Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Study On Development Of Ebanking In Vietnam Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3445 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? E-banking use has grown along with other forms of Internet use. The revolution in ICT has brought and will continue to bring big changes in the life of people and nations around the world. In 2008, there were about 78.4 million internet users in ASEAN. The graph in Exhibit 3-1 shows that internet development from 2005 to 2008 in six ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). Internet users per capita in Singapore were 72.94, the largest in the region. Internet users per capita in Malaysia were 62.57, the second largest in the region. Typically developing, internet users per capita in Vietnam were 23.91, the third largest in the region with the highest average growth rate of 20% per annual. The Internet is perceived as a powerful tool for developing Internet banking services in Vietnam. Internet services only became available in Vietnam in 1998. Internet users in Vietnam are mostly concentrated at big towns and citi es. Internet development in Vietnam from 2005 to 2009 as illustrated in Exhibit 3-2 shows that internet users were from 12.89 million in 2005 to a double of 25.15 million in 2009. The Internet development in the region and Vietnam is changing the banking industry and is having the major effects on e-banking. Although Internet use in Vietnam is still the third largest in ASEAN, this development is a good requisition for develop Internet banking services in Vietnam. According to Ministry of Industry and Trade, Internet users are expected to have a stronger growth in 2010 and in the next years. In short, the Internet development has improved for the recent years as foundation for developing e-banking services in Vietnam According to the International Telecommunication Union, Vietnams telecommunications industry has been ranked as the second fastest growing worldwide (after that of China). As depicted at Exhibit 3-3, mobile subscribers development in Vietnam from 2000 to 2009 shows t hat there were 2.7, 5, 9.6, 15.5 and 23.7 million mobile phone subscribers in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. This trend indicates a two-fold increase in mobile subscribers every year. Between 2007 and 2008, the number of mobile subscribers grew by 195% percent from 23.7 million to 70 million. In 2009, mobile subscribers were 106.3 million. Strong growth of the Vietnams mobile market will boost many people to participate in electronic payment network via Mobile banking. According to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, mobile subscriber is expected to 140 million in 2010 and to grow rapidly over the next years. In brief, the mobile development is potential for developing e-banking services in Vietnam Since Vietnam banks made a debut on electronic payments with participation in the SWIFT system in March 1995, non-cash payments in Vietnam grew rapidly in line with the growth in middle-income people and an increasing familiarity with method of non-cash payment. Exhibit 3-4 shows the figures to underpin the positive trend of non-cash payment in Vietnam from 2001 to 2009. The percentage of cash payment in the economy decreased continuously from 23.7% in 2001, 2005 was 19.01%, 2006 was 17.21%, 2007 was 16.36%, 2008 was 14.6% and 2009 projected 14.0%. In addition, electronic payment in Vietnam has a strong growth over the past years. According to a report commissioned by State Bank of Vietnam, percentage of cash in the total means of payment is forecasted to reduce to 13% by 2010 and to have lot of potential for further decrease over the following years. This is a great opportunity, giving a green light for the development towards a non-cash payment market on the threshold of e-banking development in Vietnam In Vietnam, e-banking adoption grew very rapidly in the past ten years. In Exhibit 3-5, e-banking first appeared in the market in 1999 but it was adopted by ACB bank in March 2001 in the form of Home banking. VCB bank launched ATM b anking in Jan 2002. Besides ATM banking, other innovations are introduced place such as phone and Internet banking which provide customers the ability to access banking services from various locations and at a 24-hour by 7 days basis. ACB bank launched Phone banking in August 2003 and Call Center in 2005. During the first period of Internet expansion, commercial banks had static or interactive Websites. VCB bank launched Internet banking in Jan 2006. However, ACB bank was the first bank to introduce full e-banking channels in January 2005 while DongA bank was the first bank to introduce Mobile Internet banking in January 2008 as part of its suite of Online Banking services Vietnam commercial banks are active participate in launching new e-channels and most of them are transforming from the computerization of traditional services to supply of new e-channels At present, ATMs have become a common customer delivery channel in urban centers. ATM cards are the most popular cards in Vietnam. POS was accepted in most supermarkets. Data from Exhibit 3-6 shows that ATM, POS and ATM Card have grown dramatically since 2005. As of 2009, the entire Vietnamese banking sector has 10,000 ATMs, 37,000 POS terminals and 21.6 million ATM Card. There are three separate card payment network exist in Vietnam, Smartlink Card Services Joint Stock Company (Smartlink), Vietnam National Financial Switching Joint Stock Company (Banknetvn) and Vietnam Bank Card (VNBC). In 2008, the successful interconnection of the two inter-bank card payments brought more utilities and convenience to e-banking nationwide In recent years, the increasing e-banking has opened a new path for Vietnam commercial banks to lower the cost to serve their customers, improve their competitive position and gain customer loyalty. Moreover, e-banking have established a foundation for delivering future products and services that can be monetized such as electronic payments and remittances As of April 2010, there were about 39 commercial banks operating in Vietnam. In Exhibit 3-7 shows that twenty eight commercial banks provided ATM card, account for 72% of 39 commercial banks in Vietnam. Most Vietnam commercial banks launched many ATMs across the country in order to boost accessibility to banking services instead of opening new branches immediately because it is an investment that requires more time and resources. Five commercial banks supplied Home banking service. Few commercial banks launched Home banking services, account for 12% of 39 commercial banks in Vietnam. Seven commercial banks had Phone banking. Numbers of commercial banks provide Phone banking service not much, account for 18% of 39 commercial banks in Vietnam. Twenty seven commercial banks implemented Internet banking, account for 69% of 39 commercial banks in Vietnam. Twenty three commercial banks launched Mobile banking, account for 59% of 39 commercial banks in Vietnam Home banking is provided by five commercial banks (ACB Bank, Ocean Bank, VietA Bank, Vietcombank and VietinBank. These five banks are large-sized commercial banks in capital, high-technology and services. Exhibit 3-8 presents Home banking utilities in five Vietnam commercial banks. The Home banking utilities are limited in only allowing customers to check account balances, transfer money and pay bills. The number of commercial banks not only provides few Home banking services, but number of customers is also very low. Because the service costs high and these banks only encourage customers which are high number of payment. Furthermore, to use this service, customers must equipped PC and line at their own cost The limitation of Phone banking is no screen to follow up the transaction or receive order confirmation and restricted transactions. As shown in Exhibit 3-9, Phone banking services are provided by seven commercial banks (ACB Bank, Giadinh Bank, SeABank, HabuBank, SouthernBank, SCB Bank and Vietcombank). These banke rs only allow customers to check their balance and access information. Moreover, the Phone banking is considered as an additional distribution channel and is offered as a way of backing up their Internet banking in case of system error Vietnamese customers are moving towards Internet banking. This service is provided by most of commercial banks in Vietnam and customers could use various services on a 24/7 basis. The banks started Internet banking initially with simple functions such as accessing information about interest rates, checking account balances and loan. Thereafter, e-banking services were extended to bill payment, fund transfer between accounts and cash management for corporate. Now, few banks facilitate payment for e-commerce transactions by directly debiting bank accounts or transferring money. As illustrated in Exhibit 3-10, all Vietnam commercial banks provided account enquiry utility. Nearly half of Vietnam commercial banks had money transfer utility. And one thir d Vietnam commercial banks provided bill payment utility. However, some utilities such as online inter-bank fund transfer, online-shopping using bank cards and online deposit are not come in use Mobile banking is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments etc. via a mobile device such as a mobile phone. Mobile banking today is most often performed via SMS or the Mobile Internet but can also use special programs called clients downloaded to the mobile device (Wikipedia). Mobile banking provides customers with the ability to stay connected with their finances even when they are on the go Although mobile phone market develops very fast with more than 106 million subscribers, Mobile banking is still at the early stage of development. Seeing enormous potential of Mobile banking, twenty three Vietnam commercial bankers provided some Mobile banking services as shown by the chart in Exhibit 3-11. However, most of them offer customers the ease of using th eir mobile phone to check account balances, pay bills and even locate ATM that was based on SMS. There is only one bank (DongA Bank) to offer an option for customers to conduct several transactions such as bills payment, deposit and money transfer into other peoples bank accounts via customers mobile. The reason that most Vietnam commercial banks do not offer more services on Mobile banking was due to customer demand The Master plan on e-commerce development in the 2006-2010 periods which was implemented in 2005 is the first States macro policy with comprehensive orientations and solutions and specific