Assignment 1 3 pages
Respond in essay form to the two (2) questions below.
describe a variety of basic attitudes found in religions. These include positions on basic issues including: sacred reality, the universe, nature, time, human beings, words and scriptures, and exclusiveness vs. inclusiveness. Describe the different options that have been used by religions in addressing these issues. Locate and evaluate your own position regarding these issues, whether or not it is shaped by a particular religious tradition.
Describe the key points made in the Genesis stories. Discuss influences that shaped the different creation narratives as well as questions of authorship and problems of interpretation. Evaluate the question of teaching creationism in the classroom, in light of the scholarship done on Genesis.
Assignment 2 3 pages
when you make use of such material, be sure you cite it properly (i.e., with footnotes or endnotes).
Respond in essay form to the two (2) questions below.
Judaism is described as an orthopraxy, not an orthodoxy. It is concerned with practice, not belief. What are the practices that a good Jew observes (the law), and why do Jews observe them? Although there is no official Jewish creed, what are the central beliefs formulated by the medieval scholar Maimonides? Evaluate the effect on a religion of valuing practice over belief.
Discuss the creation of the State of Israel and subsequent political tensions to which it led.
Assignment 3 3 pages
when you make use of such material, be sure you cite it properly (i.e., with footnotes or endnotes).
Respond in essay form to the two (2) questions below.
Discuss Paul’s background and the events that led to his support of Jesus. What was his usual missionary technique? Describe Paul’s reasoning on his position about whether new converts should keep Jewish laws. What was Paul’s understanding of Jesus? Why is Paul sometimes considered the cofounder of Christianity? How do you view Paul’s contributions to Christianity, as distortion or necessary extrapolation?
Name and briefly discuss the seven traditional sacraments. How do the administration and recognition of the sacraments differ among different Christian sects? Evaluate the place of ritual in general, and in particular in any two sacraments, to the psychological and social needs of our time. Does administration of sacraments remain a valuable role for churches today?
