Be Just- Justice

Canadian Peace Alliance: http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/index.html 

The Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA) is Canada's largest peace organization. It started in 1985.  Since then the organization has been helping member groups to act as a large network, in order to provide a strong message for peace problems at the national level.

CPA member groups range from community groups to  large Canadian organizations. Its goals include redirecting money from military spending to human needs. They are working towards making Canada a consistent leader for world peace, as well as strengthening world institutions for the peaceful resolution of conflict.  They are also protecting the rights of all people to work for peace, social & economic justice. The Council of Canadians is a member of the CPA.

I chose this organization because it is well known and they have had very sucessful projects. I feel that this orginazation is going to change the world one day and this is just the start.  This organization is Canadian and I am proud to be one.  CPA had many great projects that I believe strongly in such as the "Vote to End the War in Afghanistan".

Relationships

Here is a check list for someone who may be in an abusive relationship. 
This explains what love really is. Here are some options for one who may feel they are abused. 


Signs they love you:
□ Show they care about you- ex. ask how your day is or how you're feeling

□ Show they appreciate you- ex. thank you for making dinner or if you're always cleaning the dishes he/she may offer to do it for you/help out. Little things like this show appreciation 

□ They want to be with you- ex. whether you're making dinner together or watching a movie together your partner will want to spend time together 

□ Want to make you feel good- ex. hugs, kisses, compliments, etc

□ Communicate- ex. talk

If you are in an abusive relationship you should tell someone. If the abusive partner is living with you it is not safe for you to keep on living there.  There are houses and shelters for abused women and children.  Dealing with the fact that your partner does not treat you the way you should be treated you must get away from the controlling, aggressive figure.  Talk to someone and tell them what is going on so they can reach to you and help you on your journey out.

Be Loving- Christ-Like Love

Gandhi would be a great role model for us to follow. His fame begun one day when Gandhi was told to move seats on a bus in South Africa. The racist driver had made him sit outside in the hot sun on a long trip to Pretoria, simply because he wasn't white. Gandhi, until now too shy to even speak in front of a judge, sued the railroad company and won. From then, the powerless non-whites looked to Gandhi as their best spokesman. After twenty years of helping his fellow Indians in South Africa, Gandhi returned to India and picked up the fight against the British oppression. 


We can learn about speaking our opinions through non violence protesting. He did not turn to violence, when a problem occurred. He was very successful with his victory. Unfortunately two years after his victory he was shot and killed from an assassin's bullet. He was such a great leader and he will be remembered forever as an amazing legend. Rest in peace Gandhi-- you have changed our world forever. 




 Nelson Mandela is another a great leader. He grew up in a country where you could be arrested for drinking out of the wrong water fountain, or having the same job as a white man but getting paid less. Nelson grew up in South Africa under the Apartheid system of government.  His career in the African National Congress (ANC) was cut short in 1964 due to a sentencing to a life in prison. The trial is now seen as nothing more than a cruel plan used by the white South African government to silence Nelson Mandela. But when he was in  prison, he continued to fight for his people who also struggled against Apartheid (in his absence). In 1990, after 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela was freed. His release was the beginning of the end for apartheid. In less than five years after his release, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and elected president of South Africa. 


We can learn how to be strong from his leadership and stories. Everyone in South Africa now has an equal opportunity at home and at work to live comfortable, productive lives. Nelson Mandela is one of the world's true freedom fighters, and his life and personal success will be remembered long after the world has forgotten the evils of Apartheid.

Christ like love is being displayed here by these two role models.  Christ like love is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. In other words; loving someone without expecting anything back. Forgiving them no matter how many times they have wronged you. And as Christ himself experienced loving you and the world despite being mocked, beaten beyond recognition, spit on, hung a cross while being totally innocent of any wrong doing. This is his love for mankind. Both Mandela and Gandi had uncondition love for their passions. They have helped and effected so many people around the world and their love is Christ like.

The Christian View of the Body

Teens are focused mostly on their body image.  Body-oriented commercials try to encourage us to buy things, from energy drinks to toothbrushes, and in the commercials, the models have their "perfect bodies" in tight-fitted clothing to show off their assets.  This kind of imagery is all around us, and fills the media.  It gets into our minds without us even being aware of it, and we become so so self conscious about how we look.

The Christians have different views of the body image.  They reject the American/Canadian body obesssion about being fit, looking hot, and following the images put into the media. The importance of looking good is with the worship of sexual attractiveness. The television, and media are really telling us in all their “body-language” is that the most important thing in life is sexual attractiveness — Having that “sexy” body that will draw your object of desire to you. The media's  “body-awareness” is just one part of the obsession with sexual attractiveness that has grown recently in the past few decades.

"Don’t worry about the death of the body- there are other things more important than the body, worry about the death of the soul!” Matt. 10:28  The quote is saying don't worry about your body because when you die its your soul that rises to heaven, but your body remains on the ground.  You should work on your inner beauty (soul) because that is what counts and that is what is moving on after your death. But staying healthy is very important as well, maintaining a healthy weight, eating right, and excercising daily. In class we learned that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others to others, we are who we are and we should be ourseleves.

Beatitude Attitudes in the Media



A healthy model is a a happy model!




This is not a happy model!



Television shows that promotes a positive body image would be America's Next Top Model. Models these days are suppose to look a certain way to convince the world that everyone should fit one certain template. But on AMNTM they have plus size models as well.  Anyone can be a model if you have the right attitude and perserverance. Having plus size models on their show lets the females out there (especially the younger girls) know that being bigger is okay.  Not everybody needs to be 6' and weigh 105lbs. Everybody is beautiful just how they are.



Plus size models are beautiful. They are just as beautiful as the other ones. Nothing is wrong with being a little bigger and there is a Miss Plus Size America beauty pagent.  I think that is a great pagent and a wonderful message being sent out. Everybody, every women, every size should love their body and embrace their womanly features.

Bruno Mars- Just the Way You Are



Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day

Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won't believe me
And it's so, it's so, sad to think that she don't see what I see
But every time she asks me do I look ok, I say

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are(yeah)

Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she let me
Her laugh, her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy
She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day

Oh, you know, you know, you know, I'd never ask you to change
If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same
So, don't even bother asking if you look ok
You know I'll say

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are
The way you are, the way you are
Girl you're amazing, just the way you are

When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while

Cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are. Yeah

Songs in the media that encourage beatitude attitudes would be positive songs such as Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars.  The song talks about him loving his girl no matter what. He loves everything about such as her eyes to her face. He tells her she's beautiful everyday and he means it! Some girls out there put on a lot of makeup to impress boys or seek attention of others, but Bruno Mars is telling everyone that they're beautiful and they don't need to do anything to change their appearance.