Month: March 2019

Faith Healing

Faith healing refers to the belief that an illness or disability can be cured by divine power, without the use of traditional medicine. In ancient Greece, temples honoring the god of medicine, Asclepius, were built near springs with healing waters. In Christianity, support for faith healing is based on the cures wrought by Jesus, and certain places, such as Lourdes, France, are believed to effect cures among some believers. How has the issue of faith healing affected US legislation? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Twelvers

Shi’ism is the second largest denomination of Islam after Sunnism, and within Shi’ism, Twelvers, or Ithna ‘Ashariyyah, form the largest school. Twelvers derive their name from their belief in a succession of 12 divinely ordained leaders—imams—beginning with Ali ibn Abu Talib, the fourth caliph and son-in-law of Muhammad. The last of these 12 imams was Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah, who disappeared in 873 is thought by believers to be alive, hidden by God. When is he expected to reappear? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Maryland Day

Maryland Day commemorates the landing of the first colonists there in 1634, and the first Roman Catholic Mass they celebrated. Named after Henrietta Maria, the consort of King Charles I of England, Maryland was the first proprietary colony on the American mainland. George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, was appointed by the king as proprietor, and he hoped to establish a refuge for other Catholics who had been persecuted in Anglican England. He was succeeded as head of the colony by his son, Cecilius Calvert, who brought 200 more colonists over from England. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Anchor

An anchor is a device cast overboard to secure a ship, boat, or other floating object by means of weight, friction, or hooks called flukes. In ancient times, anchors were often merely large stones, bags or baskets of stones, bags of sand, or, as with the Egyptians, lead-weighted logs. The Greeks are credited with the first use of iron anchors, while the Romans had metal devices with arms similar to modern anchors. What anchoring technique is used in “ultimate storm” conditions? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

National Cherry Blossom Festival

The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., is held when the cherry trees planted around the Potomac River Tidal Basin bloom. The 3,000 trees were a gift to the city of Washington from the city of Tokyo, Japan, in 1912, and today they are the focal point of a two-week festival celebrating the friendship between the two countries. The festivities include formal receptions for the 52 festival princesses (representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territory of Guam) and a Cherry Blossom parade through downtown Washington. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Snake Charming

Most common in South Asia and North Africa, snake charming is the practice of “charming” snakes through music and rhythmic body movements. Street performers set up in front of audiences and use different methods to draw out their snakes—often venomous varieties such as cobras—which sometimes appear to move along with the music. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts. Why is snake charming becoming increasingly rare in India? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary