...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Contemporary: Current, modern, popular, progressive, present-day, fashionable, and up-to-date. Can this definition apply to a religion that is more than 2000 years old? Christianity struggles within its own religious borders to be contemporary and remain relevant in today’s ever changing landscape of religions and beliefs. The question must be asked regarding when is too much. How far can the Christian faith push its borders without losing its core and traditional meanings and foundations? The appeal of the Christian religion has to compete with the social world in which it exists. The traditional Christian is viewed by many as stagnant, stiff, and out-dated. The youth today need to be challenged mentally and spiritually to stimulate their interest in a religion that can be interpreted as boring and seen as a relic of their parents and grandparents. To explore how Christianity as a religion can grow, one must first explore its past and past struggles to include those with Judaism and Islam. According to a book entitled the first Christians, attention is drawn to archaeological discoveries and modern social science scholars that have sharpened their focus on that first generation of Christians. It has shown early Christians saw themselves not as founders of a new religion but as reformers of Judaism. They did not want to abandon Judaism, but to rejuvenate it. The early Christian message was not a uniform creed; it changed in important...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions LaKeisha Davenport Rel/134 University of Phoenix Sammy Frailey July 26, 2010 Contemporary Issues in Western Religions One of the ways to understand people of a diverse society is to understand their religious beliefs and practices. In the western world there are three major religions. These religions are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Each of these religions is monotheistic and is practiced by more than half the people in the world. Monotheistic religion is the belief in one God. Although Judaism, Christianity and Islam religious practices are each monotheistic, some of the religious traditions are different. Judaism believes there is one God who cannot be made up of parts; Islam embraces an immaterial, invisible God, one to be intensely feared in His omnipotence; Christians hold fast to the trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The differences mentioned are but a few of the differences between the three religions that could very well be reasons for some of the struggles believers faced during the early biblical days. To better the religious traditions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, one must study the early traditions and struggles of each religion. The writers of this paper will discuss the similarities, differences, theological and historical connections between the three religions. Historical Connections Judaism is historically connected to Christianity through Jesus...
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...The world we live in is surrounded by many faces of different colors, separate beliefs and values that makes the essence of one’s life. Throughout our day to day life it is impossible to not come in contact with someone that does not believe and share the same practice and religion base as you do. There are several different religion but the main three are Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. In the beginning Christianity, Judaism, and Islam was somehow connected, unfortunately due to disobedience what was first one end up becoming three, in which caused different beliefs followed by different gods. Along with these beliefs came may struggles to obtain and carry out the very thing that they were proven to be right, pure and true. The Islamic religion believes that Allah “was the creator and sustainer of life” (Molly, M., 1999, Page 425.) Christianity believes that God is the creator and sustainer of life. Judaism also believes that God is the creator and sustainer of life. All three religion believes there is a higher power. Islam describes Jesus as a prophet as described here, “He encountered angels and the great prophets of the past, including Abraham and Jesus,” (Molly, M., 1999, Page 428) Judaism also describes Jesus as a prophet as well because Jesus, in their opinion, did not save the Jews. They believed that the real Messiah was going to become their military leader on earth and create an Eden in Jerusalem. They had expected the real Messiah to expel the Romans and rule...
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...Jewish Holy Day Douglas A. McDaniel REL/134 June 17, 2013 Marilyn Flege Jewish Holy Day That Jewish holy day that this student will be writing about in this paper is Passover. The Hebrew word for Passover is Pesach which means to jump or to pass over. Historical origin of the holy day would be included in this paper. As well the time of year of the holy day with religious practice associate with this day. And, the cultural differences that might lead to different observance of this holy day. The origin of this day began around 3000 years ago. This would have been the time of Moses and freeing his people. As the story goes, Moses was tending sheep when God had appeared to him as a burning bush. God had told him to go to the Pharaoh and tell him to release his people or God will release 10 plagues against him. But the last plague will turn out to be the worst plague. This is where God intended to take the firstborn from error every household that did not have the blood of a sacrificial lamb around the door. With the blood around the door God would skip that household and not taking the firstborn this would be known as Passover. God did tell Moses he would do this on the 14th day of the first month of the lunar year. God did instruct Moses what to do with the sacrificial lamb so it does not go to waste. And to this day the Jewish faith still carries the tradition of this day. Even Jesus had practice this tradition. Jesus was crucified on this day as well, in the Catholic...
