experience, says Munson. Bringing together different disciplines to provide a holistic picture ? an approach central to cheesecloth research ? proved very successful. And a strong connection was forged between the institutions and between government and research institutes. The research concluded that reducing PM 0 would yield the greatest health and financial benefits : each micrograms per cubic centimeter reduction would be worth about CSS$1 00 million a year. Reducing both ozone and IMO by just 10% would result in average savings offs$760 million a year. In human terms that would translate into, for example, 33,287 fewer emergency room visits for respiratory distress in 2010 and 88 fewer hospital admissions for the same problem. In addition, says Mums, it would lead to 266 fewer infant deaths a year an important consideration not valuated. Clearly this justifies relatively high expenditures to further reduce polluting emissions, Munson says. Much to the projects credit, this detailed information provided the scientific underpinning of PAIRED 2002-2010, which calls for close to US$15 billion of public and private investments in air quality improvement projects. The information has also been made available to the international community through a number of publications. What do Mexicans think? If people largely cause air pollution, they must also be involved in cleaning it up. Certainly the original PAIRED program recognized this and included various formal and informal programs to inform people about the problem and invite them to action. It recognized that a cultural change was needed to modify the society-city-environment relation, says Munson. But in a city as large and as socially and culturally diverse as Mexico, that proved no easy task. The research team surveyed close to 4,000 residents in all sectors or delegations of the city. Completed questionnaires showed that close to 30% believe the governments motives in seeking to reduce air pollution are silvering. More than 30% also think that the governments online air quality reports are false. (http://148. 243. 232. 103/amicable/) In fact, says Munson, We found that most people dont even consult the official information.