Fall Term Paper Titles

Some of you were interested to know what themes your colleagues were working for their term papers. Below you will find the titles grouped tentatively. Later I may give each group a subtitle. I am very impressed with the cumulative work done by this group exploring a variety of religious themes. You may pick up your papers from me (my office 343 Arts Building) between 10.00 AM to 12.00 Noon on Friday (December 12, 2008)

Titles

Paganism – Spiritual and Polytheistic: Misunderstood
Initiation Rituals in Wicca
Symbols of Rastafarianism

Women and Islam: Evolving Identities
Prophet Muhammad, Messenger of Allah
Islamic Feminism
Women’s Role in Islam: Ideals and Realities
Women in Islam: The Disconnects

Echoing the Past: Persecution of the Baha’is in the Last Century

The Life and Teachings of Dalai Lama

Christian Martyrdom in the Early Christian Era: Faith Confronting the World
Mary Magdalene: The Woman Closest to Jesus
The Inquisition of Galileo Galilei
The Spanish Inquisition
Understanding the Trinity
Conceptualizing the Christian Trinity
Jesus Christ in the Holy Trinity & its Relevance for Contemporary Christian Faith
The Concept of God in Christianity
Christianity in Kenya: Evangelization of the Kikuyu
Russian Orthodox Religion – Beliefs, Traditions, and Ceremonies
Religion and ‘Abstinence-Only’ Sex Education
Glossolalia: Views on Speaking in Tongues
Reconsidering Exorcism

Pious Practices: Amish Sense of Community

Mormonism and Polygamy

Jesus in Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Branch Davidians & the Cult Controversy
Jonestown: Challenging Contemporary ‘Cults’

Marriage in the Middle Eastern Religions
Flood Stories – A Comparative Study
The Swastika

Church of Scientology and the Surrounding Controversies
An Introduction to Scientology
Scientology: Lacking in Religiosity
Scientology and its Popularity

The Hunter’s Horned God – The Devil as Transformed Magician

Hinduism: Past and Present
Vegetarianism in Hindu Spirituality
Becoming Jain: Jainism and its Ascetics

Kabbalah: Finding Purpose in Life

Shinto Beliefs and Practices
Shinto: Beauty in Spirits and Nature

Confucianism – A Religion at Three Levels

Fall End Examination

Office of Interdisciplinary Studies

Introduction to the Religions of the World
Religion 101 – C2 (2008-2009)
Fall Term-End Examination
December 09, 2008 Time: 2.00-4.00 PM

Part I

Answer all

1. The Christian doctrine _________________ speaks of Jesus as the divine Son.
2. Matthew, Mark and Luke whose writings are so similar that they are known as _________________ gospels.
3. Jesus was baptized by __________________.
4. The aspirations of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:1-13 that begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit” is known as the _______________.
5. Zealots, Sadducees, __________________, Scribes and Essenes are the religious contemporaries of Jesus.
6. The story of “____________________” attributed to Jesus encourages the need to live a life of compassion and be a good neighbour.
7. Christians worldwide generally accept the Apostles Creed and the __________ Creed.
8. St Theodosius and St Sergius are two good examples of the _______________ pattern of loving and world-directed monastic life.
9. The books that are included by the Catholics in the Sacred Scriptures but rejected by the Protestants are called __________________.
10. The prayer “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace” originated from ____________________.
11. ________________ are places where the early Christians gathered for worship and fellowship for the fear of persecution.
12. Martin Luther posted his ninety-five theses to the door of __________________ Cathedral inviting his colleagues to discuss and debate.
13. _____________________ is a revolutionary document produced by the Second Vatican Council that altered the Catholic relationship with the Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists.
14. ___________________, the opening chapter of the Qur’an is considered the “Lord’s Prayer” of the Muslims.
15. __________________ is the sacred shrine in Mecca towards which all Muslims turn when they gather for prayers.
16. The author of Sirat Rasul Allah: The Life of Muhammad is _______________ (717-767 CE) and later biographers of Muhammad depend heavily on this earliest work.
17. _____________________ is Muhammad’s uncle who was opposed to Islam in the early days of Islam.
18. There are ________________ beautiful names of God that the Muslims use frequently to express their devotion to God.
19. __________________, a liberal Muslim scholar considers the Qur’an as “entirely the word of God and, in an ordinary sense, also entirely the word of Muhammad”.
20. Muslims believe that the Angel __________________ brought messages from God to Muhammad.
21. Qur’an refers to Tawrat, Zabur, and ____________ as sacred books that were revealed prior to the Qur’an.
22. ____________________ is a well known woman Sufi.
23. Sa’diyya Shaikh, Fatima Mernissi and ___________________ are three well-known contemporary women Islamic scholars.
24. Khaleda Zia, Hasina Wazed, and _____________________ are three prominent contemporary Muslim women in politics and all three of them are from South Asia.
25. Muslims are expected to participate in _____________, which is often mistranslated as “Holy War”.

