Christians in the Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Christians in the Empire - Essay Example Hence it is easy to imagine what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for repentance is afforded." The Roman Empire has also forbidden any secret meetings, and considered them to be political associations against the emperor as Pliny clearly states: "in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political associations." Christians were treated like treators, like conspirators, to the state and the established pagan religion. Pagans considered Christians to be a threat to their own gods, and they considered that misfortunes or natural disasters came from the Christians' God. Pliny didn't know how to prosecute the Christians. For him they were superstitious people, just ignorant people. So Pliny states the following as he didn't know what to do: "I have never participated in trials of Christians. I therefore do not know what offenses it is the practice to punish or investigate, and to what event. . ." Trajan tells him that he has treated the matter in the right way when he said: "You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you as Christians." There is some uncertainty in Trajan's mind when he said: "For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard." But Trajan is positive about not persecuting the Christians. So he said: "They are not to be sought out". This policy makes it easier for Christians to live in the Empire as they were not going to be chased openly. It is also clear in Trajan's words that the anonymous accusations are not going to be taken into account. He said: "But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with [the spirit of] our age." This policy by the emperor eased matters for Christians as they were not going to be persecuted openly, but it was not a perfect solution as they were not considered to be normal citizens in the empire. They were still forbidden. 3. How does Tertullian justify the Christians refusal to worship the emperor Tertullian gives powerful reason for not worshipping the Emperor based on the nature of the Christians conviction about the true God. He said very convincingly: "For we invoke the eternal God, the true God, the living God for the safety of the emperors. . . ." Tertullian states also that Christians do pray in favor of all the emperors with the following words: "Looking up to heaven, the Christians - with hands outspread, because innocent, with head bare because we do not blush, yes! And without a prompter because we pray from the heart - are ever praying for all the emperors. We pray for a fortunate life for them, a secure rule, a safe house, brave armies, a faithful senate, a virtuous

An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility in UK Firms Dissertation

An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility in UK Firms - Dissertation Example Other than the research design, studies need to provide an understanding of the research rationale, sample and sampling procedure, data and collection methods, as well as the data analysis process. The following chapter provides a deeper analysis of the methodology employed in conducting this study. Research Design Approach Research studies take the form of qualitative, quantitative, or both. Whereas quantitative designs use numerical data, qualitative designs use non-numerical data and information to make analysis towards achieving the aim of the study. In order to realise the objectives of this research, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches was employed. On the one hand, the study utilized available research data on the subject of CSR policy and performance among major corporations in the UK. In order to identify a sample space to draw information from, a recent research by Highflier’s Research (2011) on the Top 100 Graduate Employers in the UK for the year 2011 and 2012 was used. Secondary data and information regarding CSR in respect to UK firms provided a good foundation and basis for conducting a detailed analysis hence conclusions and recommendations. Apart from the use of secondary data especially the research study conducted by Highflier’s Research (2011), the study also collected additional information and data from the available literature that addresses the concepts and aspects of CSR with respect to UK firms. Such literatures formed the bigger part of the literature review section. Specific information obtained from the various literatures included the CSR policy frameworks as well as performance of UK firms in respect to the same strategic move. The literatures... The research selects three firms, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury and uses them to represent the entire population. These firms are UK-based and of late have been seen as very successful in respect to CSR policies and performances. The sampling method that was used was the stratified sampling, which involves selecting specific firms that have heard significant impact, whether positive or negative, on the business environment on the basis of the topic under discussions. The three firms formed the case studies that needed to be analyzed in order to arrive at the conclusion. However, there were information and data required regarding the client’s perception on the firms’ CSR policies and performances. Again, it was difficult to conduct interviews on all the clients of the three firms. Consequently, 150 clients were selected randomly and a semi-structured interview was performed on them identifying firstly the firm of choice and then their views on the CSR policies as well as per formances. As much as we praise the importance of CSR practices to the organisation, the ultimate effectiveness of such practices is best felt by the public. It is true that interviewing senior corporate managers can serve good in understanding the environment underpinning their CSR policies. Nevertheless, this option is both resource consuming and might be subject to faked information as managers strive to safeguard their business secrets. On the other hand however, company clients are more open in airing their views on businesses and their practices