Book Review of The Path of Prayer: Four Sermons on Prayer by St. Theophan the Recluse :: Saint Theophan the Recluse Literature Essays

Book Review of The Path of Prayer: Four Sermons on Prayer by St. Theophan the Recluse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is often said that there are no more heroes in today\\\'s world or even that this is an age of the anti-hero. Yet anyone who is blessed with the opportunity to observe children for any length of time will see that regard for those who exemplify certain ideals (heroes) is a spontaneous element in basic human psychology. The reported lack of heroes and the cult of the anti-hero are the fruit of a disillusioned Aadult@ mentality which has been lied to on this as well as other subjects and hence robbed of the natural inclination of a normal human being (a child) who is as yet untainted by the cynicism and Asophistication@ of a deeply troubled society. The more often the lie is repeated the more firmly it is held to be true. But, heroes do still exist -- it is rather that a society which values valuelessness no longer has eyes to see them and has lost the ability to produce them. For those who have eyes to see, one such hero is the author of the book under review here. St. Theophan of Vysha (+1894), better known as Theophan the Recluse, is one of the great 19th century Russian luminaries of the Orthodox Church whose light reaches even unto us in the present, heterodox West. Being virtually our contemporary, he was nevertheless steeped in the ancient Tradition of the Fathers. Having faced in his life existential and intellectual conditions very similar to our own, he is a bridge to authentic spiritual life in Christ, making the wisdom of the Christian Tradition easily accessible to us. This should not be particularly surprising, for as Christ himself tells us, a light is kindled not to be hidden under a basket but to be held aloft to shed light for all. One must stubbornly persist in blindness not to behold this Light Who has been providentially kindled in St. Theophan for our sake in these latter days. Like so many of the more recent saints of the Orthodox Church, very few of his writings are available in English. What is available is quickly gobbled up by seekers thirsting after a word of life from the Living Spring of Christ\\\'s Gospel. Unseen Warfare, his reworking of Lawrence Scupoli\\\'s Spiritual Combat (from the version already adapted by St.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the HPV Vaccine in Adolescent Girls: An Ethical Essay

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a group of more than 40 types of viruses that infect the genital areas, throats (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis), and mouths of males and females and is the number one most common sexually transmitted disease (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2009). It is spread by genital contact. It is most easily spread by vaginal and anal sex, but also through oral sex and even just genital-to-genital (skin-to-skin). In 90% of people that contract HPV, their own immune system clears it up within two years, most never even developing any symptoms from it (CDC, 2009). Out of the many types of HPV types, most end up causing warts on one of the above-mentioned areas, while a certain few are known to cause cervical cancer. Lockwood-Rayermann & McIntyre (2009) state that â€Å"[t]he most common oncogenic/high-risk virus types worldwide and in the United States are Types 16, 18, 31, 45, and 52; 11% of invasive cervical cancers in the United States are caused by Types 16 and 18 (55% by Type 16 and 22% by type 18). HPV Types 31, 45, and 52 comprise another 8% of all cases.† Cervical cancer is usually not detected until it is quite advanced, which is why women should get screened for cervical cancer regularly. There is also another precaution women can take. The Food and Drug Administration approved the very first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer by the types of HPV that cause it in June of 2006 (Thomas, 2008). This vaccine, being new, and therein little is known about its long term effects, has caused ethical debates about the use of it, particularly in adolescent girls. Thomas (2008) mentions that the CDC recommended, by a unanimous vote, that girls aged 11 to 12 years old receive this new HPV vaccine. This may seem  young, but in order for the vaccine to be effective, it must be administered before a person has been exposed to HPV, which happens during sexual encounters. Since few girls are sexually active at this age, most of whom haven’t gone through puberty yet, this is an ideal age to have them be vaccinated (Thomas, 2008). Thomas (2008) also goes on to say that this vaccine has been administered to 11,000 girls around the world with no serious side effects. Their ages ranged from 9 to 26 years old. This vaccine is given by a series of three shots over the course of six months and it’s important that they get all three to be effective, since little is known about the effectiveness of people who only receive one or two (2008). But is it ethical for a girl as young as nine years old to be receiving such an invasive procedure in order to avoid a sexually transmitted disease? After all, what nine year old is even thinking about sex and STDs? That is why this issue is one that is left for the parents to decide, and opinions are unsurprisingly mixed. One of the main arguments against vaccinating young girls with the HPV vaccine is cost. Thomas (2008) lists the total cost of this vaccine, for all three shots, as around three hundred dollars, relatively inexpensive considering the detrimental consequences of contracting one of the types that are known to cause cancer. There is another issue to take into consideration, though, when accounting for the price of this vaccination; the effects for protection are only estimated to be four or five years (2008). If a young girl were to be vaccinated at nine years old, and again at ages twelve, sixteen, and twenty, you are looking at close to one thousand dollars in total. How are parents with poor health insurance coverage or none at all supposed to protect their daughters for this virus that can cause cervical cancer? A parent can also anticipate losing a day’s pay to take their child to the doctor’s office or the clinic on three different occasions to receive all three shots. Because of the cost, and the limited duration of effectiveness, a lot of women decide not to get vaccinated and not to vaccinate their daughters, hoping that a better, longer lasting, and less expensive alternative will â€Å"arrive on the pharmaceutical market† at some point in the near future (2008). Another popular argument against HPV vaccination is that some parents view it as a green light for their daughters to behave promiscuously (Thomas, 2008). Much like condom distribution at high schools, there are those that view HPV vaccination as another way to promote, and cause a rise in irresponsible sexual behavior (2008). Thomas (2008) goes on to describe a conservative political group called the Traditional Values Coalition and how they have publicly denounced the HPV vaccine and claim that genital warts, cervical cancer, etc. are not a national health concern, and â€Å"that HPV can be prevented through abstinence and marital fidelity.† This group attributes â€Å"monetary gain† by pharmaceutical companies as a motive for the mandate for HPV vaccination. Like most every ethical or moral dilemma going on in this country, this issue rests in the parents’ religious and personal beliefs. Studies have shown that despite abstinence programs, teenagers still engage in sex, proving that something as insignificant as a vaccine is not going to encourage kids to have sex—they are having it anyway. Thomas (2008) cited a study that showed that 90% of teens are using condoms when they engage in sexual intercourse, but condoms alone cannot protect you from HPV, making the vaccine all that more important for young girls to receive. If a parents cannot set aside their religious and personal beliefs long enough to acknowledge that this vaccine has the potential to save their daughter’s life, then they may require a lot more than just education. Each year 6.2 million new cases of HPV come about and currently, 20 million people in this country are infected with HPV. The vaccine that is available has the potential to save 70% of the people it would otherwise infect from cervical cancer in young women (Thomas, 2008). â€Å"In 2008, an estimated 11,070 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 3, 870 women will die from the disease† (Lockwood-Raverrmann &McIntyre, 2009). Lockwood-Raverrmann & McIntyre (2009) go on to explain that the prevalence of HPV in peaks in women in their early twenties, and also go on to say that even younger women, i.e. teenagers, are more susceptible to the virus. They describe one possible explanation for this is because in younger women, it â€Å"could be the changing histology of the cervix following the commencement of puberty.† They go to say that â€Å"during this period of time, large populations of cells are undergoing maturation and are more  suscep tible to the development of an HPV infection† (2009). With all of this statistical data, it is confusing to think that some little girl’s parent’s are prepared to deprive her of a vaccine that could potentially save her life should the opportunity arise and she chooses to have sex. Again, said girl wouldn’t even have to have vaginal intercourse to contract Type 16 HPV, which would years later cause cervical cancer in which she could quite realistically die from. It is a frustrating and infuriating thought—that this girl could die because of her parent’s ignorance and/or their undyin

Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other...

Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other People? (Campbell Davison, 2012), say that the unlawful business in human organs special kidneys has advanced quickly and unexpectedly. The reasons why selling kidneys has advanced quickly is that nowadays many countries have wars so there are many poor people who need money to live a good life. Also, after wars, there are many sick people that felt desperation because they lost their organs in the war and no one donated to them, so they needed to buy organs to stay alive. Other reason is because people have two kidneys so when they sell one kidney for important reasons, they won’t die. Most countries punish those people who sell their organs that are why in those countries there†¦show more content†¦I have a story that happened to my cousin Fatima. She was 22 years old. She had an accident. She lost her kidney in the accident. She needed another kidney. In Kuwait, you can’t buy an organ, so she waited for anyone to donate a kidney for her but no one did. She felt des perate. Her brother Khalid found a poor family that they want money to live a good life. He persuaded one person in this family to give Fatima a kidney for money. He accepted what Khalid wanted, and he went with Khalid to the doctors. They lied to the doctor by saying he wanted to donate to Fatima because he couldn’t say she bought my kidney. Fatima is healthy now, and the poor family sent their children to study in schools because they now have money. That’s why many sick people who feel despair buy organs. Some critics may argue, however, that it is the greed of the middleman which creates illegal trafficking of human organs. There is a great profit to be made by the middle man, so oftentimes the unscrupulous become organ traders. Researchers point out that trafficking will continue as long as there are huge profits to be made (Caplan Arp, 2013). For example,Randall Gross,2008) writes a story about trafficking human organs. The author wrote about an Egyptian man, his name is Saad Helmi. He isShow MoreRelatedBeing A Victim Of Sex Trafficking Essay1553 Words   |  7 Pagesand you do not know anyone and you know little to none of their language. When you arrive at the airport and you see a man standing there holding a sign with your name on it. You decide he seems friendly enough to go with him because you do not know anyone at this point and will be lucky to find your way out of the airport. You reach the parking lot and all of a sudden there is an intense pain in your head and you bl ackout. B. Relevance Statement: A similar scenario happened to Shandra who arrivedRead MoreChinese People And Government Participates In Organ Trafficking.1150 Words   |  5 PagesChinese people and government participates in organ trafficking. 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At the end I hope to inform my peers about the reality and danger of human trafficking, as well share the solutions that we can do to helpRead MoreBlack Market Organ Trafficking : The Illegal Act Of Exchanging Human Organs Or Tissues At An Agreed Price Essay1599 Words   |  7 PagesBlack market organ trafficking Organ trafficking deals with the illegal act of exchanging human organs or tissues at an agreed price. This practice involves mafia networks that collect organs from dead or living persons. A majority of people involved in this illicit business are poverty stricken and so, they see it as a promise of a brighter future. While the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined strict rules, imposed ethical standards along with the absence of any monetary compensation, theRead MoreTrade Of Human Organs : Is It Ethical?1107 Words   |  5 PagesTrade of Human Organs - Is it Ethical? 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