Calvin and Human Freedom - 1700 Words

Historically, theologians and philosophers have struggled to agree on the ideas of human freedom. This struggle seems to stem from the debate over faith vs. reason, or the internal and external sources that lead to human thought and understanding, through which free will is then interpreted and carried out by means of the will. A hidden and constant strive for spiritual enlightenment has always been embedded within humans since the beginning of the Fall. Through this natural drive of pursuing spiritual enlightenment comes the creation of the road to which it leads. Throughout most of time, religion has taken the reigns of showing humans the road to salvation, externally, by means of scripture, which requires faith. Yet in the past, there have been times when the powers of evil have inevitably hijacked religion, turning those who have witnessed or experienced this treachery against external values based on faith, but rather internally based values by means of philosophical thought and reasoning through God’s gift of grace. Calvin’s view on an external, faith-based religion encompasses ideas of double-predestination and the rejection of free will, and man’s ability to choose the good through His grace. In comparison, the Mu’tazilites view on an internal and logically reasoned religion encompasses ideas of the gift of free will, and focuses on His justice through which all is meant for good. The ideals that surround these two belief systems lay on opposite ends of theShow MoreRelatedJohn Calvins Teachings Essay1025 Words   |  5 Pagesunderstood by Calvin. Third, I will discuss the purpose of reprobation. So what is the basis of Calvin’s view of predestination? It would be most simply stated that predestination is the doctrine that before God created humankind God chose some for eternal life and sentenced others to eternal damnation. At the core of the argument is Calvin’s view of predestination as completely unconditional in nature. Some have viewed this as unreasonable, but to Calvin it is abundantly gracious. Calvin seems to sayRead MoreWithout freedom it is impossible to make moral choice’ Discuss.928 Words   |  4 PagesKant, a soft determinist, said that in order to make a moral decision we must have freedom. Kant believed that the ability to make moral decisions lay within the existence of freedom; stating that if we are not free to make our own decisions those decisions could not be moral as we were never free to make that decision in the first place. Kant thought that a person could be blamed for an action if they could have acted differently; for exam ple if a person’s family is held at gunpoint and they areRead MoreThe Colonial Period Essay1337 Words   |  6 Pages The Colonial period is abundant in its source of influential people who help shape present society through questioning past beliefs. Martin Luther leads the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin expands on the idea of predestination. The Puritans live strictly by the word of the Bible, and the Quakers inspire many people to join them in their friendly lifestyle. All of these people contribute to our society today and brave the face of adversity. Martin Luther, born in 1483, comes from a poor upbringingRead MoreJohn Calvin on Gods Divine Providence Essay1360 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Calvin on Gods Divine Providence In John Calvins Institutes of the Christian Religion he spends a great deal of time expounding his doctrine of Gods Divine providence in all of creation. He explains not only how God continually governs the laws of nature, but also how God governs mans actions and intentions to bring about His own Divine Will. Calvin believes that Gods providence is so encompassing in creation that even a mans own actions, in many ways, are decreed by God. BecauseRead MoreThe Theological Definition Of Providence1280 Words   |  6 Pagesevery detail. Others hold that it is more general: He controls the â€Å"big picture†, but gives humans freedom to make their own choices.† There are many scriptures in the Bible to back up God’s providence in the world. However, the word providence is not actually written in the Bible, but it represents a biblical doctrine. Not only that, â€Å"there is no Hebrew equivalent for â€Å"providence,† used only of human foresight.â₠¬  Many other issues have to be considered when speaking on the providence of GodRead MoreProtestant Reformation And The Reformation1727 Words   |  7 Pagesvery important role of sparking questions and challenges against the Catholic Church. Renaissance humanism was the study of classic Latin and Greek literatures and philosophies, attempting to restore ancient morals and that emphasized the value of human beings. Similarly, Martin Luther sought to restore Christianity back to as it was in the apostolic church in which he believed that everything God required of us laid in the Scripture. Also, the strike of the Black Death during the 14th century hadRead MoreCalvanism Essay1318 Words   |  6 PagesEngland society. The Puritans had some of the most interesting beliefs of the early religious groups. Founded by the beliefs of John Calvin, the Puritans adopted a religion called Calvinism. Consistent with his scripture-based reasoning, Calvin eloquently described how civil and pa pal governments were different, yet uniquely related. In his classic reformation style, Calvin symbolically compared Catholic to Protestant theology by framing his theocracy not on the church as the government, but rather heRead MoreDiscussion on the Determination of Self Essay777 Words   |  4 Pagespresented with choices we are being deceived, and as B.F Skinner said, ‘human beings.. are not free, because all men are really puppets or robots. Man is a meat machine.’ He argues that as a puppet, we have no will of our own: our movements are entirely under the control of the puppet-master who pulls the puppet – strings. This presents a problem for us, because even if we were to hold that man has no real freedom and all his actions are controlled, we need to know who it is thatRead MoreJohn Calvin And The Doctrine Of Providence2135 Words   |  9 Pages Synonymous with Augustinian thought, Calvin accepted that God was responsible for suffering however refused to believe that God was also guilty of it. Calvin composed the doctrine of Providence, this referred to God’s interaction in all that occurs during our lives; â€Å"everything is subject to God and ruled by his will and that when the world has done what it may, nothing happens than what God decrees† . This innovative concept sparked instant controversy as it potentially challenged many standingRead MoreReligious Reform in the Middle Ages1442 Words   |  6 Pagesamongst Europe many other groups began to follow his ideas, and included many of their own interpretations. One of which was John Calvin (1509-1564). Although Calvin agreed with the main ideas that Luther preached he had a different approach on human salvatio n. He believed that redirect theological speculation from individual salvation to a larger question of humans place in the universe. In other words he pushed for the idea that people should recognize the great power of God. He also preached

Franchising Free Essays

Franchising is defined as a business model wherein the owner of the business (franchisor) gives the independent operator (franchisee) the right to distribute his product, apply his business techniques and use his brand and/or trademark in the conduct of the business. With such a business model, the business owner can maximize their business’ profit potential in a shorter time compared to other more traditional business models. In franchise business, it is not only the products or service that the franchisee can avail; it is more of the system-the business plan of the chosen franchise. We will write a custom essay sample on Franchising or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is fact that before franchise companies offer their business packages, they already conducted strenuous researches and studies to test the capability of the franchise to withstand the various factors that might affect the operation of the business. Simply put, franchise business offers a time-tested business plan. When entrepreneurs think of franchising, food is often the first thing that comes to mind. Most of the world’s biggest restaurant concepts are all franchised businesses. This chapter focuses on study and literature readings of franchising business specially food franchising. Different report related to this research will help researcher educate themselves to the different aspect of purchasing a food franchise. Since 1950s, food establishments have quickly become the most popular sector in franchising. In U. S. as the nation’s economic environment hold steady, franchising continues to exhibit its positive influence. According to William Rosenberg International Center of Franchising at the University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics, â€Å"Franchised Businesses create more value and perform better financially than their non-franchised competitors†. The study found that over the 10 year period, U. S. public restaurant franchisor have created more value than their non-franchising competitors. â€Å"Franchising firms minimize agency problems, and have access to cheaper capital, motivated managerial expertise, and better local market knowledge,† according to the report. Franchising has grown so fast since the 1950s that it is now pervasive in different economy around the world. In study commissioned by the International Franchise Association, PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimated that in 2001 there were more than 767,000 business establishment in the United States engaged in franchising, providing directly or indirectly more than 18 million jobs, over $506 billion in payroll, and over $1. 5 trillion of output. Franchising now dominates certain sectors of the U. S. economy, over 56 percent of quick-sevice restaurants are franchises. Franchising is also one of the fastest-growing U. S. xports, and it is now estimated that franchising will grow 12 to 14 percent per year in the future. The restaurant industry has earned a reputation for high risk and high rewards. Some industry analysts claim a dubious 90 percent failure in the first year. Franchise restaurants based on proven systems have a high success rate—about 62 percent over four years—than independent operators. In U. S. the average full-service restaurant in 2006 grossed $867,000. The restaurant industry is the U. S. largest employer after the government. The profitability of a food franchise always depends in their ability to provide satisfaction in their customers. Research indicates that consumers have strong preference about choosing where to eat—with 62 percent saying they look for â€Å"environmentally friendly† establishments, 70 percent want offerings not easily duplicated in their home kitchen; and 83 percent express approval of healthier eating options at quick service eateries. The Success of food franchise can be put down to strong customer focus; franchisees are selected and entrusted with a loved brand and the quality of product