Category: Religion and Theology

Each student writes 2 page note on one article or selected chapter of a book
The article;  
Sachs, Wolfgang. (2017). The sustainable development goals and Laudato si’: varieties of post-development? Third World Quarterly, 38(12), 2573-2587.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319368817_The_Sustainable_Development_Goals_and_Laudato_si’_varieties_of_Post-Development

8-10 page research with 4 annotated bibliographies (I currently have 3 fully written, but not sure if they’re the best sources available for this specific topic)
Write about the origins of these religions, how they advanced into the economy of China, and how many are obsessed/overboard with their religious sides nowadays.

Create a 10 pages research paper about Religious Zionism: Merges Zionist ideology with Jewish religious beliefs, advocating for the land of Israel’s significance in Jewish religious tradition.
Religious Zionism represents a unique synthesis of Jewish religious tradition and the secular nationalist ideology of Zionism. This movement posits the establishment and support of a Jewish state in the land of Israel as a divine commandment and an integral part of Jewish religious practice. Rooted in the belief that the Jewish return to Israel is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy leading to the eventual redemption, religious Zionists see the state of Israel not merely as a safe haven for Jews but as a step towards the realization of a religious and messianic vision. Unlike secular Zionism, which primarily emerged as a response to European anti-Semitism and the desire for a national homeland for Jews, religious Zionism imbues the project with spiritual significance, integrating traditional Jewish values and observances into the Zionist ethos.
The movement has significantly influenced Israeli society and politics, advocating for the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the integration of Jewish law into the Israeli legal system to various degrees. Religious Zionist parties have played pivotal roles in Israeli governments, shaping policy in areas ranging from education to settlement policies. At the heart of religious Zionism is the belief in the inherent right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, a right seen as both historical and divinely ordained. This perspective has led to a strong commitment to the development of Jewish life in all parts of historic Israel, including areas with contentious political statuses. As such, religious Zionism continues to be a dynamic force within Israel, balancing between its deep-rooted religious traditions and the realities of modern statehood and international relations.  
Add the 10 quotes and sources I provide into the paper please 
I provided an PPT for helping you too 

Argumentative/Synthesis essay. It does not have to be perfect as this is the rough draft and i will work on it from there. So no need to stress over grammar errors as long as all of the argument is there. My research question is why is religion so heavily involved in our society, and why it shouldnt be as it makes others unsafe or uncomfortable.
Must only use “scholarly” resources. Below are resources they required me to pick out, you may pick and choose but three are required.
The deadline was actually May 1st so the sooner the better.
Thank you!!!

Interview someone in your life who has experienced a miracle in their life and compare their experience to the miracle of Fatima (read the three articles)(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YL2jauf4E-OJd2ZWbeT7zGFgMJ80OFGFfd9B48czrnE/edit). Write a paper that answers the following questions:
● Describe who you interviewed and describe their relation to you (you may also use a personal experience of your own)
● Summarize their experience of the miracle; include all relevant details; describe their interpretation of what happened to them
● Compare their experience to that of the 70,000 onlookers at Fatima in 1917; what similarities and differences are there between the two stories?
● Share your conclusions about this topic. Do you believe in miracles? Why or why not?

Instructions are in the file attatched. Additionally, please write as a reflection of key takeaways about the text analysis that are also attatched in the document. Please write from a christian believer stand point if possible. Please do not rewrite or only reflect on the text analysis that are attatched. Please reflect on what was learned and key takeaways from the analysis.

