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Taking the topic “Why people visit Temples?” as the basic for my research I have tried to gather as much of information as possible .With the given information ,I later on conducted a survey by visiting a nearby temple and asking questions to random people . In the end with the scientific research and the survey conducted a conclusion as been drawn.

The Presentation covers the following topics:

Temple and its origin?

What are the associated beliefs?

What does the Scientific Research say?

The Survey Conducted

Conclusion

#Temples
What is a temple?

A Hindu temple also known as A Mandir, Kovil or Devalayam is a place of worship for followers. Hindu temples can be seen throughout the villages, towns and cities of India..A temple can be any structure by the side of the road or an entire complex of buildings. Regardless of its size a Hindu Temple is essentially a dwelling place for the Gods. In Sanskrit this process of invocation of Gods is called ‘Parthista’.

ORIGIN

There were merely any temples in the Vedic period and the foremost object of worship during that time was fire that was stood for God , so under the open-sky this holy fire was lit and oblations were offered. Though it not certain as to when exactly the Indo-Aryans started building temples for worship but the main idea of building a temple was for idol worship.

Temples became more important as the race progressed as they served as the sacred meeting place for the community to come together and revitalize their spiritual energies. The architecture of Hindu temples has evolved over for a period of more than 2000 years with great variety of different shapes and sizes with different types of domes and gates.

#Associated Beliefs..

Belief is a kind of feeling of surety that someone or something exists or is true or trustworthy. It can be anything that a person thinks is true.

When it comes down to ‘visiting a temple’ and ‘why do people visit temples , there are numerous beliefs to this.

Most of the people in India who believe in God, they visit temples, churches, dargahs, gurudwaras etc and pray for their worldly requirements and think God will fulfill their wishes and in exchange to that these people offer something worldly to the imaginary God and this includes Coconut, Donation, Gold ornaments, A Coverlet etc.

Majority of the people specially the youth believe that although they don’t know the importance of all these rituals and practices but this tradition of going to the temple and worshipping god has been existent in their family since the time of their great grandparents and thus even they follow the same.

Many Hindus pray at home which is a usual practice. They usually have a small prayer room and pictures of devathas(Gods and Goddesses) framed. There are also small idols in gold, silver, brass, panchalohans(made of five metals) in different shapes. At home there are also many distractions like the TV, cooking, eating meat, talking loud etc, but when we go to a temple we also see many other people or devotees who come to worship and pray and the whole atmosphere of ringing bells, chanting of Vedic Mantras, singing of songs and bhajans ,also the prasadam cooked in the temples is done cleanly with devotion and everything is kept clean and all this brings so much of positive energy to the place and one feels very peaceful in such environment.

#SCIENTIFIC STUDY:
What Does Science say?

The visit to a temple is perceived as a tradition that needs to be followed as our elders have done themselves and the science behind this age old tradition has been completely overlooked. The Vedas have clearly laid down instructions as to the procedure for constructing a temple and all these instructions are backed by a strong scientific justification. Ideally all temples should be constructed in accordance with these guidelines.

The ideal location of a temple should be such that it falls on the wave path of the Earth’s magnetic field. The abundance of positive energy from the electro-magnetic field thrust is the reason behind this strategic positioning of the temple. Also the Main Idol is to be placed at the dead centre of the temple compound where the field is the strongest hence it has been clearly mentioned that the main idol is placed first and then the temple is constructed around it. Copper plates inscribed with Vedic texts are buried just under the main idol this is done as copper absorbs the magnetic waves and radiates them into the surroundings therefore a person regularly visiting the temple and walking around the main idol absorbs these waves therefore taking in greater amounts of positive energy which is the essence of healthy living.

The prayers and chants recited during the pujas put a person in a state of trance hence allowing him to forget his troubles for a period of time and thus relieving some of his stress. Scientific research has also shown that burning of camphor releases such chemical energy that brings a soothing effect to the mind and hence households have adopted this practice as well.

Also the water that is to be given to the devotees is not plain simple water but water charged with magnetic radiations as a result of being poured over the main idol. This is magneto therapy in principle. Also certain ingredients such as Cardamom, Karpura (Benzoin), saffron, Tulsi (Holy Basil), Cloves are added to the water. Many of these ingredients have proven medicinal properties e.g. Clove essence is a defense against tooth decay, tulsi protects against cough and common cold. Teeratham another commonly used ingredient is a blood purifier.

This science that goes in construction of a temple is rarely known to common people but is at heart of all great temples created.

#Survey Conducted :
Why do you visit temple?

Following is the list of people and their answers.

Name and occupation
Answers

Mr.Surinder Talwar(Documentry Film Maker)

Just Go at times as parents go to a temple so just followed what was practiced at home

Mr Vaibhav Sarkar (Student)

Have seen my parents go to a temple no other reason for it.

Mrs.Babita Bhutani(House Wife)

I go to the temple to thank God for everything and for the positive energy the place has.

Mrs Kalinidi Talwar (House Wife)

It is a place where community comes together to pray because they feel a positive vibe as the good and bad energies in people mingle and balance out. So we go to a temple.

Mr.Ishan Abrol (MBA Student)

Visiting a temple gives me inner peace.

Mr. Harish Nautiyal (Government Officer)

Visiting a temple gives me a sense of peace.

Miss Vashti Talwar (Air Hostess)

Just going to a temple helps bring a calming influence to the mind.

Mr. Surinder Kaw (Chef):

Faith in what elders have said so started going to the temple to pray.

Mrs.Indu Katyal (Business Women)

There are lesser distractions while praying in a temple as everyone is gathered for the same purpose.

Mr Rahul Tanwar (police Officer)

Its something I have been doing since childhood with parents and family.

Mr Laxman Sharma (Commis Chef)

Only go when parents ask me to. No reason as such.

Miss. Shivani Nayyar (Law student)

I like going to the temple because of its positive and peaceful environment.

Mr Satbir Thakur (Governtment Officer)

Faith that going to a temple regularly will bring a positive impact in our lives.

Mrs Ritu Kapoor (Housewife)

Go there to pray in peace and at times consult pandits about family issues

Mr. Dilip Padhi (Corporate Executive)

Started because parents wanted me to go to a temple.

Mr.Chetan Angra (M.Sc Student)

I go to the temple to thank God for everything,I also go as there are no distractions.

Mr Utkal Sethi (Bank Employee)

Praying in a temple brings peace of mind after a tiring day at work.

Mr. Sanjay Sharma(Economics student)

I go to the temple to pray for a beautiful future wife.

Mr. Atul Kapoor (Merchant Navy Officer)

Generally pray at home but go to a temple if some special puja is to be done as the pandits know mantras and shlokas that we dont.

Mr. Nibhay (Mill Owner)

Go to the temple as believe that will get blessing and problems would go away.

The number of people who visit Temple :

Because of their parents – 5

For the positivity of the place -5

To consult pandits about their mantras for puja and other problems – 2

Inner peace – 4

For a personal wishes – 1

Less distractions -3

#CONCLUSION:

It is quite clearly evident from the information collected that people are not aware about the science behind the construction of the temples and nor the fact that what they feel inside a temple is not the effect of a divine power but researched theories put into practical use.

People go to temples either out of necessity or because they are doing what they have seen their elders do. But the fact has been clearly established that going to temples is not just a religious binding but something much more. And whatever our reasons be we gain in one way or the other.

The word poverty implies an undesirable state. It suggests that individuals or groups who are in poverty need to be helped so that their situation can be changed. Poverty, in other words, is a social problem. We live in an age of sensitivity to what is fair and just. We all react to what is most relevant to us and what make us more comfortable and puts us in a better situation than we are, yet any type of so called preference fails the test named fairness. Although this line of thought which has brought us human beings to drive ourselves more into the alley of perfectionism and ego centralism, many Catholic Theologians and magisterial documents focus and speak about a “preferential option for the poor”

Sollicitudo Rei Socialis states,

” the option or love of preference for the poor. This is an option, or a special form of primacy in the exercise of Christian charity, to which the whole tradition of the Church bears witness. It affects the life of each Christian inasmuch as he or she seeks to imitate the life of Christ, but it applies equally to our social responsibilities and hence to our manner of living, and to the logical decisions to be made concerning the ownership and use of goods.” [1]

What does the church mean by “The Preferential Option for the Poor”?

The “love of preference” [2] is a particular love and attention to the poor. A Preferential option for the poor by the Catholic Church means embracing and putting the poor as a priority issue to be dealt with. For the Catholic Church the ‘poor’ are an important aspect of society which needs to be given more attention even if all other institutions choose to neglect. When mentioning the poor we “embrace the immense multitudes of the hungry, the needy, the homeless, those without medical care and, above all, those without hope of a better future.” [3] To the Pope John Paul II to ignore these people is “to become like the “rich man” who pretended not to know the beggar Lazarus lying at his gate (cf. Lk 16:19-31).” [4] Indeed within the Catholic Church many great people gave their who lives to the service of the poor, Mother Teresa of Calcutta is one example of the great work the catholic church did and is still doing through her religious congregation with the poor. Mother Teresa of Calcutta dedicated her whole life “as a total gift to the poor” [5]

Society and poverty

The option for the poor is committing oneself to help the people who fall under poverty, struggle for justice. This option for the poor is a collective commitment both of the individual and of the whole community to engage together to overcome social injustice which make it more difficult for the poor to lead a decent life. In a more concrete way the option for the poor means to get involved and share with the poor the life they live. This means sharing joys, hopes, sorrows and fears which people in this margin of society face each day.

Yet this does not mean that the rest will have to pity the poor and make them feel more powerless and dependant but it is a commitment to resist and fight the structural injustices which exist in our world. This is done by working to change the unjust economic, social and political structures which are the tools to determine how resources and power is shared in the world. Therefore the main aim is to bring up a society were justice is more considered as an important issue. It all starts with a personal choice to do something for those who lack voice and necessities in society.

We live in a society where the demands and the dominance of the rich and powerful dominate over the ordinary people. Our stratified society promotes the dominance of the rich and the powerful which manipulate certain economic, political and cultural structures. These structures maintain institutions and agencies which are staffed mainly by the middle class people who provide the professional and commercial services of society. Even if these people are not rich themselves they are contributing in a system which is structural unjust through the type of work they are doing. This, so, calls the need of working towards a common good which incorporates all.

