14 Jan Respond to at least two peers

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 1 Discussion

The Study of Religion

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 1

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

Choose one of the following psychological views of religion: Freud, James, or Jung. Briefly describe this theory. Defend this theory as an explanation as to the origin of religions.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to one peer who chose a view different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts

Initial Post Length: 200-300 words

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 2 Discussion

Upanishads

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 3

Lesson

Link (online PDF): The Upanishads (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Skim the first few chapters or locate a specific section in the table of contents. You are not responsible to read the entire text.)

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to one of the following options:

Identify and describe one of the five (Brahman and Atman, Maya, Karma, Samsara, Moksha) key concepts from the Upanishads. Examine these teachings and the way they have influenced other expressions of Indian spirituality. Make sure your response is supported with quotes from the Upanishads and citations from scholarly sources.

Choose one of the 4 Yogas. Define this path to the Divine, using examples. How does this path help to lead a person to realization? Why did you choose this path to discuss?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts

Initial Post Length: 200-300 words

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage):

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 3 Discussion

Buddhism

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 4

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to one of the following options:

Define Theravada and Mahayana. Describe the Arhat and the Bodhisattva. Explain how each achieves the goal of nirvana. Examine how they relate to some of the key concepts/teachings (e.g., the Four Noble Truths, the three marks of reality).

Many scholars feel that “suffering” may be a misleading translation of the word dukkha. Why might the term suffering be misleading? What might be a better translation? What was the Buddha trying to explain in his commentary on dukkha?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts

Initial Post Length: 200-300 words

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage):

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 4 Discussion

Chinese Religion

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 6

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to one of the following options:

Define the Confucian terms: ren, yi, li, zhi, and xin. Choose one of these principles and examine how it contributes to social harmony.

What is wuwei? How does this ideal contribute to harmony with heaven? How does the Daoist idea of wuwei compare to Confucian notions of how one should live in the world?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts

Initial Post Length: 200-300 words

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage):

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 5 Discussion

Judaism

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 8

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to one of the following options:

From the following terms, choose two: Orthodox Judaism, Hassidic Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism. Briefly define these two terms, then explain their relationship to one another. How are they similar, and how are they different? What lead to their development?

The destruction of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem marks a major shift in the history and character of Judaism. What characterizes Jewish practice before the destruction of the 2nd Temple, and what characterizes Jewish practice after the Temple’s destruction? How are these practices different? What was maintained?

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 6 Discussion

The Role and Identity of the Messiah

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 9

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to one of the following options:

What was the Jewish conception of the Messiah and how does the Christian understanding of the Messiah differ? What were the Jewish people expecting from their Messiah? How did Jesus’ teachings challenge these views?

What are some of the issues facing Christianity in 21st century America? How is American Christianity responding to these challenges (adapting/resisting)?

Make sure you are citing scholarly sources in your response.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage):

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 7 Discussion

Islamic Belief and Practice

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 10

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to one of the following options:

List and briefly describe the Five Pillars of Islam. Select one of the pillars to examine in more in depth. How do Muslims express this pillar? How do Sufis express this pillar differently from other Muslims? Explain why you choose this particular pillar.

Define Sunni and Shia. Choose one of these two forms of Islam and explain their core beliefs in greater detail, including their history, countries where this form of Islam is practiced, and sub-sects within each branch. Conclude with a brief analysis about the ways in which these two school’s differences continue to influence Islamic culture and politics in the modern world.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage):

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 8 Discussion

Contemporary Religions

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 12

Lesson

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, address all of the following:

What are some of the challenges facing major religious traditions in the modern world? As nurses, what are some of the particular issues that you might encounter with patients regarding the intersection of faith and healthcare (see the Science and Ethical Issues section of Chapter 12; you can address one or more of the issues noted in this section)? How might the material covered in this course affect the way in which you respond to these concerns?