and service is never compromised. It is necessary that the franchisor offers its franchisees a comprehensive franchise system, with maximum support and training. Entrepreneurial Failure: The Case of Franchises†, by Steve Michael, a professor of business administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign, concluded that â€Å"Franchisees are less likely to fail if they have been trained effectively by the franchisor†. Franchises with the best, most robust training programs have the most successful franchisees. The length of the training program was significantly tied to the chance of failure. Those franchises with the shortest franchisee training programs were more likely to fail. Those with longer programs were more likely to succeed. Michael Newman, president and founder of ABC, based in Citrus Heights, California, agrees and says training of franchisees was paramount from the word â€Å"go†. â€Å"We realized very early on that everything is about training† says Newman. â€Å"Franchisees need good training in order to be successful out in the field. There are as many varieties of food franchises as there are types of foods. Investments can range from the very high end of hundreds of thousands of pesos for full-service restaurants, to a moderate capital outlay for vending machine. There are franchises that specialize in sandwiches, barbeque, burgers, pizza, ethnic foods, candy, ice cream, smoothies and many other types of foods. Food franchising is most often associated with restaurants and it is the best franchise because food and eating remain constant. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, survival needs is the first factor that man should satisfy. In here, nourishment of one’s body is essential, not just because man wants to eat but rather man needs to eat in order to survive. Aside from being a need for human survival, food is the best franchise to engage in because people spend much for food. Plus, human choices of what kind of food or menu to offer are almost endless. Another good thing about food franchise is that, there are a lot of affordable franchise packages that will fit your capital. Entrepreneurs can select from food carts, which is a good start-up, or by kiosks and cafes. This type of food franchise do not require investors to dole out millions or hundreds of thousands pesos. Franchising has recently been named as one of the most outstanding and most successful business models in the country today. It has become so popular that we now have more than a thousand franchise Philippines brands (from just about 50 franchising brands during the 1980s). No wonder, the Philippines is now being dubbed as the â€Å"Franchising Hub of Asia†. Food franchise here in the Philippines is a good earning potential since the products are usually affordable and the taste suits the Filipino taste buds. The very simple explanation for this is that Filipinos love to eat good food. Investors can put their franchise near the schools and universities, transport terminals and even within shopping malls. They can place their franchise anywhere, provided there is traffic or consumers who willing to pay for good tasting meals. There is no doubt, that food business or franchise is a stable industry despite the greet hit of economic recession. Entrepreneurs likely to think that competition in food franchise is stiff. Yes, of course. But their edge depends on the quality and taste of the food. They have to make sure that they deal with the best franchise company who offer good food at good price. Food products should be clean, properly processed, and served in an appetizing way. Naturally, man will spend good money for a great meal. So, it is a confirmation that food franchise can stay sturdy and growing even if other business entities face bankruptcy. Everyone can afford to skip buying latest gadget, but it is a sure bet that, they cannot afford to skip food. As long as there are people around, then food industry stays. Today, even if the economy is down, is still the best time to buy a food franchise. Food business in the Philippines is one of the best investments but it does not promise a 100 percent success. Successful business often start with an idea an entrepreneur hatches, slowly builds up and takes to market. Planning and controlling often occupy the top of every aspiring businessman’s to-do-list before they even starts leasing space and producing products. As it turns out, there are always exceptions to the rule, even in business. Take for instance Edgar Injap Sia. For him, taking advantage of a great opportunity outweighs all the planning known to man, which why he took up a vacant mall in his hometown of Iloilo City without a plan on what to do with. After a few weeks of conceptualizing, Sia decided to put up a restaurant offering an Illonggo staple called inasal in a ciy that was already teeming with versions of the same product. But due to his relentless work ethic, Sia’s Mang Inasal Restaurant became a critical and dominant success in the Visayas region in no time. After establishing a good foothold in that region, he then set his sights on conquering the holy grail of every Filipino businessman: taking his concept to Luzon, specifically the make-or-break capital city, Metro Manila. I was not very familiar with Manila, because I was born and raised in Visayas. I only visited once a year, and it was usually for very short stays. So I knew I was in for a quite a challenge taking Mang Inasal to Luzon,† he said. Out of nowhere, Mang Inasal branches in Metro Manila had sprouted like mushrooms. Mang Inasal’s Founder Edgar Injap Sia shares the secret on making up in the big league. First, be brave and be hold. Second, innovate and start something new. Third, be ready for backbreaking work. Fourth, refuse to give up. Fifth, go slow and steady. Sixth, join reputable organizations. Seventh, stand out. Eight, continue to look for opportunities. â€Å"Nothing is impossible with right attitude. Do not be intimidated by problems look at them as an opportunities for growth. That’s the entrepreneurial spirit of Mang Inasal’ Chairman and CEO, Edgar J. Sia II. In food franchise business commitment with the right attitude is one of the most important recipe. It is impossible to survive and succeed being a franchisee if you are not committed in your business. Source http://www.bison.com/press_ABCSeniors_06092008 How to cite Franchising, Essay examples