To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity…The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. Every Christian is called to practise this charity, in a manner corresponding to his vocation and according to the degree of influence he wields in the polis [state]. This is the institutional path – we might also call it the political path – of charity, no less excellent and effective than the kind of charity which encounters the neighbour directly… [6]

Benedict XVI in his encyclical letter is making a strong reference to the importance of justice and charity. The poor and vulnerable are not just the ‘outcasts’ of society or the marginalised of society but are very much in the core centre of the planning of a nation’s plan. Christians also are called to correspond to their vocation in favour of the poor.

Social aspect of poverty

The poor are those in society who are marginalized either due to the lack of materials or due to situations which make them insignificant for society or rather seen as a burden to society. They are those who need the most care and love from those who seem to have it all.

On the other hand being poor is not just a matter of having lack of resources or lack of money but could be also the result of sickness, mental problems or other socio-economic issues. This could also be a result of the nation’s economic systems and unjust distribution of wealth. Poverty is not just a personal issue but it is a global issue since the dignity of the person needs always to be respected and given what is best for him. Depriving this need is an abuse to human dignity

“God does not demand much of you. He asks back what he gave you and from him you take what is enough for you. The superfluities of the rich are the necessities of the poor. When you possess superfluities, you possess what belong to others.” [7] St. Augustine challenges us with the idea that poverty is a result of miss-use of resources. The problem of inequality between the rich and the poor has always been an issue which challenged societies. The problem is always the same: the rich make wrong use of the profit and resources they have and this results in those less rich or those who are not in control of resources to become poor which as St. Augustine states above is a misuse of recourses of those who are more fortunate. Though this problem is always recurring one must note that, with a more globalised world, even more through modern social networks, poverty is being more known. As Sollicitudo Rei Socialis states,

Positive signs in the contemporary world are the growing awareness of the solidarity of the poor among themselves, their efforts to support one another, and their public demonstrations on the social scene which, without recourse to violence, present their own needs and rights in the face of the inefficiency or corruption of the public authorities. By virtue of her own evangelical duty the Church feels called to take her stand beside the poor, to discern the justice of their requests, and to help satisfy them, without losing sight of the good of groups in the context of the common good. [8]

The Poor and Jesus

As Catholics we have a major duty to see that the preferential option for the poor is being observed and also defended especially in moments were we notice it is being neglected. The Catholic Church sees this as an important observance that we should do constantly.

Responsibility calls us to think more about poverty since poverty is created through the manipulation of resources or could also result through a natural disaster. An option is definitely needed to address the needs of those who are left out and deprived due to vulnerabilities or other situations which keep them from being rich or keep them below the poverty line as one is not either rich or poor since can lie in between of the two extremities. Therefore the magisterial document Sollicitudo Rei Socialis continue to state in number 39;

The preferential option for the poor is ultimately a question of friendship. Without friendship, an option for the poor can easily become commitment to an abstraction (to a social class, a race, a culture, an idea). Aristotle emphasized the important place of friendship for the moral life, but we also find this clearly stated in John’s Gospel. Christ says, “I do not call you servants, but friends.” As Christians, we are called to reproduce this quality of friendship in our relationships with others. When we become friends with the poor, their presence leaves an indelible imprint on our lives, and we are much more likely to remain committed. [9]

“Jesus himself identified himself with the poor and oppressed and in loving and serving them, we mysteriously discover Him in them.” [10] The Catholic Church has perfect model through him, we owe the knowledge of the poor to Jesus Christ himself who came to this world as a man and notwithstanting the nature of God identified himself with the insignificant, the poor and the oppressed . Through him, we identify ourselves more with the poor. Jesus himself commands us to be there and serve the poor. The love for God has to be supported by the love of the brother. One cannot love God and abandon his brother, so one can conclude that when loving God one cannot leave out and ignore his brother.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the upright will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you? When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” [11]

Matthew 25, is a key chapter to lead the church to understand how Jesus wants us to look at the poor and how to treat them. Looking at the poor and seeing in them Jesus himself is a personification which helps us to reflect the equality of all human beings. The unjust economic system and any cause which leads to poverty doesn’t remove anything from us being created on the image and likeness of God. This is also the reasons why decisions should be seen in the light of how they would reflect also the poor, as every human being is entitled for a decent life. This is also why holy people dedicated their lives totally for the poor. A life centred on Christ cannot be a life without a preference for the poor quoting the words of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta: “If we really understand the Eucharist, if we really centre our lives on Jesus’ Body and Blood, if we nourish our lives with the Bread of the Eucharist, it will be easy for us to see Christ in that hungry one next door, the one lying in the gutter, the alcoholic man we shun, our husband or our wife, or our restless child. For in them, we will recognize the distressing disguises of the poor: Jesus in our midst.” [12] The words of Mother Teresa truly reflect the need to have Jesus at the centre of your life to act in favour of the poor. As with this attitude we look at the poor with a different perspective and with more dignity.

POVERTY AND BIBLICAL CONCEPTS

POVERTY TODAY

Conclusion

As palliative care is specialized comfort care for people who are approaching the end of their lives, it is related to many ethical issues and concerns. Its framework is based on the moral values and principles of the professionals involved, patients concerned, their families and society as a whole. Palliative care is a very sensitive issue and it is important that it is administered in an appropriate manner. The main objective is to achieve the best possible quality of life, both for the person, and for their family. As such, palliative care is more than the provision of medical relief from pain and other distressing symptoms. It encompasses the psychological, social, emotional and spiritual aspects of end of life care.

The palliative care philosophy affirms life and regards dying as a normal process. It neither aims to hasten nor postpone death. It endeavours to provide a team-based support system for the person, enabling them to live as fulfilled a life as possible for the time remaining; and to help their family cope during their loved one’s illness and prepare for their bereavement. Care can be provided at home, in a hospital, an aged care facility or a palliative care unit. Above all, palliative care respects the dignity of the person who is dying, carefully honouring their story, wishes and needs.

A discussion about palliative care doesn’t necessarily mean that death is imminent, in fact, it’s far better to start thinking and talking about your palliative care options before you need them. Palliative care is sometimes required for a person whose death is very near – a matter of hours or days – while others will need care over a longer period of time, sometimes years. In this case their care needs will tend to be less intensive and more episodic. The need for palliative care does not depend on any particular medical diagnosis, but the combination of many factors assessed through the judgement of the person, their family, the palliative care team and other medical professionals, including the person’s GP. Families and carers may also receive assistance from palliative care services in order to help them cope with emotional and social problems; wounded healers also need healing.

To palliate is to cover with a ‘cloak of care’; to offer protection and provide relief in the last chapter of life. A palliative approach is a type of palliative care and recognizes that death is inevitable for all of us. For me writing, I am reminded of a comment Professor John Swinton made in response to a question at the recent CAPS conference:

‘Wherever we are in life, there is a storm coming –

preparedness becomes about the solidity of our foundations’.

End of life questions of quality, planning and dignity are ethically and theologically grounded in solidifying our foundation. Clements (1990) wrote of this, explaining that as the person moving through life finds their roles stripped from them, and if they have no spiritual foundation, they may be found naked at the core.

Residential Aged Care Facilities are often the place where people spend the final chapter of their life; people come into care because they are no longer able to look after themselves and most will have chronic illness alongside ageing. The focus of care in aged care facilities is to help people live well with their illness and frailty during their time spent there. This focus on ‘living well’ is the essence of the ‘palliative approach to care’. Our goal is always to assess and treat pain and other symptoms thoroughly, in familiar surroundings and in the company of the person’s loved ones.

There’s a Japanese proverb of which I am particularly fond, ‘A sunset can be just as beautiful as a sunrise’. In my work I’ve seen many beautiful sunsets in people’s lives. Sadly, I’ve also witnessed some that aren’t so beautiful. With forward planning they may have been different. The sudden onset of illness has a way of turning our lives, and the lives of our family and friends, upside down – at any age. Suddenly decisions can be very difficult to make; that’s why planning ahead is important. If we know what a person’s choices and wishes are, we’re able to respect them if something should happen and they’re unable to tell us themselves. Medical treatment to manage symptoms goes alongside comfort care and could include surgery or medications. The focus of a palliative approach is on living. That is why staff will want to set goals and to plan for how the person wants to live the rest of their life.

The end-of-life stage is an extraordinarily profound and emotional time; and a person does not have to be religious to have spiritual considerations. Spirituality is about how we make meaning in our lives and feel connected to other things, people, communities and nature. Spiritual questions, beliefs and rituals are often central to people when they are in the final chapter of their lives. Ensuring that staff are informed about each resident’s unique spiritual considerations will allow them to be properly respected and addressed. Helping the person to tell their story can help them find meaning, affirmation and reassurance.

To effectively palliate would mean that: family and staff communicate openly and with compassion with the person in care and with each other; that pain control and comfort is achieved as far as possible; that the resident has every opportunity to communicate with those who are important to them; and that their physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs are addressed and as far as possible – met. One size ‘cloak of care’ does not ‘fit all’ (Hudson, 2012). When these elements are neglected the ‘cloak’ becomes an empty ‘cover up’, leaving the resident exposed rather than protected. When the cloak does not fit it is uncomfortable to wear (Hudson 2012) – but the vulnerable population of people in their fourth age may wear it anyway for fear of seeming ungrateful. An appropriate ‘cloak of care’ must have a spiritual lining, and provide opportunities to reveal hidden hurt; forgive, reconcile; and find peace in loss through ‘tasks’ of self-reflection and self-transcendence. Spiritual and pastoral care in this context aims for wholeness and spiritual growth.

Palliative care should not palliate death itself – denying the stark reality of death and dying with false platitudes and consolation can mask existential pain and real needs – and further, make these ‘taboo’. From a Christian theology, death is recognized as inevitable and necessary. Ageing is an inescapable process that in part defines human existence and experience. From the moment we are born we age. Ageing only ends when we die. Experience of human life tells us that ageing and death are linked. The curse of Adam in Genesis 3 introduces this finitude to our lives.

Our role as pastoral carers is one of empowerment, relationship and human presence. Care of people who are suffering means providing real spiritual care, where a closeness or intimacy is developed between the person who is suffering and the carer. This is often quite alien for health professionals, who, through the culture of residential aged care accreditation, are subscript to activity theory and a ‘doing’ role that emphasizes action rather than ‘being with’ (MacKinlay, 2006). This involves not a sense of competence, but a sense of humility in the awareness of our own inability to ‘fix’ anything, beyond being with that person at their point of need.

The vulnerability of being present to ageing and death constitutes a simple and costly demand to stay. Not to understand or explain – just to stay; ‘Or else to expire in terrible wilderness, lonely silence’ (Caldwell 1960). In MacKinlay’s (2006) observation that ‘care of people who are suffering means to walk the journey of suffering with them, to be present with them and authentic in caring’ (p. 167) I am reminded of Jesus’ telling his disciples to ‘watch and pray’ (Matthew 26:36-46) to bear witness. We cannot cure the scriptural worst enemy of the fatal sting – but we CAN care sincerely – respecting that the cloak is not ours to fashion and that the chapter will always have an end (Hudson, 2012). Jesus, in becoming human and by his death and resurrection, defeats death and gives resurrection hope of a ‘body free from ageing’, decline and frailty, providing hope to all people, especially those in the fourth age.

Terminal illnesses do not inhibit people the way they used to; a person burdened with such an illness can live a long and reasonably ‘well’ life. Consequently terminal disease is tangled in an ethics web concerning limited health resources, contributing to funding and community tensions. These tensions intrinsically present ethical issue in the equity of service provision.

Stemming from this is the sensitive nature of transitioning to palliative care, and further to end-of-life care. ‘End of life’ can be defined as that part of life where a person is living with, and impaired by, an eventually fatal condition, even if the prognosis is ambiguous, or unknown. The World Health Organisation defines palliative care as ‘an approach that improves the quality of life of individuals and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and management of pain and other needs, physical, psychological and spiritual.’

There is further tension surrounding communication and generational knowledge. As with Jeffery’s Mrs Davis there can be enormous gaps in generational perspective which may compromise ‘informed’ decisions. The onus for decision making in a palliative care team lies with the resident themselves – so, ethically, whose responsibility is it to be sure that a decision is well-informed? And further, who can be unbiased in providing information so as not to manipulate a decision? Contradictory beliefs, conflicting principles, and competing duties between the parties involved in end-of-life care can tear the ‘cloak’.

Beauchamp’s primary principles of health care include: non-maleficence, confidentiality, autonomy, truth telling, informed consent, and justice. Empathy underpins each of the principles above, and in this lies the difficulty. We cannot understand (Okon, 2006 cited by Hudson 2012), we cannot try the cloak on for size – but sometimes just ‘looking as though’ you could understand (Saunders, 1987 cited by Hudson, 2012) makes a world of difference and goes some way to thwart loneliness. In end-of-life care, our presence as pastoral carers is strengthened in enabling spiritual growth through the sharing of connectedness and ritual.

A palliative approach is built on an understanding of the uniqueness of individuals’ life histories and personalities, and implies commitment to an individual’s developmental tasks of ageing and coming to peace. To be able to reach such goals as personal satisfaction, the individual must have means of expressing themselves. Our role in the care of older people is to support and enable each individual’s sense of meaning and self-expression; to affirm each individual as a person of great value, and loved by God.

Aged care is a delicate balancing act in that functional decline, infirmities and diseases are often inherent in ageing. Because of the nature of chronic illness in the fourth age, a caring response in the face of incurable illness is respect, and commitment to personal autonomy and integrity. That is, our role in promoting overall comfort and wellbeing through positively reinforcing and enabling those with such prognoses, to live to their best quality of life. The goal of palliative care is to provide comfort and care when cure is no longer possible. This paradigm shift entails a shift in the definition of autonomy. People at the end stage of life are not ‘playing by the same rules’ as you or I who would oblige patient autonomy and nod to expert medical opinion. Health professionals in this context need to be enablers – not decision makers.

Gradual functional decline and loss of control in autonomy are inevitable with age. Loss of control is painful and scary. Perhaps this kind of persona is paralleled only in infancy – leaving our elders feeling a sense of childhood being ‘forced upon them’ (Jeffery, 2001). Unfortunately admission to aged care often does not help these older adults to feel less like children. The danger and ethical dilemma here is the assumption of impaired autonomy; in that decisions are made and autonomy declared lost even when this is unnecessary, because it is a simpler, easier course of action ‘we know what is good for you’ (Jeffery, 2001). The basis of this kind of paternalism is beneficence – its motivation is to act in a person’s best interest so that no one gets harmed; making harm or burden the reason for intervention.

Some loss of autonomy is inevitable in later life and steps have to be taken to act in the ‘incompetent’ person’s best interest, sometimes with their wishes recorded in living wills or advance care plans. Often ‘autonomy’ presupposes someone, who acts in accordance with such a pre-conceived plan, and who is rational and independent; but autonomy may be better understood in terms of identity and self expression of values (Jeffery, 2001).

A written advance care plan is about ensuring peace of mind. Effective advance care planning can avoid an unwanted transfer to a hospital. But even such counteractions as advance care planning can be problematic as these are based on today’s situation and forecasted futures – i.e. these cannot take into account tomorrow’s medical breakthrough. This being the case, there arise new ethical dilemmas e.g. do we have a right as people acting in someone’s ‘best interests’ to tweak what they have proclaimed to want for themselves? Would they have wanted what they said they wanted were they deciding now?

When autonomy is understood as a property of action or a capacity of persons (Reich, 1995); impaired autonomy, becomes a hopelessly limiting self fulfilling prophecy in that it diminishes “aˆ¦the opportunities of those who lack certain abilities or capacities” (Caplan, 1992). Autonomy needs to be seen as a way of valuing the human person, respecting them and recognizing their right to make decisions as the master of themselves.

Personhood is not compromised or incapacitated by end stage life – we are who we remember one another to be – an essential aspect of being human is to care and be cared for; interdependence is a non-accidental feature of the human condition. Being human, we are bearers of the image of God (Gen 1:26). This image demonstrates our capacity for relationship with God, and with the rest of humanity (Green, 197). This capacity for relationship does not diminish as we age.

If autonomy is taken as valuing one’s uniqueness and the capacity to give gifts, it is a search for meaning in life – authenticity. That is: as Jeffery writes; authentic choice is the autonomy of action that requires meaningful choices to be offered and identified with – which equates to one’s values and essentially what they ‘stand for’. If this is how we understand autonomy – then this sheds new light on impaired autonomy. In effect we lose the ability to ‘stand’ for what we stand for. In this case, autonomy becomes less about incompetence and more about advocacy in helping the person to ‘reconnect their essential values to their choices’ and allowing them to give meaning to their life. By honouring this form of authentic control rather than a control via acquiescent consent or ‘accept it or leave it’ culture we enable fulfillment and empowerment of the person’s dignity.

Being a resident in a nursing home may conjure conceptions of a twisted and limited self, and is destructive of autonomy. This is partly because the environment is ‘thick with congruity and thin with community’ (Jeffery 2001); and partly because decision making is made nearly obsolete. The desire to control is moderated by the self-realization of the possibility of not being able to process all the relevant information: as the person psychologically shrinks, so too does their autonomy and self faith. Further, someone faced with a ‘life shock’ can find their autonomy impaired in that they find themselves in a dramatically different world where previous life plans have no meaning and even stable values disappear (Jeffery 2001). In such settings – autonomy becomes about the ability to make meaningful choices. An older person may not be able to carry out what they decide, but they are able to recognize commitments and to be themselves (Jeffery, 2001).

As partners in end-of-life care, aged care staff must take into account such ethical dilemmas as autonomy and intergenerational tension in the way physical care is given; by focusing on presence, meaningful experience, journeying together, listening, connecting, creating openings, and engaging in reciprocal sharing. Affirmative relationships support residents, enabling them to respond to their spiritual needs. Barriers to appropriate palliative care include lack of time, personal, cultural or institutional factors, and professional educational needs. By addressing these, we may make an important contribution to the improvement of patient care towards the end of life.

Media briefing: Violence against women in Pakistan

Subject: [women-rights] Media briefing: Violence against women in Pakistan

Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 18:18:11 +0100

* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty

International *

16 April 2002

ASA 33/010/2002

62/02

“The government of Pakistan vigorously condemns the practice of

so-called honour killings. Such acts do not find a place in our

religion or law. Killing in the name of honour is murder and

will be treated as such.” General Pervez Musharraf, April 2000

Introduction

Women in Pakistan are severely disadvantaged and discriminated

against. Violence against women in the home and community as well

as in the custody of law enforcement officials is on the rise.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) found that in 2000

a woman was raped every two hours, and that hundreds were victims

of “honour” killings, domestic violence, burnings and murder.

While a few positive changes have taken place over the

last couple of years, the government is still failing to protect

women from these abuses.

Many cases receive media attention and the involvement of

human rights organizations, but they are quickly forgotten.

Other women suffer abuses in silence for years, die violent

deaths and get buried in unmarked graves.

Women’s awareness of their rights has increased thanks to

the work of Pakistani women’s rights groups. However most women

remain ignorant of even their most basic rights. A newspaper

survey in 2000 reported that almost 90% of women did not realise

that they had any rights at all.

In its fifth report on women in Pakistan, Amnesty

International summarizes the current government’s commitments to

uphold women’s rights, describes cases of abuses in the

community, in the home and in custody and the failure of the

criminal justice system. The report also sets out

recommendations.

Family and community

Domestic violence, which includes physical abuse, rape, acid

throwing, burning and killing, is widespread in Pakistan. Few

women would complain under legal provisions relating to physical

injury. For those who do take the step, police and the judiciary

usually dismiss their complaints and send them back to their

abusive husbands.

Very poor women, women from religious minorities and

women bonded labourers are particularly vulnerable to violence in

the community and home.