Select one of the topics from Chapter 12 listed under Modern Influences on the Future of Religion and examine how modern religious traditions are dealing with these contemporary challenges. If you identify with a particular religious tradition, how has your religious tradition responded to the topic you have chosen? Make sure that you support your answer.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts

Initial Post Length: 200-300 words

APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage):

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 1 Assignment

Perspectives Essay

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 1

Lesson

Minimum of 2 scholarly sources (1 for the etic view, and 1 for the emic view. Your source for the emic view should come from someone who writes with authority in the religion you chose. For example, if you chose Buddhism, you could use a quotation from His Holiness, Dalai Lama XIV).

Instructions

Make sure to read the lesson this week to learn about etic and emic perspectives so that you can appropriately apply them in this assignment. In an essay, apply the etic and emic perspectives to your own religion or a religion with which you have some familiarity.

How would your tradition be described etically? Remember that this is an outsider’s perspective of what can be measured, studied, or observed.

How would it be described emically? Remember that this is an insider’s perspective as seen by practitioners

Make sure that you are using at least one source for each approach and include citations from the assigned readings and additional scholarly sources.

Click on the following link to view an example:

Link: Shinto Example

Etic

Shintoism is the indigenous religious practice of the Japanese archipelago. Having no specific founder, the practices and belief of Shinto (the Way of the Gods) can be traced to Japanese pre-history (Molloy, 2018, p. 246). As an animistic tradition, 1Shinto is focused on the veneration of nature spirits, the worship of ancestors, and observance of seasonal rites. What can be called the primitive form of Shinto was strongly related to the formation of an agricultural culture… Shinto developed from the worship (matsuri) 2performed in relation to the agricultural activities engaged in by those communal societies (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, 1985, p. 147). Though there are no universally held doctrines in Shintoism, there are some unifying practices and texts. The Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan) both relate the myths of Japan’s creation and the subsequent emergence of culture and society (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, 1985, p. 1-11). 3These texts provide the foundation for the nature-based religions that would eventually become Shintoism, including some of the 3earliest recorded prayers to the kami (gods, or nature spirits), called norito (Molloy, 2018, p.253).

Central to Shinto practice is the idea of matsuri, or worship of the kami. Matsuri can have multiple forms and purposes, including “beseechings, giving thanks, presenting offerings, divination, announcing, praise, and making vows (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, 1985, p. 232).” Sometimes special celebrations, or festivals, are also referred to as matsuri, as they serve as offerings to the kami.

Traditionally, Shinto has marked the seasons with special practices, particularly for planting and harvesting rice… Because respect for nature is at the heart of Shinto, 4reverential objects and small shrines are sometimes placed in the midst of forests, in fields, or on mountains (Molloy, 2018, p. 257). It is not uncommon to find such small shrines, called kamidana (lit. table for the god), in Japanese homes. In offering daily prayers at these small shrines, the Japanese people connect with the indigenous practices of revering the natural world.

Emic

To further explore the beliefs and practices of Shinto, we can observe comments that are made about Shinto belief, as it is expressed by those who follow Shinto’s principles. 5On the subject of worship: Matsuri is a service presented to the kami, it is submission, and it is a point of contact between kami and human beings. It is a time when unity is achieved between the kami and human worshiper, a oneness between kami and man. In order to achieve this oneness, purification and sanctification are required, and a performance of worship with true heart and true mind (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, 1985, p. 235). Shinto priest, Yukitaka Yamamoto says, Shinto reflects an awareness of the Divine that calls for man to live according to the Kami so that he can find happiness and fulfillment in experiencing the basic joys of life… The human 6soul inclines naturally toward the Kami and 6can be cultivated to become more deeply-related through the right kind of activities. This is a matter for attention every day. People seeking to be close to the Kami should work at showing cleanness, brightness and diligence in all they do and should seek to cultivate harmony in personal relations. (Kami no Michi, 1987). Having no founder, and no overarching hierarchical authority, Shinto allows for syncretic practice, rejecting nothing that supports the basic joys of life, and which brings human beings closer to the Divine. 7A Shinto believer who denounces other religions is not a real Shinto believer. A real Shinto believer can be at home in a Shinto shrine at New Year, a Buddhist Temple at the Obon festival for the souls of the ancestors or a Christian Church on Christmas Eve. All of these make individual sense. They are authentic. They complement each other. This principle applies not simply to religion but to all the cultures of mankind (Kami no Michi, 1987).

