Both Jews and Christians regard pregnancy as a gift from God, and hold children to be miracles. The only statements in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible, Christian Old Testament) about the status of a fetus state that killing an unborn infant does not have the same status as killing a born human being, and mandates a much lesser penalty (a fine); it should be added that the instance cited in the Tanakh contemplates the accidental ...

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Judaism and Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Neither religion is monolithic, Judaism and Christianity - Raison d'être of the religion, Judaism and Christianity - The nature of religion: national versus universal, Judaism and Christianity - Concepts of God, Judaism and Christianity - Understanding of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity - Sin and Original Sin, Judaism and Christianity - Faith versus good deeds, Judaism and Christianity - Love, Judaism and Christianity - Abortion, Judaism and Christianity - War violence and pacifism, Judaism and Christianity - Judgement, Judaism and Christianity - Capital punishment, Judaism and Christianity - Heaven and Hell, Judaism and Christianity - The Messiah, Judaism and Christianity - Catholic views, Judaism and Christianity - Eastern Orthodox views, Judaism and Christianity - Jewish views, Judaism and Christianity - Evangelism, Judaism and Christianity - Miscellaneous, Judaism and Christianity - Mutual views, Judaism and Christianity - Common Jewish views of Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Common Christian views of Judaism

Read more here: » Judaism and Christianity: Encyclopedia II - Judaism and Christianity - Abortion

Jews and Christians accept as valid and binding many of the same moral principles taught in the Torah. There is a great deal of overlap between the ethical systems of these two faiths. Nonetheless, there are some highly significant doctrinal differences. Judaism has a great many teachings about peace and compromise, and its teachings make physical violence the last possible option. Nonetheless, the Talmud teaches that "If someone comes with the intention to murder you, then one is obligated to kill in self-defense [rather than be kill ...

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Judaism and Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Neither religion is monolithic, Judaism and Christianity - Raison d'être of the religion, Judaism and Christianity - The nature of religion: national versus universal, Judaism and Christianity - Concepts of God, Judaism and Christianity - Understanding of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity - Sin and Original Sin, Judaism and Christianity - Faith versus good deeds, Judaism and Christianity - Love, Judaism and Christianity - Abortion, Judaism and Christianity - War violence and pacifism, Judaism and Christianity - Judgement, Judaism and Christianity - Capital punishment, Judaism and Christianity - Heaven and Hell, Judaism and Christianity - The Messiah, Judaism and Christianity - Catholic views, Judaism and Christianity - Eastern Orthodox views, Judaism and Christianity - Jewish views, Judaism and Christianity - Evangelism, Judaism and Christianity - Miscellaneous, Judaism and Christianity - Mutual views, Judaism and Christianity - Common Jewish views of Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Common Christian views of Judaism

Read more here: » Judaism and Christianity: Encyclopedia II - Judaism and Christianity - War violence and pacifism

Both Christianity and Judaism believe in some form of judgement. The Christian view is very well defined - every human is a sinner, and nothing but being saved by God's grace (and not through any merit of ones own actions) can change the damnatory sentence to salvation. There is a judgement after death, and Christ will return to judge the living and dead. Those positively judged will be saved and live in God's presence in heaven, those who are negatively judged will be ca ...

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Judaism and Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Neither religion is monolithic, Judaism and Christianity - Raison d'être of the religion, Judaism and Christianity - The nature of religion: national versus universal, Judaism and Christianity - Concepts of God, Judaism and Christianity - Understanding of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity - Sin and Original Sin, Judaism and Christianity - Faith versus good deeds, Judaism and Christianity - Love, Judaism and Christianity - Abortion, Judaism and Christianity - War violence and pacifism, Judaism and Christianity - Judgement, Judaism and Christianity - Capital punishment, Judaism and Christianity - Heaven and Hell, Judaism and Christianity - The Messiah, Judaism and Christianity - Catholic views, Judaism and Christianity - Eastern Orthodox views, Judaism and Christianity - Jewish views, Judaism and Christianity - Evangelism, Judaism and Christianity - Miscellaneous, Judaism and Christianity - Mutual views, Judaism and Christianity - Common Jewish views of Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Common Christian views of Judaism

Read more here: » Judaism and Christianity: Encyclopedia II - Judaism and Christianity - Judgement

Although the Jewish bible has many references to capital punishment, in fact very early on, the Jewish sages and rabbis used their authority, and the demands for justice emphasized in the bible, to make it all but impossible for a Jewish court to impose a death sentence. Even when such a sentence might have been imposed, the "cities of refuge" and other sanctuaries, were at hand for those unintentionally guilty of capital offences. In this manner, the Talmud seriously limits the use of the death penalty to only be applicable to those ...

