Final

a. Nella Crisci

b. nellacrisci@yahoo.com

c. I have completed a total of twelve (12) posts: the 1st on 09/01, the 2nd on 09/06, the 3rd and 4th on 09/08, the 5th , 6th and 7th on 09/20, the 8th on 9/29, the 9th on 10/12, the 10th and 11th on 10/13 and the 12th on 10/14

d. I visited the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple

e. I watched both of the required Islamic films, from the History Channel and Ben Kingsley, and sixty minutes of the History Channel’s research on who wrote the bible?

f. I received an A- on the midterm. I was not asked to make up any work.

g. I have read the following: When Scholars Study the Sacred, When Gods Decay, The Enchanted Land, chapters 1-8 in Hudson Smith's book, Jainism, Why I Don't Eat Faces, Lions in the Punjab, Wisdom of the Buddha and Tao te Ching, The Gnostic Mystery, The Koran: Selected Suras, a brief look at the four websites on Judaism, The False Testament, Triumph of Christianity, New Testament, and A Revolutionary Biography by Crossan.

h. I truly enjoyed all of the required reading this semester. Personally, a few were more interesting than other, such as When Scholars Study the Sacred, When Gods Decay, The Enchanted Land and the Hudson Smith book. There were three videos that I enjoyed viewing, the two on Islam and the one on Christianity. They offered great information.

i. I did not complete any extra credit.


Final Question 1
In Gnosticism, the main goal is gnosis, which means spiritual knowledge. Traditionally, there are two forms of spiritual knowledge in Gnosticism: one being knowledge of the Divine and the other being knowledge of extraordinary practices. There are three branches of Gnosticism known as the libertinism, the moderate asceticism and asceticism. Because the universe is viewed as a dim reformatory, three dissimilar schools of ethics were produced by violence, temperance and repudiation. Neo-Platonism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism and perhaps Hinduism have influenced the spiritual beliefs of the Gnostic development. Modest Gnostics are comparable to followers of the Sant tradition. Gnostics believe the human soul is remarkably important, is able to overcome ignorance and is realistic in beliefs. There are a certain number of Gnostics that believe there is a God ahead of every one of the gods which is indescribable, vast and allows to be known through a transcendental demonstration of sound and light. Reincarnation has been apparent in the Gnostic movement.

The Gnostic tradition has frequently been connected to Christianity. Christian Gnostics argue that they possess the accurate philosophy of Jesus. On the contrary, orthodox Christians quarreled over these mysterious explanations as being ridiculous and detrimental to the Christian faith. Gnostic teachings offer a good God and an evil god just as Christianity believes in good and evil. A Saint is viewed as a sacred person in Christianity just as a Sant is a spiritual body in the Sant traditions. Unalike, Salvation happens once in a Christian life but numerous times in the Sant tradition when the soul rises above ignorance. Gnosticism is similar to Christianity because they both believe that God or the human Savior induces consciousness in us. The Old Testament has also been exploited by Gnostics. Ironically, the Old Testament has been viewed much differently to Gnostics than to Christians as Gnostics saw the Old Testament as an inferior, resentful and ignorant divinity.

According to Tim Callahan in his article “The Triumph of Christianity”, the main reasons why Christianity thrived over Gnosticism are because it offered an extensive support of petition for individuals trying to fill a void in the religion of Rome. Christianity accepted individuals from all groups, ethnicities or sexes. Christianity offered faith that the Kingdom of God was within reach. On the other hand were peculiar religions that grew in the Roman Empire that required access, concealed the doctrines from the majority of the people, offered a significance of fitting in and uniqueness in rank and individuality. There were three features presented by Christianity that other cults only offered one or two of: an inspirational god who was divided from the universe, who was eternal and had a thorough system of principles. Moreover, Christianity thrived over Gnosticism because of the fact that it was comprehensive and available to everyone. Mithraism was exclusive to non enslaved males while Gnosticism was offered only to the privileged. Judaism was comprehensive to some extent because males were obligated to become circumcised. This was a problem due to the inadequate medical knowledge of the time that did not offer useful anesthetics and posed danger. The tenderness of such extremities was difficult to go through for grown men. Consequently, these unintentional obstructions to association made it difficult for cults to supersede over Christianity due to their open door policy. Christianity was well rounded when it came to politics. Christians did not rebel against change because they knew that God created the world and would supersede everything. Above all, Christians were sophisticated which certainly directed the zenith of a heavenly preparation. As a result, the Day of Judgment offered an intelligent reason and assignment which undoubtedly adjoined magnetism to Christianity.


Final Question 2
J.D. Crossan uses three autonomous targets as his technique to unravel the historical Jesus. First, Crossan uses intersections of civilization with the study of humanity during that a specific era. Second, Crossan studies the religious history of Greece during the first twenty five years of the century that Jesus lived in, with an emphasis on Judaism. Third, Crossan employs a factual technique of the beginning layers of the rituals with information dated between thirty and sixty, Common Era, that were used across the board. Initially, Crossan examines two narratives about two sons of God, who eventually because gods themselves, as a proposal to link the narratives to a précis beginning. Next, Crossan looks at the birth stories of Luke and Matthew. Luke’s story has an old mother that could not possibly give birth and a virgin mother hat introduces the origins of John and Jesus. There are five central themes Crossan offers with specific similarities of the two stories: the innocent statements of Zechariah and Mary, the birth announcement of all children, their given name and the removal of the foreskin of their penis, the public offering and prediction of fate and reports of their childhood. According to Crossan, Matthew is just as interested in finding out the connection of Jesus to the early writings and illustrates three similarities amid Moses’ birth and Jesus’ birth: the forecast from the head of the state who commands the murder of all newborn males, the choices of Amram and Joseph, fathers of Moses and Jesus respectively, to become fathers and the flee from both being murdered. Crossan believes that Matthew’s representation is better than Luke’s representation. Matthew presupposed that Bethlehem was the eternal place for Mary and Joseph and they shifted to Nazareth simply following the homecoming from the banishment of Egypt. There is a levy poll formulated by Luke that would evident the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order for them to vote. Such a poll did not exist during the reign of Octavius Augustus. The timeframe for the births of John and Jesus offered by Luke contradicts with that of the poll.

Next, Crossan shifts to the link between communal groups and heavenly declarations. On the “immaculate conception”, Crossan supposes that an individual searched for the divine meaning in the Old Testament. Jesus was previously known to be inspirational which led to the importance of his origin. Likewise, the connection between the conception of Jesus and Bethlehem is offered by both Luke and Matthew, which is also predicted to be the place for the birth of a subsequent David, who will be the leader of Israel. These are considerably recognized issues. Because there were two class types in the Roman Empire, the laborers and the unworthy, Jesus fell in the unworthy class and a divine claim from a lower class member would be ludicrous and illusory. Crossan supposes that Jesus was an admirer of John until his death which turned Jesus to believe in eschatology and that Judgment Day proposed by John would never happen in the Kingdom of God. We turn to a well known commensal offering given by Crossan. Crossan believes that commensality truly means equality, which leads to his comprehension of the historical Jesus. Jesus defied the Mediterranean philosophies of relations, reputation and support. Crossan believes the core principles of Jesus’ development equality, divineness and consummation. Crossan offers the narrative from Mark of the twelve apostles, which was actually taken from the twelve Israeli tribes and other Christian stories do not acknowledge this. The group of twelve was actually healed individuals that went around healing others. Crossan considers Cynicism to be the force behind missionaries where individuals would only take with them the clothes on their back in order to learn about worth and authority.

The Romans would crucify the lowers classes as a political violence and the bodies were left on the hanging cross so that animals would eat them. Cross maintains that the powerful entrance into Jerusalem was a fantasy used to connect Jesus to the first divination. Spectators in the later part of the first century have no recollection of the “last supper” as Paul demonstrates. According to Crossan, the original supporters of Jesus were not aware of him being crucified, killed and buried and were historical predictions. There are three phases that contributed to the creation of the fervent predictions: true occurrences of Jesus, learning what already existed instead of revelations and reasonable chronological visionaries with unknown beginnings. Jesus was betrayed by his followers when he was buried because of fear for their lives. People that were concerned with the body of Jesus did not actually know where it was and only those that were not concerned knew where the body of Jesus was. Crossan adds that people carried on their typical ways after the death of Jesus, which would mean that his resurrection was insignificant. Another important factor is who did Jesus actually appear to?

In conclusion, Jesus was a cynical Jewish peasant who catered to the lower classes. Jesus emphasized on complimentary remedies and widespread consummation which did not intervene to resolve the quest to spiritually join people. Christianity created a story of Jesus that did not prove to be historically correct.


Final Question 3
Daniel Lazare attempts to give compelling evidence that biblical history is inaccurate in his written article, "False Testament". According to Lazare, Moses could not literally split the Red Sea or turn his team into a snake, for evident reasons. Archeological evidence offers that the Israelites were aborigines who settled and urbanized west of the Jordan River, about twelve hundred, before Christ. The Empire of David, what was once an unquestionable concept is now seen as a fabrication of priests who lived in Jerusalem around the seventh or eight centuries, before Christ. Lazare goes on to explain that Judaism is in actuality a by product of the political aspirations to conquer Babylon and Egypt. Lazare makes clear the fact that the Exodus never happened because historical evidence in Egypt does not show traces of the Israelites. Two sagas are being unfolded by archaeologists: the derivation of ancient Israel and the association amid the Bible and science. Lazare gives detail to the concept that Moses did not actually create the initial five books of the Old Testament but instead the books were created by Jews who were not long before liberated in Babylon. This is due to a German biblical school, known as "Higher Criticism", which has used the examination of linguistics and manuscripts to prove otherwise. A German scholar has even said that the book of Genesis was created a lengthy time after and cannot possibly be a sequential timeline for events because it was a concoction of different myths that had no correlation to one another. Lazare believes that the first archaeologists searched for accurate evidence to support Religious history but found themselves ignoring the truth to piece together what they had learned in Bible school. Eventually, historical artifacts turned up in the nineteenth century that would prove Jews occupied the Holy Land. Another archaeologist found Mycenaean pottery shavings where the walls of Jericho went tumbling down. This would put the timeframe of the falling of the wall at question because Joshua's army was not around during that time. In addition, research has indicated that cities named in the book of Genesis never existed due to the fact that the biblical text was not in agreement with the knowledge gathered from archaeologists concerning the city of Canaan around the second millennium. Another misleading concept on the book of Genesis was the fact that camels were not around during that time and the book refers to examples with the use of camels. In the nineteen hundred and fifties, Lazare states that the Book of Exodus became questionable just as the Book of Genesis because Egyptian records do not indicate the fleeing of some six hundred thousand Jewish slaves as did the Book of Exodus. According to Lazare, doctrine is simply camouflaged to appear to be erudited.

Other evidence led to the fact that the history of Judaism never existed and the Jews were simply aborigines that were different from surrounding neighbors. Lazare uses two rulers of the southern kingdom of Judah as examples, Solomon and David. According to the bible, Solomon had goblets made out of gold that he drank from, had a group of one thousand wives and mistress', gave his soldiers golden armor to wear and had sailing ships that he used for treasure hunts. David used militia forces in Judah to conquer the north but evidence has shown that Judah was deprived of necessities and therefore was unable to produce such an armed force. Lazare raises the question, if this is true where are the artifacts to prove so? Israel was of importance around nine hundred, before Christ, and held the same prosperity as did the kingdom's of Solomon and David but was not a place that Jewish doctrines would support. During that time, there were numerous cultures in Israel that worshiped many gods, not just Yahweh. Lazare believes that monotheism was falsely created by priests because individuals that followed the words of Yahweh were killed for no reason. Monotheism was created during a time when there was nothing else to compare it to. Judaism may have been created to surmount all other religions and people. The Bible was not only created as a structured belief but also as a deviated hesitation.

Lazare mocks the history of religion whereas conventional outlooks accept the history of Judaism, without question. An example of this is seen in Houston Smith's book "World Religions". Smith does his best to describe the history and culture of numerous religions. Smith offers insight and meaning but never a personal opinion of whether he believes it to be true or not. A traditional evaluation, by definition, will offer a longtime established actions, norms and practices, without using artifacts as proof. On the other hand, Lazare is depending on such artifacts to prove what actually existed.


Final Question 4
The most extensive and supported religion in the world is Christianity. The life of Jesus of Nazareth is the core of Christianity. The little that we know about Jesus is that he was born in Palestine around four hundred, before Christ, and was raised in Nazareth. The prophet John baptized Jesus. For a couple of years in his thirties, Jesus was a compelling educator and healer until he was crucified. Jesus existed during a time that adhered to Hebrew customs, which included religious arrangements, angels and above all had Yahweh at the core. Every so often, Yahweh would express his words to prophets but humans could look towards Yahweh by not eating and being isolated. Vigils were where individuals looked to submerge themselves in Spirit. Jesus was situated directly in the middle of these customs. Spirit over the natural world was indubitably believed by the Jews. It was Spirit that restored to health the sick, evicted evil spirits, subdued squalls, divided waters and revived the dead and the Gospels accredited all of this to Jesus. Jesus lived to cure humankind. During the time of Jesus, the Jews were enslaved to Rome and heavily taxed. There were four types of individuals with two different attitudes: the enthusiastically rich and people seeking transformation. Jesus searched for alteration as well and was intimate with the Pharisees of the time. The Pharisees manifested that Yahweh desired a holy world and the Jews were chosen as the individuals to accomplish this. Jesus did not accept the clear cut separated social configuration between those who were unsoiled and soiled because he saw this as insulting to Yahweh's sympathy. Because Jesus ignored those who supported the social configuration, he became a prophet trying to alter the present. Jesus fought for the compassion of Yahweh and in doing so, the Pharisees did not approve. The objections of Jesus did not triumph but caught the attention of the Romans. This directed Jesus to be placed under arrest and put to death for treason. People did not see Jesus as a form of God while he was alive but came pretty close. Jesus did this by showing his disciples his good deeds, teaching the word of the Lord and living the word of the Lord. Jesus did not stress the importance of good deeds but silently executed them. The words that Jesus spoke were charming because they were short and to the point. Jesus did as he preached to his people as his actions spoke for his words. Jesus lived a life that was filled with modesty, charity and adoration and was adored back by people. Jesus detested insincerity and unfairness because people were concealed. Instead, Jesus wanted to use genuineness to develop connections.