According to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences,

over 90% of married women report being kicked, slapped, beaten or

sexually abused when husbands were dissatisfied by their cooking

or cleaning, or when the women had ‘failed’ to bear a child or

had given birth to a girl instead of a boy. Another organization

stated that one woman is murdered and one woman is kidnapped in

Pakistan every day.

? The case of Shukria

On 22 October 2001, Sharif in village Goharpur, Sheikhupura

district, Punjab province, tied his wife Shukria’s wrists and

ankles with rope, poured kerosene over her and with the help of

his mother and sister set her on fire. The couple had been

married for ten years. As they remained childless, Sharif wanted

to marry another woman but Shukria did not agree to this.

Neighbours tried to rescue Shukria but she died shortly

afterwards in hospital.

Women continue to die painful deaths in so-called “stove

burn” accidents in the kitchen. The HRCP estimates that less that

20% of deaths lead to arrests and most suspects are released

within days.

Acid-throwing is on the increase. Acid burns do not

usually kill but result in hideous disfiguration and suffering,

destruction of self-esteem, and confine women to the home. The

government has done little to restrict the sale of acid or to

punish those who use it to injure women.

Forced marriage of young girls continues to be reported

despite a legal minimum age of 16. While slavery is illegal in

Pakistan, girls and women continue to be traded to settle debts

or conflicts. In Sukkur in 2000, a six-year-old girl was married

to a 60-year-old man when her family was unable to repay a debt.

According to newspaper reports the marriage was consummated and

the little girl screamed loudly for hours after the rape.

A form of forced marriage specific to the interior of

Sindh province is the “marriage” of girls and women to the

Qur’an. This keeps the woman’s share of property in the family

as she will have no children to pass it on to. Human rights

organizations report that there are currently over 5000 women

married to the Qur’an in Sindh.

Pakistan is both a country of origin and a transit

country for the trafficking of women for domestic labour, forced

marriage and prostitution. This form of slavery is organized by

crime networks that span South Asia.

The open sale of girls and women in markets is reported

in underdeveloped areas such as parts of Balochistan.

Some women, both local and trafficked, are killed if they

refuse to earn money in prostitution. Some are forced into

prostitution by their husbands. Journalist Sufi Mohammad Khan

from Badin, Sindh, was killed on 2 May 2001 after reporting

extensively about trafficking in drugs and women in the

Tharparkar area of Sindh which happened with the connivance of

apathetic authorities. He reported that some 70 women have been

kidnapped in Sindh and Punjab, detained by the Arbab feudal

family and forced into prostitution. The journalist was bribed

and threatened by members of the family.

“Honour” killings

“Honour” killings are carried out by men who assume that their

wives, daughters or sisters have in some way contravened norms

relating to the behaviour of women which reflect on and damage a

man’s “honour”. Often the grounds for such assumptions can be

very flimsy and amount to nothing more than a suspicion about a

woman’s fidelity. Men are also known to have felt shamed if

“their” women seek divorce or become the victims of rape.

The exact number of “honour” killings is impossible to

ascertain as many go unreported. Media and human rights

organizations estimate that three women are murdered each day.

In 2000, the HRCP recorded over 1000 “honour” killings in Punjab

alone. Prosecution of “honour” killings is lax and only a few

men have been convicted.

In the higher levels of government and the judiciary,

“honour” killings are recognised as a serious problem. The

government of Pakistan has condemned “honour” killings as murder

and a seminar in Karachi in April 2001 looked at problems of

redress in “honour” crime cases. However no action has followed

and “honour” killings continue to be reported daily.

— In December 2000, three brothers overpowered their

sister-in-law, Anila, sprinkled kerosene on her clothes and set

her on fire in a village near Sukkur when they suspected her of

infidelity. Her father rescued her and took her to hospital

where, with 85% burns, she died.

— In early 2001, Mir Afzal cut off the nose of his wife Amroz

Khatoon in Karachi as he suspected her of infidelity. He then

attempted to kill her but neighbours alerted by the noise

interceded. Police arrested the man and his accomplices but Amroz

Khatoon has received threats to her life if she pursues her

complaint.

— In March 2001, a 60-year-old widow, Hidayat Khatoon, and

55-year-old Baksh Ali were killed by the widow’s son in Chandan

village, district Sukkur. When the son surrendered to police, he

said that he had been teased by villagers over his mother’s

alleged affair and had therefore killed both.

— In July 2001, 16-year-old Shoukat Labano in Sukkur district,

shot dead his mother Rahima (33) when he suspected her of an

affair.

Increasingly “honour” killings involve not only the woman

but several other family members. In November 2000, Mohammed

Umar Magsi killed his 11-year-old daughter with an axe because he

suspected her of having an affair. When his wife and younger

daughter tried to intervene, he killed them as well. On 8 January

2001, Riaz Ahmed axed to death his wife, three daughters and two

sons, because he suspected his wife of adultery. On 16 January

2002, Jamal threw hand grenades into his father-in-law’s house

when his wife refused to return to him, killing five of her

relatives and injuring eight.

The HRCP has observed that increasingly young boys are

forced to attack or kill sisters who are opposed to a forced

marriage. Afterwards the boys are formally pardoned by their

fathers which allows them to go free.

The emergence of “fake honour” killings is a worrying new

trend. There is a pattern of men accusing their wives of being

dishonourable with wealthy men purely for financial gain. The

wife is declared “kari” (black woman, one who brings shame) and

is killed. The suspected man is made to pay off the husband and

he is “pardoned”.

In a few cases, women have begun to resist violence in

the name of “honour”. A young woman escaped death when she

fought her husband. The local landlord held a jirga (tribal

council) which established her innocence and asked the husband to

apologise and take her back.

Women who marry men of their own choice are often seen to

damage their family’s “honour”; they are frequently detained by

their parents, forcibly married to someone else, threatened,

humiliated, assaulted or killed. If a couple marry in court

against the will of their parents, and the parents challenge the

union, they can be charged with “illicit” sexual relations under

the Zina Ordinance (which prohibits sex outside marriage).

Newly-weds are advised to have their marriage confirmed by a

magistrate and seek shelter with friends for some time. In many

cases families accept the fact of marriage but sometimes their

sense of shame is not appeased. Robina and Khushi Mohammad were

killed in May 2000 by Robina’s uncle and two brothers over two

years after their wedding — they had been in hiding but had

finally returned to the husband’s home.

Custodial violence

Physical abuse of women in custody continues to be rife in

Pakistan. Despite promises of police reform, police continue to

use torture to intimidate, harass and humiliate detainees to

extract money or information. Women are subjected to

gender-specific abuses including sexual harassment, public

undressing and parading, and rape. Conditions of detention for

women are also of grave concern.

State inaction

In April 2000, President Musharraf made a range of commitments to

protect women’s rights. Since then, there have been many

positive signals and pronouncements but little effective change.

The authorities are often aware of a series of abuses and

do not intervene. Some officials prevent women from accessing

the criminal justice system and seeking redress.

Some court judgments over the past year-and-a-half have

adequately protected women’s rights while others have treated

women as a man’s property. This inconsistency indicates that the

law is not being equally applied and the gender bias of

individual judges is determining whether a woman is protected or

not.

Police confronted with complaints of domestic violence

are known to refuse to register the complaint, to humiliate the

victim or to have advised the battered woman to return home. Even

the staff of state women’s shelters frequently advise women to

accept reconciliation and return home.

Conviction rates for rape are very low. Police rarely

respond adequately as they side with local people with influence

who are involved in the crime. Women frequently don’t seek

redress out of shame but also because of the possibility of being

accused of Zina if they cannot establish absence of consent.

Recommendations

Amnesty International’s report makes recommendations which are

well within the powers of the Government of Pakistan to implement

and do not require a huge investment of resources. They do

require political will and the determination that violence

against women is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue.

However, underlying the abuses suffered by women is a

discrimination perpetuated by society as a whole. In this

regard, everyone has a role to play ?government, political

parties, religious groups, all elements of civil society and

individuals. Everyone has a responsibility to commit themselves

to the equality of all human beings, irrespective of gender.

The recommendations include:

— The government should clearly and publicly condemn all acts of

violence against women. It should develop policies and

disseminate materials to promote women’s safety in the home and

community and in detention.

— The government should prohibit all acts of violence against

women and establish legal protection. It should review existing

laws, including the Zina law and the qisas and diyat law.

— Investigate all allegations of violence against women and

prosecute and punish those found to be responsible.

For a copy of the report please visit Report:

www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/index/asa330062002

Types of Power Supply and their applications

Power supply is a device used to provide the electric energy to operate the devices running on electric power. It has many special ways to provide electric energy to a specific system “it is mother of the system” ( Brown, 2001, p.1 ).

The basic functionality of power supply is to convert Alternative Current voltage to regulated Direct Current voltage required by electronic devices. A typical power supply has four different modules each of them has a specific function.

(Source: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/powersup.htm)

Transformer is the first module and its function is to convert high voltage Alternative Current to low voltage Direct Current. The second module is Rectifier and its main function is to convert low voltage Alternative Current to Direct Current. The third module is Smoothing, the Direct Current produced by the Rectifier is varying, so Smoothing reduces this variation to small rippling. Last module is Regulator, it sets the Direct Current voltage to fixed value by removing the ripples. This is a basic design of power supply. The design can be huge and complicated based on the requirements.

This essay will present the four major types of power supply which are Linear Regulators and Switching Mode Power Supply, Programmable Power Supply, Uninterruptible Power Supply.

The first type of power supply is Linear Regulated Power Supplies. They are the basic type of power supply. they produce the regulated output voltage by dropping the input voltage. To achieve this, it relies on variable conductivity of an electronic device. Hence, the lot of power wasted in the form of heat. “it is though, a very electrically quiet power supply” (Brown, 2001, p.11). they are often used in ground based equipment and distributed power systems.

Linear regulated power supply function by converting varying Alternative Current input to regulated Direct Current output. The typical circuit used in this type has two range. One allows more voltage at lower current and the other allows more current at lower voltage.