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Judaism and Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Neither religion is monolithic, Judaism and Christianity - Raison d'être of the religion, Judaism and Christianity - The nature of religion: national versus universal, Judaism and Christianity - Concepts of God, Judaism and Christianity - Understanding of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity - Sin and Original Sin, Judaism and Christianity - Faith versus good deeds, Judaism and Christianity - Love, Judaism and Christianity - Abortion, Judaism and Christianity - War violence and pacifism, Judaism and Christianity - Judgement, Judaism and Christianity - Capital punishment, Judaism and Christianity - Heaven and Hell, Judaism and Christianity - The Messiah, Judaism and Christianity - Catholic views, Judaism and Christianity - Eastern Orthodox views, Judaism and Christianity - Jewish views, Judaism and Christianity - Evangelism, Judaism and Christianity - Miscellaneous, Judaism and Christianity - Mutual views, Judaism and Christianity - Common Jewish views of Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Common Christian views of Judaism

Read more here: » Judaism and Christianity: Encyclopedia II - Judaism and Christianity - Capital punishment

Judaism is largely unconcerned with the problem of death or an afterlife; the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes states that death is final; the place of the dead is called sheol, which means "the grave." Aside from the ghostly apparition of Samuel, called up by a witch at King Saul's command, the Hebrew Bible does not mention an afterlife. According to critical scholars, Biblical Jews first believed that God always punished evil, but always during a person's life — or, if the person is repentant, in the life of one of that persons' desc ...

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Judaism and Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Neither religion is monolithic, Judaism and Christianity - Raison d'être of the religion, Judaism and Christianity - The nature of religion: national versus universal, Judaism and Christianity - Concepts of God, Judaism and Christianity - Understanding of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity - Sin and Original Sin, Judaism and Christianity - Faith versus good deeds, Judaism and Christianity - Love, Judaism and Christianity - Abortion, Judaism and Christianity - War violence and pacifism, Judaism and Christianity - Judgement, Judaism and Christianity - Capital punishment, Judaism and Christianity - Heaven and Hell, Judaism and Christianity - The Messiah, Judaism and Christianity - Catholic views, Judaism and Christianity - Eastern Orthodox views, Judaism and Christianity - Jewish views, Judaism and Christianity - Evangelism, Judaism and Christianity - Miscellaneous, Judaism and Christianity - Mutual views, Judaism and Christianity - Common Jewish views of Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Common Christian views of Judaism

Read more here: » Judaism and Christianity: Encyclopedia II - Judaism and Christianity - Heaven and Hell

Love is a central value in both Judaism and Christianity. In Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine, literary critic Harold Bloom argues that their notions of love are fundamentally different. Specifically, he links the Jewish conception of love to justice, and the Christian conception of love to charity. As in English, the Hebrew word for "love," ahavah אהבה, is used to describe intimate or romantic feelings or relationships, such as the love between parent and child in Genesis 22:2; 25: 28; 37:3; the love between close friends in I Samuel 18:2, 20:17; or the love betw ...