Part II

Answer only two but choosing one from Christianity and the other from Islam

Christianity

1. Discuss the major Christian concerns of the following persons: David Vandiver, Blessed Teresa and Desmond M. Tutu.

2. Discuss the importance of the Second Vatican Council for contemporary Catholics.

3. Discuss the impact of “feminism” on the Contemporary Christians.

Islam

4. Describe the pre-Islamic Arabia identifying particularly the religions that existed there prior to the advent of Islam.

5. Explain the five pillars of Islam.

6. Identify five themes of the Qur’an and discuss in detail two of them.

Some Similarities and Differences: Judaism, Christianity and Islam

What you can do?

It is possible to compare Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad three persons somewhat connected to the beginning and development of these three religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But they belong to three different moments of history and three geographies with particular political and cultural contexts.

It is possible to compare three religious spaces and what happen there – Synagogue, Church, and a Mosque.

It is possible to compare the Tanak, New Testament, and Qur’an, the holy scriptures of the three religions that emerged from somewhat one region.

It is also possible to pick up a concept – for example, the concept of God or the concept of the Judgment of God – and compare contrast how the three religions look at that particular concept.

Why compare?

a. Some do it to prove the superiority of one over the others! There are plenty of examples for such approach particularly promote in the Internet! We do not go there!

b. Others may compare and contrast these religions to understand one or more better! By doing such comparative studies we may also clarify why people consider religion so important!

Similarities:

Cf. Ira G. Zepp, A Muslim Primer, Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000. pp. 179-182.

1. Christianity and Islam share a joint legacy of a Biblical tradition and the same heritage of prophethood. Both religions come from Judaism, share the common parentage of Abraham, and delight in the Jewish Torah.

2. Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic religions and ascribe similar attributes to God: Creator, Sustainer, Judge, Forgiver, God and Allah both act in history to further causes of justice, peace, and harmony among all people.

3. Both religions are universal in scope, claiming to tran­scend differences of race, ethnicity, nationality, and color.

4. Christianity and Islam are both committed to praxis: a unification of faith and
life, prayer and action. They are strongly ethical religions. The Christian
unity of grace and law is similar to the unity of mercy and Shariah in Islam.

5. Both faiths make absolute claims to perfect truth about God. In this way they resemble most religions founded on divine revelation. As a result, when they speak, they are certain they are speaking in the name of the Absolute.

6. Christianity and Islam both say they purify and fulfill reli­gions that preceded
them: Christianity says this about Judaism, Islam about both Judaism and
Christianity.

7. Both religions believe that history has a goal and will cul­minate in the return of Christ or the Mahdi, both Messianic fig­ures,­ at the Last Day. Accompanying this is a common belief in Last Judgment, the resurrection, and an afterlife in heaven (the Garden) or hell (the Fire).

8. Islam and Christianity emphasize personal acts of piety such as prayer, fasting, charity and scripture reading. They share as well the prophetic call to help the oppressed, the poor, the widow, the orphan and the homeless.

9. Christianity and Islam are growing, dynamic religions with progressive, reactionary and mainstream dimensions. And in each, change is not betraying the core of the respective faith.

10. Both religions exemplify the human tendency to fall short of the ideas of founders and scriptures. Christianity fail to live up to the model of Jesus, and Muslims seldom achieves the standards set by the Qur’an. Both are united in human frailty but more importantly in the human aspiration to be the best Muslim or Christian.

Differences:

Cf. Alfred Guillaume, Islam, Baltimore: Penguin Book, 1975. pp. 194-199.

Here is Christian’s Apostle’s Creed and what is in italics are aspects that Muslims don’t accept! What is coloured is my emphasis to indicate that Judaism may accept only that part of the Christian Creed.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate. Was crucified.
Dead? and buried. He descended into hell;
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God
the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come
to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
The Holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.