Self and Community Human Dignity

Question: Discuss about theSelf and Communityfor Human Dignity. Answer: Introduction Human dignity is the inherent and inviolable value of the individual for being a person, and not because of his or her ethnicity, religion, success, age, wellbeing or any other factor. Scripture states the origin of human dignity: God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27). Human beings are mage as a mirror image of God, and everyone is Gods children. All human beings desire good, intentionally and unintentionally. Common good are shared goods, with no decrease in intensity. A human beings dignity is an affair of participation. Humans possess dignity since they take part in a greater good. His participation in greater goods is higher than other living beings on earth, thus humans are considered exceptional and more dignified than the rest. Humans are at the tip of creation and represent the greatest degree of participation in good (Beattie, 2015). Human dignity violation is the humiliation, instrumentalization and degradation of human dignity. It is the diminishing action of a persons self-worth and treating that person just as a medium of goal achievement and devaluing him. It strips an individual of human characteristics and makes him feel inferior. Different forms of human dignity violation are there including torture, rape, slavery, social exclusion and labor exploitation (Schillling, 2016). Dignity is often assessed while checking for improved labor conditions, and it has been found most of the times that there is an absence of human dignity in the matter. There is a brink between acceptable labor standards and non-acceptable ones, as stated by International Labor Organization (ILO). International Labor Organization (ILO) first report on forced labor provided the number 12.3 million as a global estimate. The community has considered this modest enough and ignored the prevalence of the issue at that time. Human rights laws from the beginning have focused on fighting against human dignity violation and labor exploitation. Legislations from the beginning have opposed the exploitation of one persons individuality, humanity and labor rights by another. The laws have never discriminated based on ethnicity or gender and has always asked for equality (Shelton, 2015). There are different opinions based on the presence of labor exploitation in societies. Barnes (2013) opines that labor exploitation at times is mutually beneficial, especially when other options are unavailable, and then it no longer remains forced, but becomes consensual. He suggests the background situations be taken care of while reaping benefits from such actions. Until 2000, the UN Trafficking Protocol did not consider forced labor as exploitation. On the other hand, Lewis et al. (2015) opines that forced labor and other types of labor exploitation pose a risk to human lives and is a criminal offense according to the standards of ILO. ILO conducted a survey called Global Estimate of Forced Labor in 2012 that calculated about 20.9 million victims of forced labor. Out of them 9.1 million were victims because of human trafficking. Robinson (2014) has criticized trafficking for labor exploitation and recommends implementation of employment protection laws. TheCrimes Legislation Amendment Act(2013) made some amendments and made forced labor a separate offence. The ILO has put special emphasis on the fact that forced labor is not identified by the type of work performed, but by the employer-employee relationship. It has been understood that human dignity violation is a serious issue in todays society. Thousands of people fall victim to human trafficking, and it is required by the society to identify these serious issues and get involved to end this horrific practices for the sake of human dignity. Humans were created as an image of God, and not as monsters or sufferers. The only way to regain that image is to join forces and fight such evils and eradicate them from the society. References Barnes, M. R. (2013). Exploitation as a Path to Development: Sweatshop Labour, Micro-Unfairness, and the Non-Worseness Claim. Beattie, T. (2015). Dignity Beyond Rights: Human Development in the Context of the Capabilities Approach and Catholic Social Teaching.Australian e-Journal of Theology,22(3). Lewis, H., Dwyer, P., Hodkinson, S., Waite, L. (2015).Precarious lives: Forced labour, exploitation and asylum. Policy Press. Schilling, D. (2016). Reconsidering Human Dignity in a Confucian Context: A Review of Ni Peimins Conceptual Reconstruction.Dao, 1-11. Shelton, D. (2015).Remedies in international human rights law. Oxford University Press, USA. ucatt.org.uk. (2016). ucatt.org.uk. Retrieved from https://www.ucatt.org.uk/files/publications/Flex%20WP001%20-%20Prevention.pdf