Eventually, Jesus was crucified and soon after arose. Not long after the crucifixion, admirers of Jesus encountered him through the traits of God. Instead of being present in the flesh, Jesus was now ubiquitous. The creation of the Church and the Christian ideology came from the confidence in the rebirth of Jesus. This confidence exerted goodness as being invincible. The love of Jesus from his disciples was triumphant. Jesus did not die on the cross and continued to live on forever. There were a dozen or so devotees of Jesus that eventually turned into one of the liveliest assemblage in history. There was Good News spreading throughout Jerusalem. A symbol of a fish was being placed everywhere and stood for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior". Jesus was responsible for changing lives as people found the clandestine of living. There were two qualities that changed lives: shared consideration and happiness. As they found the clandestine, suddenly life was not something to deal with anymore and magnificence was recognized. Three unbearable loads were lifted through love, as the New Testament explains: trepidation of dying, guilt and the imprisonment of egotism. Love is the basic ingredient in the Christian revolution. Christians sensed the love from God and came across the identical love from Jesus, which in return took away their fears, guilt and egotism. Christian love was created and equally cuddled criminals, outsiders, Samaritans and opponents.

Good News was stretched out all through the Mediterranean from Christians who had faith in Jesus and his solid and invigorating influence. Christian followers explored the world God deemed was their own. The Holy Spirit, the main ingredient, was alive in all Christians. The Church was considered the spiritual Body of Christ, which arose at Pentecost in Jerusalem. Moreover, Christ was the cranium of the body, the Holy Spirit its spirit and human beings were the smallest units within the body. Reciting and maintaining this was the aspiration in Christian reverence which integrated Christians into the Church. Without faith, the body cannot function to its fullest and eventually will become full of disease. For healthy Christians were guided through with no problems. By doing this, Christians were conjoined with each other and with Christ. Eventually, Christians arrived at the conclusion that the Church consisted of two facets which was the infallible Christ and Holy Spirit and the imperfect human worshipers. There are two views of salvation. The first is a lenient view that believes salvation will be available to all human beings. On the other side, there are others that believe in the strict following of the Church and only those who are officially Christians will be hoarded. The Church has offered insight to those who fall in the middle of these two categories by saying that perfection does not lead to salvation but worthy, graceful and decent human beings will have eternal life.

Jesus attracted believers by his heavenly delight, adoration and influence. In due course, Christians searched for the meaning of this experience and Christian theology was created. The foundation of this theology is Christian doctrine: incarnation, atonement and Trinity. The life of Jesus is the ideal representation of a Christian life because it represents enthusiastic dedication to God. This was difficult to grasp because a man cannot be a God at the same time, as Jesus is described. Historically, emperors were considered to be divine. Jesus was novel because of the enthusiasm he possessed along with the natural replica of God. This threatened conventionalists and those who were profane ensued persecution. With the survival of the Church at stake, Apostles instituted that fact that the man aspect of God was human. Because Jesus was born, he endured pain and death and consequently laid to rest. The life of Jesus on earth was to the same degree as genuine as God. In essence, Christ had to appear to be man and God because Christ was the viaduct that united people to God. The life and death of Jesus brought together people to God. Defiance pushed people away from God and Christ dying on the cross signifies a never-ending plan of unity. Personal adoration enslaves our lives due to the feeling of being vulnerable. Only a superior force can break us free from slavery. For Christians, the superior force was Christ. Christ gave them a liberated life. Christians saw the Lord trilaterally, just as H2O can take the form as ice, water or steam. The three parts were God, his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism make up the three magnificent divisions of Christianity. After receiving harassment from the Romans for many years up to three hundred thirteen, after death, Christianity turned out to be known as the authorized religion of the Roman Empire. In one thousand fifty four, it split into the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation took place, creating the third division. In Roman Catholicism, the Church is the ultimate educator on significant topics. Thus, this leads to the perfect Pope, who is human in every aspect but is flawless in faith and morals. The Pope is all knowing in these two areas. The Church is an Agent of Sacrament. Sacraments are administered by the Church to assist Christians to deal with natural, self-centered motives of wanting to live a life contrary to the one Christ described, a life filled with kindness and assistance. There are seven sacraments that have been issued since the twelfth century and represent superior instances and essentials in life. The first sacrament is Baptism and happens when a person who is born into this world is acknowledged by God and is entered into the Christian faith. The second sacrament is Confirmation and happens when a rational young person is ready to take on accountability for their own actions through the guidance and help of God. The third sacrament, the Holy Matrimony, occurs when two people enter into the sacredness of marriage. The fourth is the Holy Orders which are devoted to God throughout life. The fifth is the sacrament of the Sick where the Church primes the soul for the final passage. The sixth and seven sacraments, Reconciliation and Mass, are frequented in life. Reconciliation is confession given for our sins so that our souls can be cleansed by the Lord. Mass is the Holy Eucharist which resembles devotion to God. Sacraments are vigorous gifts from God to the soul. Prominently, constituents of the Eucharist replenish the body just as water hydrates the body.

Eastern Orthodoxy is more similar to Roman Catholicism than it is dissimilar. The seven sacraments are practiced in Eastern Orthodoxy. The purpose of the Teaching Authority is the same but the Eastern Church accepts only those that are named in scripture. On issues such as eradication and the Immaculate Conception of Mary to name a few, the Eastern Church does not see these as required positive statements as does the Roman Catholic Church but rather as accompaniments to use at your own discretion. The Eastern Church does not have a Pope that shares examinations of faith and morals but has "the conscience of the Church" in which Christian perspectives have been viewed by the Holy Spirit as being accurate. Salvation is obtained by way of the remnants of the Church in Eastern Orthodoxy. Individuals are not only held accountable for their own salvation but also for the salvation of everything in God's creation. Clergy men and women are chosen by the people of the congregation. Clergy will distribute the sacraments and can marry. The mystical life is important in the Eastern Church and is promoted to their supporters to seek here on earth.

