.... One day in 533 b.c. , according to tradition, he encountered an aged man, a sick man, and a corpse, and he suddenly and deeply realized that suffering is the common lot of humankind. He then came upon a mendicant monk, calm and serene, whereupon he determined to adopt his way of life and forsake family, wealth, and power in the quest for truth. This decision, known in Buddhism as the Great Renunciation, is celebrated by Buddhists as a turning point in history. Gautama was then 29 years old, according to tradition. Wandering as a mendicant over northern India, Buddha first inv .....

.... short of the finest piece of artwork on Earth. The Ark began as a select piece of acacia wood or Shittim wood by a man named Bezaleel (Exodus 37). He was the son of Uri’, of the tribe of Judah according to Exodus Chapter thirty-eight, verse twenty-two. The ark measured approximately1.15 meters long, 0.7 meters high, and 0.7 meters tall, which was carried along by long bars overlaid with gold. These bars slid through rings fastened to the Ark (Exodus36:37). There were two items placed on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. These two items were Cherubims made of gold .....

.... the ground. God gave him the breath of life and the man became a living soul (Moses 1:1-2:7). With the background of that story, one should look at the Egyptian interpretation of the beginning. At first there was nothing but chaos that contained the seed of everything to come. In this confusion the sun god dwelled. By an effort of his will he emerged from chaos as Ra and gave birth to Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess moisture. Shu and Tefnut gave birth to Geb and Nut, the earth god and sky goddess. Thus the physical universe was created. People were created .....

.... retain their faith in Christ without a central body (i.e., the Vatican) speaking on behalf of them on issues that they are capable of rationalizing for themselves. Among Catholics and Protestants, there is a trend toward less rigid attendance of religious services. If we examine the figures from Stark and Glock's 1968 survey, 54% of Americans surveyed at the time attended church more often than once a month. This figure shrank to 40.7% in the 1994 survey. Though the Catholic church insists on weekly attendance of church, weekly attendance dropped from 52% in 1978 to 49% in .....

.... -"Do this in Memory of Me." -"This is my body, which has been given up for you." The Eucharist Thesis: The Eucharist is a sign of Jesus' death, and how He gave himself up for us, and how we experience Him through His body. History of the Eucharist The Eucharist is a Jewish Ritual of worship. It dates back to the Last Supper, where Jesus celebrated a typical Jewish community meal with His friends. Sharing a meal with family, (very important to the Jews) also dates back to the Passover Meal. This is called the Liturgy of the Euchari .....

.... (Nirvana). It is a state of perfection where the mind has completely transcended the body and the self. It is the point in which one is no longer susceptable to suffering. Only when the candle of suffering has been blow out can one truly reach enlightenment. In order to help lead us toward enlightenment, Buddha created a set of guidlines which he called the Four Noble Truths. THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS: 1. The Truth of misery. 2. The Truth that misery originates within us from craving for pleasure. 3. The Truth that misery can be eliminated. 4. The Truth that elimination is t .....

.... leadership in the synagogue was led by the rabbis. In the Protestant religion there exists a "priesthood of all believers"("Priesthood", 529). This meant that each member in the community serves as his or her own priest, with direct access to communication with God. Protestants believe that the role of the priest is an "officiating mediary"("Priesthood", 529), rather than a one who performs ritual sacrifices. This stems from the Protestant belief that Jesus Christ served as "the ultimate" sacrifice, and therefore there is no use in animal sacrifices. Protestants also do no .....

.... that is unconstitutional, therefore, it is not unconstitutional. One may argue that school prayer is unfair, divisive, or just plain dumb, but it is not unconstitutional, and apparently it will take an amendment to make that clear. Finally, there is the issue of church and state. Some people feel that religious beliefs have flourished in this country, not in spite of, but because of the constitutional separation of church and state. The first amendment does not separate God and government, but actually encourages religion. It reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting .....