Analytic and critical thinking essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analytic and critical thinking - Essay Example Nevertheless, through the enlightenment he acquired through the teachings of Buddha, he was able to acquire wisdom and understanding and therefore was able to live an exemplary life. This paper then looks deeper into the perceptions of Thich Nhat Hanh and why he claims that death is non-existent, reflecting Buddhist philosophies. In his journey to understanding what death is all about, Hanh experienced illumination during one of his meditative states. He saw a japonica bush that blossomed one winter when warmer days came quite early. However, when winter conditions took its natural course, the blossoms fell to the ground. When the weather got warm again, another set of flowers blossomed and the wonderment whether those were the same blossoms that fell to the ground or whether they are different was asked by the hermit. The answer of the blossoms gave a new understanding to the seeker of truth and there begun his freedom from grief regarding death. He observes that the blossoms  "were not the same and not different† (Hanh). When the day became warm during winter, it was a condition that allowed the flowers to blossom and they manifested themselves. However, when the conditions changed, bringing the cold gloomy days which are not a convenient for the flowers to thrive, they fell from the bush instead but showed themselves again when the circumstances permitted their existence. Nevertheless, that is not considered the dying of the flowers. This perfectly exemplifies the belief of the Buddha that â€Å"when conditions are sufficient, something manifests and we say it exists† (8). The blossoming and falling of the flowers are considered in Buddhism, as a condition wherein they have hidden themselves because the weather condition is not well-suited or convenient for them. Another insightful example the Hanh presents in trying to explain his perspective is that, death only brings a person to another level of being. To expound further, he likens peopl e to radio waves which, â€Å"without a radio, we do not manifest† (12). This means that there is a tangible and an intangible part of us. The tangible part, which is the body, may die and eventually decay. However, there is an intangible part which becomes ever present to his loved ones. A loved one whose body has gone is not actually gone forever but is always present evidenced by the ground their feet once trod, an abode or even a person’s very self. Buddhists believe just because one is not physically seen does not mean he is not present. Rather, it is only the body wherein a person once manifested himself that is gone. Coming from a family whose parents are divorced, this notion is a great help for my coping. Although I live with my mother only, I do not see myself as without my father. Distance is not what defines his existence but it is who he is in me. I am his son, his blood runs through my veins and somehow, I know that he is there with me even if I do not se e him. Similarly, when death comes, it only separates me from my loved ones physically but their presence is always felt even though I do not see them. Death and grief are difficult to overcome. Some people even violate their own lives because they are not able to cope with the emotions brought about by this incident.