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...134 Week 3 DQ 1 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 3 DQ 2 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 3 DQ 3 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 3 DQ 4 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 4 Individual Assignment Islam Worksheet (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 4 DQ 1 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 4 DQ 2 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 4 DQ 3 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 4 DQ 4 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 5 Learning Team Assignment Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Paper and Presentation (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 5 DQ 1 (UOP Course) REL 134 Week 5 DQ 2 (UOP Course) ------------------------------------------------------------- REL 134 Week 1 Individual Assignment Elements of Religious Traditions Paper (UOP Course) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com Tutorial Purchased: 3 Times, Rating: A+ Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper that does the following: Explains how religious traditions describe and encourage the following relationships: Relationship with the divine Relationship with sacred time Relationship with sacred space or the natural world Relationship with each other Identifies key critical issues in the study of religion Includes specific examples from the various religious traditions described in the Week One readings—such as a belief in one God or many gods and goddesses, church on Sunday, holy mountains, or the Quakers calling each other friends. You...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Jennifer, Josafina, Lucas, & Wendy Lemons REL 134 02/24/2011 Mikel Del Rosario Contemporary Issues in Western Religions There are many religions in the world today. It is possible to study many individual religions and never fully understand one religion completely. In this paper only three religions will be discussed. The three religions discussed are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The primary focus religion that will be discussed is Christianity, the second religion will be Judaism, and the third religion will be Islam. In this paper the historical connections between these three religions will be explored. Questions will be answered such as; what makes these three religions similar? How are they connected? The theological similarities and differences between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam will also be thoughtfully brought up. The contemporary struggles within Christianity today will be explored. It will also be discussed what contemporary struggles Christianity has with Judaism and the contemporary struggles between Christianity and Islam. In this paper it is the expressed hope that the reader will be able to learn about these three religions and gain knowledge. The paper is to help the reader learn something new about Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and with curiosity want to explore these individual religions further. With this hope in mind this paper will start with the historical connections between...
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...Contemporary Issues in Judaism Team C REL/134 August 16, 2011 Michael Bell Contemporary Issues in Judaism Within the history of Judaism, there have been many issues with not only other religions, but also within Judaism. The Jewish people must learn from their past issues to continue to live with other religions and themselves. As one of the oldest established religions, Judaism has had to overcome many obstacles to arrive where it is today. This paper will discuss the historical connections, theological similarities, and contemporary struggles between Judaism, Islam, and Christianity as well as the contemporary struggles within Judaism. Theological Similarities Judaism, much like Christianity and Islam, shares a common belief in one God, believes in sacred time, prophets, angels, Satan, and divine revelation. Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God, but call him by a different name. These three faiths believe in peace. In fact, the three religions have different greetings that wish peace upon others proves their similarities regarding peace. Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in accountability, moral responsibility, judgment day, eternal punishment, and eternal rewards. The theological similarities shared among the religions do not stop at their common beliefs, but where they get them from. All three faiths are ‘Abrahamic’ (Robert Marquand, 1996). Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were conceived from Abraham. All three faiths emphasize...