Match Overview

1Observation based on analysis of religious text

2Observed historical development of Shinto

3Observation of available texts

4Observation of traditional practice

5Understanding of the meaning of the principles – not direct statement of principles from religious texts.

6Belief about religious traditions.

7Shows relationship to the religions around it.

References

Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai. (1985). The World of Shinto. Tokyo: BDK.

Molloy, Michael. (2018). Experiencing the World’s Religions: Traditions, Challenge, and Change, Seventh Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Yamamoto, Yukitaka. (1987, Spring). Kami No Michi: The Way of the Kami – The Life and Thought of a Shinto Priest. Retrieved from http://www.tsubakishrine.org/kaminomichi/index.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 350-500 words (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (minimum of 1 scholarly source)

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 3 Assignment

Comparison-Contrast Essay

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 4

Lesson

Minimum of 4 scholarly sources (at least 2 for Hinduism & 2 for Buddhism)

Instructions

Select one of the following pairs and compare and contrast these ideas in the religious traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism:

Self/No-self

Samsara/Nirvana

Karma/Rebirth

Your paper should include an introduction and thesis that clearly states your central claim, thoughtful examples and analysis in your body paragraphs, and a conclusion to finalize your thoughts.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 1200-1400 words (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (minimum of 4 scholarly sources)

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 5 Assignment

Interview Essay

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Review chapters as needed

Lesson

Link (library article): Talking About Religion – How to Do It Right (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Instructions

For this assignment you are required to sit down for a conversation with someone whose religious identity differs from your own (this means that if you identify as Christian, for example, you should find a conversation partner who does not identify as such). The purpose of this exercise is for you to engage with someone else in conversation. That means that you will not only ask questions, but you will hopefully answer questions about your own beliefs, as well.

Review the article for this activity, “Talking About Religion – How to Do It Right” (link in Required Resources), for some guidance on how to engage in conversations about religion before meeting with your partner. You may also wish to share this information with your partner.

In this exercise, you will listen to the ideas of someone who you identify as religiously “other.” You will share your own ideas and report on what you learned. This would include what you learned about your conversation partner’s beliefs, and how those beliefs compare to your own religious upbringing and/or current practice.

The report should give a description of the major topics of discussion and a detailed summary of what you learned. As part of your assignment you should include the following:

Describe your conversation partner’s beliefs. Some things to consider include the following:

What are the material expressions of their tradition (statues, paintings, music, etc.)?

Do they see any conflict between the stated beliefs of their tradition and their own beliefs?

Based on your partner’s description, which theory of the origin of religions (Week 1) offers the best explanation for their approach to religion?

What challenges can your partner identify that their religious tradition faces in the modern world? Do they feel that their tradition is responding positively?

Is the tradition focused on belief (orthodoxy) or behavior (orthopraxis)?

Apply the 8 elements of religion from Week 1.

Provide some cultural and historical context for the religious tradition of your conversation partner. (It is important that you do some research before you have your conversation so that you are able to ask informed questions that come from genuine interest.) Make sure you use citations in your discussion of what you learned from your research.

Compare your partner’s beliefs and practices to your own religious upbringing and/or current practice. This is to be done in the report not as a debate with your partner.

Conclude with your personal reaction to this experience and any additional questions that came up after your conversation. Be kind!

This is a formal academic paper so pay careful attention to the basics of writing a good English composition.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 1000-1200 words (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (minimum of 1 scholarly source)

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 7 Assignment

Analytical Essay

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 8, 9, 10

Lesson

Minimum of 6 scholarly sources (at least 2 for Judaism, 2 for Christianity, & 2 for Islam)

Please review criteria for scholarly sources.

Instructions

In a short essay, complete the following:

Explain the historical relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What are their geographical connections? What are their historical timelines?

Analyze the historical relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in order to make an argument about the similarities and differences between the three religions. Select one main example from the following list on which to focus your comparison: the nature of God, the nature of Jesus, Holy Books, or Salvation. Your analysis should span multiple paragraphs and utilize specific examples.

Conclude by examining the current relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam today. How has globalization influenced or affected the current relationship?

Your paper should include an introduction and thesis that clearly states your central claim, thoughtful examples and analysis in your body paragraphs, and a conclusion to finalize your thoughts.

Writing Requirements (APA format)

Length: 1200-1400 words (not including title page or references page)

1-inch margins

Double spaced

12-point Times New Roman font

Title page

References page (minimum of 6 scholarly sources)

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 2 quiz

Question 1 Monotheism is the view that:

There is only one God.

Everything in the universe is divine.

All elements of nature are filled with spirits.

The existence of God cannot be proven.

Question 2 Atheism is the view that:

The existence of God cannot be proven.

There is no God or gods.

All elements of nature are filled with spirits.

Everything in the universe is divine.

Question 3 The term immanent implies that the Divine is:

Extant primarily in a realm beyond the everyday world.

Present in the immediate, natural world.

Only found after death.

Completely inaccessible.

Question 4 The theory that religion is exerts a positive influence on the lives of individuals, helping to fulfill psychological needs like a feeling of safety and of having a place in the universe, is attributed to:

William James

Sigmund Freud

Rudolf Otto

Carl Jung

Question 5 The theory that religion arises from an individual’s need to arrive at personal fulfillment is attributed to:

Carl Jung

William James

Rudolf Otto

Karl Marx

Question 6 All of the following are examples of material expressions of religions except:

Statues

Music

Architecture

Personal Wealth

Question 7 All of the following are examples of reasons we study the major religions of the world except:

Insight into the beliefs and practices of different religious traditions

Tolerance and appreciation of different views and belief systems

Usable information to prove the superiority of a specific religion over other religious traditions

Enriched experience of travel and cultural difference

Question 8 Derived from the words for “sitting near,” these texts record insights into external and internal realities:

The Upanishads

The Vedas

The Sutras

The Bhagavad Gita

Question 9 A word meaning both “magic” and “matter,” and also carrying the connotation of “illusion” is:

Karma

Moksha

Maya

Samsara

Question 10 The Hindu deity associated with preservation is:

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Ganesha

Question 11 All of the following are forms of the Divine Mother except:

Durga

Kali

Lakshmi

Ganesha

Question 12 Karma, Artha, and Dharma are all examples of:

The Yogas

The Goals of Life

The Stages of Life

Castes

Question 13 Though it does not appear in the Bhagavad Gita, the fourth yoga promotes meditation and includes the physical practice of yoga with which we are most familiar in the West. This fourth Yoga is called:

Bhakti Yoga

Jnana Yoga

Karma Yoga

Raja Yoga

Question 14 Rama and Krishna are believed to be emanations of which deity?

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Durga

Question 15 Which animal is especially revered in Indian culture?

Dog

Cat

Cow

Monkey

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 4 Midterm

Question 1 The belief that everything in the universe is divine is called:

Monotheism

Omnitheism

Pantheism

Animism

Question 2 The belief that reality is made of two different principles is called:

Monism

Dualism

Polytheism

Animism

Question 3 An analytical approach that does not seek to find universal structures that might underlie language, mental processes, mythologies, kinship, and religions, and instead focuses on individual elements in cultural phenomena is:

Deconstruction

Structuralism

Post-structuralism

Dualism

Question 4 The insider’s view, which is informed by the beliefs and practices of those people who are practitioners of a given religious tradition, is:

Etic

Emic

Monism

Dualism

Question 5 The elephant-headed son of Shiva, who has become a symbol of strength and abundance, is:

Vishnu

Shakti

Ganesha

Hanuman

Question 6 The spiritual essence of all human beings is called:

Brahman

Atman

Moksha

Anatman

Question 7 Which of the following is not one of the 5 castes of India?

Brahmin

Kshatriya

Sannyasin

Shudra

Question 8 The ideas of Mohandas Gandhi had a great influence on which 20th century activist?