Protestantism arose from new understandings for Christianity, known as Justification by Faith and the Protestant Principle. Protestant faith is made up developments of the mind, heart and the will. Respectively, to believe, to love and trust and to encourage factors. All three of these make up the Justification of Faith in Protestantism. Protestants believe that doctrine and rituals are important as long as they rouse the feeling of God's love. Good deeds should come from the heart instead of a pre calculated attempt to go to heaven. The Protestant Principle advises the risks of idolatry. Basically, idols cannot offer anything predetermined unless they are of biblical characters not of sexual or victorious objects, philosophy or of society. Protestants believe that Pope being seen as perfect is idolatry because it allows no room for possible error. The bible is idolized in Protestantism but is understood that the love and words of God are verbalized through the human heart. Faith is a living adventure in Protestantism but it cannot be mistaken for individuals who assume that they are God. Even though the root of Protestantism is protest, and that justly describes the religion, the foundation is constructive. The bible is of very high esteem because it can lead to the divine life by openly reading and understanding the elegance of God. This should be taken with caution because the bible can easily be misinterpreted. Protestants freely acknowledge this risk because unstable liberty is more important than imperfect principles and institutions.

The video articulates that the eternal bible may have been a combination of narratives, ideas, traditions created over a thousand years, encircling the era the Exodus of Egypt to the life of Christ. The bible is a perpetual book with one hundred million printed each year. Question in respect to the bible have stumped Scholars for years. Questions like who wrote the bible and does it contain the original books? The answers to how the most admired book arose may be held by the Middle East. Infrequently, artifacts come into view but the actual text is of significance. The bible text hold concealed answers of how the bible derived. Scholars suppose that the Lord’s utterances were exactly written but is also depends on how the receiver interprets it. Bible is composed of two parts: the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The Old Testament has the five books of Moses, considered to be the law, the history publishing and additional writings. The New Testament offers the life and lessons of Jesus Christ. The New Testament is made up of twenty seven books which are separated into four gospels, the steps of the apostles, letters and the book of Revelations. The Pentateuch, which consists of the first five books of Moses, evidently has a large amount of different writing techniques.

In nineteen hundred forty seven, the Dead Sea scrolls were found in a cave. These scrolls have been vital in answering the questions of Scholars. In the scrolls are a part of every except Esther. The scrolls were found to be a thousand years older than the eldest book Scholars had. Today, the scrolls are displayed in a Jerusalem shrine and discuss the three hundred years before the obliteration of the Great Temple. Eight hundred scrolls were found in eleven caves between the years of nineteen hundred forty seven and nineteen hundred sixty. These documents more than likely rested in these caves for two thousand years. They were written on parchment and papyrus, typically in Hebrew but sometimes on Greek and Aramaic. Out of these findings, one hundred and twenty seven of the manuscripts are canonized texts that are seen in contemporary bibles. The Dead Sea scrolls have given us confidence that the bible is legitimate but also that there were other books distributed. There was a group of individuals that separated from Judaism, known as the Assyians, who migrated to caves and were probably accountable for writing the scrolls. Amongst the scrolls was a bizarre document written on copper which composed of sixty four locations of buried fortune around the area. Nonetheless, there has never been anything located. More than likely, it was written on copper because at that time every authorized manuscript from the Temple was published on copper. Unfortunately, the scrolls do not name who the authors were. The Assyians who concealed the scrolls possibly died during the Roman war and they were left there. As a whole, the understanding of God is an association of many dissimilar ideas.

Scholars belonging to a synagogue in Jerusalem suppose the first five books of the Torah were concluded in the seventh century, before Christ. The ultimate version of the bible was produced around five hundred, before Christ which was considered a universal book. In actuality, the book of Isaiah is elder to the Torah. The book of Isaiah offers novel passages of the Messiah and Eden. During the time the book of Isaiah written, another author inserts the ideas of suffering and rejection. With these new ideas, the bible is not the book of the Jews but is now a book for everyone because we all yearn for tranquility and stability. At this point, the bible was canonized and any new manuscripts were turned away. In nineteen hundred twenty nine, the Arabs forced the Jews to leave the city of Hebron. It was not until the nineteen hundred sixties that Jews revisited Hebron in hopes that more would return someday. In Hebron, the readings and writings of the bible are not negotiated. The Jews essentially deem the Torah as being divine because the Lord passed down his words to Moses who then passed it down to the Jewish people. Israeli Jews tend to disagree with this essential belief. Today, people can venture back to the land that Jesus walked on and where he was crucified. A person can even act out Jesus carrying his cross down Via De La Rosa in Jerusalem where he walked to his own death.


Final Question 5
Judaism did not have an abundance of history that can justify their inspiring authority. The territory the Jews originally chose for themselves seemed to have been undersized for a religion such as Judaism. Canaan was the name of the city which was equivalent to one eighth of the size of Illinois. Jews searched for true meaning in God. What put Judaism on the playing board were the two traits that were attributed to its solitary God: ethics and consideration. Jews asserted everything that God created. By doing this, Judaism was created on a positive foundation. Giving up on life itself is not an option to Jews because they wholly believe in their creator God. Since Yahweh, the name given to God, created everything good the Jews also believe that everything is truly good. Yahweh expressed that humans have total control over the earth.

Jews also searched for meaning in the true natural view because self image was important. Jews recognized the physical frailness in human nature but at the same time saw how magnificent it could be. Moral frailness was further important because of the fact that humans are naturally imperfect. Moreover, Judaism teaches life would not be the same without recognizing transgression, autonomy and heavenly adoration.

The past is noteworthy for Jews because it is influential, exploitive, offers perspectives and lacks correspondences. Because the Jews saw the past as a constant battle between the teachings of Yahweh and the failed obligated human actions, transformation was necessary. Since humans depend on social interaction, ethics were significant in order to regulate society. There are six hundred and thirteen laws in the Jewish religion. Four principal commandments of those six hundred and thirteen are wealth, sex, speech and force. Basically, success is good as long as it has been earned and not stolen and adultery, perjury and murder are immoral.

Yahweh exerted his words through prophets on three momentous occasions. To begin with, the Prophetic Guilds was the first juncture in which prophets realized their motivation was heavenly. Subsequently, the Individual Pre-Writing Prophets followed which conveyed morals. During this time, Yahweh went to unaccompanied prophets to proclaim divineness. Then there came the third occasion called the Writing Prophets who were Amos, Hosea, Jeremiah and Isaiah to name a few. The Writing Prophets were important because they addressed the condemned concerns of Yahweh. Because of the unfairness of all aspects of society during this time, Judaism was threatened, which concerned Yahweh greatly. Yahweh expressed the importance of change for the nation or there would be consequences endured. Prophetic principals instructed collected righteousness because Yahweh is superior and in turn expects humbleness from people.

