Changes in Homosexual Identity and Christianity Term Paper

Changes in Homosexual Identity and Christianity - Term Paper Example This paper will look at various methods that are related to homosexuality in Christian counseling. The concept will begin with looking at traditional viewpoints and how these have altered in the current time frame, specifically with the integration of psychology and biological factors related to homosexuality. This will be combined with the diversity that is growing in the community which is pushing Christian churches to re-examine their beliefs about homosexuality. There will then be an examination of the main methods that are being used by Christian counselors to assist those who are facing the identity of homosexuality, specifically with perspectives that relate to the responses and assistance which is given. The paper will also examine alternative perspectives that relate to this, specifically which pertain to the environment which one is in, social status of homosexuality in the church and the changes which are being made. An examination of the limitations and potential of Chris tian counseling for homosexuality will also be looked into, specifically to provide a well – rounded perspective about homosexuality and how it currently is linked to growth and development in the church and for Christian counseling. The initial reaction from most Christian branches was based on the rejection of homosexuality. Many believed that the concept of being gay or lesbian was also one which rejected higher spirituality and religion and which didn’t provide integration into the main associations with religion. However, many current changes are beginning to be approached, specifically with the understanding that there are newer problems and types of social groups which are also Christian. Without approaching individuals that are in this specific area, there is the inability to create a difference in one’s life while providing an examination of deeper spirituality. This main problem has led to new ideals in Christianity, specifically by examining the psychological perspective and how it relates to Christianity. It is from this main attribute of combining both experiences that many Christian counselors have been able to find a new perspective to homosexuality and the way in which it should be looked into within society (Stevenson, 2007). The changes with counseling which occurred were not only based on the ideology that spirituality and psychology both related to the other. There were also many who began to discover that there was more to homosexuality than being of a higher or lower s pirituality. There were many churches which began to find that gay and lesbian individuals would regularly come to the church and were not condemned from the practice of spirituality because of the altered lifestyle. Other denominations began to find and discover the biological processes, scientific explanations and other ideologies from the psychology of an individual were associated with the practice of homosexuality. These several new

Media comparative analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media comparative analysis - Essay Example A media comparative analysis has a vital role in comprehending the various essential elements of the changing nature of the media. Such a media comparative analysis deals with the social aspects, the assumptions and logics, the industrial, the commercial contexts, the primary functions, etc of a particular media form, technology, process, or event in relation to the explicit or implied research methods, the critical framework and assumptions, the theories and logics, the methods and worldviews etc of a specific reading on media and media function. This media comparative analysis paper focuses on a comparative discussion of Megan Boler's "Introduction" to Digital Media and Democracy: Tactic in Hard Times in connection to a particular media form, i.e. an internet radio station. This paper deals with a comparative study of the explicit or implied assumptions about the nature, scope and role of media forms in each of the media discussions, and attempts to bring together the assumptions o f both the media reading and the media form. Megan Boler's main concern in the article is to bring about the connection between media and power and to contribute to the debates about media and democracy within the digital media landscape and the discussions about the internet radio station can help one realize the underlying elements of the media form. As an introduction to the vital assumptions of the discussion, Megan Boler presents his exchange with Tim Russert as illustrative of how the media in the contemporary world functions in terms of truth and power. From the platform of this account, the author goes on to make his significant assumptions about media and power as well as the debates about media and democracy within the digital media landscape. "The story of my exchange with Tim Russert highlights two key challenges about media and power: (1) how to alter the axes of domination so that those with little or no power have a seat at the table, and (2) how to conceive of media (whether dominant, grassroots, or tactical) with the capacity to intervene at the level of public perception, and that can challenge the perverse manipulation of 'facts' about something like global warming." (Boler 2008, 171). According to the author, there is an essential connection between media and power and there is a very scarce chance to gain reali ty through the power of media. Power in media tries to overtake realities about facts and there is fierce competition to accumulate power in media. The author is essentially forceful about the influence of power in media in the contemporary digital era of media where there is fierce competition and the raw material is no longer in short supply. In this background, realizing reality through digital media is much more complex. There have been significant opinions by experts in the field that media is more powerful than any bomb in the contemporary background and this can be realized on the basis of the famous maxim the 'pen is mightier than the sword'. The powerful influence of media over the lives of several modern human beings can be understood in this background. The major focus of the work by Boler is to