REL134
Week 1 Individual Assignment: Elements of Religious
Traditions Paper
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper that does the following:
o Explains how
religious traditions describe and encourage the following relationships:
· Relationship with
the divine
· Relationship with
sacred time
· Relationship with
sacred space or the natural world
· Relationship with
each other
o Identifies key
critical issues in the study of religion.
o Includes specific
examples from the various religious traditions described in the Week One
readings—such as a belief in one God or many gods and goddesses, church on
Sunday, holy mountains, or the Quakers calling each other friends. You may also
include examples from your own
religious tradition or another religious tradition with
which you are familiar.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Week 1 DQ1
Why should we study religions? What are some of the methods used to study
religions? What are somenof the problems and questions sometimes associated
with them?
Week 1 DQ2
How do religious traditions view the world and humanity’s
place in it? How do religious traditions respond to issues of gender?
Week 1 DQ3
From the reading, what are the basic elements of religion?
Week 1 DQ4
What are some difficulties in trying to define religion and
religious beliefs?
Week 2 Individual Assignment: Jewish Holy Days Paper
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper describing one of the
following Jewish holy days:
o Rosh Hashanah
o Yom Kippur
o Sukkot
o Hanukkah
o Purim
o Passover
o Shavuot
Include in your description:
o The time of the
year of the holy day(s)
o The historical
origin of the holy day(s)
o The religious
practices associated with the day(s)
o Theological or
cultural differences that might lead to differences in the observance of the
holy day by the various branches of Judaism
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Week 2 DQ1
Choose a key moment in the Biblical history of the Jewish
people. How does this moment relate to the main religious beliefs of the Jewish
faith?
Week 2 DQ2
What influence has Judaism had on the Western world? Provide
examples of this influence?
Week 2 DQ3
What do the terms brahman, atman, maya, karma, samsara, and
moksha mean? How do these terms relate to each other in Hindu teachings?
Week 2 DQ4
What forms of devotion and spirituality are common in
Hinduism?
Week 3 Learning Team Assignment: Christianity and the Arts
Presentation
Choose an example of Christian art, music, or architecture
from each of the following:
o Eastern icons
o Western Medieval
o Renaissance
o Modern
Create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation
in which you explain how the chosen works illustrate the following:
o Basic Christian
beliefs that emerged in the early church
o Historical
development of the three major traditions
o Contrasts among the
Christian traditions
o Pluralistic nature
of contemporary Christianity
Format citations and references consistent with APA
guidelines.
Week 3 DQ1
How was the New Testament formed and recognized in the early
Church? What issues were critical to including a writing in the New Testament?
Week 3 DQ2
How does Christianity exhibit a pluralistic character?
Compare Christian practices and sacraments among its many different
denominations
Week 3 DQ3
Do you identify Buddhism as a religion? Why or why not? How
does it contrast with other traditional religions?
Week 3 DQ4
What are the Three Jewels of Buddhism? What are the Four
Noble Truths? What are the steps of the Noble Eightfold Path? How do these
teachings inform the practice of Buddhism?
Week 4 Individual Assignment: Islam Worksheet
Complete the University of Phoenix Material: Islam Worksheet
available on the student website
Week 4 DQ1
Islam means, at its root, “surrender”. How does Islamic belief
and practice reflect the importance of surrendering to Allah? How is this idea expressed in similar ways in
Judaism and Christianity?
Week 4 DQ2
What was the influence of Islam on the arts and sciences?
How does the past influence compare with today’s influence?
Week 4 DQ3
What elements of Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto are
characteristic of Eastern religious traditions studied in this course?
Week 4 DQ4
How does Confucianism differ with Taoism?
Week 5 Learning Team Assignment: Contemporary Issues in
Western Religions Paper and Presentation
Resources: Understanding Religious Beliefs and Traditions II
simulation
Choose one of the Western religious traditions discussed in
the course.
Write a 2,100- to 2,450-word paper about the contemporary issues
facing the Western religious traditions studied in this course. The paper
should discuss the following:
o Historical
connections and theological similarities with the other two religions—this
section is limited to 350 to 700 words
o Contemporary struggles
within the religion and with the other two religions
Cite at least five references in addition to the textbook.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Prepare a 10- to 12-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint®
presentation on contemporary struggles within the chosen religion and with the
other two religions. Do not include the historical connections and theological
similarities.
Format citations and references consistent with APA
guidelines.
Week 5 DQ1
How has the idea of the sacred or holy created conflict
between these three Western religious traditions?
Week 5 DQ2
What threats do the Western religious traditions face in a
more secular world? How are they coping with these threats?
0 comments:
Post a Comment