Category: Religion / Theology

THIS ASSIGNMENT ASK YOU TO RESPONSE TO 3 QUESTIONS : Discussion Forum #3

Please be sure to engage each individual question directly, drawing meaningfully from our course material to establish a clear response and critical perspective in relation to each individual question.

Don’t use a reference from outside of course material!! (NO Sources from internet, JUST PPTs)

1. When it comes to JZ Knight and claims of channeling, some critics see a tension or contradiction between the alternative spirituality promised by New Age practices and the fact that so many of these practices have become commodified and turned into products for a market economy. Such a contradiction leads to further claims regarding legitimacy and authenticity, with figures like JZ Knight labeled a charlatan and her teachings, expressed in Ramthas School of Enlightenment, positioned as a pseudo-religion designed to make a profit, not save/help individuals. However, for students of Ramtha, the opposite is trueto pay for a class is equivalent to tithing as it represents a means to fully participate in and be part of a spiritual community. Given this, do you think criticizing the New Age for being a commodity, as opposed to a religion, is fair? Or could similar critiques be made of more or less all religious life in the twenty-first century?

2. Peoples Temple obviously had roots in mainstream Christianity, particularly in Pentecostalism and Methodism, yet it quickly went in a more radical and socialist direction, which included criticisms of the Bible and of the traditional Christian idea of God and ChristJones even went so far as to declare himself God. Given this, how can we and should we categorize Peoples Temple? Should it still be considered a sect or form of Christianity, or was it something else entirely? Or could one argue that Jones was reasserting the radial socialist message inherent in the Gospels themselves and it was this claim of revitalizing what Christianity is and can be that made Jones and Peoples Temple a threat to mainstream American culture and conventional Christianity?

3. Many scholars of the Branch Davidians argue that disasters such as Waco could be avoided if law enforcement paid more attention to what serious scholars of religion have to say and less attention to journalists and anticult activists. Do you agree? Or do you think this is giving too much credit to the scholarly community? After all, scholars of religion are not trained in law enforcement or the handling of potentially dangerous situationsany more than law enforcement agents are trained in the study of religion. Are there ways in which the two communities can work productively together? If so, how? And, how does all this impact the vibrancy of what constitutes a legitimate religion versus what constitutes a danger requiring intervention?

I want you to draws directly and meaningfully from class material
Only use sources from materials that I uploaded
Please do not use any citation from internet!!

Your response should
1. Make a critical claim (argument)
2. Use class material as evidence to support your claim (Need citation)
Failure to include references and direct citations will result in an automatic markdown of 0.5

Discussion forums are not designed to be spaces to simply react, but rather to use the knowledge you have gained through engaging our material in order to critically examine the complexities and nuances of the groups and themes we study.

There are not necessarily right or wrong answers when it comes to posting; rather, responses will be assessed based on 1) clear evidence that you have read & 2) your openness to critically engage complex matters of the religious life.

I want you to write at least one page for each questions
Please do not write them superficially, I want to see your personal critical thoughts on this essay rather than explaining too much definition of each new religion.

I really want you to read each PPT before you starting writing this essay.

I will upload previous discussion Forums that Ive done so that I will help you to understand the concept of it. (Please take you time and read them:)

Sincerely,

In Book X of the Confessions, Augustine asks a fundamental question: What,
then, do I love when I love my God? Indeed, much of Augustines reflections
concern his struggle, along his spiritual journey, with false or distorted
understandings of God. In your paper, first, note some of those false or
inadequate notions discussed in the Confessions, then summarize what
Augustine believes is a more adequate account of what Christians love when
they say they love God. Consider whether there are similarly distorted notions
of God still being encountered in our world today. To what extent does
Augustines account of God respond to your own answer to the question:
What, then, do I love when I love my God?

1) Paper structure: clear introduction, body, and conclusion (20 pts.)
2) Writing style, spelling, and grammar (20 pts.)
3) Clear and perceptive presentation of Augustines views on the chosen topic (30
pts.)
4) Thoughtful reflection on the application of the paper themes to your own life
and/or our world today (30 pts.)

These questions must be answered in the paper.
Explain the significance of the Jewish faith in the life and ministry of Jesus.
  How did God deal with the Jews in their history? 
Where do we find this recorded in the Bible? 
Explain five critical events in the life of the Jews when God demonstrated His will for these people.
  What do these events have to do with Jesus and His ministry?