Malcolm X

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cesar Chavez

Harvey Milk

Question 9 Ritual offerings in honor of a deity are called:

Puja

Yoga

Renunciation

Caste

Question 10 The spiritual discipline of devotion to a deity or a teacher is called:

Karma yoga

Bhakti yoga

Jnana yoga

Raja yoga

Question 11 The “royal” discipline of meditation is called:

Karma yoga

Bhakti yoga

Jnana yoga

Raja yoga

Question 12 The Buddha of the Western Paradise is called:

Maitreya

Amitabha

Guanyin

Shakyamuni

Question 13 This term literally means impermanence:

Anatta

Anicha

Bodhi

Satori

Question 14 A question, employed in Zen Buddhism, that cannot be answered logically is called a:

Koan

Haiku

Stupa

Sutra

Question 15 A person who has practiced monastic disciplines, achieving the ideal of entering nirvana, is called:

Bodhisattva

Arhat

Buddha

Lama

Question 16 Which of the following is not one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism?

Dharma

Sangha

Bodhi

Buddha

Question 17 A book of sayings attributed to Confucius and his early disciples is the:

Yijing

Analects

Daodejing

Zhuangzi

Question 18 The active aspect of reality that expresses itself in speech, light, and heat is called:

Yin

Yang

Dao

Wu wei

Question 19 Doing only what comes spontaneously and naturally is called:

Ren

Li

Wu wei

Yang

Question 20 Confucius believed that the virtues:

Would lead to harmonious society.

Must be learned and nurtured.

Defined a noble person.

All of the above.

Question 21 Compare and contrast a psychological view of religion(Freud, Jung, or James) with a sociological point of view (Durkheim or Levi-Strauss). Defend one of the two theories you selected as a better explanation for the origin of religions.

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 6 Quiz

Question 1 Biblical Judaism refers to Judaism that:

Predates the destruction of the Second Temple

Follows the destruction of the Second Temple

Is led by teachers called Rabbis

Encourages the creation of the nation-state of Israel

Question 2 This form of Judaism attempts to blend the best of old and new Judaism:

Conservative Judaism

Orthodox Judaism

Reform Judaism

Rabbinical Judaism

Question 3 This form of Judaism developed after the destruction of the Second Temple:

Conservative Judaism

Orthodox Judaism

Reform Judaism

Rabbinical Judaism

Question 4 The destruction of European Judaism, also known as Shoah (“extermination”), is called:

Diaspora

Holocaust

Exodus

Passover

Question 5 This term means “ritually correct” and refers mainly to the preparation and consumption of food:

Kosher

Midrash

Tallit

Bar (Bat) Mitzvah

Question 6 True or False: Moses Maimonides argued that Judaism was a rational religion and that faith and reason were complimentary.

True

False

Question 7 Jewish history is divided into two major periods, which are then each divided into two additional periods. The event that marks the transition from the first major period to the second is:

The Holocaust

The Babylonian Exile

The destruction of the Second Temple

The establishment of the State of Israel following the Second World War

Question 8 The Babylonian Exile:

Lasted nearly 20 years

Lead to the development of the synagogue

Ended in a bloody rebellion

May have provided the catalyst for some of the early Jewish conceptions of Satan

Question 9 The belief that the world will soon come to an end is called:

Destructionism

Evangelism

Apocalypticis

Fundamentalism

Question 10 The preparatory period of penance, preceding Easter and lasting 40 days, is called:

Passover

Lent

Advent

Pentecost

Question 11 The 95 Theses were a set of demands for change and reformation that were made by:

John Calvin

Martin Luther

Henry VIII

Huldrych Zwingli

Question 12 The latest of the four gospels is the gospel of:

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Question 13 True or False: The Book of Revelation is written in symbolic language that would have been clear to early Christians, but would have obscured the meaning of the text from others.

True

False

Question 14 Dialogue between Christian denominations is called:

Evangelism

Ecumenism

Sectarianism

Orthodoxy

Question 15 Our text defines all of the following forms of Christianity as “non-traditional” except:

Egyptian Coptic Christianity

Mormonism

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Unitarian

RELI448 Comparative Religions

Week 8 Final Exam

Question 1Belief in many gods is called:

polytheism.

monotheism.

agnosticism.

atheism.