Since the Jews did not take the advice of the Prophets, they found themselves in a huge predicament in the eighth to the sixth centuries, before Christ. As a result, Assyria abolished both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, taking the leaders as prisoners. Instead of angrily replying to the leaders, the Prophets tried even harder to instruct the meaning of humbleness to the Jews. By doing this, Judaism was saved forever. This was a learning lesson for the Israeli people that freedom cannot be taken for granted. Yahweh took this opportunity to teach the Jews through their anguish the importance of autonomy and fairness that would trickle down to all mankind.

A Western thought arose from the Jewish suffering which would change the world incessantly. Since the Jews were considered to be second class citizens, they knew there was no where to go from their position but up. The Jews turned to their Messiah for optimism. There was a second annihilation of the Jewish Temple in seventy, after death, that embedded the Western thought of optimism and split it into two parts; a politico-national and a spiritual-universe. There were concerns that followed for the Jews which were the coming of a Messiah or future Prophets that would possibly transform the world. These concerns came together and the energy was preserved in the mentality of the Jews.

Next, we come to what is carried out in Judaism. There is not a statement of belief in Judaism but rather customs, such as circumcision and the dinner on Sabbath day, which consecrates life. Everything good in life has to be sanctified by Yahweh. Whether it is at meals, weddings or just to be happy, everything revolves around what Yahweh stands for. For the history of the Jews is in connection with the holiness of Yahweh and acts as a guide in Judaism. Symbolization, like candles at Sabbath dinner, is used for meaning of life and for assertion that Yahweh's children are good.

The Torah, the Jewish bible, was created to divinely reveal the words of Yahweh. The Exodus was by far the most amazing incident because Yahweh astonishingly set free enchained people and showed his disposition for the first time. The Jews greatly appreciated the act of Yahweh in liberating them from slavery. Yahweh was authoritative, decent and caring but most of all he worried about people. Following Exodus was the creation of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.

The Jews believed that they were the chosen people since Yahweh decided to free them and disclose his nature to them. They felt responsible to serve and to suffer the consequences of attending to Yahweh. This Jewish theory was not intended to be brought on by egotism but rather humility at its best. Yahweh was responsible for nurturing the Jews as he saw fit. By doing this uniquely, it shows all humans that God is unpredictable but very much capable of using powers when necessary.

After the Romans shattered the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in seventy, after death, the Torah became the guide for Judaism. Rabbis taught the Torah which kept the religion alive in the thousands of years to follow. Judaism is the assurance for a people and of a people. There are four finest pieces of Judaism; observance, culture, nation and faith. There is a range of observance understanding in Judaism but as long as the purpose is to lead to a consecrated life, it is okay. Verbal communication, wisdom and resemblance are the three main elements that make up culture in Judaism. The fourth element is the state of Israel in which the Jews have returned to Palestine. There were four historical aspects in history that led to the importance of Jerusalem. The Holocaust, the minority of Jews all over the place, the dying of Judaism and a central location needed for the success of Judaism. Palestine gave Jews the opportunity to freely live out their service and sufferance to Yahweh.


Final Question 6
Islam is a religion that believes in one God, Allah, who created the earth and mankind. A Muslim is an individual who practices the religion of Islam. Islam stands for two things; peace and surrender. There was one prophet, Muhammad, which stands out in Islamic history because he modified the original Islam to what it is today, through the words of Allah. Muhammad was born in the sixth century, after death, which was a time filled with disarray in a bustling desert. Muhammad lived in an area called Mecca and was raised by his loving uncle because his mother and father passed away when he was a little boy. Muhammad was known to be considerate, kind and loved by individuals. He specialized in the caravan industry, which eventually led him to meet his wealthy wife Khadija. It was not until fifteen years after he married Khadija that Muhammad began his ministry preparation. One night as Muhammad began his investigation into Allah, he was approached by an angel, named Gabriel, to "proclaim", which scared him. Muhammad expressed his concerns to his wife, Khadija, who guided him to follow the word of Allah. From that moment on, Muhammad became the prophet that delivered the words and true meanings of Allah. At first, Muhammad was rejected by the masses because he preached the opposite of what they stood for. This forced Muhammad to leave Mecca for the city of Yathrib because he feared his life was in danger, which is known as the hijra. The hijra is very important because Muslims started their calendar year from the hijra. Muhammad was welcomed in the city of Yathrib, which soon came to be known as Medina, meaning the city. In Medina, Mohammad was able to carry out the teachings of Islam. For the next ten years of Muhammad's life, there were constant struggles between the people from Mecca and Medina. Eventually, Muhammad won control over the entire Arabia. Muhammad added to the Koran, the Muslim bible, over some twenty-three years, and is read literally by Muslims.

There are four significant spiritual notions of Islam which are God, Creation, the Human Self and the Day of Judgment. God is the center of Islam, who is neither here nor there. Muslims are to be frightened of God due to Allah's infinite powers that are portrayed in the Koran. A Muslim must surrender their self to Allah. The second concept is that Allah intentionally created the earth and human beings. As a result, realism and excellence are asserted for the materialistic existence on earth. The Human Self is the third principal which is seen as being superior. According to Islamic belief, people may fall to remember their heavenly beginning but because people are superior in nature, they are entitled to a confident sense of self. Because life is granted by Allah, appreciation and submission are two responsibilities for Muslims. Lastly, the Day of Judgment is important because all Muslims are responsible for their own feats. Achievements in life will create future standings for Muslims.

Along with spiritual concepts there are principals to follow in everyday life. By following these principals, known as the Five Pillars of Islam, one will be directed onto a pure pathway in life. The first pillar is shahadah, known as the dogma of Islam, and is said in the following words "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." Muslims are required to say the shahadah at least once in their life but with bit by bit accuracy, understanding and compassion. The second pillar is the norm of having prayer in a Muslim's life simply because it shows appreciation to Allah for the gift of life and it maintains life's point of view. Originally, Allah asked that Muslims pray fifty times in one day but Muhammad was able to decrease that amount to five. A Muslim should pray when they wake up, when the sun is above them, in the middle of the afternoon, when the sun sets and when they are getting ready for bed. The third pillar is charity. According to Islamic beliefs, the fortunate should share with the ill-fated. The Koran goes on to say that a Muslim should give two and half percent of their income to charity each year. The fourth pillar is to observe Ramadan, which is a sacred month because of two reasons; the revelation of the Koran started and Muhammad relocated from Mecca. For the duration of Ramadan, Muslims who are not sick, are not in war and not on inevitable voyages abstain from eating, drinking, smoking or having sex from dawn until sunset. Ramadan teaches willpower, how fragile and dependant a person is and it cultivates compassion. The fifth pillar of Islam is pilgrimage. One in a lifetime, Muslims who are able to travel should set off on a voyage to Mecca because it strengthens the pledge given to Allah and embraces egalitarianism.