action program with the view to enhancing e-commerce development nationwide. The Master plan laid foundation for the implementation of several activities related to e-banking. In 2007, two Decrees on electronic transactions in finance (Decree No. 27/2007/ND-CP) and electronic transactions in banking (Decree No. 35/2007/ND-CP) were issued to instruct the implementation of the Laws o n Electronic Transactions in term of data messages. Moreover, the Decree on Digital Signatures (Decree No. 26/2007/ND-CP) formed the legal basis for the development of digital signatures and digital signature certifying services, the prerequisites for developing electronic transactions nationwide. According to a report from Economist Intelligence Unit as presented in Exhibit 3-13, Vietnam which was 64th in e-readiness rankings 2009, have made substantial progress in recent years in making digital channels available to citizens for information provision and consultation The development in banking payments has been recently reflected positively. According to Government Websites news, the Governments Decree on implementation of non-cash payment and SBVs project on development of non-cash payment in the period of 2006-2010 and a vision to 2020 was a solution and a legal framework for electronic transactions. Of the payment revenue via banks in first quarter of 2010, the non-cash and cash payment has accounted for 85% and 15% respectively. Interbank electronic payment system, the national payment system, can process two million transactions per day, improving the payment quality and capital liquidity of the economy. Card payment services also had a sound development. The payment systems of the two biggest card payment alliances, Banknetvn and Smartlink, which account for more than 90% of the card payment market share, have now been linked together. According to the SBV, together with the rapid development of non-cash payment services, the proportion of cash in total payment methods has decreased. Robust development of electronic payment facilities and non-cash payment services will be a good opportunities for e-banking adoption Vietnam is a good place for growth in the e-banking sector due to high literacy rate and young of the population. Young population will make the e-banking market fast growing. According to a 2007 survey conducted by McKinsey on pers onal financial services in Vietnam as plotted in Exhibit 3-14, young adults whose 21 to 29 years old play a large role in using e-channels. Younger people are generally considered more receptive to new technologies than older people are. The growing trend of younger customer is likely to prefer automated access. In addition, the needs of young customers and middle class customers will become more and more diversified. These high literacy rate and young of the population open opportunity for developing e-banking services in Vietnam Vietnam has adequate prerequisites for the development of e-banking: Vietnams ICT industry and financial institutions have cooperated with the Government to develop infrastructure services on e-payment such as Inter-bank Payment System, Electronic Clearing System and Card Payment System with four bankcards alliances. These systems give bankers systematical support to develop e-banking in the country. Supportive ICT and telecommunications services are available. Vietnam enjoys access to first rate ICT firms with all of the ICT wares and technical support services necessary to develop e-banking. The regional or global nature of these ICT firms creates the opportunity to develop existing platforms and applications for e-banking services. There has been significant growth in the use of ICT in Vietnam. The number of mobile phone subscribers and the number of Internet users have increased as shown in Exhibit 3-2 and 3-3. The ICT market is expected to be driven by companies increasingly adopting e-banking as well. Deregulation of key sectors, liberalization of economic policy and moves to integrate Vietnam into the global economy have been key drivers of increased ICT adoption in Vietnam. The development of e-banking in Vietnam has become an integral part of the Governments efforts to make the country to be high level in technology. The Government has issued of laws on electronic transaction to encourage the use of e-banking. Although there is a progress in non cash payment in transaction, habit of cash usage of the most population is still a big obstacle for developing e-banking. In Vietnam, cash is king and still remain as the main method of payment for personal consumption. Traditionally, Vietnamese prefer to keep cash at home or the form of gold or lending to their relatives. For corporation, especially SME, still prefer to receive and pay cash in business transactions. Many high value transactions have not been conducted through banks as people may not have confidence in the banks. Cash usage habit limits the development of advanced payment methods. Most Vietnamese customers of electronic services in the banks are mainly employees with relatively high and stable salaries from leading industries such as financial institutions, post and telecommunications, information technology, real estate, aviation and construction etc. Therefore, Vietnamese with low education and low income were less likely