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...philosophy is, inspite of the seeming unending polemics in the sphere and practice of African philosophy. In doing this, we shall start by attempting to describe and possibly define what philosophy is. Subsequently we shall be in a position to define African philosophy by looking at the origin of the debate on African philosophy which was as a result of the charge of irrationality leveled against the Africans. Let us recall that many European scholars mostly anthropologists and sociologists in the like of E. Durkheim, Auguste Comte, James Frazer, Sigmund Freud, Malinowski, Max Muller, Herbert Spencer, Edward Tylor and even Levy Bruhl, have attempted to give an answer to what the African traditional world views were through their theories on religions of the primitive people. For instance, Levy Bruhl rejected the rationality of the primitive people and claimed that they were largely pre-logical and that what their practices point to is a kind of...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Harry Potter REL/134 November 20, 2011 UoP Instructor Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Religious beliefs have been the center of many conflicts across the entire world since the beginning of time. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism the major monotheist religious traditions have been at the heart of many of those religious conflicts. Historical connections and theological similarities are prevalent between the three. In parallel to the similarities exists the contemporary struggles affecting these western religious traditions. From the internal struggles within Christianity such as abortion, to its struggles with Islam and Muslim extremists, finally to the contempt against Christianity from actions of the Holocaust, each tradition faces contemporary struggles within their own right. Gaining a better understanding and insight into the historical, theological, and contemporary struggles between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism will enhance appreciation for each belief. Historical Connections and Theological Similarities: One main pillar of similar theology between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism is the belief in one god. However, each has different perspectives in relation to God. For example, Christians believe in [pic]the Trinity[pic] of [pic]God; God the Father, the Son (Jesus[pic] Christ), [pic]and the Holy Spirit[pic] ("Judaism, Islam, Christianity-Comparison", 2002-2011). Also Christians consider Jesus...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Nerkeda Bulter, Regina Edwards Lakisha Lewis Sinceria Lewis Religion/134 October 11, 2012 Stephanie Cripps Contemporary Issues in Western Religions This paper will reflect research on contemporary issues in Western Religions. The main objective is to elaborate on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The other key focus is to uncover the struggles within its historical and modern times. Islam is an interesting subject because it has plenty history surrounding Islamic cultures, and the contrast between Judaism, and Christianity. Nevertheless, revealing how time has change from than to now also captivate some attention. Exploring the foundation surrounding Islam such as Abraham, and the other forefathers is rewarding when searching the history of these three religions. Historical connections Islam and Judaism share connections starting very early in history with the patriarch Abraham. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, and Isaac, who eventually went on to lead two different groups of people. Ishmael led the Arabs who later became known as the Muslims and Isaac led the Israelites who later became Jews. These two different groups of religions grew and traditions known today in modern religion. Each religion shares a monotheistic belief and has similar...
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...this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Molloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Week One: The Nature of Religion Details Objectives 1.1 Describe the common elements of religion. 1.2 Identify issues in the study of religion. 1.3 Describe the sacred in indigenous traditions. Reading Read Ch. 1 of Experiencing the World’s Religions. Reading Read Ch. 2 of Experiencing the World’s Religions. Reading Read the Contemporary Paganism: Wicca and Druidism section in Ch. 11 of Experiencing the World’s Religions. Reading Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Nongraded Actvitiy Post a personal bio in the chat room on OLS. Introduce yourself to our class as a response to the thread begun by the facilitator....
