The Importance Of Rivers Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Rivers Environmental Sciences Essay Rivers have been extremely helpful to men in all parts of the earth from the very early times. They provide water to slake the thirst of men, to fertilize their lands, to provide a means of communication for the goods that transport from place to place, provides food, energy, recreation,  and of course water for irrigation and for drinking. it is an essential element and the single most important commodity in our lives. Without river, life wouldnt be possible (www.language123.blogspot.com).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Globally, according to a new study from the American Meteorological Societys Journal of Climate, due to global climate change, Many rivers around the world are losing water Large populations depend on some of the rivers for everything from agriculture to clean drinking resources, including the Yellow River, the Ganges, the Niger, and the Colorado, which have all shown significant declines (Hans,HYPERLINK http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0422-hance_rivers.html 2009). Water, the lifeblood of nations is being squandered. In California, citizens go on with their lives and life styles and waste precious water on precious projects which support industry, their recreational and domestic needs. Even water to the bread basket of the nation, the vast Imperial Valley area where vegetables and fruits are grown for the nation, water is being rationed so that ten million toilets can be flushed daily, more lawns watered, a million cars cleaned in car washes. We are massive consumers of earths resources and waste water outrageously. But it takes an outrageous amount of water to keep an economy vibrant, to restart the economic engine so that we move out of a recession (Bergsma, 2009). In the Philippines, particularly in Pasig River is considered as one of the Worldss contaminated rivers now. The United Nations Development Programme article entitled Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and global water crisis; said that the pollution load in Pasig river today accounts for seventy percent of human waste. But that was already old information. The department of Environment and natural resources 2003 pollution report said that the Pasig River was already dead, in nature. Sad to say, the DENR said that the conjugal waste and industrial waste in the river were still being deserted everyday. The Pasig river, before the years of large scale growth was compared some time ago to the Grand Canal of Venice. According to the United Nations Development Programme report, Problem is the mud management and discarding facilities are unusual which and might show the way into the river to the haphazard waste dumping, having an unwell effects on health (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2006). In Davao City, Rosendo Almonte, manager of the Environment and Watershed Protection Division of the Davao City Water District, said that the use of commercial pesticides and fertilizers in the plantation had affected the watershed areas in the northern part of the city that slowly contaminated our water resources. 20 years from now, our watershed and rivers will be polluted. In Gravahan River, Matina, Davao City, the Riverside are of many garbage waste. You can see human waste floating on the river children swimming in the river as well. Thus, this made the researchers study the said River. Literature Review This segment discusses the related literatures which encompass in this study which include the views the different authors consequently. The subsequent are literatures gathered from books, journals, internet, and other studies on the subject of this problem. Likewise, this section will flash to present approaches of the research process. These coupled with the authors experiences and other tribulations specific to this applied issue. These are the follows: Quality of Water. Water is vital for life. We may go for days or even weeks with no food, however death will happened following a few days with no water. It acts as a solvent medium for nutrients, toxins, and waste products, and works to transport nutrients to and from the cells via blood stream. It is a solution part in knowing the quality of our lives. Nowadays, citizens are concerned with the quality of the water they drink. Before it reaches the consumers tap, it comes into contact with many different substances, including organic and inorganic matter, chemicals, and other contaminants. Water is important to the technicalities of the human body. Without it, the human body cannot work. In fact, all the cell and organ functions made up in our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning. Water also helps in preventing some diseases (Margaret, 2009). Physico-chemical Properties. According to Helen Anderson and David Cummings, Melbourne, TDS is recorded in milligrams of dissolved solid in one liter of water (mg/L). Parts per million (ppm) is equivalent to mg/L but it is not a favored unit. EC measures the charge carrying ability of liquid in a measuring cell of specific dimensions. It is necessary to clearly define the units of both conductance and length when talking ECs. To say water sample is 2000 EC, is like saying a table is 2000 long, without specifying millimeters, centimeters or meters. The standard EC unit used by the Victorian Salinity Program and the Murray Darling Basin Commission is micro Siemens per centimeter ( µS/cm) at 25oC. You will however see other units and need to be aware of the relationships between them.  µS/cm relates to other units as 1000  µS/cm = 1 deciSiemen/metre (dS/m); 1000  µS/cm = 1; milliSiemen/centimetre (mS/cm) and 10  µS/cm = 1 milliSiemen/metre (mS/m), (Department of Primary Indust ry March, 2010). According to Sherlie Sharp, there is no normal pH that applies to all fish. Because fish originate in ponds, rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans that have different pH levels, their needs are different. Saltwater fish prefer an alkaline pH of 8.0 or above. Freshwater fish thrive in a range lower than that, somewhere between 5.5 and 7.5, depending on the specific species. Changes in the pH, especially sudden changes, can prove harmful or even fatal to fish . As the pH rises it increases the toxicity of chemicals such as ammonia. It is an important factor to monitor during the break-in of a new tank. pH changes are particularly hard on young and sick fish. In a number of species of fish, breeding occurs only within a specific pH range (Sharp, 2006). Dissolved oxygen analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O2) dissolved in an aqueous solution. Dissolved oxygen is one of the most important parameters in aquatic systems. This gas is an absolute requirement for the metabolism of aerobic organisms and also influences inorganic chemical reactions. Therefore, knowledge of the solubility and dynamics of oxygen distribution is essential to interpreting both biological and chemical processes within water bodies. Oxygen gets into water by diffusion from the surrounding air, by aeration (rapid movement) and as a waste product of photosynthesis. The amount of dissolved oxygen gas is highly dependent on temperature. Atmospheric pressure also has an effect on dissolved oxygen. The amount of oxygen (or any gas) that can dissolve in pure water (saturation point) is inversely proportional to the temperature of water. The warmer the water, the less dissolved oxygen (www.kywater.org). Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved Oxygens presence in water is a positive sign, but low levels are a sign of severe pollution. Water with consistently high levels of dissolved oxygen is considered healthy and capable of supporting many different kinds of aquatic organisms. In order for a water body to sustain warm water fish like bluegill, bass, and pike, the dissolved oxygen level must be at least 4 milligrams per liter (mg/L). Dissolved Oxygen in water generally comes from one of two sources. Most Dissolved Oxygen comes from the atmosphere as waves and tumbling water mix atmospheric oxygen. Another source of Dissolved Oxygen comes from plants as they go through photosynthesis. Less than 4 mg/L is bad; 4 10 mg/L is good, and more than 10 mg/L means Excellent, (www.sciotoswcd.org). Health Risks. According to DOH, River and lake water may contain microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses or parasites that can make a person sick if they enter the body. Since most swimmers are exposed to these organisms by swallowing the water, people are less lik ely to get sick if they wade or swim without putting their head under water or avoid swallowing river water (DOH, June 2009). The Centers for Disease Control estimates that in the United States 900,000 people becomes ill each year from waterborne infections. Globally, it is estimated that waterborne diseases are responsible for over 2 million deaths each year, mostly among children under the age of 5. This is the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing every day and represents about 15% of all child death in this age group. Examples of such disease are Typhoid fever and cholera, caused by bacteria that are shed only in human feces. About 100 years ago, the journal of the America medical association reported that the Typhoid fever mortality rate in Chicago had declined from 159.7 per 100,000 people in 1891 to 31.4 per 100,000 in 1894. More than one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean freshwater. More than two billion do not have adequate sanitation services and the annual death toll from water-borne diseases is estimated at more than five million (Manila Bulletin, 2006). The cure for all ill just might have been here all