The Analysis of Sex in Advertisment Essay Example for Free

The Analysis of Sex in Advertisment Essay â€Å"The Power of Cool†: An Analysis of Sex in Advertisement Nowadays the use of sexuality is a very popular way to advertise a product. The concept of using attractive people to sell any type of merchandise is everywhere, and this is effective because when you look at an ad of this kind you don’t focus on the product; you focus on the sex symbol. I chose an ad from Davidoff’s Cool Water campaign that appeared in Men’s Health magazine on September 2008. â€Å"Flesh sells. People dont want to see pictures of churches. They want to see naked bodies,† said Helen Mirren. If we consider Mirren’s quotation within the context of Men’s Health, we can assume that regardless the reader, they both want to become that model to attract a lover. This ad is appealing to the public because of the guy next to the perfume; not because of the perfume itself. These kinds of ads play a very important role in American culture because they are everywhere and people learn about society through advertisement. Sexual advertisements started in the 1920’ with the pin up girl who was the evolved, more sexual burlesque girl. The pin up girl advertised all kinds of products because they became self-aware of their attributes and sexuality. (Dita Von Teese) Nowadays sex advertisements are not only for women; they use men as well, like in this case. Men’s Health is an American magazine launched in 1987. This magazine focuses in health, but it also talks about fashion, lifestyle, sex, technology, nutrition, travel, and finance. Over the years it has become more popular, and it’s known as the largest and best selling magazine for men in the U.  S. (Go Articles) it is my assumption that the primary target of this magazine is twenty to forty year old men who want to get the best out of life. In this magazine we can see allot of ads and one of the most famous ones is Cold Water. Cold Water is a perfume created by a Swedish tobacco brand called Davidoff, which in 1990 was bought by Coty, one of the world’s biggest fragrance companies. (WWD) This perfume has been around since 2002, but every year Davidoff has realised different editions of it. Famous actor Paul Walker was the face of the perfume in 2011 and Josh Holloway, the famous actor from the 2004 TV drama Lost, (IMBD) was the face from 2007 to 2010. One of the trademarks of the Davidoff perfume ads is that there is always a shirtless male model with a perfect body (marked abs and toned muscles) diving into the ocean, taking a swim, and then coming back to the beach completely wet but â€Å"cool†. This became a trademark because people who buy this perfume think that they will ome out of the worst situation completely â€Å"cool†, like the ad shows. What does a guy’s six-pack have to do with a perfume? The ad’s background is a very calm, light blue ocean on a very hot day. The center of attention is the face of a very attractive Josh Holloway. When we look at his face we see confidence, power, and masculinity. If we take a second look into Holloway’s face we see it’s completely wet; every inch of his face has perfectly formed water drops for the exception of his mouth. We can also assume that the water we see dripping of his face is not only salt water, it is also sweat. This tells us that he has been swimming for a while, and in spite of this he still looks fresh; he looks calm like he just got out of the shower completely relaxed and really attractive because he has â€Å"The power of cool†. At the right bottom of the ad we see the top of the perfume bottle it is blue, reflecting the ocean’s color and Holloway’s eyes, with a black cap. The shape of the bottle is very classy and simple but modern. If we compare the perfume bottle to the ad itself, we can see they are both inspired by the deep blue ocean with refreshing cold water in a very hot day. What makes this a very attractive ad is the fact that Davidoff is comparing the ocean that is strong, deep, and mysterious with the perfume. It also shows that, Holloway represents mystery because if we see his face and the whole setting we see somebody sexy and confident, but if we look into his eyes we see somebody else completely sweet and shy. What I mean with this is that Holloway shows us almost two different people in the same picture, he shows the hot confident guy at the bar and the sweet boyfriend every girl wants. Davidoff’s target audience is supposed to be very masculine, sophisticated, and confident man from twenty to forty years old (Holloway). If we consider the price and were it sells we could say that the target audience is cheaper pretending to be sophisticated. Cool Water is one of the most popular perfumes because it has an affordable price the 1. 5 ounce bottle is $19. 62 at Target and the 4. 2 ounce bottle is $67. 50 at Macy’s. This ad gives you confidence because you see that a movie star uses it, and that implies that if you use it you would be as successful as the person in the picture. Because their target audience is so big this perfume is very neutral and could be used in several occasions for example work or party. This perfume doesn’t represent pretending being cool, it represents being confident about yourself; that’s what makes you cool. The written text and the picture have very close relationship in the Cool Water ad because they have one, very clear message: â€Å"Use this perfume and you will possess masculinity and confidence. † What I like about this ad is that is very simple but attractive at the same time. It doesn’t have too much going on, which makes it easy to analyze and relate with. The phrase â€Å"The power of cool† gives this ad allot of conviction because it fits perfectly with the image they are presenting: an attractive male model covered in water/sweat who looks like he always has everything under control. Although we might think there is some type of advancement in the fact of using people as sexual object, there isn’t. The truth is that sex advertisements are so popular because we make them popular consciously or not we pay more attention to them than to non-sexual advertisements. Some people thik it’s funny or sexy, but what happens when they are tasteless or too explicit? This type of ads captures everyone’s attention including children who aren’t ready for this kind of content, that’s another problem.