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Judaism and Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Neither religion is monolithic, Judaism and Christianity - Raison d'être of the religion, Judaism and Christianity - The nature of religion: national versus universal, Judaism and Christianity - Concepts of God, Judaism and Christianity - Understanding of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity - Sin and Original Sin, Judaism and Christianity - Faith versus good deeds, Judaism and Christianity - Love, Judaism and Christianity - Abortion, Judaism and Christianity - War violence and pacifism, Judaism and Christianity - Judgement, Judaism and Christianity - Capital punishment, Judaism and Christianity - Heaven and Hell, Judaism and Christianity - The Messiah, Judaism and Christianity - Catholic views, Judaism and Christianity - Eastern Orthodox views, Judaism and Christianity - Jewish views, Judaism and Christianity - Evangelism, Judaism and Christianity - Miscellaneous, Judaism and Christianity - Mutual views, Judaism and Christianity - Common Jewish views of Christianity, Judaism and Christianity - Common Christian views of Judaism

Read more here: » Judaism and Christianity: Encyclopedia II - Judaism and Christianity - Love

karma

Physical, verbal, or mental action; one's destiny as shaped by one's previous actions. Karma is more often used to imply the process of physio-psychic evolution, which is controlled by actions of body, speech, and mind.

According to the laws of karma, no experience is causeless; rather, everything that occurs has its seed in a previous action and every action sows its seed in a successive action that will eventually ripen in accordance with its nature. In brief, an evil deed produces the seed of future suffering, and good deed produces the seed of happiness.

Technically, karma is of two main types: contaminated and non-contaminated. The latter refers to a deed done with awareness of emptiness; this produces no effect on the doer. Contaminated karmas are bad, good, or steady, resulting in lower rebirth, good rebirth, and rebirth in the realm of form, respectively.

(See also: karma, Alternative Health, Healing, Body Mind and Soul)

Wiccan morality can be summarised in the form of a text that is commonly titled The Wiccan Rede. The core maxim of that text states "An it harm none, do what thou wilt." ("An" is an archaic word meaning "if".) Many Wiccans promote the Law of Threefold Return. This is the idea that anything that one does will be returned to them threefold. In other words, good deeds are magnified in like forms back to the doer, and so are ill deeds. It can also be interpreted to mean that your deeds come back to you emotionally, spiritually, and physic ...

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Wicca, Wicca - Definition, Wicca - History of Wicca, Wicca - Origins, Wicca - Later developments, Wicca - Beliefs and practices, Wicca - Morality, Wicca - Discrimination and persecution of Wiccans, Wicca - United States, Wicca - Wiccan traditions, Wicca - Notes

Read more here: » Wicca: Encyclopedia II - Wicca - Morality

A school boy named Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) is given a project to complete by his social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey). His task is to come up with a plan that will change the world through direct action. On his way home from school later that day, Trevor notices a homeless man, Jerry (James Caviezel) and decides to make a difference to Jerry's life. Trevor then comes up with the eponymous plan to "pay it forward" by doing a good deed for three people who must in turn each do good deeds for three other people. Trevor's plan is to help Jerry by feeding and h ...

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Pay It Forward, Pay It Forward - Plot, Pay It Forward - Life imitating art, Pay It Forward - Main cast

Read more here: » Pay It Forward: Encyclopedia II - Pay It Forward - Plot

A person normally becomes a hero by performing an extraordinary and praiseworthy deed. Traditional deeds are slaying of monsters and saving people from certain death. A hero normally fulfills the definitions of what is considered good and noble in the originating culture. However, in literature, particularly in tragedy, the hero may also have serious flaws which lead to a downfall, e.g. Hamlet. Such heroes are often referred to as tragic heroes and have a stron ...

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Hero, Hero - Overview, Hero - The Greek Hero, Hero - Nature of hero cult, Hero - Types of hero cult, Hero - Heroes politics and gods, Hero - Later European History, Hero - Operatic Hero, Hero - The Modern Fictional Hero

Read more here: » Hero: Encyclopedia II - Hero - Overview

karma [kr = to do]: action, work, deed; the sum of the effects of past actions producing results in the life of the world. According to the context, karma can be translated as destiny (the results of past actions) or duty (actions intended to produce good results in the future). In the Vedas, karma means only the action of performing the prescribed rituals.

(See also: karma, Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

A person normally becomes a hero by performing an extraordinary and praiseworthy deed. Traditional deeds are slaying of monsters and saving people from certain death. A hero normally fulfills the definitions of what is considered good and noble in the originating culture. However, in literature, particularly in tragedy, the hero may also have serious flaws which lead to a downfall, e.g. Hamlet. Such heroes are often referred to as tragic heroes and have a stron ...