along. Plain old water has proven such an effective solution to various health concerns (The Philippine Star, 2005). A polluted body of water such as polluted lake or river presents a totally different picture. Water may be the vehicle for transfer of a broad variety of microbial diseases, including bacterial diseases such, cholera and shigellosis. Waterborne epidemics of these diseases, however, are rare due to continual surveillance. Many waterborne illnesses are due to less familiar bacteria such as species of Yersinia and Campylobacter, and toxins-producing strains of Escherichia Coli. An emerging pathogen associated with contaminated water is Vibrio vulnificus, a gram negative bacterium that can cause serious illness in persons with pre-existing liver disease or compromised immune systems. Viral diseases transmitted by water include hepatitis A, gastroenteritis due to Coxsackie or Norwalk virus, and in rare instances, polio. The se diseases are generally related to fecal contamination of water. Many protozoa form cysts that survive for long periods in water. Human Activities. Pollution caused by household garbage, the diminishing margin of safety between septic tanks and deep wells and pipes for potable water cause contamination to groundwater and exposed everyone to water-borne diseases. There are three main sources of water pollution here in the Philippines domestic/residential (48 percent), agricultural (37 percent) and industrial (15 percent) (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2007). Nearly everybody in the world lives in a river basin and everybody have contribution to make to prevent further damage to the environment. The threats facing river basins are varied and interlinked and require holistic policies rather than efforts that target just one aspect but can end up being counter productive. He said if government become concerned about climate change and reducing water run-off, they will possibly build more dams to store more water which may result in more waters being extracted from the rivers and will build up ecological problems (French, 2007) At the local front, countrys scarcity of water resource is mainly brought about by deteriorating quality of water resulting from indiscriminate economic activities in the water shed results to sedimentation and siltation of the water resources. Another thing is the disposal of solid and liquid wastes in to our rivers, lakes, canals, streams, marshes and swamps eventually contaminate ground water aquifers and coastal wastes (Manila Bulletin, 2009). Citizen monitors are the first and sometimes the only line of defense for our water ways. Theres often nobody else there looking (Sunstar Davao, 2007).   In the Philippines, more and more people are dumping their garbage into the seas and rivers; thus, poisoning our marine life. Some species are over fished and are therefore forced to the brink of extinction. Today, man is the greatest threat to marine biodiversity. Until a few hundred years ago, humans had a relatively small effect on the environment that damaged, however, with the rapid increase in population, as well as the onset of the technological revolution (Manila Bulletin, 2007). This is now a warning, that our surface waters are already highly contaminated and there is a high possibility that some of there waters may have already percolated and contaminated our waters (Today, 2008). Human activities commonly affect the distribution, quantity, and chemical quality of water resources. The range in human activities that affect the interaction of ground water and surface water is broad (Publishing Service Center, 2008). According to Erinn Soule, pollution in the ocean is a major problem that is affecting the ocean and the rest of the Earth, too. Pollution in the ocean directly affects ocean organisms and indirectly affects human health and resources. Oil spills, toxic wastes, and dumping of other harmful materials are all major sources of pollution in the ocean. People should learn more about these because if people know more about pollution in the ocean, then they will know more about how to stop pollution,(www.helium.com). Garbage dumping is the dumping of harmful materials into the ocean like human waste, ground-up garbage, water from bathing, and plastics. Most of the waste that has been dumped into the ocean in the early 1990s is still there today. One main cause of garbage dumping occurs when sewage pipes share their space with storm water drains. Rainfall causes the sewage pipes to overflow and the sewage waste mixes with the storm water drain, which flows into another water source such as a lake or river. After that, the garbage pollutes the ocean, kills plants and animals in the water (for example, the plastic rings that are around pop cans can get around an animals neck, causing it to suffocate), and makes the water dirty(library.thinkquest.org). Whenever someone takes their boat onto the water for a ride, it is creating pollution that can be very harmful to the sea life. Boating pollution is the pollution that comes from the boats engine when it is running, and it pollutes the water, killing animals with the chemicals in the exhaust from the engine. The engine gives off excess gasoline, which pollutes the waters and ends up killing the animals,(library.thinkquest.org). Theoretical Framework This study is anchored on Nightingales theory which gives importance on environments reflected predominant concern when a human activity was a chief health problem. Nightingale supposed that disease was a reparative course and that the exploitation of the patients surroundingsventilation, warmth, light, diet, cleanliness and noise would put in to the reparative process and the health of the patient. She did not subscribe to the germ theory, however, asserting that dirt, sewer gases, and other environmental contagion produced illness (Tomey, 2002). Nightingale consistently stressed health promotion and disease prevention. The foundations for good health were; housing, clean water and air, good nutrition and good child care. Nightingale described that putting individual in the best condition for nature to act upon them, emphasizing touch and kindness along with the healing properties of the physical environment. It was Nightingale that made the theory explaining the relationship of the health condition with the environment, stating that poor environment conditions are bad for health and good environmental condition reduces disease, (Allender, 2001). And for Neumans Health Care System Model, people are seen as an open system that constantly and reciprocally interact with the environment and that stressors can originate from internal or external environment. Dorothea Orems Self-care Deficit Theory focused on the concepts of self care that are learned, and are goal-oriented actions to preserve and promote life, health, and well-bei ng. She described that the people needing nursing care are those who lacks ability to self-care. Health Belief model by Becker and Rosenstack assumes that beliefs are important contributors to health-seeking behaviors. These include four beliefs that should combine to predict health-related behaviors. The beliefs mentioned were the perceived susceptibility of the disease or disability, perceived severity of the disease, perceived benefits of health-enhancing behaviors and perceived barriers to health enhancing behaviors, including financial costs. The nurse has a big role in helping the client interact with the environment in the growth and development stage. Being healthy is a lived, constantly changing experience. The clients health evolves during interaction with the environment, which may put them at risk or lead to good health. Another is Dorothy Johnsons theory (2001) that states that The goal of Nursing is reduce stress so that the client can move more easily through recovery processes. According to Johnson, the nurse assesses the clients needs in categories of behavior, called behavioral subsystems. Under normal conditions the client functions effectively in the environment. When stress disrupts normal adaptation, however, behavior becomes erratic and less purposeful. The nurse identifies this inability to adapt and provides nursing care to resolve problems in meeting the clients needs (Potter Perry, 2001). This means that there are indications from the client that will demonstrate reactions to the disruptions of their behavior and that the nurse can identify these oddities or changes, providing nursing care and helping the client overcome these changes. If residents near the river show changes such as diseases or their activities in daily living are disrupted, then it is an indication that nursing processes be used to help the residents. Conceptual framework This diagram shows that human activities is independent in heath in terms of gastrointestinal and skin diseases and is independent in the physico-chemical properties of the river such as salinity, water ph, oxygen content which means that daily activities of every individual especially those live along the riverside will greatly affect the health status of individual and the physico-chemical properties of the river. River is important to those people especially who get their foods from the river in order to survive. It serves as a livelihood especially to those individual who lived near the river. But due to the activities of human such as waste waste and garbage disposa, swimming and fishing, properties of river such as salinity, water ph, oxygen content will be affected which may alter the health of each individual as well. Conceptual Model Independent Variables Dependent Variables Physico-chemical Properties of Freshwater Salinity Water pH Dissolved Oxygen Profile of Respondents Number of Family members Moderator Variables Statement of the Problem 1. What is the profile of the respondents along Gravahan River Matina, Davao City, in terms of number of family members? 