Danny Santiagos Famous All Over Town :: Famous All Over Town

Danny Santiago's Famous All Over Town  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      When I was little I remember driving across country, going to Florida, and past neighborhoods that were anything but mine. They had old houses that looked like they were going to fall down any minute, real trashy looking. In Colorado, my house was nice and always kept up. I sat in the car wondering what kind of people lived in those run down places and what they were like. The answers came to me years later when I read the book, Famous All Over Town, by Danny Santiago. The main character, Chato, is a young Hispanic boy living in a neighborhood like the ones I saw when I was little. After reading the book, although I never thought I would have anything in common with people who lived like that, I learned that Chato and I have do have similarities, but we have more differences. There aren't very many similarities between Chato and I, but there is one, and it's a big one. We both have families that love us. Lena, Chato's sister takes care of him after he gets home from the hospital. Then he begins to think about his family and how glad he is to be home. "Lena loved me, my mom loved me, and my father loved me, it seemed" (45). All of Chato's family loves him and he loves being with them. In my house, you would find the same kind of environment and I can relate to some of Chato's family life. However, Chato's family is not always nice to him. His family has many problems, such as everyone keeping secrets from each other and everyone lieing to each other. For example, Chato's father is having an affair and everyone knows about it, but they all keep it from Chato. When he finds out he is very mad at himself and things he is dumb for not knowing, while everyone else does. "She knew, they knew, the whole damn town knew, except only dumb, stupid me" (l46). In my fa mily, however, everyone is honest and you would never see anyone keeping something that important from the others. Another example of how Chato's family is different, is shown when Chato is having a bellyache and his father things that he is faking it. He tells him, "Shut-up, crybaby-coward" (26). His father is not being very nice to him because he is sick.

Sir Francis Bacons Advancement of Learning and Information on the Internet :: Internet Net World Wide Web Media

Sir Francis Bacon's Advancement of Learning and Information on the Internet In the book of Ecclesiastes we are told, "Of making many books there is no end; and much study is weariness to the flesh." (Eccles. 12:12) If we compare web sites to books, then it follows that there is no end to the amount of information put onto the Internet, and that studying, or, browsing the Internet is tiring. Additionally, we read, "For in much wisdom is much grief: and he who increases knowledge increases anxiety." (Eccles. 1:18) The sheer quantity of information found on the Internet must increase our knowledge and this we read - that anxiety follows. Bacon's tells us that what we need is not quantity, but quality of information plus a corrective spice. Bacon reasons that the biblical writers were not thinking of "pure knowledge" of nature and universality. He suggests that they were referring to people's attempts to rule themselves using knowledge of good and evil, in which case depending no more on God. Therefore, there is no grief in learning. How large a quantity of knowledge can completely fill the mind? Nay, the mind can never be satisfied with a quantity of knowledge states Bacon. He quotes the Scripture, "the eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing." (Eccles. 1:8) There is nothing in this world that isn't reached by people's inquiry and invention. If this is the capacity of the mind, then it is clear that there is no problem with having too much knowledge. The problem is the quality of knowledge therein. The fact that the Internet is bristling full of information, too much information for a single human being to comprehend, is not the problem, but the real issue is in the quality of the information therein. The old lesson on Internet searching is when you enter for example, "computers," and the search engine returns 10 of an abominable 8,102,365 matches. You would exclaim, "Wow! There is a lot of information in there." Then you would ask, "How do you know what is good?" Where is the quality? Portals (who run search engines) these days are adding value to their searched information thereby returning higher quality results, often grouped by appropriate categories, thus pinpointing useful information for the learning public. Yes, the quality of information needs to increase, but Bacon tells us that we need a corrective spice. The reason we need this spice is that the information may be of high quality but be "venomous" or malign in nature.

Is Africa the least developed continent? Essay

Why do we hear that Africa is the least developed continent? I mean Africa contains some of the most important natural and mineral resources, so why are Africans still living in an underdeveloped continent? Naturally Africa contains a variety of many rich minerals. One of the largest minerals that Africa holds is petroleum. Petroleum is mostly found in countries like Nigeria, Libya and Equatorial Guinea. These countries are some of the richest nations in Africa, with some of the highest Gross Domestic Profits in the past few years. They are also countries, mostly the southern nations, who boast the rights of having large reserves of gold, diamonds and copper. Then they are a great number of African nations who are blessed with fertile soil, for agricultural purposes, growing some of the most important crops supplying food and exporting goods to people and other nations. Even though we see that these minerals and crops produce most of Africa’s revenues, profit of this capital is found to be wasted. This money is normally given to the government, who dissipate this money on luxuries for the elite or on big projects that may have little or no return at all. We then find that colonialism could be another aspect that contributes to the economic underdevelopment in Africa. Just before decolonization, Africa obtained its highest sum of wealth. This was due to the amount of raw materials exported to countries mostly in Europe. As soon as most countries were independent, Africa was on the back-foot. After many Europeans and their leaders set off back off to their home lands, African nations were lacking individuals with training or education to operate their government that they had inherited. They didn’t know what to do, making it harder for them to make their economy stronger. Another notion that could be a contribution to this underdeveloped continent is corruption and misgoverning. This may be one of the main causes that may have led Africa to have become known as the ‘underdeveloped continent. The government may not be leading the country in the right direction, not putting the country on a path that may lead to a growth in the economy. The government may be spending their capital on luxuries, and not providing services like education and jobs for the less fortunate. All these problems arise, when discussing about why Africa is a poor continent. To resolve these issues, we may need to bring a new government into action, we may need to raise some funds, and we may need to use our resources well to make these very nations of Africa more developed than it ever was.