Compare and contrast the idea of the Goddess, and Goddesses in general, using the New York Times article on the Hawaiian goddess Pele (I posted this article on our course Blackboard site under Documents), with the idea of the goddess in Hinduism (your sources on Hinduism will come from the textbook Scriptures of the Worlds Religions, Sixth Edition-Hinduism chapter)

Please don’t use too much Advanced Vocabulary

Here is the article https://blackboard.pace.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4397105-dt-content-rid-19739066_1/courses/RES-106-40209.202040/Madame%20Pele%2C%20Hawaii%E2%80%99s%20Goddess%20of%20Volcanoes%2C%20Awes%20Those%20Living%20in%20Lava%E2%80%99s%20Path%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.html

Write a manifesto (opinion piece paper) about a topic of interest concerning the relationship between science and religion. The manifesto may deal with questions, such as (but by no means limited to): What expressions of God are compatible with modern science? Is science or religion fulfilling enough by themselves? Is Darwinian evolution compatible with traditional concepts of God? Are there other ways of conceiving God or evolution that are more compatible? The manifesto must demonstrate creative and thoughtful application of the knowledge and perspectives from both scientific and theological disciplines to synthesize a new understanding of whether and under what conditions science and religion are compatible, including an assessment of how scientific thinking and religious thinking can each benefit from the other. The manifesto should also explore how scientific progress has been motivated or constrained by religion and how religion has been motivated or constrained by scientific progress, as well as assess which thinkers and arguments from this class were the most and least compelling.

This opinion piece should be deeply thoughtful. The paper is limited to 3000 words, not including the title or references.

The following is a suggested format to write your papers. You may wish to use headings and subheadings to organize and define sections of your paper.

I.            Title (no more than 20 words; not included in 3000-word limit)

    1- Your title should be concise, memorable, and informative, capturing your chosen
topic and the essence of your thesis (see below). For example, the title Science and Religion Manifesto may be concise, but is hardly memorable or informative.

    2- Your title should read something like the title of a newspaper article.
 
II.          Introduction (1-3 paragraphs)
    1- Introduce and contextualize (put into perspective) the topic

    2- Provide relevant, cited background on the topic and explain why it is important and/or interesting

    3- Assert your thesis (your take on the issue).
 
A thesis is a thoughtful and focused one-sentence statement about your position on the issue. A thesis statement should not be a mere statement of fact. It should be a central assertion or claim that demands proof. Your job is to persuade the reader that your thesis is true. You should genuinely believe your thesis and not simply craft a statement that is easy to argue. Your thesis does not have to be totally one-sided (all-or-nothing); it can be nuanced, as long as it accurately reflects your beliefs. For this reason, you cannot simply pluck a thesis out of thin air. Before crafting your thesis, you should collect and organize evidence and think about the implications of the evidence. After this initial exploration, you can formulate a working thesis that you think will make sense of the evidence but that may need adjustment along the way. You should be able to logically and persuasively support your thesis in the body of your essay. Your thesis statement should reference your main arguments that will follow.
 
III.        Arguments in Defense of Thesis (3-6 paragraphs)

    1- Each argument made in defense of your thesis should be supported by specific, cited pieces of evidence.
    2- Arguments and/or supporting evidence should go beyond (or build on) the material covered by assigned readings and in-class discussions.
 
IV.        Counter-Arguments (1-3 paragraphs)

      1- Summarize counterclaims

      2- Provide supporting information for the counterclaims

      3- Refute the counterclaims with supporting evidence
 
      You can generate counter-arguments by considering what someone who disagrees with you might say about claims you have made or about your position (thesis) as a whole. Once you have thought of some counter-arguments, consider how you will respond to them. Will you concede that your opponent has a point but explain why your readers should nonetheless accept your argument? Will you reject the counter-argument and explain why it is mistaken? Either way, you will want to leave your reader with a sense that your arguments are stronger than opposing arguments.
 
      Present the counter-arguments fairly and objectively, rather than trying to make your opponents look foolish. You want to show that you have seriously considered all sides of the issue and that you are not simply attacking or mocking your opponents. It is usually better to consider a few serious counter-arguments in some depth, rather than to give a long but superficial list of many different counter-arguments and replies. Be sure that your replies are consistent with your original argument. If considering counter-arguments changes your position, you may need to revise your original arguments accordingly.
 
V.          Conclusions (1-3 paragraphs)

      1- Summarize (more importantly, synthesize!) your central thesis and main supporting arguments. Do not simply repeat these, but rather show how they all fit together. Avoid introducing new topics in the conclusion.

      2- Finish strong! This will be your readers last impression of your writing. Remind the reader why this topic is important or interesting (i.e., the so what?) and the broader implications.
 
VI.        References (not included in 3000-word limit)

    1- Any works cited above must be listed here in MLA or APA format. Similarly, all references listed here must be cited parenthetically in the text by authors last name and publication year, for example (Nosal et al. 2013). Alternatively, you may cite works in text using a numbered system, for example footnotes. 

    2- You should cite 10 – 15 references in your paper, carefully considering the reputation and biases of your sources.