2.) What is the physico-chemical properties of water along Gravahan River, Matina, Davao City in terms of: 2.1 Salinity; 2.2 Water pH; and 2.3 Oxygen content? 3.) What is the extent of Incidence of water-related diseases (An associated health risk) of respondents Along Gravahan River, Matina, Davao City, in terms of: 3.1 Gastrointestinal; and b 3.2 Skin? 4. What is the extent of perceived health risks of human activities of the respondents along Gravahan River, Matina, Davao City, in terms of human activities ? 5.) Is there a significant difference in the perceived health risks of human activities and physico-chemical properties on profile of family members along Gravahan River, Matina, Davao City when analyzed in terms of the number of family members? Ho1 There is no significant difference in the perceived health risks of human activities along Gravahan River, Matina, Davao City when analyzed in terms of the number of family members. Definition of terms Gastrointestinal disease Refers to ulcerative disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Stomach acids and some enzymes can damage the lining of the G.I. tract if natural protective factors are not functioning normally. Skin disease A disease which involves the skin. Salinity: The saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. pH: Indicates the samples acidity, but is actually a measurement of the potential activity of hydrogen ions (H+) in the sample. Oxygen saturation or dissolved oxygen (DO) A relative measure of the amount oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium. CHAPTER II METHODS This chapter presents a thorough discussion of the research methods and procedures used. It also includes the respondents, research instruments, data gathering procedures,and data analysis. Research Design This study utilized the descriptive design method and experimental methods which described the nature and characteristics of a certain phenomenon under investigation (Asperos, 2005). Furthermore, it was designed to provide information on households, through relative randomly selected samples that ensured proper representation of the different areas throughout the perimeter of the area under study and be conducted as well in order to determine the physico-chemical content of the river along Barangay Gravahan, Matina, Davao City. In this study, the sampling and analysis methods of data gathering were utilized as well and measured distances along the river bank. First, this study used experimental method. An experimental design is a blueprint of the procedure that enabled the researchers to test the hypothesis by reaching valid conclusions about relationships between independent and dependent variables. It referred to the conceptual framework within which the experiment was conducted. Next was the descriptive design method. Descriptive research design was a valid method for researching specific subjects and as a precursor to more quantitative studies. Scope and Limitations This study was concerned on the health risks of human activities as well as assessing the human activities practiced by the household of Barangay Gravahan, Matina Davao City through a primary source of information. We conduct this study, the experimentation method last February 01,2010. Purposely, we have chosen the head of the family of the households as the respondents in this study. It also aimed to identify management practiced by these households in preventing such diseases that individuals might get into the river. It dealt with the water sampling data and analyses regarding the physico-chemical properties of the river. It served also as a focal point of reference in the future when other tests will be done. The area where the samples were taken is located where there is a high concentration of human residents, engaged in different kinds of livelihood or activities that the researchers also documented. The prohibitive cost of water analysis limited the num ber of water samples tested. They planned to take samples in three (3) connected 15-meter long segments. The quality of water was also limited since the plan to take the water samples was only in the morning. But the researchers hoped to get a birds eye view on of the overall physico-chemical properties data results when the river content was really reflective of the wastes from both man and factories that use the river as a means of sewage, livelihood and source. A round the clock sampling at regular intervals would be more accurate. Participants There were only forty (40) residents in Gravahan, Matina, Davao City who stood as respondents of this research. The heads of the families of the households were chosen as the respondents in this study. They live in the immediate area and are the ones greatly affected by whatever is in the river, whether bacteria or chemicals. The river serves as an alternate route for the residents to reach other places. They were randomly selected to represent a certain area where differences of the variables on study were observable. Instrumentation The data gathered through a primary source. Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied. The data regarding the human activities were taken from the profile data at the health desk of Barangay Gravahan, Matina, Davao City. The questionnaire was utilized to gather the data on of human activities practiced by the households. This questionnaire had two parts. The first part included the informed consent and the respondents profile such as the name, age and household size; it included the activities they practiced as well. Second part included a questionnaire that was for the health risks they had experienced. The respondents completed the instrument themselves in a paper and pencil/ball pen format. The purpose of using questionnaire with such degree of structure was to ensure comparability of response to facilitate analysis. The items were enumerated and the respondents ticked and checked the corresponding item that is true to them. The criteria that were used in the checklist were the following: Numerical Desciption Interpretation 5 Always Indicates that the activity is observed or experienced at all times 4 Often Indicates that the activity is observed or experienced in a frequent manner 3 Sometimes Indicates that the activity is observed or experienced now and then with short interval of time. 2 Seldom Indicates that the activity is observed or experienced once in a while with long interval of time. 1 Never Indicates that the activity is never observed or never experienced. In physico-chemical properties test, water sampling from the area does not need very sophisticated materials or instruments. A stick or pole will be staked into the ground along the riverbank and will serve as a focal point where distances will be measured along the banks and into the river. At measured distances to the river (5-10 meters), water will be taken from the river, either from the river surface or at certain depths. The containers will then be covered or capped, masking taped, and labeled to identify. At measured distances along the river bank from the point of origin, water will be taken again from the river, capped, taped, and labeled. After the required number of samples has been taken, these will be forwarded to the selected facility where the analysis will be done, as soon as possible. Construction, validation, and distribution of the questionnaires. The questionnaires were personally distributed to the respondents. Prior to the distribution, the respondents were given proper orientation of the objectives of the study. The respondents were given enough time to answer the questionnaire and to raise clarification at the same time. Then, the questionnaire is retrieved. Seeking permission to conduct a study. The researchers wrote a letter to the Dean of the College of Nursing, asking permission to conduct a study protective purpose. Upon approval of the request, another letter was addressed to the Barangay Captain of Barangay Gravahan, Matina, for the acquisition of data regarding the human activities practiced in the community and for the distribution of the questionnaires to the residents. Data Gathering Procedures The data were necessary for accomplishing the studys objectives and were collected by means of primary source of data. In this study, the researchers distributed first the questionnaires to the respondents personally. Then after, the researchers proceeded to the subject river for the water sampling. The researchers also documented the properties of water along the river with the use of imaging devices such as camera or cell phones. CHAPTER III RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS This chapter presents the answers of the different sub-problems raised in this study. They are as follows: (1) The profile of the respondents along Gravahan river Matina, Davao City in terms of number of family members. (2) The physico-chemical properties of water along Gravahan river Matina, Davao City in terms of Salinity, Water pH, and Oxygen Content. (3) The extent of Incidences of Water Related Diseases (An associated health risk) of respondents Along Gravahan river, Matina, Davao City in terms of gastrointestinala and skin. (4) the extent of perceived health risks of human activity of the respondents along Gravahan River Matina, Davao City in terms of Human Activities. (5) the significant difference in the perceived health risks of human activities along Gravahan River, Matina, Davao City analyzed in terms of their number of family members. The profile of the respondents along Gravahan River Matina, Davao City in terms of number of family members The profile of the respondents along Gravahan