Term Paper on "Oilers Go! The Edmonton"

Term Paper 6 pages (2072 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Oilers go!

The Edmonton Oilers is one of the most important hokey teams from the NHL. The 2006 season was rather rewarding for them as they reached the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes. The enthusiasm was rather big among the supporters who made use of all possible means to encourage their favorites. The church sign in Houston suggests that the frenzy was to such an extent that there was a concerted action to appeal even to God's power to help their team win. Still, the final result was negative for the Oilers, as they lot the title. Nonetheless, the existence of such a sign and the general mobilization of a church community in order to pray for the success of a hokey team points out a rather intriguing phenomenon which is the dilution of moral and religious canons and at the same time a repositioning of the religious teachings and the appeals to God which, apparently in today's global world can be made also for such a practical aim of winning a hokey title.

The text of the sign is in fact an appeal to prayer for the eventual success of the hokey players: "Time for back to basics and to pray for miracles. Go Oilers Go!" The slogan uses the biblical ideas of miracles achieved by God and continuous prayer as a means of supporting the team. In his address to the Thessalonians, Paul also addressed a similar plea for the renewal of belief and a life in accordance and in harmony with the words of God: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing." This theological support was used in the appeal made to the hokey supporters in order to give a religious perspective as well. Therefore, people used the theological argument to promote their favorites. This attitude however, seen from a critical point-of-view, may seem rather controversial.

The world is in a constant change and the society at large is experiencing massive drifts from its original system of values. The appeal to engage into a religious act, that of praying, for attaining a goal that is not essential to achieving moral justice or having a lofty aim is, in some views, an involution of the social order caused especially by globalization. According to some authors, the internationalization beyond any traditional borders of exchanges and activities has led, aside from an increase in the percentage of the poor population, to a lack of moral coherence and a devalorization of the traditional religious percepts. This could be the explanation for the use of a Christian call for a rather unimportant event, should the winning of such a coveted title be seen from the perspective of Christian moral criteria.

At the same time however, it could be argued that religion must too be adapted to the needs of the contemporary man, and therefore prayer should serve his own personal and collective desires. The society changes because of different constant influences from outside independent of out own private wishes. The adaptation of a religious calling to a current reality and need is just one example that points out the fact that religion does not necessarily mean strict adhesion to the traditional ancient worshiping methods. There are those who are forced or choose to live in a religiously foreign place. Nonetheless, their adaptation of their rites of worship and of their goals for prayer suggests man's capacity to be flexible. Robert Orsi points this out through a parallel between the "city" which had been in the past the larger environment for the human and church community, and the "house" which now has this function especially for immigrant families, "the city as a place of dreams may well have been replaced by the house (...)" He gives the example of the Sri Siva Vishnu Tempe in America which is for the Hindu people similar to their own home in India. This comes to prove that man, in his everyday life, and face with common needs, can adapt his religious belief as to cater for his own spiritual needs, whatever they might be, without considering an involution in the religious practice, but rather a redefinition of few but fundamental beliefs.

Moreover, the sign calling for prayer in order for a team to win and thus another one to lose, can also be considered as asking for the divine help to cause others unhappiness. Generalizing the situation, this would point out the fact that the church can make use if its persuasive means to attract people into an unchristian act of selfishness. Mark Gornik considers this to be one of the reasons for the deterioration of the city structure and the reorganization of the society into smaller, more isolated groups. He points out the need for regaining human solidarity as preached by Isaiah "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom {will become} like midday." Gornik is thus the advocate of the renewal of the moral ideals that must go beyond worldly petty things. Indeed, there is an increased tendency of breaking away from the traditional line of belief preached in the old text of the Bible; still this is not necessarily a negative evolution of the religious belief, as long as the core Christian teaches such as respect for human life, trust in God and His power to listen and help are maintained.

It can be concluded that even though the society is loosing its traditional religious orientation, and people nowadays tend to use prayer more in hope of achieving common goals, and less for attaining eternal redemption, the church sign in Texas points out the fact that the basic beliefs are still entrenched in the human soul.

Model of Ancient Rome

Rome is without a doubt one of the most important cities for the Christian religion. It is the papal residence and, at the same time, a significant point of reference for the philosophical analysis of Christianity. Taking into consideration this fact, it was only normal that its structure and architecture be the center of different and numerous analyses. Nonetheless, it seems that the design of the city is deeply connected to its religious significance.

The city in itself is one of the best known symbols of the Catholic Church. It is the place which is most of the times identified with the Papal authority, as Thomas Lucas noticed "the Roman Catholic Church is entangled, warp and woof in the fabric of the city of Rome." This perspective is due to the large history that surrounds the city and its religious tradition. According to most scholars, the legend of Romulus and Remus as the founders of Rome is indeed the most accurate explanation of the birth of the city.

Even if, for a certain period in history, Avignon was the place of the Holy See, Rome and the Vatican are the main symbols of the Church. This is largely due to the results of analyses made to the urban architecture, combined with details offered by legends, and with the philosophical writings on medieval scholars such as Augustine.

Saint Augustine argued in his theory about the city of God that there are in fact two cities, one pertaining to the terrestrial world, and one coexisting with it, eternal, which belonged to God. While the city of God implied a holy community of the chosen ones, which was not visible or tangible, the terrestrial world was that of the common people, of those sinful and damned to life on Earth. This world, he considered to be Rome, not so much for the importance of the city in itself but more for the relevance I had to the Roman Empire. This in turn attracted the both the maintenance of a certain mysticism around the legends surrounding the foundation of the city and it encouraged th continuous expansion and development of it. The result was a flourishing urban center, full of symbolism and significance.

One of the first elements of the urban plans of ancient Rome were the temples. Although initially, the Romans were strong believers in the power of the gods, once Christianity came, the Roman Empire became the most important means for the spread of the new religion. Still, temples were quite common. Thus, examples such as Portunus or Mars point out the roman tradition in temple building and its early religious orientations.

The center of the ancient city is as well full of significance and its delimitation has legendary origins. According to Thomas Lucas, Romulus was guided in his endeavor to built Alba Longa, what would later become Rome, by omens and "dug a circular trench in which were deposited the first fruits of all the things the use of which was sanctioned by custom as good and by nature as necessary. He then traced the sacred circle with a brazen plow pulled by a cow yoked to a bull. Romulus claimed all within that circle as sacred… READ MORE

How to Reference "Oilers Go! The Edmonton" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Civil War Scenes Scene One: An Affair Essay

Civil War Scenes

Scene One: An Affair at Coulter's

This scene should take advantage of the stage and side balconies. The parts that should be played in the scene include… read more

Essay 4 pages (1139 words) Sources: 2 Topic: Military / Army / Navy / Marines

---

Obesity Essay

Obesity is one of the most prevalent forms of malady in the European and American continents. The ranks of obese individuals are augmented each year to the extent that obesity… read more

Essay 4 pages (1260 words) Sources: 4 Topic: Nutrition / Diet / Eating

---

American Government Question One (Interest Groups) Term Paper

American Government

QUESTION ONE (Interest Groups): There are a number of political experts and observers who believe interest groups - or, according to Democracy Under Pressure (Cummings, 224-241), also called… read more

Term Paper 17 pages (5843 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Government / Politics

---

Law but One in 2000 Book Review

This is a tricky issue, involving espionage, national security, and freedoms. To what extent the government can and should prevent subversive behaviors, and how to define treasonous activities are the… read more

Book Review 3 pages (974 words) Sources: 3 Topic: American History / United States

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>