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...IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTHEAST ASIA ISLAMIC STUDIES AND ISLAMIC EDUCATION i ii IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTHEAST ASIA ISLAMIC STUDIES AND ISLAMIC EDUCATION Editors KAMARUZZAMAN BUSTAMAM-AHMAD PATRICK JORY YAYASAN ILMUWAN iii Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-In-Publication Data Islamic studies and Islamic education in contemporary Southeast Asia / editors: Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad, Patrick Jory ISBN 978-983-44372-3-7 (pbk.) 1. Islamic religious education--Southeast Asia. 2. Islam--Education--Southeast Asia. I. Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad. II. Jory, Patrick. 297.77 First Printed 2011 © 2011 Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad & Patrick Jory Publisher: Yayasan Ilmuwan D-0-3A, Setiawangsa Business Suites, Taman Setiawangsa, 54200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – for example, electronic, photocopy, recording – without prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed review. The opinions expressed in this publication is the personal views of the authors, and do not necessary reflect the opinion of the publisher. Layout and cover design: Font: Font size: Printer: Hafizuldin bin Satar Goudy Old Style 11 pt Gemilang Press Sdn Bhd iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS T his book grew out of a three-day workshop jointly held by the Regional Studies Program, Walailak University, and the Department...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions University of Phoenix World Religious Traditions II REL /134 January 24, 2011 Contemporary Issues in Western Religions This paper will describe the historical connections and theological similarities with Pentecostal versus Roman Catholicism including what ways the two religions are the same, how the two religions differ from its ‘parent’ faith, describe the leadership structure, discuss its identity (practices, clothing, dietary, etc.), how the members view themselves, how outsiders view the group, and identify any contemporary struggles within the Pentecostal religion. The historical connections and theological similarities of Pentecostal and Roman Catholicism have ancient roots. Although the Pentecostal movement emphasizes the fullest extent of emotional Christian worship, Roman Catholicism emphasizes traditional teachings and practices (Molloy, 2010). Other similarities include the belief in the Holy Trinity, the authority of the Holy Bible, the Importance of good works, the value of tradition, guided interpretation of the Bible, Hierarchical authority, and sacraments (Molloy, 2010). Other examples of the similarities between Roman Catholicism and Pentecostal are that Jesus is the only begotten son of God and died for the sins of the entire world; the Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; by faith in Jesus Christ, believers are given eternal life. The Pentecostal movement believes...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Islam Struggles within Christianity and Judaism Islam’s nature of sacred reality is monotheistic just as Christianity and Judaism, and is very similar in their religious formation. The theoretical foundations of each belief are historically similar and all saying the same message, that there is only one true God. The Islamic religious structure believes in the same God as Judaism and Christianity, the God of Abraham, but Islam knows him as Allah. There are some differences in the way Islam refer to Allah as God and Christianity and Judaism prefer to say God but theoretically they are referring to the same one true God. The origin of Islamic way of living is to seek to serve Allah only, through the instructions given by Allah to the prophet and first Muslim Muhammad. The history of the Islamic religion is connected to Judaism and Christianity in the same way because they also believe the way of the righteous is to submit to God and instruction on God’s will has been given through prophecy. Only Christianity submission is through the redemption of Jesus Christ by the New Testament and Judaism submission to God is to follow the Laws of the Old Testament. They all began in the Middle East where Islam’s prophet Muhammad was the prophecy of Abraham’s first son Ishmael by Hagar his servant and Judaism and Christianity’s prophecy developed in the Middle East by Abraham’s youngest son Isaac from Sarah Abraham’s wife. Even though each prophecy...
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...Assess feminist views on the role and function of religion (33 marks) Feminists regard religion as a main component in the perpetuation of patriarchy in contemporary society, it perpetuates oppressive gender roles, marginalises women and ensures male domination is retained. In terms of the structure of religious organisations, feminists point to the fact that they are male dominated, even though women often make up more of the attendees, often men will occupy the more central and sacred positions in places of worship. This reinforces the subordination of women, and their exclusion from sacred practices mirrors their continued exclusion from high ranking careers, specifically in politics, via the glass ceiling effect. Armstrong identifies women’s exclusion from priesthood in most traditional religions as undeniable evidence of marginalisation, such as in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church. This argument is credible, the marginalisation of women is rife in religion, Islam for example, in which female Muslims are not allowed to touch the Quran whilst on their period. Holm describes this as the devaluation of women in contemporary religion. Disregarding the blatant sexism in religious structures, feminists point to the patriarchy reinforced by monotheistic religious texts, Judaism and Islam for example. The sacred texts, The Bible, Torah and Koran for example, are all written by men, featuring male gods and male prophets. On top of this male domination, the female sex is...
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