river, Matina, Davao City in terms of number of family members on page thirty five (36) shows that the family member of three, four and six is 18% which has a frequency of 9. The number of family members of five on the said area is 12%, having a frequency of six. Another 10%, frequency of 5, has family members of seven. The family members of eight and nine has 2%, having a frequency of 2. Number of persons living together in one house and it is a variable of great interest to those who study children. Family size is an important determinant of whether a family or individual is poor because the official poverty measure incorporates family size. The size of the family depends on; family income cost of children, wages, government transfers, and preferences. Large family size will consequently result in families inability to function well in terms of childcare and ability to adequately educate children in the family. According to Debbie Madden-Derdich, Empirical studies consistently have found a negative association between family size and childrens mental ability, intelligence, and educational attainment. Although larger families include positive characteristics such as increased family socialization and father involvement, increased family size also is associated with more authoritarian parenting, which, in turn, can negatively impact a childs self-esteem, self- differentiation, and ego identity (Derdich, 2008). Large family size can be an important contributor to household poverty and are at significantly risk in living at poverty than are children in small family (Orbeta, 2005). Based on the result we gathered, majority has a short number of family members and might not affect the status of the river in terms of physico chemical properties

Death Penalty: Capital Punishment is State Sanctioned Murder Essays

Capital Punishment is State Sanctioned Murder      Ã‚   Old Sparky and Gruesome Gertie (affectionate names for the electric chair) have taken the lives of many, even the innocent (Finnerty 18). They are prejudiced and lack compassion. However, many Americans believe that they represent justice. Capital punishment does not represent justice, but vengeance and hate. Among the 7,000 people estimated to have been killed in the United States between 1900 and 1985, at least 23 were innocent (Finnerty 18). In at least 8 of 261 executions performed since 1976, something went wrong; for example, the executioner couldn't find a good vein, or the first jolt of electricity failed to do the trick (Finnerty 18). An innocent person, let alone 23 that were wrongfully executed might seem insignificant to one. Just for a moment think if that one person was your brother or father, and they were innocent! Would you then see that the American judicial system is imperfect, and that capital punishment should be abolished? Capital punishment is wrong an d should be abolished because of its imperfections, high cost, and immoral existence. Many people argue that we should keep practicing capital punishment because it would be a waste of money to sentence someone to life in prison. Facts show that it is more expensive to give someone the death sentence than life in prison. The cost of state execution is up to three times the cost of lifetime imprisonment (Dority 37). So many people are convinced that it is cheaper to practice capital punishment, but those people are not aware of the facts to be presented. If someone is interested in saving "tax payer's dollars," it is much cheaper to sentence someone to life in prison. The reason that life imprisonment... ...dical treatment that they deserve, not death. Capital punishment is an ineffective deterrent that only demonstrates violence for society (Dority 37). We are teaching society that it is acceptable to kill. We are saying that revenge is justifiable. Racism is no stranger to capital punishment. The death penalty wants to save as many white people as it can, and kill as many black people as possible. Violence begets violence, and murder begets murder. The violent crimes that capital punishment attempts to control will only increase if we, the people, do not demand moral alternatives to state sanctioned murder. Works Cited Dority, Barbara. "Not in My Name." The Humanist March/April 1993: 36-37. Finnerty, Amy. "Sunday: Six Facts." The New York Times Magazine 5 February 1995: 18. Monagle, Katie. "The Death Penalty." Update 4 September 1992: 13-15.

Caves to Knowledge or Knowledge to Aid Essays -- essays research paper

â€Å"Allegory of a Cave† by Plato is and interesting story that is meant to educate the reader. By presenting a fictional story Plato is able to symbolize many aspects of our lives that we do not often think about. This story is symbolic of many important periods in our lives like education, growing up from a child to an adult, and even visiting a foreign country. It is these important events in our lives that Plato wants us to think about and examine so that we better understand how we develop and view the world   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While reading the story I thought about childhood and how the prisoners in the cave were like infants and small children. â€Å"their legs and necks chained so they cannot move†(line 6). The prisoners knowing only what they are shown is symbolic of how a parent chooses what a child sees and learns. During the childhood stage of a human life the parent is in control of what their child learns and interacts with, therefore the child’s knowledge is limited to what the parent is willing to teach. It seems that even thought the prisoners in the cave are of adult stature they still are controlled like children. However, when one of the prisoners is released into the light he comes to realize that the cave is only a small portion of the world that he now knows. The prisoner leaving the cave is like the child becoming old enough to understand the intricacies of the world without having that information first filtered by the parents. A vast wealth of kn...

Knight Eliduc Essay

Eliduc is a courtly knight admired greatly by the king of Brittney. The king trusts Eliduc to guard the lands and also grants him free reign to hunt wherever he pleases. Since Eliduc is favored so greatly, many envious enemies try to slander his name to the king. Without credible accusation, the king banishes Eliduc. With hopes that the king will calm down, Eliduc travel to Logres. Eliduc takes with him ten knights, and due to his wife’s mourning and grief of his departure, Eliduc assures her that he will remain faithful. While traveling through the land of Tontes, Eliduc finds the land to be at war. He finds that an old Lord has refused to give his daughters hand in marriage to any beau’s, therefore; another powerful lord wages war for her. Eliduc uses this situation as a chance to prove himself and become favored by the new lord. He insists that he will fight for the king, and so the king allows granting him fine lodging and hospitality. Eliduc plans on tricking the e nemy into thinking they have won, but in their departure, he attacks the enemy. His plan to defeat the enemy works. The king then makes Eliduc a vassal for a year. Hearing of Eliduc’s act of valor, the kings’s daughter Guilliadun wishes to meet him. Immediately, Guilliadun falls in love with Eliduc, however out of respect for his marriage, he is hesitant and reserved. Guilliadun confesses that she will die if she cannot have Eliduc and tries to win him with gifts. Eliduc receives the gifts in grace, but easily masks his affection for Guilliadun. Eliduc does so out of reverence for his wife Guildeluec. Meanwhile, Eliduc’s old king seeks him out and Eliduc does return back to Brittany; however, he promises he will return back to Tontes if needed. Guilliadun is saddened by the news and claims she will kill herself, but Eliduc reassures her of his return. Once Eliduc returns to Brittany he is angered by the negative news he hears of his wife. After quickly ridding the Brittany of its enemies, Eliduc returns to Tontes in search for Guilliadun. They are lovingly reunited and begin to sail home to Brittany. However, Guilliadun is disheartened by the news that Eliduc is married, she faints, in a coma-like state. After noticing how distraught ELiduc was after his return, Guildeluec is convinced he isn’t saddened because of the hermits death at the abbey. Guildeluec sends spies and discovers Guilliadun. Along with feeling betrayed by Eliduc, she feels pity for Guilliadun. After witnessing a weasel bring his mate back to life with an herb, Guildeluec brings Guilliadun back. Eliiduc is informed of the miracle and happily chooses Guilliadun as his new wife. Eliduc’s first wife and new wife â€Å"came to a good end thanks to God, the true divine†. I chose to analyze the quote â€Å"came to a good end thanks to God, the true divine†. Marie implies in the end of the lay that the only way to find serenity through love in this world is by making oneself docile to the charity of selfless love, epitomized in God. I, however, that this quote in no way reflects God. Yes, it involves love; however God is also about faithfulness, honesty and respect. By being reserved from Guilliadun during her first attempts, Eliduc did show respect to his marriage. However, after hearing stories of Guildeluec while he was gone caused him to want to pursue Guilliadun. Eliduc never once asked Guildeluec. It amazed me that Guldeluec was content with Eliduc’s choice. She never tried to win him back but actually felt pity for Guilliadun and her sorrow. Guildeluec’s actions are a reflection of selfless love, which show reverence to God. Ultimately, I thought it was ironic to give thanks to God, being that the outcome, in my opinion was ungodly. Adultery did not take place, however betrayal and mistrust did.