Linear regulated power supplies come in two basic forms called series regulators and shunt regulators. Series regulated power supplies are most common form of linear regulated power supply. The power dissipated in series regulated device is the product of power supply output current and the voltage drop. Shunt regulated power supplies are the simpler form of Linear Regulated power supply, but they are less efficient.

Simplicity is the main advantage of linear regulated power supplies. They have been widely used in industry for a long time. They are used in systems that require extremely low noise. They are more suitable and cost effective for low power applications. They are used in ground based applications and distributed power systems. Since the linear regulated power supply has very low power output voltage ripple, it is used in low noise / low ripple applications such as communication and radio device where noise is very critical. It is more efficient in the application which output voltage is almost equal to input voltage.

The second type of power supply is Switching Mode (SMPS). It operates in ON-OFF mode. It uses switching circuits and energy storage elements such as capacitors and inductors to get the regulated output voltage. “These circuits are ideally lossless with 100% energy transfer” (Johnny, 2006, p.1).

The main advantage of Switching Mode Power Supply is the higher efficiency because of low power dissipation. It is simpler and light weight because of the elimination of heavy low frequency transformers and generates low heat. It is used in domestic products which often have universal inputs. Mobile phones have changed their power supply technology from linear regulated to Switching Mode Technology. It is widely used in aircraft electric power such as airplane ground support.

The third type of power supply is Programmable Power Supply. It provides the power through a computer interface. It generally depends on both Linear regulated and Switched Mode technologies to produce accurate output power. A Programmable power supply typically consists of microcontroller, current, voltage programming circuits such as analog to digital convertors, serial peripheral interface, keypad and a LCD display.

The desired voltage parameter is given as the input to microcontroller through key pad. Intern, microcontroller convert analog voltage from a voltage source to digital through analog to digital convertor. This digital voltage is regulated through serial peripheral interface to get the desired voltage which is inputted to microcontroller through keypad.

The main advantage of programmable power supply is that accurate required voltage can be produced which is not possible from either linear regulated or switching mode power supply. It is mainly used in automated equipment testing. They are also used in ultrasonic vibration measurement tools.

The last type of power supply is Uninterruptible power supply. It is widely known as UPS or power back up. It is widely used as backup power to protect the devices from crashing due to sudden power loss.

There are three major categories of Uninterruptible power supply, offline -standby, online and line-interactive.

The first category is Offline /standby Uninterruptible power supply. It provides surge protection and battery back-up up to 20 minutes. When the input power supply falls below the threshold level, then Uninterruptible power supply turns on its power circuit providing power backup to the device up in certain time (In this type 20 minutes).

Line-Interactive Uninterruptible power supply is the second category. It generally uses only one main power convertor to generate the power. “With its low cost and durability, the line-interactive UPS has been used successfully in millions of IT installations worldwide” (Hoff and Samstad , 2004) . The typical protection time varies from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

The last category is Online, the operation of Online Uninterruptible power supply is very similar to Standby or Line-Interactive type. The typical protection time varies between 5 minutes to 30 minutes. But, it provides electrical firewall between incoming utility power and sensitive electronic equipment. The main purpose of Uninterruptible power supply is to provide the protection to devices from crashing due to sudden power loss. Some of the Uninterruptible power supplies are also capable of correcting the common utility power problems such as, total loss of input voltage, momentary increase or decrease input voltage, spikes , noise. They are mainly used for surge protection and back power for computers, data centers and telecommunication equipment. They are used to provide the electric isolation for the equipment which are sensitive to power fluctuations.

In conclusion, there are various sources of power being used to provide the power to the systems effectively and efficiently. For example, solar energy and wind power are being converted to electric energy to provide the power to large industrial applications. Power supplies are the heart of any system which requires electrical energy. They not only provide power but also provide the protection to the system against outside disturbances. Therefore, design and development considerations of a power supply are more important. As technology is growing, more advanced power supplies are being invented to provide best protection and efficient power to the devices.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion established by Guru Nanak in the Punjab region of north India during the 15th century. The fact that this religion has emerged in circumstances where both Hinduism and Islam have existed in India for centuries, made it drew many resources from both of these religion. Actually, by taking, from both of these religions, the best aspects and most tolerant behaviors for the human king, Sikhism could build its own characters and ideas (Noss & Grangaard, 2003). Today, Sikhism is considered as the 5th world largest religion with around 30 million followers worldwide, and it is only outnumbered by Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. However, if we take in consideration the inclusive definition of religion, and include secularists, African and Chinese religions, then Sikhism would be the 9th largest religion in the globe (B.A, 03).

The work “Sikh” derived from the Punjab language, means disciple. It refers to students of God who follow the teachings of the Ten Gurus (“Introduction to sikhism,”). They exist in all parts of India with a majority in Punjab state which is nearly 89% Sikhs. Moreover, Sikhs are spread around the world especially in the north of America with a percentage of 2% and UK with 2%. According to the Canadian census “The Sikh population in Canada increased from 150, 000 in1991 to 280, 000 in 2001.” (B.A, 03). This shows the increase of population of Sikhs and their existence around the world.

The first Guru, Nanak, was born in 1469 in a village of what is called nowadays Pakistan. As a young man, Nanak was fascinated by religion and God; he desired to explore the mysteries of the world and oddly meditated alone. The religious tolerance organization stated that: “Guru Nanak received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God.” (Arora). From that moment he tried to establish a new religion as a re-purification of Islam and Hinduism, but Distinct. So, in order to show the difference form these religions, Nanak adopted different clothing forms: the loincloth of the Hindu, the orange coat and cap of Muslims (“Sikh: Religious history/beliefs,” 26). He is the responsible of one of the most important pillars of Sikhism which is “there is no Hindu there is No Muslim” (B.A, 03). During his Doctrine, he banned the idol worship, the caste concept of Hindu and he encouraged the brotherhood of humanity. In other words, he criticized the rituals of Islam and Hinduism and addressed the concept of Love and understanding each other as human beings (Arora). After his death, the message of this new religion was passed through nine Gurus until the period of 1708 where this enlightened message continued through the holy text, which is considered as the 11th Guru. Actually, the 10th Guru established the holy text “Guru Cranth Sahib”, which is considered as the eternal Guru of the Sikhs. According to Sikhs Organization, Guru Gobind Singh announced that the Sikhism followers no longer needed a human Guru, and he appointed Khalsa as his physical successor, while Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the spiritual guidance (“Introduction to sikhism,”). This later is an exception of the religious scriptures as not only it contains the doctrine of the gurus, but also, the writing of saints of Hindu and Muslim faiths. Thus, we see that Sikhism emerged from the correlation or re-purification of Islam and Hinduism, but what are some of the elements that are related between these religions and Sikhism?

Two elements of relation between Islam and Sikhism:

The principle of belief in Sikhism is the belief in One God. Guru Nanak founded a monotheistic religion which believes in the existence of one god and eliminates idol warship. The scripture of Sri Guru Granth Sahib stats: “There is one bed, One God Lord and Master” (Sigh Sahib). This shows the faith of this religion in one God and the acceptance of His greater power. In addition, the scripture stats: “The One God is our father” (Sigh Sahib). So, Sikhs believe that we are the creation of God, and that He formed everything. This is clearly similar to Islamic faith where Muslims believe in the uniqueness of one God, and it is stated in the holy Quran “Say God is One.” Actually, one of the basic principles of being a Muslim is stating “I testify that there is no god except Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.” So, the existence of one God is part of the first pillar of being a Muslim. Moreover, Islam is showing and believing in the great power of God, as in every call for prayer “Imam” states: “God is great.” Thus, we can notice that one of the major relations between Sikhism and Islam is the notion of the Uniqueness of God and His Greater power.

Moreover, Nanak called His God “True Name” in order to avoid any restricting name for Him (Noss & Grangaard, 2003). According to David S. Noss, Nanak stated that “if any name is to be used, let it be one like Hari (the kindly) which is a good description for His character; for His mercy is Inexhaustible, His love greater than His undeviating justice. At the same time” (Noss & Grangaard, 2003). Thus, Sikhism teaching calls and describes God in different names, labeling His characters and His relations with human king. Besides, the Sikh Scripture states: “Priceless is His Mercy” (Sigh Sahib), which shows that His Kindness and forgiveness is beyond limitation. This is true Also is Islam, as we have 99 names for God describing His characteristics, generosity, forgiveness and punishment. For example, Ar-Raheem is one of the God’s names that demonstrate His Mercy, and Al-Jabbaar, means that nothing happens except what He willed. Thus, we can notice that both Sikhism and Islam have names for God that describe His mission, control and softness towards us.

Also, in their warship buildings (gurdwaras) which include Community Kitchens and often hostel facilities, Sikhs offer free meals, for everyone, after warship as a social service (Noss & Grangaard, 2003). This is quite similar to the concept of “zakat” in Islam, which means Charity. In fact, Zakat is one of the 5 pillars of Islam which states that Muslims should give away part of their money or wealth for the poor or to its collectors. Hence, another common point between the two religions.

Two elements of relation between Hinduism and Sikhism:

Both Hinduism and Sikhism share the concept of reincarnation. Unlike Abrahamic religions, they have the same ideas about life and death. According to the Sikh organization, Hindus and Sikhs have the common belief of the transmigration of the soul. They see life as countless cycles of births and deaths until the achievement of mukhti, which means the merge with God (“Introduction to sikhism,”). This concept seems to occur: “when the soul or the spirit, after the death of the body, comes back to life in a newborn body” (“Reincarnation,”25). So, the soul departs from the body at death, and then it goes and re-lives in another new body. The belief in reincarnation assumes the soul is eternal until the achievement of an enlightened state (“On reincarnation,”). Hence, Hinduism and Sikhism believe in the idea of rebirth or reincarnation.

In addition, Hinduism and Sikhism believe in Maya, which is according to the Sikhs organization: “the world is just an illusion and some get enchanted with this illusion and forget God” (“Introduction to sikhism,”). So, the concept of Maya is centered on delusion and misconception. For example, me and mine is an illusion. It is the ignorance around the conscious that brings the state of this independent unit that can only be stopped through meditation (“Maya,” 26). However, Nanak did not take Maya as pure illusion but as David S. Noss stated: “he intended to say that material objects, even though they have reality as expressions of the creator’s eternal truth, may build a wall of falsehood that prevents them from seeing the truly Real” (Noss & Grangaard, 2003). So, Sikhism does not see Maya as an illusion, but the idea behind it is the same, since material things are brought to this world to make a cover between God and His worshipers.