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Hero, Hero - Overview, Hero - The Greek hero, Hero - Nature of hero cult, Hero - Types of hero cult, Hero - Heroes politics and gods, Hero - Later European history, Hero - The validity of the hero in historical studies, Hero - Operatic hero, Hero - The modern fictional hero

Read more here: » Hero: Encyclopedia II - Hero - Overview

Wiccan morality can be summarised in the form of a text that is commonly titled The Wiccan Rede. The core maxim of that text states "An it harm none, do what thou wilt." ("An" is an archaic word meaning "if".) Many Wiccans promote the Law of Threefold Return. This is the idea that anything that one does will be returned to them threefold. In other words, good deeds are magnified in like forms back to the doer, and so are ill deeds. It can also be interpreted to mean that your deeds come back to you emotionally, spiritually, and physic ...

See also:

Wicca, Wicca - Definition, Wicca - History of Wicca, Wicca - Origins, Wicca - Later developments, Wicca - Beliefs and practices, Wicca - Morality, Wicca - Discrimination and persecution of Wiccans, Wicca - United States, Wicca - Wiccan traditions, Wicca - Notes, Wicca - Bibliographical and Encyclopedic Sources, Wicca - Academic Studies

Read more here: » Wicca: Encyclopedia II - Wicca - Morality

In countries with a sophisticated private property system, documents of title are commonly used for real estate, motor vehicles, and some types of intangible property. When such documents are used, they are often part of a registration system whereby ownership of such property can be verified. In the case of real estate, the legal instrument used to transfer title is the deed. A famous rule is that a thief cannot convey good title, so title searches are routine (or highly recommended) for purchases of many types ...

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Title property, Title property - Elements, Title property - Applications, Title property - Political Implications Of Title

Read more here: » Title property: Encyclopedia II - Title property - Applications

Philo holds that good moral endowment takes precedence of teaching and practise. Virtue here is not the result of hard labor, but is the excellent fruit maturing of itself. The biblical character Noah represents the preliminary stage. Noah is praised, while no really good deeds are reported of him, whence it may be concluded that the Bible refers to his good disposition. But as Noah is praised only in comparison with his contemporaries, it ...

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Philo, Philo - Biography, Philo - Influence of Hellenism, Philo - Knowledge of Hebrew, Philo - Exegesis, Philo - Stoic influence, Philo - Attitude toward literal meaning, Philo - Numbers, Philo - Cosmology, Philo - Anthropology, Philo - Ethics, Philo - Views on virtue

Read more here: » Philo: Encyclopedia II - Philo - Views on virtue

Historically it is known that Midas was king of Phrygia in the 8th century BC. According to legend, he was the son of Gordius, a poor countryman, who was taken by the people and made king, in obedience to the command of the oracle. The Oracle said, according to the myth, that their future king should come in a wagon. While the people were deliberating, Gordius with his wife and son came driving in his wagon into the public square. Other versions of the myth portray Midas as a peasant who performed a good deed and became ki ...

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Midas, Midas - Background, Midas - The Myth

Read more here: » Midas: Encyclopedia II - Midas - Background

punya: (Sanskrit) "Holy; virtuous; auspicious."

1)    Good or righteous.

2)    Meritorious action.

3)    Merit earned through right thought, word and action.

Punya includes all forms of doing good, from the simplest helpful deed to a lifetime of conscientious beneficence. Each act of punya carries its karmic consequence, karmaphala, "fruit of action" - the positive reward of actions, words and deeds that are in keeping with dharma. Awakened psychics who have developed clairvoyant sight can clearly see the punya accrued in the inner subconscious aura as a colorful, freeflowing, astral, light-energy, pranic substance.

Punya is seen as light-hued, pastel colors, whereas its counterpart, papa, is seen as shades of darker colors which are usually static and immovable. These arrangements of the papa shades and punya hues are not unlike the free-expression paintings found in modern art. Punya colors produce inner contentment, deep joy, the feeling of security and fearlessness. Papa can be dissolved and punya created through penance (prayashchitta), austerity (tapas) and good deeds (sukritya).