Computer Task Group, Inc vs Brotby Essay

In 1995 William Brotby was hired by Computer Task Group, Inc. (CTG) as an information technologies consultant. Upon hiring, Brotby had to sign an agreement stating that he would be restricted to work for any CTG customers if he left the company. No more than two years later, Brotby left CTG and began to work for one of CTG’s customers known as Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. CTG, plaintiff, filed a suit against Brotby, defendant, in a federal district court alleging breach of contract. During the production of discovery, Brotby refused to fully respond to CTG’s interrogatories, never gave truthful answers, filed unwarranted motions, made flimsy objections, and never disclosed all of the information that CTG sought. Brotby was fined twice by the court and was issued five separate orders ordering him to cooperate. Because of Brothby’s continuous refusal to cooperate, CTG eventually filed a motion to enter default judgment against him in 1999. The court granted the motion; however, Brotby appealed to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Is continuous refusal of the defendant to produce discovery enough to warrant a default judgment by a federal district court? The federal district court granted CTG’s motion to enter a default judgment. The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the judgment of the lower court. Therefore, the appellate court held that â€Å"in light of Brotby’s horrible record of discovery abuses† and his â€Å"abiding contempt and continuing disregard for the court’s orders,† the lower court properly exercised its discretion in entering a default judgment against the defendant. The Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 allows the district court to enter a default judgment against a party who fails to comply with an order demanding discovery. In addition, the district court must weigh five factors in order to appropriately decide if a sanction of default for noncompliance with discovery is grounds for dismissal. These five factors are: â€Å"(1) the public’s interest in expeditious resolution of litigation; (2) the court’s need to manage its ocket; (3) the risk of prejudice to the opposing party; (4) the public policy favoring disposition of cases on their merits; and (5) the availability of less drastic sanctions. † When a court order is violated, the first and second factors will favor sanctions whereas the fourth will challenge the order. With regards to the first factor, Brotby’s actions were deliberate; he intended his actions to be as they were. Moreover, in determining whether abolishing sanctions are appropriate in Brotby’s case is reliant on the third and fifth factors. Brotby violated court orders by failing to produce sufficient and factual documents, and by failing to pay one of the fines. These deceitful tactics delayed the litigation process while burdening the court, and prejudiced CTG. Brotby failed to produce documents ordered by the court, and most of what he did submit came after discovery. The withholding of important information and the time delay is sufficient prejudice towards CTG. There are three factors considered in deciding whether the district court adequately considered lesser sanctions: â€Å"(1) explicitly discussed the alternative of lesser sanctions and explained why it would be inappropriate; (2) implemented lesser sanctions before ordering the case dismissed; and (3) warned the offending party of the possibility of dismissal. † The district court judge appropriately considered the alternative of lesser sanctions by ordering Brotby to comply with CTG’s discovery request five times and imposing two lesser sanctions against him. However, Brotby never responded and therefore it is appropriate to discard lesser sanctions if the court anticipates continuous false misconduct. Brotby also had continuous awareness that his unwillingness to cooperate would eventually result in a default judgment against him; the judge warned him to â€Å"stop playing games† if he wanted to stay in the game. Therefore, the two monetary sanctions, five orders ordering him to cooperate, and repeated warnings proved enough notice that Brotby’s continued failure to comply would result in default.

Idealistic Politics Essay

â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles,† said Karl Marx, who is considered to be one of the world’s most seminal thinkers. Marx categorized these classes in two broad categories; the bourgeoisie versus the proletariats, the upper class opposed to the lower class and the caste that have access to the factors of production against everybody else who are compelled to sell their labor. In political terms the bourgeois were the â€Å"†¦committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie† (Marx, 20) and in order to reduce any friction, tension or resistance towards their supremacy they then laid down a set of ideals and values for all classes and citizens. The ultimate goal of having a monotonous set of principles was to disintegrate existing ideals and values by instigating the proletariats to fully accept the bourgeois’ set of principles by suspending their own. History, however, has yet to see such an outcome where the bourgeois triumph in instigating such circumstances successfully. What occurs in such circumstances instead is a conflict due to inconsistency that occurs between the dogmas of both classes; whereby the reality based ideals of the proletariats clashes with the idealistic values of the bourgeoisie. These conflicts in turn affect the political ideologies and actions since the politics is the arena where the battle of principles occurs, primarily due to two reasons. The first being that these conflicts will not surface in the first place except in the political arena due to the austere nature and secondly the outcomes will not be accepted unless at a level were they are made public and irreversible. Evidence of these conflicts exists in our texts and films, however in differing contexts. In Antigone, Creon represents the bourgeoisie and Antigone the proletariats; in A Discourse on the Moral Effects of the Arts and Sciences the arts and sciences were the corrupting vales instigated by the intellectuals whilst the savage being was the unlearned and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve proletariat, and finally in Marx’s Communist Manifesto where the distinctions are extremely clear among the two classes. In the course of my paper I wish to examine the strength and weakness of each of these ideal societies and their implications to political ideology and action. The values of Karl Marx’s idealist communist society â€Å"may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property† (Marx, 34). He believed that once private ownership was abolished people would change, and this would finally end the history of all class struggles. Communism to Marx was an extension or a purer form of socialism, whereby the people owned everything and everybody worked for the system, hence no form of personal interests was vested in the system. This assumption was made by placing a gamble on human behavior, probably the most unpredictable factor to place any form of wager on. Marx was assuming that among a whole class of people â€Å"no interests [were] separate and apart from those of the proletariat as a whole† (Marx, 33). The society that Marx visualized was one where all the citizens desired only the interests of the society by not desiring to satisfy their personal interests. History, however, does not have a basis for pure communism where a group of people have ceased to exist without any possessions and have lived only by the idea; the closest analogy one could give would be of hunter-gatherer societies. These societies, however, existed during the prehistoric times where human attitudes and behaviours were not being constantly reshaped by the changing economic systems in which people find themselves nowadays, which Marx himself mentions as there being no such thing as fixed â€Å"human nature.† Therefore, communism could never work because it goes against human nature. People are naturally more competitive than cooperative. Moreover, the possibility for revolution to occur where the bourgeoisie were to come down in their social status to the level of the proletariats and the proletariats rise to eminence of the bourgeoisies could only occur if human nature were to be dismantled, self memories be wiped out and in other words for the revolution to occur successfully in needs to be self induced. Marx in an indirect manner implies how one’s self worth has decreased with the current system when he discusses the dynamics of wage labour and whether it creates property for the laborer. He states that the system is self-defeating for the laborers, â€Å"which cannot increase except upon condition of begetting a new supply of wage-laborer for fresh exploitation† (Marx 34). If we were to refer back to the analogy hunter-gatherer societies the fruits of one’s labour were immediate; when an individual hunted his reward was immediate and did not wait for his fruits or â€Å"live only in so far as the interest of the ruling class requires it† (Marx. 35). In short man’s worth and dignity has been demoralized and â€Å"every individual has been converted in paid wage laborers†¦and has reduced†¦relations[s] to a mere money relations† (Marx, 21). Individuals were not bounded by the â€Å"social status† hunter-gatherer since everyone shared and everyone knew their worth. The advantage of this system is that it does not create any room for friction to occur because it does not include the idea of individuals desiring to wish to control the environment or vest