Final Blog

As I read about the different scientists I was remind of the on going conflict between science and religion. It seems we can only have one or the other. A friend of mine was commenting that it takes faith to believe in science. Every individual hasn't done experiments to prove every scientific theory. We trust other that have come before. So really there is a connection between science and religion. Really faith can be connected to many things.
It seems to me that the flood gates opened after the reformation and many individuals became inspired. They started to look at things differently and make discoveries. I don't think that is a coincidence.

The Catholic Church Approves This Message

The Catholic church didn't sound like a big supporter of science. I wonder when they accepted the sun as the center of the universe. There must have been a time when they realized they were wrong. There is evidence proving the earth revolves around the sun. They may not have supported science but the church did support the arts thank goodness.

In my art history class we talked about how Michelangelo felt he was given the job to paint the Sistine Chapel because they wanted to prove that he wasn't a very good painter. He was determined to prove he was an accomplished painter. I think he was successful. The pictures I've seen of his paintings are amazing.

I found Queen Elizabeth's speech to the troops very interesting. Her speech was very powerful yet she still kept her place by admitting she was a feeble woman. That is a careful phrase. I think she was trying to say that even though I'm a woman in a body that isn't as strong as a man's I am still capable of being heroic. I have a weak body but I have a strong mind and a lions heart. She was bold. She supported her country's cause even if she had to fight and die.
I can imagine that have a leader say he or she was also willing to lay down his life for his country would help give the warrior a greater since of determination to overcome obstacle. They did just that, by defeating the Spanish and becoming the new super power.

Wikipedia Assignment # 3

This article summarizes the life of Elizabeth I. The article beings by discussing Elizabeth's parents and early childhood. This article is very thorough. It covers Elizabeth's childhood, through her successful reign, to her death. This article has a lot of useful information and I would recommend it to others.
1.There are 7,517 words in this article.
2.The search term I used was Queen Elizabeth of England.
3.The Disambiguation link lists other articles related to the search term I used. Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth I(the TV series), Elisabeth of Bohemia, Elizabeth I of Russia, Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, and RMS Queen Elizabeth(series of steam ships) are all the article listed under the Disambiguation link.
4.The discussion was mostly about the changes being made to the article. One message talked about omitting the Tudor coat of arms. Another comment mentioned a change to the opening portrait.
5.There have been over 500 changes made to the article. The first edit was August 8,2003. The last edit was November 21,2008.
6.There are 173 references.
7. There are five titles listed under Further Reading: Portraiture of Elizabeth I, Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I of England, English Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, and Tudor reconquest of Ireland.

Faith and Works

Luther's remarks on works and faith are interesting. From my reading I got that he believed that an individual can't expect to be saved by works alone. In other words a man can't live a very sinful life and do a bunch of good deeds and automatically be saved. It seems he is attacking Catholic church because of their focus on works for salvation. According to Luther a man must serve and live for others and not himself. Living a good life filled with selfless service and faith is the key to obtaining salvation.

I agree that works alone is not enough to be considered a good Christian. But I also feel that faith without works is dead. A person that says they have faith in Christ but then does nothing to be like Christ is in my opinion a hypocrite. Their are two different hypocrites. The ones that do great works but have no faith and those who claim to have great faith but do nothing so show their devotion.

The church experience sounds confusing to the individual who didn't speak Latin. The scriptures were read by the priests and kept from church members. It sounds to me that it wasn't a matter of hiding something but wanting to protect members from misinterpretation of Bible doctrine. I can understand the church's fear but the truly devote Christian would want to be able to hold his religion in his hand and gain greater knowledge by reading it. I picture the Latin mass being like going to a foreign film were it is impossible to know what is really going on. If a person was expected to go to war for his religon then know what he is fighting for would be important.

The Lonely Blackness

The Black Death must have completely changed the face of Europe. One in three died. How lonely it would be to be one of the few left behind, being terrified to bury your loved ones. How could people recover from such a disaster? There must have been an overwhelming helplessness that haunted the survivors. They didn't know why the disease was spreading or how to prevent it. Being a survivor must have been devastating and painful. Especially if you ran away from a dying family member. How could you live with yourself?