Finally, Sikhism is a religion founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century. It has emerged between Islam and Hinduism that influenced many of its teachings. In fact, Sikhism, is seen as a re-purification of both Islam and Hinduism, as it condemned the blind rituals (“Introduction to sikhism,”), and took the best parts of these two religion that will serve best the human king and create a nation of love, tolerance and equality. Hence, as mentioned above, there are some relations or similarities between Sikhs faith and Islam, like the oneness of God and His power; in addition to correlations with Hinduism in concepts like Maya and Reincarnation.

Old English poetry can be divided into two main types: heroic poetry and Christian poetry. Christianity, as the most widely spread religion, is present in most literary works, including some of the heroic poems, although heroic poetry is considered separate from Christian poetry. There are many analogies to Christian themes in the poetry of the Old English period, since religion played a major part in people’s lives at the time.

‘The Seafarer’ is an Old English poem which was recorded in the Exeter book, or Codex Exoniensis, a collection of Old English poetry, including ‘The Wanderer’ and ‘The Descent into Hell’, which dates back to the tenth century. It is a poem which describes the lonely, full of hardship and suffering life of the seaman. It can be logically divided into two parts. The first is a typical elegy – the speaker remembers his dismal life at sea, which he has chosen to the disturbing life on land. He knows he is alone, and he constantly has this internal conflict about choosing the sea to the land. The second part is more moralistic, or didactic. The speaker talks about the transience of wealth and fame on Earth, and how nobody will manage to outwit death and God, no matter how glorious a life they have led. Eventually all people will die, life will end for everyone at a certain point, and no amount of money will help them avoid their fate.

In the beginning of the poem the seafarer makes a song about his travels and experiences at sea. He begins grimly with a description of the ‘troublesome times’ and lonely life while he’s sailing. This is a life which common people in the city know nothing about. They are safe on the land while the seaman risks his life at sea. The weather is cold and stormy, the ‘terrible tossing of waves’ rock the ship, the seaman will soon freeze. He has to endure the fierce storms, the snow and the hail. The beginning of the poem is not only a description of a fierce weather. It is a description of the inner state of mind of the seaman – the inner struggles and conflicts he has. He is not homesick, but he realizes he is alone in the sea. His troubles are represented as being caused by the sea, but in reality the sea only represents what is already inside him, in his soul. The seafarer feels ‘grim sorrow at heart’. He is unable to feel any pleasure from the surroundings; he does not enjoy it because of the darkness in his soul and heart. There are moments in which he holds life at sea in contempt.

Yet there is something which draws him back to the sea. He can choose the safe life on land, at home, where there are his fellow men, possibly his family, and where food and warmth are ensured. However, he feels this constant urge to travel, to go back to the sea. The sea is mysterious – it is wide and infinite; it holds many secrets; it offers a different lifestyle – it draws one away from everything familiar and safe, and throws them into a new, different world – the world of danger, uncertainty, constant change; a world with no boundaries or limits. This is what the seafarer seeks, this is why he constantly returns to the dangerous travels – he needs the challenge of the hard life at sea; he needs the struggles – either physical or emotional. His journey in the sea is not only a journey on the physical level. It represents the journey which his soul takes on the path to God. He has to go through hardship and struggles; he has to fight with the difficulties which God sends him; he has to welcome the challenges of the sea as challenges which God sends to test his soul. He is sailing in the sea which suggests that he is going forward. His soul is, symbolically, about to walk the path which leads to God, passing through severe trials. His kinsmen, who live on land, stay where they are, they haven’t moved from their place not only physically, but figuratively as well – their souls have not taken the path to God, but they simply enjoy the transient goods in life while they have them. They live a stable, secure life with no dangers or trials. They strive for the goods and the glory which earthly life offers, and never think of their spirituality and morality. They don’t realize that everything on Earth is fleeting and that life as they know it – wealthy, glorious and bountiful – will only last until their death and not in the afterlife when their souls will meet God.

This is a light transition to the second part of the poem which is a moral criticism of the people, especially the rich, who rely on their wealth and glory only. They may lead a sinful life, they may oppress the weaker or the poor people, but their deeds are the only thing which will accompany them in the afterlife, not gold or money, not friends and kinsmen. There is a similar concept in the English morality play ‘Everyman’, in which wealth and fellow men abandon Everyman on his journey to death, and only good deeds stay with him until the end. There is the Christian influence, which is present in almost every piece of work in the medieval literature. According to the Christian religion God is the only truly eternal and lasting thing in the Universe. The speaker strongly criticizes the sinful life of common men – instead of living a good, honorable and humble life, they only rely on wealth and bounty, and they think these earthly goods will help them or benefit them in some way in the afterlife. They never challenge their souls, and they never even pray to God. The speaker tries to imply that the rich need to change their lifestyle but he realizes that they will not, because they do not understand how their sins and idleness will only harm them later. They don’t realize that wealth is transient and they will not be able to take it with them after death. God will not take in mind how powerful a man was on Earth or how much money did he possess, but will only consider his good and brave deeds and his sins. Life in Heaven is eternal and Heaven is a sort of reward for leading a faithful, honorable life. The seafarer claims that ‘earthly happiness will not endure’. He mentions that ‘age comes upon him’ eventually, which suggests that glorious life is only there for some time and then one gradually loses everything they possess, including their vitality, and outer things like their friends and kinsmen. The way one spends their life on Earth determines where they will spend their afterlife. The speaker urges people to think carefully what afterlife they would like to have and then decide what the right path to there is. He tries to explain to them that they will all be equal after death, no matter how wealthy some were and how poor the others were on Earth. Moreover, they all are equal even now in God’s eyes. It does not make a difference to God whether one is rich or poor; whether one is famous or not. What will differentiate them after death is how they led their life, what they did and what their deeds led to. This is the point at which some will be sent to Heaven and others will be sent to Hell. Afterlife will be eternal, that is why people have to think now how they want to spend it. The seaman has given up on all earthly goods and bounty because he has realized that they are not important, they will be lost in time and in the end nothing will remain, only memories of the glorious days and consequences from the deeds, good or bad.

‘The Seafarer’ is not only a poem about life and death. It concerns transience in life and eternity as a concept mainly in the afterlife. It suggests that life on its own has no other meaning but to praise God and to prove that one is noble enough to go to Heaven. Moreover, life is a test for the soul whether it has to be sent to Heaven or to Hell. Life after death is what really matters, because it will be for eternity, in contrast to life on Earth which lasts only a few decades. The concept of eternity is important for the moral to reach the common people. If the common man does not fear God, or does not at least consider what will happen to him after his death, he will not try to live a better, noble life, but he will only keep in mind his earthly matters, and this will lead him to impious, even ignoble deeds. Thus ‘The Seafarer’ can be considered a moral poem which teaches man how to live and how to save his soul, so that he deserves afterlife in Heaven.

This chapter elaborates and discusses elements which contribute on the literature review. This chapter started with review of the job performance, follows by the literature review on leadership and then literature review on Islamic Leadership. This literature was about the relationship between Islamic Leadership principles towards Job Performance. The literature was then compressed into the conceptual framework that represents the organizing concept of the study conducted by the researchers.

2.1 JOB PERFORMANCE

According to the Murphy 1989, Job performance is defines as behaviors that have a relationship to the goals of the organization. Besides that, other definition of job performance as action and behaviors that control under each individual that contributes to the organizational s goals and measured by the individual level of proficiency (Campbell, 1990). Kane (1986) defined job performance as “a record of outcomes achieved in carrying out the job function during the specified period”. Alternatively, Rotundo (2000) argues that this definition includes a variety of job behaviors and that some behaviors

contribute to the employee’s duties and responsibilities, while other behaviors still affect the goals of the organization but do not fall under duties and responsibilities. To understand the job performance is determine whether an individual job performance changes over time or still stable from year to year. Job performance can be improved by with leadership, training, work experience, and also by mentoring or coaching.

Job performance have to be differentiated between other measures of performance that are sometimes used interchangeably or maybe incorrectly so. The often way to measure job performance is a leader rate his or her employee’s job performance (Rotundo Maria, 2002). Some research has shown that leadership integrates a great deal of information in these ratings. Performance measurement systems usually focus on the supervisor or manager as the rater of the job performance.

As the leader, the challenge is determine on how it affect individual behavior and the work situations can be structured to achieve maximum employee job performance. Effective leadership generates improved motivation and effort.

2.2 LEADERSHIP

Northouse (2011), said that being a leader is challenging, exciting plus rewarding, and carries a lot of responsibilities. A leader also should be fully aware of the followers and their interests, ideas, positions, attitudes, and motivations.

Leadership is showing the way and helping or inducing others to pursue it. This includes envisioning a desirable future, promoting a clear purpose or mission, supportive values and intelligent strategies, and empowering and engaging those entire concerned (Gill, 2011).

Allio (2009), in his article has listed the big five ideas; “(1) good leaders have good character, (2) there’s no best way to lead, (3) leaders must collaborate, (4) adaptability makes longevity possible and (5) leaders are self-made”.

However, a lot of the research in business and management has considered organizations as a religion neutral sphere, and as a result religion was not deemed worthy of study (Majeed, Khalid and Khan, 2011). As researchers keep on discussing about leadership, they only focused on Western business environment (Bass, 1999; Yukl, 2002; Fiedler, 1967; Stogdill, 1974).

2.3 ISLAMIC LEADERSHIP

The Qur’an and hadith (the everyday actions and sayings of the Prophet) has explained about leadership qualities some fourteen centuries ago have only been discussed and emerged in the modern times. “To thee a Book explaining All things, a Guide, a Mercy, And Glad Tidings to Muslims.” (Al-Nahl, 16:89). “And We appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs”. (As-Sajdah 32:24). Abbas Ali (2005) mentioned in his book, Islamic Perspectives On Management and Organization, Islamic Leadership is a set of shared influence process. The Quran clearly calls for a leader to be flexible and approachable to followers and they comfort for commitment with the presence of these qualities within an organization.

Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) and Ibn Taimiya (1263-1328) opinion about leadership has been accepted. Ibn Khaldun (p,112) stated that several qualities are important for a leader like, tolerance towards weak, forgiveness of error, patience and hospitality toward guests. Lacking of these skills may decrease the quality of good leader. Next, Beekun and Badawi (1998), stated that, one of the definitions of Islamic Leadership is, the effort that takes by the leader to seeks the voluntary participations of followers in order to achieve the organizational objectives. Moreover, the leaders must be the role models in the organization and guide them in way of happiness in life (Abbasi, Rehman and Afsar, 2009).

According to Moten (2011) he stated that the Western secular societies do not have a clear picture of leadership phenomenon from an Islamic Perspective. He added that there are several factors to describe reasons for the need of Islamic Leadership (Moten, 2011). Firstly, there is no distinction between the spiritual and temporal affairs in Islam whereby both lies down and moving together encircling all spheres of human life, (Moten, 2011). To strengthen this statement, Islam teachings according to Iqbal and Mohamad (1962), “is not a departmental affair, it is neither mere thought, nor mere feeling, nor mere action; it is an expression of the whole man”. Secondly, Moten (2011) points out, the need for implementation of the Islamic Leadership is because based on central concept of Islam i.e., tawhid (unity and sovereignty of Allah), refuse the power of control and command to anyone but Allah, the creator and Nourishes of the universe. To support his statement, Moten referred the Qur’an (3:189, 6:57), “the command rests with none but Allah” to disclaim anyone who claims absolute right and power over anything. Next, Islam perceives that every individual and society activity is for the sake of Allah, Moten (2011). Relation between one creatures’s with other creatures is built upon his distinctive relation to Allah. Thus, it is not a dyadic relationship between two believers but it is a triadic relationship in that each is relating to other through Allah as the intermediary, Moten (2011).

After submitting the need for Islamic Leadership, Moten (2011) give his point of view on leadership in Islam. According to him, leadership in Islam is a process of communication and a moral activity between the equals directed towards reaching the organization goal, (Moten, 2011). He added, as the leader and the followers both understand the goal and actively joint together for the accomplishment of the goal, the accomplishment of that goal assumes the form of worship or ‘ibadah, hence, the leadership in Islam can be seen as ‘ibadah, (Moten, 2011).

The Qur’an, Sunnah, and the jurisprudence give a comprehensive code of laws: social, moral, political, administrative, economic, civil, religious, and ethical to guide the Muslim leaders to run Islamic organizations appropriately and effectively (Aabed, 2006).

Ali (2009) mentioned that, leader is obliged and illustrates a willingness to listen, openness, and concern in dealing with subordinates or follower. Islamic Leadership is defined as a group of leadership principles extracted from the Qur’an and the biography of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, structured of good and ethical leadership essential to guide organizations appropriately and effectively. Moreover, it made up noblest Islamic traditions of science, worship, justice, and Ihsan(doing good) and to hammer these values in Muslim, (Khaliq, 2009; Khan, 2007). Besides that, Islam urged the leaders to pay attention to followers’ needs. It is because, it is trusteeship of Allah, a given responsibility given from him and a service to the mankind, (Toor, 2007). “If Allah puts anyone in the position of authority over the Muslims’ affairs and he secludes himself (from them), not fulfilling their needs, wants, and poverty, Allah will keep Himself away from him, not fulfilling his need, want, and poverty (Sahih Muslim)”.

Leadership is a responsibility which is shared by all adults in a Muslim society as Islam point of view (Mohsen, 2007). As pointed out clearly by Prophet Muhammad in one of the hadiths, “Every one of you is a shepherd and everyone is responsible for what he is shepherd of” (Bukhari and Muslim).

There are some sign for a Muslim that considered good in implementing Islamic values (Abdul Hakim, 2011). Islamic ideas in performance emphasize a high standard of trust, honesty and reliability toward overall behavior. The employee’s daily activities should be conducted in the strictest obedience to Allah SWT commandments (Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Seidu).

As mentioned by A. Hakim (2012), it is very important to understand the Islamic spiritual motivations, including faith, devoting and Islamic application rules. And they have to understand them completely (kaffah) spiritual motivation will give the urge to do the job as well as possible.

Therefore, leadership development is one of the important subjects in Islamic teachings (Majeed, Khalid and Khan, 2011). From an Islamic perspective, followings are some of the key attributes for effective leadership; Justice (al Adl), Trust (al Amanah) and Honesty (al Sidq). The organization performance and goals will be achieved in terms of employee performance and there comfort for commitment with the presence of these qualities within an organization. Following are three principles of Islamic Leadership.

2.3.1 THREE ISLAMIC LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES

Justice (al Adl)

The management leaders must behave with team members equitable and fairly without any discrimination about their race, color or religion. Islam always called human being for doing justice to all. Besides that, the Qur’an also gives the direction to Muslims to be fair and just in any situation even if the decisions goes against their parents or themselves (Ather Syed Mohammad, Sobhani Farid Ahammad, 2007). Allah SWT says:

“O you, who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, aswitness to Allah, even as against yourselves or your parents or your kin and whether it be against rich or poor, for Allah protects both”.(Surah An-Nisa, Verse-135). According to Imam Hasan (2011), the concept of justice flows directly from the law giver Himself, Allah (SWT) so that the council of jurists having the legislative function interpreted by the law by the direct source is the Quran and Hadith to come at a just decision on issues that beneficial to the community. These concepts from the merciful Allah (SWT) frees any individual from accusations as all decisions flow and are based on Allah’s commands (Imam Hasan Qasim Okikiola, 2011).

Trust (al Amanah)

Trust plays an important role for a leader. Allah says in the Quran, “Those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants,” (23:08), and “Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners and that when you judge between people you judge with justice; surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent; surely Allah is Seeing, Hearing,” (04:58), and “O you who believe! Be not unfaithful to Allah and the Messenger, nor be unfaithful to your trusts while you know.” (08:27). Leaders in organization should be a trustworthy person and can be relying on (Alhabshi et. al, 1994).

According to Yunus Mohamad, (2011) amanah is from the word “Aman” that gives a means like peace, no fear or threat but in Islamic terminology it means honesty and fulfilling the rights of people and Allah SWT. Mohammad Yunus on May 02, 2011

Amanah is fulfilling responsibilities in a good manner, with all talent and potentials, it is an amanah but not fulfilling the responsibilities is a mistrust and deception.

“He it is that has made you inheritors in the earth: if, then, any do reject (Allah), their rejection (works) against themselves: their rejection but adds to the odium for the Unbelievers in the sight of their Lord: their rejection but adds to (their own) undoing.” (Fatir, 35:39).

Honesty (al Sidq)

According to Beekun and Badawi (2012), honesty of the leaders is considered as to the extent that there is ‘consistency between word and action.’ Leaders do what they say they are going to do. The Prophet Moses himself is labeled as “strong and trustworthy” by one of the damsels (as in chapter 28: 26) while the Prophet Joseph is cited as one who is truthful in the Holy Quran. (Chapter 12: 46) Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad during his youth used to be called Sadiq (the truthful) and Amin (the trustworthy).

Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991), said successful leaders are open with their followers, do not violate confidences, discreet and or carelessly reveal potentially harmful information.

As cited in Kirkpatrik and Locke (1991), Kouzes and Posner conclude: Honesty is absolutely important to leadership. If we are willing to follow a person, whether it is into a fight or into the boardroom, we first want to guarantee ourselves that the person is worth to be trusted. We need to know whether the person is being truthful, ethical, and principled. We want to be fully assured in the integrity of our leaders.

2.4 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Table 2.1 below was summary of the independent and dependent variables of this research. The summary illustrates relationship between Principles of Islamic Leadership and Job Performance.

Independent Variable
Dependent Variable

Islamic Leadership Principles:

1. Justice (al – Adl)

2. Trust (al – Amanah)

3. Honesty (al – Siddiq)

Job Performance

Table 2.1: Independent variables and Dependent Variable

Figure 2.2 below illustrate the conceptual framework for this study. This figure demonstrates the relationship between Islamic Leadership Principles toward Job Performance.

Islamic Leadership Principles:

Independent Variable

Justice (al- Adl)

Trust (al- Amanah)

Job Performance

Honesty (al – Sidq)

Dependent Variable

Independent Variable

Figure 2.2: Conceptual Framework

2.5 SUMMARY

This chapter appraises the relationship between Islamic Leadership principles towards Job Performance and the conceptual framework that presents the organizing concept of this study. Chapter 3 will discuss about the methodologies used by the researchers in order to collect and analyze the data of the study.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. This is one of many ways that Jesus describes the bold contrast between Christians and the rest of the world. It is a difference that should be as clear as night and day, but rarely is the case with Christians in the world nowadays. Most non-believers use words such as hypocritical, sheltered, and judgmental to describe Christians. (Kinnaman, 2007) The very things that Christ warned us not to become are the exact same things we are viewed as today. One of the biggest reasons for the skepticism of Christianity today is the ignorance of our own faith. Believers are not getting into the word, and it shows in society. Many Christians cannot answer basic questions when asked about their faith, and even if they can, many are not living out those beliefs. (Kinnaman, 2007) Ignoring our faith has led to a religion of mixed up morals and hypocrites, and has largely contributed to the scorn towards Christianity. These vices are slowly being passed down from the modern adults of today to the developing Christian youth. It is therefore paramount to look for avenues to reverse this situation and get back to inspiring hope in a culture full of cynicism. This will enable us to form a platform for Christian leadership among our youth. Christian leadership as a virtue comes in many forms and traits. “A leader is a dealer in hope.” (Napoleon Bonaparte) On the other hand, according to (Means, 2000), “servant leadership is a leadership philosophy that implies a comprehensive view of the quality of people, work and community spirit.”

