World View

Refine Search

Where did "knock on wood" come from?

Long before Judaism, Christianity, Islam and other major religions spread through the world, there was paganism - an oft-misunderstood word. Many pagan beliefs centered around nature as spiritual, powerful, healing and holy. This was especially the case with trees. For example, trees were a part of Celtic rituals, and they were considered homes for their gods.The idea is that, while asking for blessings from their gods, pagans would lay a hand on trees for a connection and energy. So, when you knock on wood, you’re essentially replicating an old pagan ritual meant to protect the “knockerâ€..

Continue Reading

What are some of the different uses of money?

Money also serves as a determinate of value in a society. When a company charges $10 for a product, for instance, demand in the marketplace indicates whether consumers believe $10 is a fair value. The amount of money a person or company holds is also used as a measure of worth. When a person applies for a loan, for instance, his income and financial assets are a major factor in the banks' determination on issuing the loan.\nMoney is also the most liquid asset in most cultures. In the United States, for instance, it is typically easier for a person to purchase an item for sale with cash th..

Continue Reading

What is the compatibility of a Scorpio male and an Aquarius female?

Aquarius and Scorpio see things differently and are very strong-willed people who rarely compromise. Aquarius tends to be stimulated by social interactions and is highly extroverted, while Scorpio is a deep thinker who is pensive, observant and intelligent. But these differences don't mean that a relationship between them is impossible. The Scorpio man likely is attracted to the powerful nature that Aquarius exudes at all times and her confidence in thinking that she can possess him. The Aquarius woman is attracted to Scorpio's ability to catch her off guard, but little shocks her. A..

Continue Reading

Who was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick was born into a wealthy British family in the late fourth century. He was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery. During his captivity, he became a devout Christian. He heard a voice in a dream telling him it was time to escape, so he walked 200 miles to the coast, took a ship and returned to his family. He studied for the priesthood in France before returning to Ireland. He already spoke the language, having learned it as a slave, and he adapted his Christian teachings to local culture so they would be more comprehensible to the Irish. For instance, he added the locally r..

Continue Reading

Do we have a protocol for when we come in contact with aliens?

SETI's protocol is that if anyone detects a potential radio signal from extraterrestrial life, they should get in touch with SETI researchers, who will help verify whether the signal is actually evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. If it is, they should notify the International Astronomical Union as well as the United Nations. The discoverer would get to make the first public announcement, but data should be made available to international scientists. SETI would then determine whether a response signal is justified and what message to send if it is. This process would involve not ju..

Continue Reading

What are Filipino family values?

The mother is responsible for instilling values in the children of the home and caring for their emotional needs. It is also common for Filipino parents to live with their sons and daughters later in life. Filipino family values also indicate that children are not permitted to oppose their parents or older siblings. In conservative Filipino families, children are expected to place an elder's hand to their foreheads and greet the elder family member by saying "mano po."

Continue Reading

In human relations, what are "imagined risks"?

Author Bruce Schneier, who wrote the book, "Beyond Fear," says that people worry more about events that occur less often than about everyday threats. For example, people tend to concern themselves with earthquake preparedness more than they do with slipping in the shower. However, according to the author, statistics show that the latter occurrence results in more deaths each year.\nThe threat of terrorism causes more fear than crime in the streets even though more people lose lives in local crimes than in national acts that involve terrorists. Parents worry each year about the candy that is di..

Continue Reading

Where can you find Biblical studies online?

BibleStudyTools.com offers Bible passages and reflections based on the devotional book "Streams in the Desert," by L.B. Cowman. The site also provides links to online Bibles, biblical commentaries, concordances and sermon illustrations. Users may search for Bible passages on a particular topic or access a Bible reading plan among the site's study tools. An audio Bible and a Bible verse of the day facilitate daily study.\nBibleStudy.org offers a number of study tools, including a list of frequently asked questions about characters and events in the Bible; this section links students to det..

Continue Reading

What are Taoism's holy days?

Taoist holy days do not have fixed annual dates because they are based on the lunar calendar. Some of the Taoist holy days also happen to coincide with secular holy days, but most are primarily celebrated in Taoist temples. Most of the holy days are dedicated to deities or important figures in Taoist history.\nOne of the better-known holy days is the celebration of Lao tzu, the founder of Taoism. This day happens on the first day of the first month, and it coincides with the beginning of the Chinese New Year. Among the deities honored by holy days are Xuantian Shangdi, the god of rain, and Maz..

Continue Reading

Why is cloning a bad idea?

Clones occur naturally in all areas of nature. Any identical twin, human or otherwise, is a clone. Many species of microbes and some species of animal and plants reproduce through cloning. The problems arise from human attempts at creating artificial clones, particularly those of mammals, as the technology is still in its infancy and many factors are unknown.\nWell over 95 percent of fertilized clone embryos become non-viable and unable to survive past the initial stages because of genetic defects. Clones that do survive often develop a number of complications later in life, such as abnormally..

Continue Reading
Showing 4311 to 4320 of 10000 (1000 Pages)