The Vampire Lestat essays

The Vampire Lestat essays Publisher: Ballantine Books Fiction A troubled young man named Lestat lives with, mother, father, and two older brothers in pre-revolutionary France. He has a special bond with his mother, Gabrielle. They are kindred spirits. Lestat runs off to Paris with his new best friend, Nicki. Nicki is an extremely talented violinist, but was forbidden by his father to pursue it as a career. One night, Lestat is kidnapped and turned into a vampire. His maker, a vampire who was turned at an old age, immediately destroys himself after giving a brief, vague explanation of what he has just done to him. Lestat is forced to keep this new life secret from his friends. Nicki grows suspicious of Lestats strange behavior. Lestat is soon confronted by Armand, the leader of a satanic vampire coven that lives by strict codes, rituals, and beliefs. Armand accuses Lestat of being a blasphemer for walking among mortal men and entering a church. Lestat asks Armand what he knows about the history of vampires. Armand tells him about th e one who made him, Marius, and how he saw him burned to death by the satanic ones. Armand goes on to tell him of the rumors of Marius surviving and living in Egypt, but swears they cannot be true. Lestat has an unexplainably strong feeling that he did survive and is out there somewhere. He sets out in search of Marius, hoping that his ancient wisdom will have the answers to his many questions. But will he find him? And if so, does Marius have the answers his questions? My favorite part of the book is when Lestat wakes up in the 1980s and becomes the lead singer of a metal band. His supernatural voice and dark poetry land the band in super-stardom, where Lestat proclaims to the world that he is a vampire, a big NO NO in the vampire culture. Most human fans think its just a gimmick and admire its originality, while others believ ...