Economically, Islamic beliefs stand behind ambition but with sympathy and equilibrium. Daughters are entitled to inheritance just as sons are. Women are not beneath Men and can be successful in business, educate themselves, choose who to marry and to divorce their husbands. Polygyny is accepted in Islamic belief and men can have up to four simultaneous wives. Forgiveness and punishment are both taught by the Koran, just as Christianity does.

There are three schools of thought in Islam; Sufism, Sunni Muslims and Shi'ite Muslims. Sufism is the spiritualistic tradition where supporters look to Allah for self awareness through meditation and rituals. Sufi's wear rough wool as clothes as part of their symbolic life. Sunni Muslims are supporters of the Shafi, Hanifa, Malik and Hannibal schools of thought. Sunni Muslims are the largest group making up about ninety percent of Islamic followers. They follow their devotion in worldly civilizations and can become accustomed to any environment. The Shi'ite Muslims are believers of the Jafri school of though and are considered to be the smallest Islamic group. The Shi'ite's and the Sunni's argued over who was Muhammad's successor which caused the Shi'ite's to break away from the Sunni's. Shi'ite Muslims adhere firmly to the Koran. They also have twelve gurus who showed the way to their progression.

The videos were interesting in that they gave a different insight than the reading and because they were visual. The calling of the Lord before every prayer each day is a universal symbol for Muslims around the world. Muhammad struggled to deliver the words of Allah because he was going against the grain. Muhammad was bringing change to the mass majority that was unfamiliar to them. When Muhammad was finally able to convey his messages, trade arose which was vital because of the dry, harsh desert. The center of Islam ended up to be Baghdad because the most excellent individuals traveled there. People of different religions even sought out Baghdad. Arabic appeared as the standard for learning since Islamic scientists translated Greek mythology to their own. Algebra and engineering can be drawn back to Muslims. Muslims are attributed for the discovery of optics and how the eyes function. Cataracts were surgically treated by Muslim doctors one thousand years prior to the Western world. The Arabic world came up with the idea of paper and introduced it to the rest of the world. Islamic culture eventually found its way to southern Spain where a city of lights, paved streets, flowers and libraries could be found. A great Mosque was built in Cordova, Spain, which serviced all of southern Europe and eventually was the architectural influence for other churches in Europe. Muslim crusaders invaded Jerusalem, killing all the people to take over the sacred land. The twenty thousand crusaders that stayed in Jerusalem built the most beautiful castles in the East. The words of Allah revealed by Muhammad did not perish but continued to grow across the world. Trade united Muslims to the outside world, which they mastered. Muslims specialized in textiles which were in great demand and of the finest materials. The most famous Muslim of all times was Saladin Shawar because he took Jerusalem from the crusaders and allowed people to worship other religions freely. After that, the rest of the world became more and more interested in Islamic culture and ideology. The Mongolians from Asia surmounted Baghdad, destroying everything. Eventually, most Mongols converted to Islam and glorified it.


Final Question 7
Islam is alike to Judaism in that both religions worship one omnipresent God. Allah is the God of Islam and Yahweh is the God of Judaism. Islam stands for two things, which are peace and surrender, while Judaism originally stood for morals and kindness but overtime humbleness grew immensely. History is monumental in Islam because of the prophet, Muhammad, who modified the original Islam to what it is today. Judaism differs because there was not an abundance of history that can justify their inspiring authority but the past is certainly noteworthy because it is influential, exploitive, offers perspectives and lacks correspondences. Yahweh exerted words through prophets to the Jews on three momentous occasions: the Prophetic Guilds, the Individual Pre-Writing Prophets and the Writing Prophets. Islam has four spiritual notions which are God, Creation, the Human Self and the Day of Judgment and Judaism similarly believes in God, Creation and the Human Self along with observance, culture, nation and faith. Economically, Islamic beliefs stand behind ambition but with sympathy and equilibrium while in Judaism success is good as long as it is honest. Judaism also focuses on wealth, sex, speech and force while Islam also focuses on equality between men and women and polygyny. The main Islamic principles are known as the Five Pillars of Faith: Shahadah, prayer, charity, observance of Ramadan and pilgrimage. All of these pillars will direct one onto a pure pathway in life. There are important Jewish customs, such as circumcision and the dinner on Sabbath Day, which consecrates life and the ten commandments are a moral set of codes that Jews should follow in life. The Koran is the Islamic bible and the Torah is the Jewish Bible. There are three schools of thought in Islam: Sufism, Sunni Muslims and Shi’ite Muslims but all three revolve around Allah. There are three main branches of Judaism, known as the Orthodox, the Reformers and the Conservatives. There are also two other extremists, known as Hasidism and Reconstructionalism.

Islam is alike to Christianity in that both religions worship one omnipresent God. Allah is the God for Islam and Yahweh is the God in Christianity. Islam stands for two things, which are peace and surrender, and revolves around the prophet Muhammad while Christianity revolves around the life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and believes in love and the Holy Spirit. Muhammad and Jesus were very similar in that they taught the word of the Lord, they revealed new and surprising information and they had few followers when they were alive. Muhammad was not crucified as was Jesus. Christian doctrine is incarnation, atonement and the Trinity. The four spiritual notions of Islam are God, Creation, the Human Self and the Day of Judgment as they were in Christianity. The main Islamic principles are known as the Five Pillars of Faith: Shahadah, prayer, charity, observance of Ramadan and pilgrimage. All of these pillars will direct one onto a pure pathway in life. There are seven sacraments that represent superior instances and essentials in life. They are the sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, the sacrament of the sick, reconciliation and mass. Sacraments are vigorous gifts for God to the soul. The Ten Commandments are a moral set of codes that Christians should follow in life. In Islam as well as in Christianity, an individual is held accountable for their own life. The Koran is the Islamic bible and the Christian bible is sacred in Christianity.

Final Question 8
I found Islam to be the most interesting religion we studied this semester. It was amazing to learn about the dynamics of the religion, such as the Five Pillars of Faith and the contributions that were made by Muslims over time. I also never knew how similar Islam is to Christianity and Judaism. There are numerous parallelisms, such as one God created the earth and humanity. I believe that you can never go wrong in life with peace and yielding because we are all children of God. The dedication of Muslims on a daily basis is amazing. Saying the shahadah with understanding and compassion at least five times a day is pure devotion to Allah. Sharing your fortune with others builds tremendous character in life. I adore the concept of the pilgrimage to Mecca because it can be a learning lesion that enhances your appreciation for life and Allah. I also believe that ambition is great if done with compassion because pushing others down to get ahead in life is wrong and brings on bad karma. I always thought women were not equal to men in Islam. I was shocked to read that women are encouraged to be successful, attend school and choose to marry who they want and even get a divorce if they choose to.