to participate in e-banking. The reasons are that most Vietnamese earn low income, have little need for opening bank accounts and there are some drawbacks such as computer illiteracy, security, fraud, and theft have deterred Vietnamese from participating in e-banking. In addition, many Vietnamese customers are still uncomfortable with e-banking while the benefits of such advancements have been welcomed by most of the educated ones. Low skill of using information technology applicants and weakness in English is also a psychological barrier to actively participate in e-banking The development of e-banking in Vietnam is further threatened by foreign bank competition. Recently, some of the wholly-owned foreign banks have been granted licenses to conduct retail banking in conjunction with regular commercial banking services provide a variety of advanced e-banking services. This leads to a large gap between the computerization of foreign banks and that of local commercial banks. In ad dition, the unequal development and use of ICT among Vietnam commercial banks slow the introduction of e-banking services. Since investments on e-banking depends each project and business separately, Vietnam commercial banks have not enough synchronized system to develop e-banking services. All the 39 Vietnam commercial banks engaged the use of ICT as a platform for effective and efficient delivery of banking services such as: electronic payment cards, Internet banking and Mobile banking services are gradually being introduced Although literacy rate in Viet Nam is very high, the majority of Vietnamese have had a low awareness on e-banking. E-banking services have not become popular because the customer still prefers the comfort of having a bricks-and-mortar branch to visit. Many Vietnamese customers are still accustomed to tangible banking transactions and reluctance to change. Few banks provide the transactions of buying and selling goods, paying bills, transferring funds, and m anaging investments. Working manner in general and purchasing habit in particular are still under traditional form. Many non-users do not know the existing e-banking services. These pose serious problems for the development of e-banking. In addition to the hesitation of participating in e-banking in Vietnam due to low awareness, there has been mistrust between customers and banks involved in the e-banking transactions such as quality, reliability, security, risk and privacy. It is believed that customers do not have confidence to make any big financial transactions and stay away from online services involving financial exchanges. Therefore lack of system security concerns as the prime reasons for low clients trust in Vietnam e-banking system E-banking development choice of Vietnam commercial banks focus on its core-banking technology, core-capacity. The Vietnam commercial banks acknowledged that their e-banking adoption is greatly influenced by ICT infrastructure driven by cor e banking system. A factor which is being the key strength in development of e-banking in Vietnam is that majority of Vietnam commercial banks have deployed core-banking in their day-to-day operations. This has also considered as the basic deployment of modern core banking toward e-banking in order to close the gap with foreign banks. Vietnam commercial banks have offered a range of e-banking services such as SMS banking, Mobile banking, Internet banking and ATM card based on the core-banking system. According to TEMENOS (SIX: TEMN), the global provider of integrated core-banking systems, eleven of thirty Vietnam Commercial banks has installed TEMENOS T24. The others have installed Flexcube SYMBOLS, Huyndai and Sylverlake. Majority of Vietnam commercial banks are having strong willing to develop in e-banking services towards modernization. On top of all these, there is a clear trend towards a greater degree of commitment in e-banking adoption . The commitment of banks management to invest in innovative technology to provide non-users with access to e-banking services have considered as a key factor in the success of developing e-banking. Moreover, the banks management has become more aware of the possibilities and benefits of e-banking. Many Vietnam commercial banks are on significantly restructuring to adapt to the new e-banking standards. Bank restructuring process continues to be fostered by the SBV. E-banking is being promoted by Vietnam commercial banks as an essential component of a restructuring strategy to achieve greater efficiencies in e-business. In addition, under the pressure of foreign banks with full e-banking services, Vietnam commercial banks are being forced to restructure their organizations, operations and activities such as working 24 hour a day and 7 days a week In general, most commercial banks have not yet provided customers with full e-banking services. It only allows customers to check their balance, access information such a s exchange rates, interest rates and consultative information useful for investment on a Web presence. Many e-banking services do not meet customers expectations: they have to personally go to the bank to buy services or deposit their money. Many banks fail to supply services relating to investment, trade in real estate or financial leasing via e-channels. Cross selling