Prompt:
Format: As with the first paper, the assignment is to be 5-7 double-spaced pages in length and should be treated as a concise but in-depth presentation of a research topic. Please remember that this paper is NOT an occasion for you to expound upon your personal beliefs regarding the perceived merits or deficiencies of a religious tradition, individual, idea, or theme. You will instead concentrate on formulating a crisp and cogent thesis, fashioning this into a clear argument, and supporting your writing with appropriate documentation. Any style questions can be answered by me or by consulting either the MLA Handbook or The Chicago Manual of Style.
You must work closely with the texts you choose to consult. For this assignment, you’ll have to be especially careful about using online resources, due to the large amount of misinformation and useless, non-credentialed opinion out there. The internet is, at best, only a partially valid tool for research (and is generally only of use once one has mastered traditional forms of research and can distinguish a legitimate source from the dreck usually found online). Usually newspaper websites, journals, or online encyclopedia hosted by universities will be okay. Additionally, primary sources (a tradition’s website, for example) will be fine as well, as long as you engage them from an analytical perspective.
Assignment: You are to make an analytical and historical case – based on diligent research – for a specific subject’s importance to the study of NRMs. (Think in terms of recommending a course change to be me, but don’t write from this perspective.) That is, what new way of understanding course content does your chosen topic provide? Your topic can take a number of forms: 1) a new text that should be included, 2) a film or artistic expression that should be considered (a symphony, a series of paintings, etc.), 3) a theme that needs to be foregrounded (e.g. superhero stories as alternate religious imagination), 4) a figure or movement that should be discussed, or 5) a new WAY of looking at something we already cover. You must draw on the historical knowledge you’ve acquired thus far, justify the topic’s merit with reference to the readings we’ve done, and use appropriate additional research to make your case. Most importantly, this is your chance to be creative and (I hope) have some fun.
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Just for reference here is what we have touched on in class:
PART I. ORIENTATIONS.
Tuesday January 9: Introductions and Gameplan
Thursday January 11: What is Religion? What is a “Cult”?
Reading: 
Tara Isabella Burton, “What is a Cult?”: https://aeon.co/essays/theres-no-sharp-distinction-between-cult-and-regular-religion.
Tuesday January 16: America the Weird.
Reading: 
Clifford Geertz, “Religion as a Cultural System”: http://nideffer.net/classes/GCT_RPI_S14/readings/Geertz_Religon_as_a_Cultural_System_.pdf.
Thursday January 18: New religions in the American grain
Reading: 
CN chapter 4: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4928568.
Greil Marcus, “The Old Weird America” (excerpt): https://genius.com/Greil-marcus-the-old-weird-america-excerpt-annotated.
Tuesday January 23: Finding an Audience, Constructing an “Other”
Reading: 
Sean McCloud, “Introduction” to Making the Religious Fringe, available at: https://flexpub.com/preview/making-the-american-religious-fringe.
Rebecca Moore, “The Brainwashing Myth”: https://theconversation.com/the-brainwashing-myth-99272.
Urban Introduction: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
PART II. OLD NEW RELIGIONS
Thursday January 25: Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism
Reading: 
Grant Wacker, “Awakeners of the Heart” in Religion in American Life: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4311931.
Marne L. Campbell, “They Were All Filled with the Holy Ghost!” in:
https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4935060.
Tuesday January 30: Snakes and the Lure of Outsiderdom
Reading: 
Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald, The Serpent Handlers, pp. 1-36: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU3761167.
Thursday February 1: Communitarianism
Reading: 
Robert Owen, “Oration Containing a Declaration of Mental Independence”: https://kdhist.sitehost.iu.edu/H105-documents-web/week11/Owen1826.html.
Peter von Ziegesar, “Reinventing Sex”: https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/flesh/reinventing-sex.
Tuesday February 6: Mormonism and Christian Science
Reading: 
Mary Baker Eddy, “Medicine”
Urban chapter 3: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
PART III. MILLENNIALISM
Thursday February 8: 19th Century Millennialism
Reading: 
William Miller, “A Scene of the Last Day”: https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/adl%3A22250397 (pp. 107-114).
Charles Taze Russell, “The Finished Mystery”:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46016/46016-pdf.pdf (pp. 244-257).
Tuesday February 13: NO CLASS – WELLNESS DAY
Thursday February 15: Contemporary Apocalypticism
Reading: 
Michael Joseph Gross, “The Trials of Tribulation.” https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/01/the-trials-of-the-tribulation/377980/.
Hal Lindsey, “World War III.”
PAPER ONE DUE
Tuesday February 20: Branch Davidians
Reading: 
David Koresh, “The Decoded Message of the Seven Seals of the Book of Revelation.”
Urban chapter 13: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
PART IV. IMPORTED RELIGIONS AND IMPROVISATIONS
Thursday February 22: History and Legacies
Reading:
Thomas Tweed, “Walking Through Fairyland”: http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/The%20American%20Encounter%20With%20Buddhism_Tweed.pdf (pp. 78-110).
Tuesday February 27: American Improvisations on Asian Religions
Reading: 
Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Divine Principle, Introduction: 
https://www.discoverdp.info/introduction.html.
Urban chapter 10: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
Thursday February 29: Marketing Buddhism and Religious Appropriations
Reading: 
Teresa Watanabe, “Buddhism and Basketball?”
D.T. Suzuki, “What is Zen?”: https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Suzuki-DT-Introduction-Zen-Buddhism.pdf (pp. 38-47). 
Just take a quick look at this “primary source”: https://psychedelicsangha.org/.
Tuesday March 5: Afro-Caribbean Imports and African-American Esotericism 
Reading: 
The Holy Piby, chpt. 3: https://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/piby/piby08.htm.
Zora Neale Hurston, “Hoodoo in America,” pp. 362-68: https://www.jstor.org/stable/535394.
Laine Kaplan-Levenson, “Mother Catherine Seals and the Temple of the Innocent Blood”: https://www.wwno.org/post/mother-catherine-seals-and-temple-innocent-blood.
Urban chapter 6: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
Thursday March 7: Nation of Islam
Reading: 
Elijah Muhammad, “Message to the Blackman in America”: Allah is God – Who is That Mystery God? Part 2; Original Man – Know Thyself; The Black Woman; A Program for Self-Development.
https://newsyllabus.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/message-to-the-blackman-elijah-muhammad.pdf.
Urban chapter 5: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
TAKE-HOME MIDTERM DISTRIBUTED (DUE MARCH 19 by beginning of class)
Tuesday March 12 – Thursday March 14: Spring Break
Tuesday March 19: The People’s Temple
Reading: 
Sikivu Hutchinson, “Why Did So Many Black Women Die?”: https://religiondispatches.org/why-did-so-many-black-women-die-jonestown-at-35/.
Jim Jones interview: https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=14016.
People’s Temple promotional booklet: https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/03-pt-booklet.pdf.
Thursday March 21: NO CLASS – Bivins Travel Day
Tuesday March 26: 19th Century Metaphysics
Reading: 
Annie Besant, “Meaning and Method of the Spiritual Life”: https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/articles/Meaning_and_Method_of_the_Spiritual_Life.pdf.
Urban chapter 4: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
PART V. OTHER WORLDS
Thursday March 28: New Age
Reading: 
Urban chapter 11: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
Tuesday April 2: Eco-Feminism, Neo-Paganism, Wicca
Reading: 
Urban Chpt. 8: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
Zitkala-Sa, “Why I Am a Pagan”: https://classes.matthewjbrown.net/teaching-files/american/Zitkala-Sa-Pagan.md.pdf.
“W.I.T.C.H. Manifesto” at: https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/4588-witchy-bitchy.
PAPER TWO DUE
Thursday April 4: UFO Religions
Reading: 
William Cromie, “Alien Abduction Claims Examined”: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/02/alien-abduction-claims-examined-2/.
Benjamin Zeller, “The Religious Worldview of Heaven’s Gate” in: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4756411.
Tuesday April 9: Bright Side
Reading: Urban Chpt. 7: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
Skim: https://www.scientologycourses.org/tools-for-life/integrity/steps/two-rules-for-happy-living.html.
Thursday April 11: Dark Side
Reading: Urban Chpt. 9: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4290574.
Listen: https://www.npr.org/2019/04/27/717863758/filmmaker-and-satanic-temple-leader-talk-new-documentary-hail-satan.
Tuesday April 16: White Supremacist Religions
Reading: 
CN, pp. 168-175: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4928568.
Marc Tuters and the Open Intelligence Lab, “Esoteric Fascism Online” in: https://catalog.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/NCSU4850064.
David Walsh, “The Bloody History of America’s Christian Identity Movement”: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/the-bloody-history-of-americas-christian-identity-movement.
Thursday April 18: Conspiracy Theory
Reading: 
David G. Robertson, “Conspiracy Theories About Secret Religions.”
Adrienne LaFrance, “The Prophecies of Q”: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/qanon-nothing-can-stop-what-is-coming/610567/.
Tuesday April 23: Invented Religions and 
Reading: 
Carol Cusack, “Third Millennium Invented Religions.”
“Father Yod Interview.”

