I was in San Jose, CA when I heard about the news of Katrina. There were numerous reports saying that Katrina was going to be horrific and that the levies would not stand against the hurricane, yet nothing was done. Although I was not in New Orleans and am not from here, my family is from here, so I have always felt a connection to the city and it’s culture of rich foods, music, and history. I was excepted to XU my freshmen year and opted to not attend because I was not ready, but after Katrina hit, people kept telling me that they were so glad that I did not go because I would have been stuck right in the middle and had to evacuate as others did. Although I probably should have been relieved, I was not. My heart hurt to hear about the events that followed. President Bush even said publicly that he had no idea where New Orleans was and then to hear that the victims were treated like refugees in their own country. How could a country that would stop, drop, and roll for foreign disregard for humanity, not do even more to help their own? The whole situation was ridiculous and makes me question my citizenship. Even today, as the city is beginning to repair, you still see the signs and to look at the vacant homes of people tells the story of the event and it hurts to see and be reminded how this country and its people have declined in integrity, morality, ethics, and compassion for unity among each other.
The class is too new to base any opinion on how the class as far as interests are concern, but after one day, the class seems very informative. I enjoyed putting a contemporary spin on the situations in Lamentations. The circumstances in Lamentations are so depressing that you wonder; “Why would God allow such terrible things to happen to his people?” It seems wrong to make light of the atrocities that happened in Lamentations, but two things would happen in the classroom: the students would be bored with the seriousness of what is going on, or students would opt to cut class for fear of developing depression.
I would like to be able to study the bible with a more critical view so that I can interpret the lessons, stories, and messages with a more in depth analysis. By increasing my ability to think critically, I can challenge some of my own prejudices and come to new conclusions about my faith and the reason why I believe in a God I cannot see. To be honest, I needed the course and this was the only course that fit into my schedule, but I want to gain some perspective and not allow this course to be a waste of my and my professor’s time. The Bible is a way to live a life to the best humanly possible and also a way to learn from the mistakes and success of people. In certain stories of the Bible, there are messages that are supposed to teach people how to live (i.e., the parables of Jesus). There is also information on what kind of characteristics a person should have; the Proverbs Woman. Bible Studies help one to explore the Bible in depth on how to apply these messages and lessons to one’s life and how to improve your life by them. Bible studies also help to develop one’s faith, so that one can critically and intelligently explain reasons for their belief. This type of study helps to deepen faith and give substance and fulfillment to religion. The Bible, on a personal note, keeps me grounded in life and helps me to keep in perspective what is most important and what I hope to accomplish and obtain in all aspects of life: socially, religiously, economically, politically, personally, etc.
The Bible has always been a part of my life. I have been raised to put Jesus first in all my endeavors, but as far as a formal form of teaching, I have been taught stories from the Bible in Sunday school as a child. As I have grown, I have developed the role that the Bible plays in my life. As a young adult, I have attended more advanced Bible studies in my church that pertain to more adult discussions of how one can relate the Bible to one’s lifestyle. I have learned to balance my faith with other aspects of my life. I have also incorporated other’s views and opinions to help challenge and strengthen my own opinions and perspectives.
Currently, I am double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Structural Engineering, which will help me to either further the research in Hydrogen Fuel Cells or invent a completely new engine that is more efficient than carbon-based fuel engines and more environment friendly. Bible studies will help me to put in perspective the ethical and moral dilemmas that I will face in my field and also to learn how to continue with integrity through political and financial road blocks. This class will also help me to strive to new levels of strength because as a black woman engineer, I will face many obstacles being a minority in my field, but Bible Studies will help me to stay focus on my goals and to continue with courage and pride knowing that I have the capabilities “to do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
I, Desireé Smith, according to the Course Commitment policies published on the website, regarding proper behavior and responsibilities to the class, agree to abide by all policies and regulations in the Course Commitment policies (last modified: 03/9/2007 08:55 am).
586 B.C.E. is a key event in the Bible because it surmises the relationship between man and God. In Lamentations, Jeremiah reports the horrible events that occurred during this period and explains how Jerusalem was destroyed and conquered by the Babylonians. This period shows how God’s ways are not our ways and we should not presume to try to understand why things happen the way that they do. There is always a reason for why things happen even though we do not understand it. The events in Lamentations only have two parallels: the suffering of the people in a tragic situation and the hopelessness that the people felt. The hopelessness of both events came because there was no help or alleviation of their suffering. Although Katrina was a horrible disaster, the suffering of one incident does not compare in intensity to the pain and suffering that Jerusalem had during the time of 586 B.C.E. Not to minimize the pain of the Katrina victims, but the victims during the time of Lamentations went through years of their suffering; Katrina is over and the victims can now start to rebuild their lives over again or even start their lives anew, if they have the means. The other parallel to the time of 586 B.C.E. is that the people of Jerusalem had no help, like the people of New Orleans. The government was a joke when it came to taking action to help the people of Katrina; however, it is not the same type of situation with Jerusalem because they were under siege and finally conquered, so there was no government to attempt to turn to.

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