products/services are still low delivery of products and services essentially through branch network which requires direct contact with customers; off-site transactions and services distribution are fragmented due to undiversified and limited e-banking services. In addition, four alliances in the ATM network are creating segmentation of networks where the customers of this networks sometimes unable to access to others network. The investment in e-banking is higher than that in bricks-and-mortar banking. The applicability of e-banking to Vietnam commercial banks depend on ICT capital expenditure at start-up stage. High start-up cost of e-banking prevents banks from investing in e-banking. Although the e-banking services proved to be much more cost effective than traditional services, most Vietnamese commercial banks have an absent significant investment on e-banking due to their capital limitation. Currently, majority of Vietnam commercial banks have had no proper strategies with clear roadmap for developing e-banking services. The e-banking development strategy of Vietnam commercial banks has not linked yet the reform of the SBV with the encouraging electronic payment. Lack of well-defined e-banking strategy that is aligned with business strategy is also one of the most common problems in e-banking adoption of Vietnam commercial banks. In addition, their level of strategic awareness is low and they have not yet developed an marketing strategy to attract customers to adopt or move into using e-banking services. Therefore, they require planned efforts of bank management to boost the develop ment of e-banking services. The current e-banking infrastructure of Vietnam commercial banks still remains insecure due to lack of risk management competences. With e-banking activities, Inadequacy of risk management efforts involve in banks management oversight, information security programs and legal and compliance issues. The incompetence of risk management is likely to prevent e-banking services from growing Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Study On Development Of Ebanking In Vietnam Finance Essay" essay for you Create order

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Essay on Direct Democracy vs Representative Democracy

Direct Democracy vs Representative Democracy The term Democracy is derived from two Greek words, demos, meaning people, and kratos, meaning rule. These two words form the word democracy which means rule by the people. Aristotle, and other ancient Greek political philosophers, used the phrase, `the governors are to be the governed, or as we have come to know it, `rule and be ruled in turn. The two major types of democracy are Representative Democracy and Direct Democracy. Clearly the arguments for and against each form of democracy are plentiful. However, it is my belief that theoretically, Direct Democracy is the superior form of political rule. Due to problems with in the direct democratic system, its use as a†¦show more content†¦But, it is very possible, that through discussion an agreement could be reached by all members. Representation, on the other hand allows a select few to make decisions in their own best interest, which is not necessarily the best interest of the society. However, direct democracy is not the perfect method to produce a union of the community. For a direct democracy to work, face to face communication between all members of the community is needed. The only way this is possible is to meet in large groups. Due to the fear of high tension, many citizens will not participate in these large group meeting. So in order for these fearful people to voice their opinions they must get together in smaller, less tensions groups, where they are not as timid to say as they wish to see happen. A direct democracy can only work in a small group, so as a form of government for an entire community or country, direct democracy would definitely fail. As the membership increases, people become less involved. Once the membership reaches the size of a country, the participation still exists, but is limited to as low as it can go. Thus in a country, any form of direct democracy is only possible in individual communities. In order for a committee small enough to operate on direct democracy principles to have any authority at all, it must represent a muchShow MoreRelated Direct Democracy Vs Representative Democracy Essay956 Words   |  4 PagesDirect Democracy vs Representative Democracy The term Democracy is derived from two Greek words, demos, meaning people, and kratos, meaning rule. These two words form the word democracy which means rule by the people. Aristotle, and other ancient Greek political philosophers, used the phrase, `the governors are to be the governed, or as we have come to know it, `rule and be ruled in turn. The two major types of democracy are Representative Democracy and Direct Democracy. Clearly theRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States Essay2016 Words   |  9 PagesPaper Over time the democracy in the United States has changed a lot. 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Monday, December 9, 2019

A Tale of Two Cities Best or Worst of Times Essay Example For Students