The video offered additional insight for me that the book did not offer. When I watched the calling of the Lord, I felt the passion that was expressed. I was shocked that Baghdad was the center of Islam due to the fact that Saddam Hussein ruled such as important land. It was great to know that at one time in history, many excellent individuals from different religions sought out Baghdad. I would love to visit the first city of Islam someday. Muslims have been of great importance to our history. Algebra, engineering the discovery of optics, the removal of cataracts and the idea of paper are a few examples of what Muslims have attributed to the world. It is very clear that without Muslims, our world may have been worse off.

Islam has an immense impact, not only on my life but on the lives of everyone. I have learned that terrorists who pose to be Muslims, killing innocent people in the name of Allah, are in fact a small group of individuals who have misunderstood the teachings of Allah. I actually feel bad for them because they do not know the true meaning of Allah. Islamic beliefs have actually sparked an important interest in my life to become more active in my Church, in charity, during Lent and above all, to understand my Lord. I may not necessarily be converting to Islam but I plan to become closer to my God during my life.

Midterm

1. Nella Crisci

2. nellacrisci

3. nellacrisi@yahoo.com

4. I completed seven (7) posts. the 1st on 09/01, the 2nd on 09/06, the 3rd and 4th on 09/08, and the 5th, 6th and 7th on 09/20.

5. I have read the following: When Scholars Study the Sacred, When Gods Decay, The Enchanted Land, chapters 1-4 in Hudson Smith's book, Jainism, Why I Don't Eat Faces, Lions in the Punjab, Wisdom of the Buddha and Tao te Ching. I read all required reading.

6. I watched the following films: a half an hour of the Hudson Smith, the film on Guru Faqir Chand, the fifty minute Hinduism documentary, the short Jainism video, the short films on Sikhism, the short films on Buddhism and the short vidoe on Taoism. I did not skip any required films. I enjoyed the documentary on Hunduism because it gave me more insight to the mysterious religion.

7. I visited a Buddhist Temple, the Hsi Lai Temple.

8. I did not complete any extra credit work.


Essay question 1
There are numerous religious groups today, ranging from old religions such as Christianity to fresh religious groups known as cults. Exactly what sustains a religion from dying out depends on different concepts offered by different experts. Ninian Smart presents one of the most accepted concepts of religion as he explains that it is an “organism with seven dimensions”. Within religion lives ethics, doctrines, rituals, myths, religious experiences, social institutions and material outlines of religion. According to Smart, in order to be considered a valid religion, all seven of these dimensions must be present.

J. Gordon Melton argues that there are approximately three hundred thousand affiliates that should not be under minded by their miniscule number compared to millions of affiliates in Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism, just to name a few examples. Eastern religious inspiration will increasingly continue to be seen in America. According to Melton, people who seek to join cults live in middle to upper class urban areas and are edified individuals, who are looking for unity, self worth, increased spiritual understanding and an enlightened worldly outlook. According to Melton, Eastern Religions are popular in America because of the openness to multiple ideologies instead of strict doctrines and a teaching of personal spiritual growth. Even though only ten percent of students venture out to try new religions that they have mostly learned in college, it is a short lived journey that results in the student returning back to the religion they grew up in. People are stepping away from orthodox Christianity and Judaism to religions that are not as unbending in rituals and the fallible self but instead. Instead, people seek religions that offer a strong, powerful meaning of self worth. Melton goes on to say that for young individuals trying to break free from strict religious upbringings, cults may offer a good sense of belonging and growing into adulthood, instead of negative outcomes, such as drug abuse.

Susan Blackmore believes that religious ideologies are carried on by humans. Since memes do outnumber humans, it is important that ideas replicate and continue on. Although, humans can misinterpret ideas as they are passed on by word thus creating more versions of the truth. Imitation is the only true way to pass on a meme, according to Blackmore. As children mimic behavior in order to fit into society, religious concepts should be impersonated in order to insure success. Emotional ideas also have a stronger likelihood of dispersing because we cannot talk about what we do not experience. Another important factor of meme replication is that the more complex the meme, the less chance it has for surviving. If we combine Neitzsche’s theory with Blackmore’s theory, we have the ingredients for religious success, which is that humans pass on theories and orthodox breakdown will be replaced with new religions. Memes that merge what humans want with that of what humans dread tend to be more successful than those religions who lack them.

Ken Wilber argues that human awareness has evolved over time, just like the human body has. Consequently, ideas have developed as realization in humans has. Wilber states we will find that some memes will be more successful than other memes simply because of the when they were introduced and to who they were introduced to. According to Wilber, there are three stages of human awareness: pre-rational, rational, and transrational. Within each of the stages is a place for memes to fit into.


Essay question 2
Religion does not die because of the vibrant and supple nature of it but instead is ever changing and developing. According to H. Richard Niebuhr, there a continuous religious sequence that we see: traditional religions evolve from sensible to liberal ones, liberal religions become more spiritual and sects turn out to be traditional religions which start the sequence once more. Because of the secularization that all religious nations have endured, new religious developments will be born. There are three types of religious categories. The first category is the well-known religions that are supported in society. The second is the sect which is a division of the well-known religions that are usually not accepted in society. The third type is the cult, considered an innovative movement that is not familiar to society.

Peter Berger contends that the decrease of spiritual religion is actually being disputed. Berger goes on to say that there may actually be another phenomenon in the making in America. As the world is altering ever so quickly, conservatism is more appealing to people. For some people, the morals that existed before the nineteen hundred sixties are desired. An example of this is the returning of the male as the head of the house hold who brings home the bacon while the woman stays home to raise the children and tend to the home.

Today, the baby boomers, people that were born between nineteen hundred forty six and nineteen hundred sixty four, make up one third of America with a population of approximately seventy six million people. Consequently, the baby boomers play a big part in religion today and where it will be headed in the future. The mid-life crisis will hit baby boomers with questions arising such as changes in religious outlooks, contemplation and reconsideration of life. These baby boomers are looking at religion in a different way as the importance is placed on individual preference and spiritual encounter. Instead of viewing God as a separate inspiration of nature, baby boomers are looking at God as being one with nature. Earth day is an example of how baby boomers are bonding with God. Many baby boomers are starting to view the self as purely virtuous instead of immoral. This optimism has lead to the fresh cultural development of the environmental consciousness.

According to Abraham Maslow, there are necessities are prioritized differently and once the necessities to live are obtained, the true self can be found. Since the baby boomers are the most successful bunch of individuals in history, they can now search for their true self. Wade Clark Roof has found in recent studies that the majority of baby boomers seek out unity and are egalitarians. Baby boomers are also more open to new ideas than past generations have been, due to an increase in education and introduction to different cultures.


