If you don’t believe in God, what would convince you that God does exist? If you do believe in God, what would convince you that God does not exist?

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General description of God

  1. Give a general description of God, noting those characteristics without which you would not be willing to use the word “God.” If you don’t believe in God, say with some precision what it is that you don’t believe in.
  1. If you believe that there is a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and concerned with justice and the well-being of humanity, explain how there can be so much evil and suffering in the world. Pursue as far as you can the responses and objections to one of the various attempts to answer the problem of evil. (A good way of doing this is to have a friend act as devil’s advocate and try to refute your efforts to defend a solution to the problem.)
  1. If you believe in God, try to explain to an atheist friend (real or imagined) why you believe in God. If you think there are good reasons for believing, state them. If you think there are good arguments for, or a proof of, God’s existence, state the arguments or the proof and defend it against your atheist friend’s objections. If you think that the only way to believe in God is through faith, answer your atheist friend’s objections that you are being irrational, that you are simply indulging in “wishful thinking,” and that you are escaping from your responsibilities to change the world and, instead, are accepting a fantasy in which God will take full responsibility.
  1. Choose one of the traditional proofs of God’s existence and work it out in some detail, answering objections and making the argument as irrefutable as you can. (See next page for further readings.)
  1. If you don’t believe in God, what would convince you that God does exist? If you do believe in God, what would convince you that God does not exist?

 

 

Which religion, that we have studied, has been the most interesting or most surprising to you? Which religion did you enjoy learning about the most? And why?

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Religion of Japan

This week we learned about the indigenous religion of Japan, Shinto. Shinto has some unique characteristics that sets it apart from other religious traditions – it is almost exclusively focused on a single area, Japan, and is not missionary or widely practiced outside of Japan. It also is usually not called a “religion” by its followers, who mostly think of it as simply part of Japanese culture. It also combines notions of purity and cleanliness as being pleasing to the Kami. For this week I would like you to answer a question about Shinto as well as one about the religions we have studied in general.

  1. Do you consider Shinto a “religion”? Why or why not? What about it makes it “religious” or something else, like culture or a philosophy? Furthermore, we have seen other traditions over the course of this semester that did not consider themselves “religions”, like Confucianism, Taoism, or Buddhism in general. Why do you think so many Asian traditions are not comfortable with the term “religion”? Do you agree with them in general, or do you think we need to expand our definition of the word “religion”?
  2. Which religion, that we have studied, has been the most interesting or most surprising to you? Which religion did you enjoy learning about the most? And why?

 

Examine the characterizations of some of the other characters in Book 4. In what ways are some of these characterizations surprising to you?

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Paradise Lost

Read, Book 4 (IV) of Paradise Lost. Analyze important themes. For each question, write a one paragraph response.

1.The concept of “knowledge” is fraught with complexities in Book 4. How does Satan view knowledge, and how would he respond to the saying, “Ignorance is bliss”?

2.To what extent can Book 4 be read as a political treatise? (Hint: Think about what you know about the 17th century and the way the concept of “revolution” functions in the book).

3.Examine the characterizations of some of the other characters in Book 4. In what ways are some of these characterizations surprising to you?

 

What are the roles of the witnessing community in the life of the baptized child? What is the effect of the sacrament of Baptism to the life of the recipient?

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Baptism

ACTIVITY 1

  1. What are the roles of the witnessing community in the life of the baptized child?
  2. What is the effect of the sacrament of Baptism to the life of the recipient?

ACTIVITY 2 – Assignment:

  1. Explain why the Church insists for “Christian names” in Baptism?
  2. Explain the meaning and the importance of Baptism to our life as Christian.
  3. Practical demonstration of administering baptism in case of emergene (inside the classroom).

 

Explain the following terms: Jesus as the “great Sacrament” of God. and The Church as the Sacrament of Christ.

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Discussion Essay

Explain the following terms:

  1. Jesus as the “great Sacrament” of God.
  2. The Church as the Sacrament of Christ.

It is easy to see Scientology as a scam for average people. But what about for the very rich at the very top? What about celebrities like Tom Cruise? After taking this course for a semester, try to explain the factors that make new rituals and new religious leaders attractive to certain people.

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Religion Question

1. How true is this equation: cult + time = religion?

2.It is easy to see Scientology as a scam for average people. But what about for the very rich at the very top? What about celebrities like Tom Cruise? After taking this course for a semester, try to explain the factors that make new rituals and new religious leaders attractive to certain people.

3.A long time has passed. It is now 2222. How can historians judge whether Scientology was a “real” religion of the 20th and 21st centuries, or whether it was a hoax (scam) cult-like movement? Feel free to be creative while citing themes we mentioned in the semester.

 

Using either religious writings or artworks (or both), explore the ways these two traditions are similar and in what ways they differ.

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Religious writings\artworks

Christianity and Buddhism are both fundamentally focused  on alleviating suffering in the world through compassion, and  both religions have a rich artistic and cultural production  reflecting this idea. Using either religious writings or artworks (or both), explore the ways these two traditions are similar  and in what ways they differ.

 

Write a 1000-1500 word biography of a key Catholic figure, group, religious order or movement.

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 Biography

Write a 1000-1500 word biography (plus a separate works cited/bibliography page) of a key Catholic figure, group, religious order or movement. It must be in APA format and have 6-8 sources. At least two scholarly, and 1 primary.

You may choose from the list below.

  • Christian Life Community
  • Blessed Oscar Romero
  • Society of Jesus (Jesuit religious order)
  • Order of St. Benedict
  • Order of St. Francis
  • Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
  • Community of Sant’Egidio
  • St. John Paul II
  • Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
  • St. Vincent de Paul
  • Flannery O’Connor
  • Thomas Merton
  • St. John Henry Newman
  • Blessed Charles de Foucald
  • Solidarity movement (Poland)
  • St. Katherine Drexel
  • St. Augustine
  • Dante Alighieri
  • St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
  • St. Thomas Aquinas
  • St. Catherine of Siena
  • Dirty Vagabond Ministries
  • St. Maximilian Kolbe
  • St. Francis
  • St. Dominic
  • St. Ignatius of Loyola
  • Dorothy Day
  • Catholic Worker

How is Christianity and Islam similar in the belief of the afterlife?

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Belief of the afterlife

How is Christianity and Islam similar in the belief of the afterlife?

Provide a portfolio of 4 chapters and one extra document. Describe what each chapter is about.

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Religion 312 Portfolio

It has to be a Portfolio of 4 chapters and one extra document (Abu Fadl and democracy). There should be a chapter headline for each. You can add sources. Describe what each chapter is about. The professor will check for plagiarism.