Islam and Christianity Essay Example

Islam and Christianity Essay Example Islam and Christianity Essay Islam and Christianity Essay Islam, which literally means peace, is one of the most largest and influential religion today with about 1.5 billion followers worldwide. Being a monotheistic religion, Islam’s major teaching is the existence of only one God, Allah and that Muhammad, who revealed the completeness of the teachings of Islam, is His last prophet. Other Islamic beliefs include the belief in angels, the Books of God that contains the teaching and Decree of God, messengers of God or the prophets and the Day of Judgment. The followers of Islam, Muslims, have five main duties known as the Five Pillars of Islam: to bear witness that there is no other God but and Allah and Muhammad is His prophet, to pray five times in a day known as the Salat, alms giving or the Zakat, Pilgrimage to Mecca or hajj and fasting during the month of Ramadan or Bukhari. Although a lot of books and many other reading materials had been published regarding the religion of Islam, I strongly believe that there are many things about their faith that cannot be grasp through reading alone.   Also, Islam and Christianity have many similarities as well as differences, thus it is important to compare them so as to evaluate which factor is greater, their similarities or their differences. 2.0 Personal Interview Details In order to better understand the Islamic faith, I interviewed Sh. Jamal H. Said, Imam and Director of the Mosque Foundation, 7360 W. St., Bridgeview, IL. 60455. The Mosque foundation aims to serve the needs of Muslims in different areas such as spiritual, religious and communal needs by nurturing their faith, fostering the wellbeing of their community and upholding their values through worship, education, outreach, charity and civic engagement (The Mosque foundation, 2009). You can also visit their website at mosquefoundation.org/. Preparations had been taken prior to the interview including authorizations, arrangements and materials needed. 3.0 Interview Summary In my interview with Imam Jamal Said, I have gained better understanding of the Islamic faith. I was also able to clarify things that I see troubling regarding the Muslim’s ways, beliefs and practices especially regarding the role of woman in their society and culture. These are the accounts of the information I attain from the interview with Imam Jamal Said. The Islamic faith originated in the time of Adam but its guidelines were prescribed and completed during the prophet hood of Muhammad. Many considers Muhammad to be the founder of Islam but there is no founder per say to the Islamic religion for it has been prescribed by Allah as the religion for all humankind. But it is the Prophet Muhammad that carried the message of the Islamic faith in its complete form and although illiterate, he was a role model in all of his affairs; as a leader, a father, a husband, nephew and friend. It is the teachings of Islam that gave women several rights including the right to inherit, own property and divorce which are not common that time. As Imam Jamal said emphasized, Islam is a complete way of life. The Islamic faith has prescribed two holidays which mark the end of the seasons during which two of the five pillars of Islam are consummated. Eid al-Fitr, marks the end of the fasting the ninth Islamic lunar month of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha, marks the end of the pilgrimage, or Hajj during the 12th Islamic lunar month of Dhul Hijjah. Also, Friday is a blessed day for Muslims because Allah has prescribed it to be the day Muslim’s congregate. Islam and Christianity believe in similar code of beliefs since they worship the same Abrahamic God but differ in their beliefs regarding the divinity of Christ as well as the prophet hood of Muhammad. They also differ in their belief regarding the way of salvation. Imam Jamal Said also stated the key difference between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims is not their creed, but rather their political differences. Shiite Muslims believe in the Imam, which is that some religious figures receive inspiration from Allah according to their lineage to the prophet Muhammad. According to the Islamic faith, men and women have equal footing but are governed by different rules due their natural differences. For example, a woman who is menstruating is excused from performing the five daily prayers and also from fasting during the month of Ramadan. A Muslim woman can divorce her husband if she simply does not like him, while a Muslim man is not given that right. However, sometimes Muslims adopt traditions oppressive to women which are against the commands of Islam but are purely cultural. Islam has forbidden such practices. The Bible is also one of the texts used by Muslims and thus, it is intriguing that they are allowed to practice polygamy although adultery is forbidden by the Bible. Regarding this matter, Imam Jamal said gave emphasis on the difference between polygamy and adultery which the Bible forbids. Polygamy had been a common practice in the time of the Prophet Muhammad and is still acceptable in some cultures today. Islam on the other hand rectified this practice by limiting the number to four and ensuring that women are given their rights and is done in a just manner. Polygamy is different from adultery and Islam also considers adultery as well as incest as a grave sin. Another notable practice of Muslims is that they remove their shoes at home and at the Masjhid. This practice has no religious implications but is only practiced due to their preference since Muslims place their foreheads on the floor during prayer. Indeed, there are things that are better understood not through books or any reading material. My interview with Imam Jamal Said truly deepened my understanding about Islam and Muslims in general. 4.0 Islam and Christianity Islam and Christianity are the two dominating religions in the world today. Although they have differences in their beliefs and practices, they also have many similarities with one another. Let us look at the similarities and differences between the two and weigh whether their differences or similarities are greater than the other. 