This would be based mostly in the new testamate. answer how it is Application in activity (Through my own view)
Sermon on the mount… Use this

Using the Text “How Read the Bible for All Its Worth” (Gordon D. Fee) answer the following questions:
1.   
In 200 words or less, please share
your thoughts on Chapters 1 and 2 of How to Read the Bible. What did you
observe, question and learn from the reading?
2.   
Context and Hermeneutics (Chapters
3 and 4 of Fee & Stuart)  –  In 200 words or less, how are context and
hermeneutics important to the art of preaching and teaching? What happens when
preaching and teaching do not ignore Biblical context and the use of
hermeneutics?
3.   
Old Testament and Acts (Chapters 5
and 6 of Fee & Stuart)  – In 200
words or less, please share your thoughts on Chapters 5 and 6 of How to Read
the Bible. What did you observe, question and learn from the reading?
4.   
The Gospels (Chapter 7 of Fee
& Stuart) – In 200 words or less, explain the significance of studying the
gospels are important to Christian ministry. Should one gospel narrative be
more considered more important than the others? Why or why not?
5.   
In 200 words or less, how is this
book harmful or helpful to your development as a Christian minister in The AME
Zion Church?

The Discussion Boards for this course require an important element in formation; the deliberative meditation upon Scripture. You will read an introductory explanation to the chosen method and one guided reading. Each week you will read the 2 assigned chapters from Meeting God in Scripture; the chapters will provide guided reflection upon Scripture passages. You must read the passage and then give 12 minutes to employing the method or following the guided reading and taking up the challenge to practice the discipline for yourself.
For this discussion:
Discuss your observations concerning the passages in chapter 36 and 40.
In light of chapter the text box, what are the chances of you continuing the practice of meditation? Explain.
You are required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be 200-300 words in length. The thread needs to offer a strong impression or observation encountered in the meditation (12 minutes for each text after reading). We need discipline to speak sincerely but never offering matters that are inappropriate. You may also respond to the textboxes from each section or chapter; these address important questions about the practice. In addition to the thread, you are required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150-200 words in length and be substantive in content, adding to the discussion the classmate began in his/her original thread.