A Tale of Two Cities: Best or Worst of Times? Essay In the novel A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens describes the best of times and the worst of times (1) of the characters. France and England struggle through political confusion, which is one of the most disturbing periods of history. On the other hand, for the characters of the novel, these are the times of rebirth and revival. The author conveys the dual nature of this epoch by contrasting representations of light and dark, chaos and stability, doom and hope with the use of setting, characterization, foreshadowing, symbolism, and plot set up. The novel opens in the troubled year of 1775, with a comparison of England and pre-Revolutionary France. It conveys the sense of doom and chaos. Both countries go through extreme social turmoil. With sarcasm, Dickens condemns the nobles as responsible for the disorder. Under the guidance of Frances Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off because he had not kneeled down to a dirty procession of monks (2) France has mostly political difficulties while in England the issues are largely social. France rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it. (2) In England, there was scarcely an amount of order and protection to justify much national boasting. Daring burglaries by armed men, and highway robberies, took place in the capital itself every night. (2) The portrayal of the countries state conveys the atmosphere of doom and chaos. On the other hand, the plot set up and characterization in the novel imply a sense of hope, a light in the darkness. The central characters in the first book are all likeable people. Jarvis Lorry, the banker, is very reliable and responsive. He takes on a role of Lucies friend and guardian. He is there to help and support her as they travel to Paris to find Mr. Manette, Lucies father. Rendered in a manner desperate, by Lucies state, Mr. Lorry drew over his neck the arm that shook upon his shoulder, lifted her a little, and hurried her into the room. He set her down just within the door, and held her, clinging to him. (31) Lucie is a classical Victorian heroine. She is delicate and softhearted. She acknowledges her father at once as if she had known him all her life and expresses her feelings for him. I pray to you to touch me and to bless me. Kiss me, kiss me! O my dear, my dear! (40) The plot of the novel up to the end of Book 1 revolves around the revival of Mr. Manette, his being recalled to life. (6) After eighteen years of imprisonment, he finds his daughter, and Lucie Manette finds her father who has been dead for her. Lucie Manette promises to him that they will go to England to be at peace and at rest (40). Despite the social and political disorder, these are the times of hope for Lucie Manette and her father. The twofold nature of the novel, both light and dark, hope and doom, is reflected in foreshadowing and symbolism. The spilling of red wine is a premonition of blood to be shed in the Revolution. All the people within reach had suspended their business, or their idleness, to run to the spot and drink he wine. (24) There will be people in the Revolution who will, figuratively, drink the blood like the wine. Another foreboding of the long and hard road of the Revolution is the image of the mail that goes up the hill along the difficult and dangerous Dover road. No travelers who venture on it are secure. If any one of the passengers had the hardihood to propose another walk in the mist and darkness, he would have put himself in a fair way of getting shot instantly by a highwayman. (5) In the mist of the night road, there is the air of distrust and separateness. .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d , .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .postImageUrl , .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d , .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d:hover , .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d:visited , .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d:active { border:0!important; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d:active , .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u334695e597c416b0a5f2505d432fb22d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Inspector Calls Essay Summary The guard suspected the passengers, the passengers suspected one another and the guard, they all suspected everybody else, and the coachman was sure of nothing but the horses. (5) Every person

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Three Issues of the Prophets

Introduction The Old Testament has five major sections namely law, history, wisdom, Major Prophets, and Minor Prophets. The work of prophets in the Old Testament was to guide people towards accepting God and believing in his ability to fulfill their needs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Three Issues of the Prophets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They also prophesied about the second coming of the messiah and provided insight on issues that Jews faced as they desperately tried to know God (Hindson Yates, 2012). Three issues addressed by the prophets in their teachings included idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism. They predicted how people would slowly drift away from God’s commandments, create their own religions, and start oppressing the weak. The prophets