Religion

Paper details:

Is Judaism today a religion, a culture, a race, an extended family, an ethnic religion or all of the above? Explain why?

2. Explain how the idea of covenant is central to understanding Judaism. How does that concept shape the Judaic view of history?

3. What was the role of the Temple for ancient Judaism? What role has it played in Jewish memory since the destruction of the Second Temple?

4. Discuss the circumstances that gave rise to the Zionist movement as well as to the four main branches of modern Judaism namely Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist. Include in your discussion, the main characteristics of each.

5. What questions about the nature of God have arisen in response to the Holocaust? What kinds of answers have been proposed?

6. Discuss Christianity as a product of Greek-Roman culture. In what ways that culture shaped Christianity?

7. Explain the main messages of Jesus according to the gospels?

8. What is known about the historical life of Jesus? How is this similar to and different from the Jesus appearing throughout the New Testament, especially the gospels?

9. Explain the development of the Protestant Reformation, highlighting its causes, leaders, results and the most important issues raised in this movement.

10. Compare and contrast the views of a fundamentalist vs. a social gospel approach to Christianity

11. List and briefly explain the challenges of modernity to Christianity. How has Christianity responded to such challenges?

12. Did the reformation create a more inclusive or more exclusive Christian church? What is the place of women in the new Protestant churches?

13. Define and explain the following religious concepts/names: Apocalypse, Kosher, Rabbi, Sabbath, Zionism, Crucifixion, Parable, Original sin, Baptism, Sacrament