4.1 Similarities between Islam and Christianity One of the most notable similarities between Islam and Christianity is that they are both monotheistic in nature, they both believe in one God, the creator of heaven and earth. Only God is worthy of worship and idolatry is considered as a very serious sin against God. In the same way, they (Islam and Christianity) also believe that a time will come when God will judge all the people according to their way of life and or beliefs, Judgment Day, where either heaven or hell awaits them. Consequently, they believe that humans have soul or spirit that leaves the body in time of death. Both religions also believe in angels and human messengers of God. Thus, the writing on the holy text of Islam and Christianity, the Quran and the Bible, are revelations from God through His messengers or prophets. Islam and Christianity also have similar practices including prayer, congregational service of worship, charity and fasting. Both believe that prayer as a means of communicating with God, that God had appointed a special day for worship (Friday for Muslims and Sunday for Christians) and that charity as well as fasting carries spiritual reward (Gaudet et al., n.d.). Islam and Christianity’s teaching about prayer, although different in wordings, have the same meaning (Gaudet et al., n.d.).   Both prayers constitute three major parts which are adoration, submission and supplication: adoration on the goodness and divinity of God, submission to His will and supplication for man’s wants and needs (Gaudet et al., n.d.).   In the same way there are a lot of teachings or rather writings in the Quran that are similar to the writings in the Bible like teachings about creation (Quran 35:13 and Genesis 1:14 etc.), the Ten Commandments (Quran 2:53 and Exodus 24:12 etc.) and prohibiting marriage to some degree specifically due to bloodline (Quran 4:22-24 and Leviticus 18:6-18). 4.2 Differences between Islam and Christianity Although both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic in nature and believe in only one God, Christians believe in the trinity of God, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, a belief that Muslims strongly reject. The two religions also believe in Jesus but they differ in what they believe. Christians believe that Jesus is human and god at the same time, the son of God and the Virgin Mary, that He was crucified and rose from the dead at the third day, ascended to heaven and seated at the throne of God. This belief is the foundation of the Christian faith. On the other hand, Muslims believe that Jesus is, just like Muhammad, a prophet of God and not the Son of God. They deny His crucifixion as well as the miracles that Christians claim He had performed. Still, Muslims affirm Jesus’ ascension to heaven (Religious Facts, 2009). Their differences in their beliefs about Jesus can be considered as the primary difference that separates Islam and Christianity. Muslims and Christians also differ regarding their belief in the nature of man. According to Christians, man inherits the sin of their forefathers, Adam and Eve, and are thus by nature a sinner. Consequently, a person has to be baptized in order to be cleansed from their inherited sin. On the other hand, Muslims believe that every man has equal ability to do good and evil with their free will and that sin is ones own and cannot be inherited by their descendants. Thus, every man is born pure and sinless. Muslims also believe that no one can atone for the actions of another person. However, a person may ask God for mercy and forgiveness on behalf on another person (Gaudet et al., n.d.). On the other hand, Christians believe that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice and died for the atonement of man’s sin. Although Islam and Christianity are similar regarding the limitations of marriage due to bloodline as mentioned earlier, they still have contradicting views. Muslim men are allowed to marry up to four times as long as they can support their wives and treat them equally (Said, 2010). However, Christians believe that it is a man’s duty to be faithful to his wife and thus should have no other. Another major difference between Islam and Christianity is their belief regarding salvation. Islam teaches that at the Day of Judgment all will be resurrected and taken for a final accounting of their deeds and the same time, the world will meet its end cataclysmically (Fisher, 2005). â€Å"Hell is the grievous destiny of †¦ those who have rejected faith in and obedience to Allah and His Messenger, who are unjust and who do not forbid evil. Hell also awaits the hypocrites who even after making a covenant with Allah have turned away from their promise to give in charity and to pray regularly† (Fisher, 2005). Islam describes hell as â€Å"fire fueled by humans, boiling water, pus, chains, searing winds, food that chokes, and so forth† (Fisher, 2005). Christianity on the other hand emphasizes on the grace and love of God for humanity regarding salvation. John 3:16 says, â€Å"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him w ill not perished but have eternal life†. The Bible described hell as a burning lake of fiery sulfur. Thus, Muslim salvation lies on their deeds while Christian salvation lies on faith on Jesus. Additionally, Muslims believes that although a believer is sent to hell, he/she will eventually be lifted to paradise and only unbelievers will be left there (Fisher, 2005). In contrast, Christians believe that punishment in hell is eternal. 5.0 Conclusion Indeed there are a lot of texts pertaining to Islam but knowing things personally from a man of the faith is something more. There are things that cannot be learned through reading alone and I have proven this matter through my interview with Imam Jamal Said of the Mosque foundation. Islam and Christianity may have a lot in common regarding their beliefs and practices but the facts show that their differences far outweigh their similarities. The mere fact that they have different view regarding the salvation itself is strong enough to separate the two religions since it is the main purpose of every religion to give salvation to the soul/spirit. Their beliefs regarding the oneness or trinity of God, salvation and matters pertaining to Jesus are the foundation of their faith, something that separates one from the other. References Fisher, M. P. (2005). Living Religions. Upper Saddle River,: Prentice Hall. Gaudet et al. (n.d.). Islam and Christianity: Similarities and Differences. Retrieved July 16, 2010 http://muslim-canada.org/islam_christianity.html Mosque Foundation (2009). About the Mosque Foundation. Retrieved July 16, 2010 from mosquefoundation.org/About-Us/Overview.aspx Religion Facts (2009). Comparison Chart: Christianity and Islam. Retrieved July 16, 2010 from   religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/christianity_islam.htm