Question 2Belief in one God is called:

monotheism.

polytheism.

atheism.

agnosticism.

Question 3Who was the American psychologist who viewed religion as a positive way of fulfilling needs and praised its positive influence on the lives of individuals?

James Frazer

Carl Gustav Jung

Sigmund Freud

William James

Question 4The French thinker who developed the approach of structuralism when he first recognized extraordinary structural similarities in stories told by tribal peoples of the Americas was:

Foucault.

Durkheim.

Derrida.

Levi-Strauss.

Question 5What is the name of the Austrian ethnographer and philologist who argued that all humankind once believed in a single High God and that to this simple monotheism later beliefs in lesser gods and spirits were added?

James Frazer

William James

Wilhelm Schmidt

Carl Gustav Jung

Question 6The second-ranking caste consisted of:

priests.

merchants.

nobles and warriors.

artisans.

Question 7(TCO 8) “Liberation” from personal limitation, egotism, and rebirth is:

satyagraha.

ahimsa.

may.

moksha.

Question 8In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna counsels Arjuna to:

meditate to experience moksha.

work unselfishly for others.

adhere to one’s duty (dharma) in this life.

engage in nonviolent resistance.

Question 9The highest caste in traditional Hinduism is:

Brahmin

Kshatriya

vaishya

dalit

Question 10The Buddha’s name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning:

Spirit warrior

Middle path

To wake up

The teacher

Question 11The Buddhist term for sorrow or suffering is:

dukkha.

tanha.

anatta.

anichcha.

Question 12By his teachings, Confucius hoped to:

counter the influx of Buddhism into China.

produce virtuous people and create a harmonious society.

make a break with the past and focus China on the future.

draw people closer to Tian (Heaven).

Question 13Confucius taught that people are:

not born good but must be taught goodness.

naturally good and should be left alone.

individuals first and members of a society second.

selfish and need strict laws to control them.

Question 14According to the traditional story, Laozi (Lao tzu) wrote down his teachings only because:

a border guard would not let him pass until he did so.

his students and disciples begged him.

a request came from Confucius.

he needed money.

Question 15In Zhuangzi’s (Chuang Tzu’s) famous dream, he was not certain that he was not:

Confucius.

an ox.

a butterfly.

a Daoist.

Question 16All of the following ancient world religions are major world religions except:

Buddhism.

Hinduism.

Shinto.

Confucianism.

Question 17Taoism does not have this element of a major world religion.

An overall worldview of the universe

Myths about the origin of the universe

A shared religious community

Specific rules of human behavior

Question 18A contract between the Hebrews and their God was called a:

mitzvah.

covenant.

yarmulke.

commandment.

Question 19The first King of Israel was:

Daniel.

Moses.

David.

Saul.

Question 20God first appeared to Moses in:

an Egyptian slave.

a cloud on Mt. Sinai.

a burning bush.

the Red Sea.

Question 21The view that God’s imminent divine judgment and the end of the world is near is:

messianism.

apocalypticism.

redemption.

schism.

Question 22Letters written in the New Testament to instruct, encourage, and solve problems are called:

Gospels.

Epistles.

Acts.

Revelations.

Question 23Muslims believe in:

resurrection of the body.

a final judgment.

neither a resurrection of the body nor a final judgment.

both a resurrection of the body and a final judgment.

Question 24What is the word for a pilgrimage to Mecca?

Hajj

Dhikr

Hadith

Sura

Question 25The name Qur’an means “___________.”

successor

recitation

the book

the writings

Question 26Identify and analyze the Four Noble Truths, in particular, the Noble Eightfold Path. What ideas from Hinduism did Buddhism essentially keep? Describe them. Include enough details to support your answer.

Question 27Compare and contrast Sigmund Freud’s theory about the origin of religions with William James’s theory. How does each of these psychologists view religion (positively or negatively)? Now analyze how the insights of Freud or James might illuminate your religious tradition or the tradition with which you are the most familiar. How would Freud or James understand that tradition? Use specific examples to support your answer (e.g., a specific belief or ritual).