Servant leadership greatly requires a spiritual understanding of identity, mission, vision and the environment. (Greenleaf, 2012) A servant leader is one who is servant first, who has responsibility to be in the world, and contributes to the well-being of people and the community. A servant leader looks to the needs of the people and asks how he or she can help them solve their problems and promote personal development. He or she places his main focus on people, because only content and motivated people are able to reach their targets and to fulfill the set expectations. The concept of servant leadership is crucial for youth in Christian leadership as it enables one understand themselves first so they can learn to understand others and serve them. Thereafter people gain trust in the leader and begin to work towards the intended goal. (Berkley, 2005)

The goals of a Christian leader should be to bring glory to God with their existence, evangelize, advance the kingdom, and encourage others to grow in their relationship with Christ. There are certain base characteristics that all Christian leaders must possess if they wish to be stewards of the Gospel, inspire hope among the nations, and ultimately accomplish their goals.

Submission to God must be the starting point for each individual. We must allow God to lead us and shape our lives to fit his desires if we wish to leave an impact on this world. This requires one to be daily seeking and engaging with God in prayer and in His Word. It is our actions and choices in life that define how others see us, and ultimately decide the kind of impact we leave on the world. These actions and choices are largely shaped by what we believe in and value. By allowing the Bible to shape them, a spiritual maturity will begin to flourish within the heart of a leader. They will begin to see the world as God sees it, and they will begin to see every person living on this world today as a beautiful and valuable creation of God. (Hybels, 2009) Furthermore, according to (Berkley, 2005) leaders will understand the implications of sin and how it separates us from God, which will create a longing to help others be reconciled.

A leader must strive to be an example for others by trying to obediently follow God’s commands and exhorting others to do so, but also must be careful not to fall into judgment. (Berkley, 2005) Instead, they learn to love others unconditionally as Christ would have, serving the people and working patiently with them to help them see the need of God in their life.

Raising young leaders for Christian leadership is a challenging process.

Raising and developing young leaders mainly entails inculcating Christian values in them at a tender age, encouraging them to participate in church activities so they can understand leadership from a Christian perspective, and ensuring they attain the right academic skills to enable them compete with the world.

IMPORTANCE OF PREPARING YOUTH FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

Ministry with young people has never been more important. Ever-increasing local, national and global concerns demand that schools must do more than prepare young people as responsible citizens. (Adair, 2001) says that schools and in particular, institutions of higher learning must prepare young people as emerging leaders with a civic conscience who proactively seek solutions to issues such as increased poverty, the plight of refugees, terrorism, climate change, and corporate greed.

With reference to Christian leadership, ministry can be broken down to three parts namely: Youth ministry, Campus ministry and Student ministry.

Youth ministry

(Fernando, 2000) describes youth ministry as a formalized Church-based program that is clearly centered on young people. He presents a framework for youth ministry based on three goals. These goals are firstly, to foster the personal and spiritual growth of each young person, secondly, to draw young people into responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the church community, and thirdly, to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in the world today. The goals are advanced through six focus areas: prayer and worship, evangelization, community life, justice and service, leadership development, and advocacy (Fernando, 2000, Leaders for tomorrow’s world pp. 7). These goals build on one another and are paramount for good Christian leadership. In addition, they are important as they help bring up an all-rounded and well-versed Christian leader who can combat the challenges of the modern society.

Campus ministry

The focus of Christian ministry among the youth is greatly aimed at young men and women in college and university making campus ministry a focal point in developing Christian leaders. Campus ministry has four main elements according to (Nanko, 1997). These are: a focus on young people, the ministry takes place in the context of an educational institution, the various programs attempt to challenge the faith life or spirituality of students into active participation, and the campus minister is central to the effective running of the ministry. Young people in campus should be encouraged to integrate ministry with their field of study so as to learn how to be most effective in society.

A good example is seen in Christian universities where students from several disciplines attend chapel on a regular basis to facilitate spiritual growth. This enables the students to develop as Christian leaders and grow to other levels of campus ministry like: missions, evangelism and regular participation in church related activities which facilitates interaction with other young students in ministry.

Student ministry

This nature of ministry involves working with young people in a school setting. It frequently incorporates many of the programs associated with youth ministry and campus ministry. Such programs include: student leadership development, service-learning and social justice, retreats, prayer and reflection. (Means, 2000) In this respect, student ministry, youth ministry and campus ministry have strong connections. The main differences lie in the explicit leadership focus inherent in all student ministry programs, the mentoring role which teachers adopt when working with students, and the leadership responsibilities that many students exercise when working with fellow students. A good illustration of student ministry is seen in campuses where students take up leadership roles in the church and handle activities such as: praise and worship, bible study, event planning and preaching. This enables the leaders to gain experience in church related activities while under the mentorship of senior church leaders and teachers. In addition, the leaders learn to take responsibility being in positions of leadership, inculcate discipline within their lives and grow closer to God at a personal level.

CHALLENGES IN PREPARING YOUTH FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

In the process of maintaining the authentic character of Christian leadership, leaders face many challenges. Many of them are perennial, given with the very character of Christian leadership as being rooted in God and directed toward the good of the world. These challenges may occur when people assume positions of Christian leadership for the wrong reasons that include: power, prestige, and personal gain rather than as a result of the call of God. These challenges can be further broken down into three key areas: The will of God, the authority of the church and time management.

The will of God

In most cases, Christian leaders have responded to a genuine call of God, but may have lost sight of their calling and their fundamental character as beings translucent to God. “When this happens, leaders are deprived of the animating power of God to continually ground and sustain leadership in the life of God”, as stated in (Kinnaman, 2007). And yet, since they are religious leaders, they often have to act as if they have already actualized what they are preaching in their own lives, as if they are bringing the message somehow from God. Instead of real ascent in God’s word, there is a pretense of ascent mostly not intentional, but negligent and usually a result of the pressures of responsibilities, the accumulated force of disappointments, and many other reasons leading to the gradual erosion of faith. (Nanko, 2001)

Young Christian leaders face the very real dangers associated with modern culture head on. Increased expectations, time constraints, developing disciples in an increasingly secular society, and an entire host of dangers in personal and professional life abound.

Many of the pressures to which young leaders succumb, causing personal burnout and fatigue, are as a result of personal mismanagement. (Berkley, 2005) We each have decisions to make with regard to how much and in what way will own these expectations and perceived pressures.

Authority of the church

The great authority of the Church resides in the power of the testimony of Jesus. In a modern culture which asserts that truth is relative, it is difficult for a Christian leader to begin to lead a person into God’s will for their life when at a foundational level they do not recognize that the testimony of Jesus is unique and trustworthy. The modern worldview influenced by Western liberal culture, which is common in various forms today, presents a great challenge for Christian leaders as seen in (Hybels, 2009) and can only be controlled by continual spiritual nourishment and constant prayer.

Time management

Personal time management is crucial to one’s successful usage of their time. Dangers are very real in modern Christian leadership. In order to have the strength to stand, young Christian leaders must manage their efforts in such a way as to properly manage themselves. (Nanko, 2001) Christian leaders face temptations of every kind to fall into sin. As the modern culture becomes increasingly celebrity based, young leaders in ministry face the real temptation of pride. In order to avoid burnout, fatigue, and temptation to sin, (Means, 2000) suggests that Christian leaders must remain grounded in the Lord’s strength and provision. The management of personal and professional time is central to this. We must make time for God, family, and personal rest and development in order to stay alert and healthy for the work of the kingdom.

RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING PREPARING YOUTH FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

Reading widely and having a good command of language

According to (Fernando, 2000), in the coming years we will need well-educated young men and women. Therefore a young, aspiring Christian leader should read widely, ranging from people they agree with to people they don’t agree with. All things being equal, the people who can speak with confidence and who can write clearly will rise to the top in any field. (Fernando, 2000) also recommends taking speech classes as well as taking advantage of technology as far as writing is concerned as it gives one a huge advantage in this generation.

Identifying one’s strengths and making good decisions

Identifying one’s strengths varies from one individual to another in terms of time. (Means, 2000) says that, “In the beginning, you naturally think you can do everything. You can’t. You’ll learn that the hard way. Find out what you do that God blesses and keep on doing it.” A young leader should not get stuck in the trap of thinking that they have to be a pastor or a teacher or a missionary forever as we are past the days when people would stay in the same position for a lifetime. As a Christian leader, one should understand that their only call is to serve the Lord in whatever way he or she chooses. Therefore it is important to remain flexible.

Beware of envy and learn how to be all-round

In the game of life, we are all constantly being compared to everyone around us. We, especially church leaders are being measured, quantified, and examined to see how well we are doing versus those around us and there is nothing we can do about it. (Adair, 2004), Envy tends to be the sin of moderately successful people and one should pray to be delivered from it as it destroys joy and makes one a miserable person. When beginning church ministry, one is rarely able to specialize and should learn how to be a jack of all trades and a master of a few.

Travel

In today’s world, diversity is the order of the day and the future belongs to those who have multicultural experience. Aspiring Christian leaders should be encouraged to participate in a semester exchange program and study abroad. The experience gained by learning about other cultures, and a different people in a different setting is priceless as (Fernando, 2000) puts it. In addition, it gives one new vision for the global cause of Christ.

CONCLUSION

Christian leadership is indeed challenging especially for young aspiring leaders but with the right approach and guidance one can succeed in the field. As John F. Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” It is important for all young aspiring leaders to recognize that leadership is a learning process and that the more one learns, the more they earn the right to lead.

A man came to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam and said: My camel starts crying whenever i go into my bed for sleep, i do not know the reason behind it and i am very much worried. Holy Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam asked him if he offers his Namaz e Isha. The man answered: “No!I do not”. Our Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam told the man that your camel cries because he sees the fire under your bed when you go into it without offering your Namaz. The man offered his Namaz e Isha and that night, his camel did not cry anymore.[Muslim] This incident shows the importance of Namaz e Isha and there are many incidents which tell us about the importance of every Namaz. But today, people have forgotten their religion. They feel shame of acting upon it. They have restless nights and joyless life because they do not follow their religion. Especially our youth is going to the very wrong path, who has the responsibility of the nation on their shoulders. It is a very terrible condition to be sight.