any personal interests into the system. This can primarily be attributed to the value the system advocates of not wishing to differentiate people under any circumstances; the system does not know race, ethnicity and differences of age and sex no longer [have] any distinctive social validity (Marx, 26), a trait of hunter-gatherer societies, which Marx so dearly desires. These values would in turn affect the political ideologies of a system trying to covert to communism by picking on the one â€Å"essential condition for the existence†¦of the bourgeois class, the formation and the augmentation of capital: the condition for capital is wage labour† (Marx, 32). Therefore, the conflicts that would arise would be those that regarding wage labour and its supply; the bourgeoisie would advocate any action that would enhance the â€Å"competition between laborers† the key behind keeping a continuous supply of wage labour opposed to the proletariat’s immediate aim of cutting off this supply and by doing so ensuring its immediate aim of overthrowing the bourgeois supremacy. Any decline in wage labour would threaten the bourgeoisies’ capital by reducing its turnover, hence weakening their foothold in the marketplace in turn inhibiting their ability to â€Å"constantly revolutionize the instruments of production in order to exist and survive† (Marx, 21). The bourgeoisie quest to seek a continuous wage labour would see a shift in their political ideology; they would seek to manipulate cities, provinces and other nations that are weak cause them to become dependent on them. The consequence of such political centralization would lead to the â€Å"epidemic of overproduction,† whereby the only manner in which the crises can be overcome is â€Å"by the conquest of new markets, and by the and by the more through exploitation of the old ones† (Marx, 25). However, such exploitation of markets can occur only to a certain limit, until other nations impose regulations confiding the system to resort to desperate measures and turmoil, which occurred with China. Chinese products flooded the world market until recently and now they have been rejected entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and do not enjoy the benefits of free trade. Therefore, China have used â€Å"enforced destruction of a mass of productive forces† (Marx, 25) to decrease their output, which has lead to a lot of turmoil inside the country with dogmas of the government – political stability and international recognition – and the working class – subsistence and a better life – clashing against each other further depressing the situation. Like Karl Marx, J.J. Rousseau also painted a picture of ideal society. In his Discourse on the Moral Effects of the Arts and Sciences he condemns how societies have succumbed to arts and sciences that have â€Å"molded our behavior, and taught our passions to speak an artificial language† (Rousseau, 6) † with the desire to please one another with performances worthy of their mutual approbation (Rousseau, 4). He believed that individuals were imprisoned in the values and ideals of society that the arts and sciences strengthened, whereby everyone followed and nobody dared to be prompted by their inner selves in order not be seen as outcasts, resulting in man losing his individuality. In a nutshell, Rousseau believed that the arts and sciences had tainted origins and they reinforced our crimes by fostering our desire for comfort by transforming individuals into sugar coated pills, whereby â€Å"jealousy, suspicion, fear, coldness, reserve, hate and fraud lie constantly concealed under the uniform and deceitful veil of politeness† (Rousseau, 7). He in turn pictured a society were he believed man was innately pious was not restrained by society’s decorum therefore abandoning the possibilities o the vices that evolve in modern societies are nonexistent. He understood virtue in terms of bravery, courage and strength in other words he saw it in raw military power. The weaknesses in Rousseau’s painting of the ideal society are the assumptions that are embedded in the question that he was addressing – â€Å"Whether the restoration of the arts and sciences has had the effect of purifying or corrupting morals?† Rousseau has to assume that there has been a revival in the arts as well as assume a relationship between abstract and applied knowledge with morality that being the human behavior and customs a society embraces. Such assumptions lead Rousseau to base his argument on a set of contradictions. He idealized the values of the Persians, Germans and Spartans who had an unusual social structure where there was no study of abstract education, no accumulation of property and military virtues were emphasized. The idealizations of such societies contradicted his resentment for etiquette or what he referred to as the â€Å"veil of politeness†, since there exists no organization whereby more discipline, etiquette or order to our â€Å"rude but natural† morals is required than military organizations. Throughout the discourse the theme of man becoming corrupt once he enters society and losing his individuality because they â€Å"all act the same under the same circumstances alike† (Rousseau, 6) is repeatedly emphasized. This argument in itself is self-defeating because if it is the grouping of people that induces people to conceal themselves and live among uncertainty, Rousseau’s ideal society would truly only function for isolated individuals since such a level of purity could not occur in the â€Å"natural† dynamics of human societies. When individuals interact, the views and ideals of others will indeed affect the way the individual will live his life, since it is part of human nature to conform to the rules and regulations of others, which are a collection of ideals and values that compromise the principles of society. For a society to function in harmony there has to be some common ground whereby all the different members of that society must conform to and must sacrifice some of their individual ideals for the betterment of the society. Rousseau argues that man would not have to sacrifice his own ideals if he was not placed in the blasphemies of modern societies since he assumes humans are sincerely good and everyone would approve of the actions of others. This in itself breaks Rousseau’s argument since there is exists no yardstick to measure good and even if there were to exist such a measure, differences on which â€Å"good† is appropriate would in turn cause conflicts. The simplicity of the society Rousseau describes is its initial strength; the simpler ones life, the palette on which he is to express his bad perspectives becomes less like the â€Å"American savages†¦who live entirely on the products of the chase†¦[and] yoke, indeed, [cannot] be imposed on men who stand in need of nothing† (Rousseau,5). In a society where the needs do not exceed the basic physiological, safety and social needs and are readily satisfied the room for corruption becomes minimal. Therefore, I believe Rousseau’s attack on the arts and sciences is not so much on their origins or sources but more so on how it manages to widen our needs to include self-actualization and self-realization needs, which are needs that are satisfied by luxuries and how we appear in relation to the people surrounding us; a need where the veil and corruption required to have those needs satisfied. Rousseau’s painting of such an ideal society would not require a political system, however if all his assumptions were suspended the political implications would be drastic. In politics rarely is something said literally – and in a society where the members innately believe that everyone is sincerely good, would not be capable of reading between the lines and would end up in turmoil since other nations would manipulate their naivety. Furthermore, in a society where abstract knowledge such a geometry and economics is not taught the politicians will be incapable of drawing upon actions that will be favour their society, since politics is the evil of all sciences and without a good base in its basic terminology that being the abstract sciences one will be incapable of mastering it and using it to his advantage. Speak from their heart†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦offend someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.do not take care In Antigone the Greek tragedy, morals, egos, and gender issues were the epics around which principles were based upon. Follow one man Harun Al Rashid†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Mamluks†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..they use to be all loyal Lower class has less say in the political era in order to stop the formation of proletariats which is so important for the revolution to occur. Political laws that protect private property Enhance competitiveness (p.21) Dependence of poor countries on rich ([.23) Eradicate opposition immediately Strength of prletarits p.28 trade unions p.32 existence remains on capital 1) Basecaus they lay down ideals that seem utopian only to them, they forget 2) Might have noticed that there are more cons than pros Several of our texts paint images of ideal human society. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these imagined societies. How do these imagined ideal societies interact with political ideology and political action. Bibliography Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Bantam, 1992. Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays Antigone, Oedipus The King, Oedipus at Colonus. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1977. Communism Could Never work Because it goes against human nature. People are naturally more competitive than cooperative. http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/nature.html