taught the Jews a lot about God, religious rituals, and the expected way of life. In addition, they taught them how to transfer thei r knowledge to subsequent generations for continuity (Bullock, 2007). Their teachings were practical, and Christians draw a lot of wisdom from them in contemporary society. Prophets on idolatry Old Testament prophets were inspired by the spirit of God to foresee and tell his people about things that would turn them away from him. The bible explains idolatry as the practice of worshiping images that are not God. God uses his prophets to explain this practice to his people (Hindson Yates, 2012). One of the people who deliver this message is prophet Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 2:1-3, God compares Israel with a young bride who is very faithful and committed to him. However, for those who dislike and harm the bride for her devotion get punished by God for their mistakes through a disaster inflicted on them (Bullock, 2007). In Jeremiah 2: 23-25, the prophet talks to people in a powerful and confronting manner asking them to wake up and follow God like they do to their idols.Advertising Lo oking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another prophet who talks about idolatry is Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 8: 17-18, God asks him whether he has seen the idolatry temple that signifies how much people have replaced his presence in their lives with idols (Loken, 2010). In the same verse, God also speaks of his huge dislike for this practice that provokes his anger. God swears not to pity people who turn away from him, and continue to disregard his purpose in their lives. God always used prophet Ezekiel to preach and prophesy against worshipping idols (Hindson Yates, 2012). Prophets on social injustice During the days of Old Testament prophets, there was a serious problem of social injustices among the people. According to the Bible, Israelites had turned away from their governing laws, thus resulting to widespread injustices and failure (Bullock, 2007). This issue is widely addressed in the books of Exod us, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy among others. Social injustices voiced by the Old Testament prophets are also present in modern society. A good example is Pharaoh who captured Joseph and held him captive for a prolonged period. In Amos 5: 11, God threatens people against exploiting the weak for selfish gains. He says that those who exploit others to generate wealth, build big mansions, and develop huge plantations will not enjoy any benefits from their bad practices (Hindson Yates, 2012). Prophet Amos was very active in preaching to the Israelites about God’s judgment that would befall them for all the injustices they committed. God had mandated the people of Israel to watch over the poor and weak members of the society. However, they created a gap between the rich and the poor (Loken, 2010). This was totally against God’s commandments. In Amos 5: 14-15, God asks his people to do good to others in order to attain eternal life. God uses prophet Amos to ask his people to promote justice in courts for so that they can receive his mercy when they die (Loken, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Three Issues of the Prophets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Prophets on religious ritualism Prophet Micah talks about religious ritualism in the Old Testament by providing a different insight into what God expected from the Israelites (Hindson Yates, 2012). Prophet Micah reveals that God was not interested in sacrifices and offerings. Instead, he was interested in people showing obedience, humility, and positive reflection towards the commandments. In Micah 6:6-8, God tells his people that he does not want them to make offerings just as an obligation but expects them to be honest to each other (Bullock, 2007). In Amos 5:21, God says that he does not approve religious festivals observed by Christians because they no longer bring people together. The prophets preached against using reli gious rituals to seek earthly satisfactions. Conclusion The teachings by Old Testament prophets about idolatry, social injustice, and religious ritualism are applicable to the modern way of living in many ways. From the teachings on idolatry, it is clear that God does not want his people to deviate from the commandments. Human beings should not shift their focus from God by turning to material things. The teachings on social injustice indicate that all people have an ethical responsibility of loving and caring about others. Finally, the teachings on religious ritualism show that the biggest expectation that God has about his people is obedience and the search for eternal happiness over material possessions. References Bullock, C. (2007). An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. California: Moody Publishers.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hindson, E., Yates, G. (2012). The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey. New York: BH Publishing Group. Loken, I. (2010). The Old Testament Prophetic Books: An Introduction. London: Oxford University Press. This essay on Three Issues of the Prophets was written and submitted by user Aiyana Hurst to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.