Punya is earned through virtuous living, following the multi-faceted laws of dharma. Punya depends on purity of acts according to various factors including

1)   the karma and evolution of the individual,

2)    degree of sacrifice and unselfish motivation and

3)    time and place. For example, virtuous deeds, sadhana, tapas and penance have greater merit when performed in holy places and at auspicious times.

The Tirukural (105) states that "Help rendered another cannot be measured by the extent of the assistance given. Its true measure is the worth of the recipient." In other words, a small act done for a great and worthy soul carries more punya than even a large act performed for a lesser person. (Opposite of papa.)

See: aura, karma, papa, penance.

(See also: Punya, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sikhs believe that every creature has a soul. In death, the Soul is passed from one body to another until liberation. The journey of the soul is governed by the deeds and actions that we perform during our lives. If we perform good deeds and actions and remember the Creator, we attain a better life. On the contrary, if we carry out evil actions and sinful deeds, we will be incarnated in “lower” life forms – plants, insects, animals, e ...

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Sikhism primary beliefs and principles, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Ek Onkar - One God, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Reincarnation Karma and Salvation, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Remember God, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Humanity Brotherhood, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Uphold Moral Values, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Personal Sacrifice, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Many Paths Lead to God, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Positive Attitude Toward Life, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Disciplined Life, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - No Special Worship Days, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Conquer the Five Thieves, Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Attack with Five Weapons

Read more here: » Sikhism primary beliefs and principles: Encyclopedia II - Sikhism primary beliefs and principles - Reincarnation Karma and Salvation

On the Jewish New Year Rosh HaShana there are numerous customs based on Kabbalah. Many Jews eat special foods signifying a good new year. The most popular special food is dipping an apple in honey, to signify a sweet new year. A pomegranate, because of its many seeds, is eaten to signify fulfilling many good deeds. A head of an animal, usually fish, is also eaten to signify being the head and not the tail. There are those that refrain from sleeping during the ...

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Kabalistic Laws, Kabalistic Laws - Holidays and Special Occasions, Kabalistic Laws - Dietary law, Kabalistic Laws - Prayer, Kabalistic Laws - Everyday Activities

Read more here: » Kabalistic Laws: Encyclopedia II - Kabalistic Laws - Holidays and Special Occasions

Butler is clearly influenced by Rabelais and particularly Cervantes' Don Quixote. But whereas in Cervantes, although being mocked, the readers sympathies are obviously supposed to be with the noble knight, Hudibras is offered nothing but derision. The title comes from the name of a knight in Edmund Spencer's Faerie Queene who is described as "not so good of deeds as great of name" and "more huge in strength then wise in work". Spencer in turn probably got the name from the le ...

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Hudibras, Hudibras - Purpose, Hudibras - Structure, Hudibras - Plot, Hudibras - Significance

Read more here: » Hudibras: Encyclopedia II - Hudibras - Structure

The teachings of Zoroaster are presented in seventeen liturgical, texts, or "hymns", the yasna which is divided into groups called Gāthās. If basic precepts of Zoroastrianism are to be distilled into a single maxim, the maxim is Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta (Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds). A cosmic struggle between Aša "The Truth" (Pahlavi Ahlāyīh) and Druj "The Lie" (Pahlavi Druz) is presented as the foundation of our existence. This is often related to a struggle between ...

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Zoroaster, Zoroaster - Name, Zoroaster - Zoroaster in History, Zoroaster - Life, Zoroaster - Zoroaster in Historical Context, Zoroaster - Date of Zoroaster, Zoroaster - Zoroastrian teachings, Zoroaster - Zoroaster in the West, Zoroaster - Contemporary views, Zoroaster - Bibliography

Read more here: » Zoroaster: Encyclopedia II - Zoroaster - Zoroastrian teachings

"Repel evil with that which is best: We are Well-acquainted with the things they say." - Quran 23:96. "And when they hear vain talk, they turn away therefrom and say: 'To us our deeds, and to you yours; peace be to you: we seek not the ignorant.'" - Quran 28:55. "Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men; for Allah loves those who do good." - Quran 3:134. "When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courte ...

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Adab behavior, Adab behavior - Examples of encouraged Adab

Read more here: » Adab behavior: Encyclopedia II - Adab behavior - Examples of encouraged Adab