Church Planting

TEMPLE BAPTIST SEMINARY A PLAN FOR CHURCH PLANTING IN BARREIRAS, BRAZIL A CHURCH PLANTING PLAN SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF TEMPLE BAPTIST SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH PLANTING AND GROWTH (ICST 6423) BY Barron Mason JULY 27, 2011 INTRODUCTION Beginning a new church-planting project is a task that requires much responsibility and effort. It is not a light-hearted venture. Nor is it a task that has a one-size-fits-all model or method.Each church plant has unique elements because it reaches unique people in unique places throughout the world. It is a humbling yet exhilarating experience to be called by God to this task of planting a church among a specific group of people. This paper will discuss the work of planting a church among the poor in the city of Barreiras, in the country of Brazil. Included in this paper are demographic data that influence the strategies and methods chosen for planting the church. Also included are var ious factors of strategy and methods to be implemented in this church-planting endeavor.May God be glorified in this work and may the local body of Christ in Barreiras, Brazil one day be a shining light that reaches people with the gospel of Christ and reproduces itself in other church plants throughout the region and the world. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA OF BARREIRAS The city of Barreiras is situated in the Northeastern part of Brazil, in the state of Bahia. The region is a plains region where farmland is abundant. The climate of Barreiras is arid and hot. There is a rainy season from November to January. The rest of the year has little to no rainfall.Even though there is little rainfall during most of the year the region makes it’s living by agricultural farming and cattle farming. Some of the crops produced in the region include sugar cane, corn, soybeans, cotton, and coffee. Irrigation is used in most farms and is a process that was introduced to the region in the 1990s, which aide d in the population explosion of the city and region. [1] According to the 2007 Brazilian Census there is a population of 137,427 people in Barreiras. This census also reports that the size of the city is 7,859 square kilometers (3,034 square miles). 2] The city lies between natural geographical barriers. It is located in a valley between higher elevations, with various rivers surrounding and running through it. The rivers that make up part of the city include the Rio Sao Francisco (Sao Francisco River), Rio de Janeiro (Janeiro River), Rio das Femeas (Females River), and the Rio Boa Sorte (Good Luck River). [3] Based on personal visits to the city there is a clearly visible contrast in the financial classes of the people. The farming industry has led to the wealth of many people in the area.Yet, there is a large gap between the rich and poor. Albeit a rich city, a majority of the population of Barreiras is poor. The common citizen of the city struggles with providing basic needs for their family. Most of the poor women are the ones who provide many of the public services to the city, such as maids, custodial work in stores and hotels and market vendors. The men work as builders and farmers. Often the men work in the fields for weeks at a time, coming home on the weekends every two weeks for a couple of days rest.The average family income for the poor population is approximately R$800. 00 per month. That is the equivalent of US$500. 00 monthly. This figure is based on two working adults in each household. Because of this low income most people do not own a car and live in a very small house made of wood or block. Often the homes are unfinished. As families can afford to complete construction on the home they will. Because it is common for men to work in fields for days or weeks at a time, their absence in the home creates many obstacles to ministry and church growth.One of the common situations in a church in the region is that it is full of women and children and greatly lacking in male leadership and example. This, along with the other factors mentioned above will have an impact on the strategy to planting a church among the poor of this city. FACTORS OF STRATEGY AND METHOD Before the work begins, a strategy must be put in place and methods must be decided. This section will outline and describe how the church plant will begin and unfold. The beginning stages and the factors most important to it will be described in this section as well.The plan will serve as a guideline to the work that will be done to see that the church is carefully given over to national leadership so that it may continue reproducing itself in the region and throughout the world. The Prayer Factor The first factor that will be implemented in the church plant in Barreiras is prayer. As Jesus demonstrated in his earthly ministry, prayer is a vital part of a successful communion with God. In Matthew 14 Jesus had just finished performing the miracle of feeding 5,000 men plus women and children. In verse 23 he â€Å"went up into a mountain apart to pray. Jesus also spent special time in prayer before his suffering and death. â€Å"And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Matthew 26:39). In The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles, Thom S. Rainer confirms the importance of prayer in the life of the local church. He stated, â€Å"There is simply no more important principle on Church Growth than prayer. †[4] Reflecting on the early church, it is clear that prayer was fundamental to their Christian life. Acts 1:14 speaks of this truth, â€Å"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. In the church plant personal and corporate prayer will be emphasized. Along with motivating prayer times personally and corporately, sharing responses to prayer will also be vital. As the church body is gathered for worship there will be time for prayer requests and praises for answered prayers. It will be important for the believers to have those times because they will be encouraging to those who are still waiting on answers to prayer. Perhaps the best way to encourage believers in the church to pray will be the personal example of the leadership.The church planter will need to record and report on his personal prayer life, for example, with a list of requests and their answers. By relating this personal devotion to prayer the church will be motivated to incorporate it into their daily lives. The Vision Factor The second factor to be incorporated into the church planting effort is vision. According to Tom A. Steffen, the vision statement is a tool that is useful for allowing the church planting team to see their final destination and how to get there. [5] The vision statement can be likened to a road map.Before taking a trip the driver acquires a map that outlines the destination and route to arrive there. In the church plant the vision statement will serve as t hat map. The statement will be the destination – what the church should look like. Using the vision statement, the church plant team members can effectively plan the trip – how to arrive at the destination. The vision statement for the church in Barreiras is: â€Å"This church exists as a local body of saved and baptized believers in Jesus Christ to bring glory to God Almighty through its worship, witness, walk, and work.This church is to reproduce in this region as well as throughout the world. This church will fulfill its vision by practicing the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). † Fulfilling the Vision With the Great Commission The Great Commission involves both reaching people with the gospel and teaching them the Word of God. M. David Sills thoroughly treated this subject in his book, Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience. He argued the importance of both evangelizing the target group as well as spending the necessary and often difficult time to teach them, as s clearly mandated in the Great Commission. Sills highlights the missionary ministry of the Apostle Paul, showing that he spent a great deal of time and energy in teaching the churches that he founded. â€Å"Paul stated that he longed to preach Christ in the unreached areas so that he would not be building on another man’s foundation, but his ministry reveals that this was balanced with staying to preach and teach, writing letters, or sending disciples in his place to continue the essential ministry that remained. [6] The church will have set times for evangelism as well as training to equip the believers to evangelize on their own. Fulfilling the Vision With the Great Commandment The church will be involved in the discipleship process. This will be vital to the life and growth of the church as the believers are challenged and taught to live a life pleasing to God. Through teaching believers to love Go d completely and to love their neighbors as themselves, the vision will be fulfilled. The Accurate Gospel FactorOne existing danger in a church-planting project is preaching an inaccurate gospel. When the gospel message is not presented accurately to the target group the resulting church will be negatively effected. Perhaps the target group will believe the gospel in hopes of it bringing health or good crops. Or perhaps they will accept it as just another belief system to add to their list. If this is carried on from generation to generation then the church will continue preaching an inaccurate gospel. Therefore, the gospel presented to the target group must be accurate.Steffen points out that the gospel presented to the target group has a direct relation to the type of church that is planted and their understanding of the Bible. â€Å"The fundamental key to understanding the whole Bible is a correct understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ. †[7] The accurate gospel mes sage that will be presented to the people of Barreiras will be based on and include four primary elements. They are: 1) God is holy, 2) man is sinful, 3) Christ is sufficient, and 4) man must have faith. These are simple and concise statements.However, each has a basis on God’s Word and is important for understanding the accurate gospel message. Unfortunately, many gospel presentations include the following two elements: Christ died to forgive sin and unless one wants to go to Hell he must be saved. Although those are included in the gospel message, it is not a complete, nor accurate, gospel message. The above four essential elements will be explained below. God is Holy Because God is holy he is completely separate from evil and sin. God does not allow sin to be around him.It is recorded in Isaiah 6:1-3 that Isaiah saw the throne of the Lord and heard seraphims saying to him, â€Å"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. † It is al so recorded in 1 Peter 1:15, â€Å"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. † When considering the holiness of God man understands that he has a problem. Man does not meet God’s standard and cannot have a relationship with him in his present state of sin. Man is Sinful Man’s condition is destitute. Man has erred and has chosen to disobey God and go his own way.In Genesis 3 the first sin of mankind is recorded when Adam disobeyed God’s command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Because of Adam’s sin all men are now born sinners. It is recorded in Romans 3:23, â€Å"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. † Romans 5:12 also shows that all men are sinners, â€Å"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. † The gospel must present this truth. The gospel does not exist to solve the health problems or vocational problems of man.It exists because mankind is sinful and cannot go to God as a sinner. However, the gospel is the good news that provides sinners with a solution. Christ is Sufficient When someone understands that God is holy and that man is sinful then he is going to be in need of some good news. The good news is that Jesus Christ has paid the price for man’s sin and his work is sufficient to bring salvation to man and reconcile him to God. The good news is presented in Romans 5:8 – â€Å"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. † Other verses of Scripture relate the good news of Jesus Christ as well.Romans 3:24-25, â€Å"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past , through the forbearance of God. † 1 Timothy 2:5, â€Å"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. † This good news of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection must be taught as the only sufficient plan for the salvation of mankind. But how does man get this salvation? Must he work for it? What does the Bible say?The final element of an accurate gospel is the necessity of personal faith. Man Must Have Faith For many American Christians, there are famous words recorded in Ephesians 2:8-9: â€Å"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. † These verses are clear that man cannot earn salvation. Salvation is a gift. Salvation is personal through faith. Faith is the key to an individual’s salvation. Believe is another term used in the Bible to describe man’s acceptance of the gospel message. This personal faith or belief is explained in 1 John 5:11-13.And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. The accurate gospel must include all four elements when presented to the people of Barreiras. The holy God who loves the sinful man and sent his only Son to pay the price for man’s sin provides salvation to those who have faith in Christ.This is the accurate gospel message. The National Leadership Factor Steffen pointed out that the church plant must involve national leadership early on, if not from the beginning. He also noted the importance of beginning the church plant with a strategic plan for completely leaving the work in national leaders’ hands. He commented on a mission leader who attested to the fact that the church cannot keep up with the world’s population growth and continue planting new churches if they are â€Å"reluctant to release power swiftly to those they have come to reach. [8] These two principles will be important to the church-planting project in Barreiras, Brazil. Brazil is not a pioneer mission field. One of the striking things concerning the life of the church in Brazil is that the past two decades have shown a dramatic growth among evangelical Christians. One result of that growth has been the founding of Bible Institutes and seminaries. The function of these institutions is to train workers for ministry throughout Brazil and the world. Because these institutions already exist there is really no need to establish more training institutions.Also, it is not difficult to find trained leaders for the newly planted churches. A reality for many of the seminary graduates is that upon completion of their seminary program there are few or n o ministry positions available in churches for them to fill. Therefore, there should not be difficulty in finding a qualified leader for the church plant. The search for leadership will begin with the existing seminaries and Bible Institutes. The Exit Factor The exit plan for this church plant will be modeled after Steffen’s explanation of and emphasis on role changes.Using these role changes, the church can systematically and successfully be given over to Brazilian leadership. The following roles will be filled by the church planter and replaced with the national leadership. The first role is â€Å"learner. † The learner role will be occupied the entire time the church planter serves the target group. The second role is â€Å"evangelist. † During this role, the church planter will have as his goal â€Å"winning key members of the target people to Christ. †[9] The next role is â€Å"teacher. † The teacher role focuses on modeling ministry with a na tional believer accompanying him.In the fourth role, â€Å"resident advisor,† the church planter becomes a â€Å"coach on the sideline† and joys with the team when they win and sorrows with the team when they lose. [10] The fifth role is that of â€Å"itinerant advisor. † During this role the national leadership will be responsible for the church’s administration while the church planter takes leaves of absence from the target group. The final role is the â€Å"absent advisor. † This will take place when the church planter is completely removed from the target group and maintains contact and instruction as needed through visits and correspondence.During the resident advisor and itinerant advisor stages the church planter will make survey trips to other areas that are potential locations for new church plants. In order to maintain a vision for expansion, it will be necessary to make regular trips such as these. The purpose is to increase awareness o f areas that are in need of a church plant. It will also be important to take along some of the national leadership. In doing so, the nationals will develop a vision for other areas and for reproducing themselves there.This will enable the church plant to become mission minded and encourage them to take on personal responsibility for fulfilling the Great Commission. CONCLUSION After years of struggles and victories the church plant be administrated fully by national believers. For God’s glory there will be a local body of believers fulfilling God’s plan on earth. When the church plant begins to personally and responsibly fulfill the Great Commission then the job has been completed – sort of. In the completion of one church plant another must automatically begin among the next target group.Thus, the cycle of church planting continues, never really completing. By God’s grace and for his glory the church plant in Barreiras will not complete, but keep going. BIBLIOGRAPHY IBGE [email  protected] http://www. ibge. gov. br/cidadesat/painel/painel. php? codmun=290320# (accessed July 24, 2011). Prefeiutra Municipal de Barreiras. Economia. http://www. barreiras. ba. gov. br/site/index. html (accessed July 24, 2011). Rainer, Thom S. The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1993. Sills, M. David.Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2010. Steffen, Tom A. Passing the Baton: Church Planting that Empowers. LaHabra, California: Center for Organizational and Ministry Development, 1997. Wikipedia. Barreiras. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Barreiras (accessed July 24, 2011). ———————– [1] Prefeitura Municipal de Barreiras, â€Å"Economia,† http://www. barreiras. ba. gov. br/site/index. html (accessed July 24, 2011). [2] IBGE: [email  protected], http://w ww. ibge. gov. br/cidadesat/painel/painel. php? codmun=290320# (accessed July 24, 2011). 3] Wikipedia, â€Å"Barreiras,† http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Barreiras (accessed July 24, 2011). [4] Thom S. Rainer, The Book of Church Growth: History, Theology, and Principles, (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1993), 183. [5] Tom A. Steffen, Passing the Baton: Church Planting that Empowers, (La Habra, California: Center for Organizational and Ministry Development, 1997), 78. [6] M. David Sills, Reaching and Teaching: A Call to Great Commission Obedience, (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2010), 99. [7] Steffen, Passing the Baton, 134. [8] Steffen, Passing the Baton, 14. [9] Steffen, Passing the Baton, 22. [10] Ibid. , 23.