Essay question 3
Sociologist George Simmel describes humans as being innately religious along with a deeply rooted character of destiny and community. Religion, according to Simmel, permits an appropriately operating civilization. Society would be non-existent without religion because it defines how a culture should function in everyday life. A significant role in religion is the laws set forth, such as no adultery and no killing. Religion also has the influence to promote a solid meaning of community. Unity is also an outcome of religious groups because everyone works together to form a sound world. Confidence in a god promotes love, kindness and peacefulness because those acts are what a god will abide by and enforce. God is the backbone for religion. Without the backbone, religion would not be.

A different description of religion offered by sociologist Bryan Wilson is that religion offers optimism and deliverance. An immensely hidden benefit of religion is unity, as said by Wilson. For a society to function adequately, religion is a crucial necessity. Following the word of God gives a meaning of responsibilities and societal worth. Religion serves as a set of laws that should be followed, or incriminating actions will have consequences, in order to keep an organized and goal oriented society. Wilson argues that a human necessity is passionately expressing one self through rituals, art and dance. Orthodox religion has become non-existent in the Western hemisphere. Without religion, Wilson believes that society will die because of the lack of kindness, hope and unity. Wilson believes that the fate of the Western world is doomed because traditional religion is diminishing.

According to sociologist Max Weber, religious philosophies promote social change. Weber goes on to argue that religious thoughts can determine how people will act in a social environment. Austere behavior is important for revolutionizing society and to feed the strength of capitalism. In countries of Protestant influence, capitalism prospers.

Mark Juergesnmeyer agrees with Max Weber that religious values will induce beneficial social transformation. Religion can liberate social cruelty, as seen in the with the Ad Dharm movement in India. The Ad Dharm movement purposely served to liberate the lowest social level of the caste system, known as the Untouchables. The caste system in Hinduism defines your course in life with no change. The Untouchables are often seen as outsiders from the caste system. Instead of rebelling against the caste system, the Untouchables fought back by questioning the religious history that India lived by. The Ad Dharm movement endorsed a sense of hope and a new character for the Untouchables. Equality was not on the agenda of the Ad Dharm movement but simply detachment from Hindu race. The British government assisted the Ad Dharm movement with the existing optimistic affiliation with the Untouchables. The Ad Dharm movement died out in the nineteen hundred thirties but revived itself in the nineteen hundred seventies and is still going strong today.

One of the first sociologists in the nineteenth centuries was Emile Durkheim. Durkheim concurred with Freud’s theory that tribal groups and their totems were the primary structure of religion. To Durkheim, the totems exemplified societal strength. The totem was enclosed with laws that the society lived by. Today, we see the same form of religion but God replaces the totem. Social organization is the outcome of approved behaviors and thoughts by God. If you disobeyed the beliefs of God, you would be condemned to hell.


Essay question 5
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak and eventually had nine other Gurus who shaped the religion. Although Guru Nanak was a philosopher who was connected to the Sant Tradition, he was the founder of the religion called Sikhism in the beginning of the sixteenth century. Guru Nanak took beliefs from the Sant Tradition, an older and superior religion in India, and created Sikhism. According to W.H. Mcleod, Guru Nanak did not actually create Sikhism since the basic beliefs were nothing new. To Sikh followers, Guru Nanak was considered to be the creator of their new religion called Sikhism. Sikhism beliefs include the notions that God is amorphous and that enlightenment can be reached by mysticism and meditation. Sikhs also believe in reincarnation, karma and samsara, or the sequence of birth and death. One of the primary goals in Sikhism is to become so enlightened that one does not have to become stuck in the cyclical birth and death but to enter eternal bliss.

Over time, Sikhism has evolved from the sociological changes that have occurred in history. The third Guru, Amar Das, implemented a caste free system, created traditions and festivals to promote a sense of community for the Sikhs, he put into practice the manji system, or regime, which included responsibilities for men and women and he collected writings from past Gurus which would be of much importance later in history. Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, conceived the Andi Grath, which is composed of statements from Sant Teachers and from the Sikh Guru’s as well as Muslim and Hindu scripts. Guru Arjan also constructed a religious site called Hari Mandir, which means the Temple of God, and also referred to as the Golden Temple. According to McLeod, the sixth Guru, Har Gobind, Arjan’s eleven year old son, took supremacy and soon structured a Sikh army due to the rise of persecution during that time. McLeod states that the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, employed the Khalsa instead of appointing another Guru to succeed him because all of his four sons were killed wile trying to defend Sikhism in India. The Khalsa, which means pure community, outlined the appropriate Sikh conduct and is seen as being an orthodox view of the religion. Gobind Singh implemented strict guidelines for his followers, such as no smoking, no eating meat and the five k’s, which were kesh, meaning not cutting your hair, kara, a bracelet that was worn, kanga, a comb placed inside the turban, kirpan, a sword that is worn, and finally kaach, or cotton underwear. The five k’s are controversial because studies have shown no direct correlations to Gobind Singh. The five k’s were seen being enforced in the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries, two hundred years after the creation of the Khalsa. In eighteen hundred seventy three the Singh Sabha, an organization to protect Sikhism, was created. The Singh Sabha kept the Sikh traditions alive in the following years, such as encouraging the five k’s. McLeod has expressed his concern that the history of Sikhism has been represented as being too simplistic for what it actually is.


Essay question 6
God is viewed to the Hindus as the supreme person. In regards to personal stipulations, God is the maker, the protector and the demolisher of all. Transpersonally, God takes a laid back approach. It is known to the Hindus that God's force allows souls to mysteriously enter into this world. The universe is a playground for the Hindus. It is where souls are reincarnated, where souls climb the evolution latter and where one's knowledge and wisdom conclude one's future. There is a personal responsibility that binds Hindus to the universe. There are different stages in the life that Hindus recognize. The first is the student, then the householder, then the retiree and finally, the repudiated. Each of these stages has their own plan of what should happen. For instance, the student should not be sexually active during this stage as that is preserved for marriage. The retiree will begin to withdraw from social encounters. The renunciated will prepare for death.
Hudson Smith indicated that people desire pleasure, success on the path of desire, community and duty. Pleasure is natural for humans because we are born wanting and if we ignore the need for such pleasure, we will die. People always want more and are never satisfied with what they have. Community is important to people because it gives them a sense of belonging. Duty makes people feel important and as if they have accomplishments in life. According to Smith, people really want to be happy, to have knowledge and to be as to exist. People do not want to be distant from happiness, knowledge and existence because their ultimate goal is Moksha. The avenues to these goals can be found through knowledge, love, work and psychophysical exercises. The trail through knowledge is done by Jnana yoga, which is the quickest way to achieve our surface selves but at the same time is the most difficult route of them all. Love works through Bhakti yoga, which is the most popular form. The work path is done through Karma yoga with emphasis on either Jnana yoga or Bhakti yoga. The psychophysical path is completed through Raja yoga, known as "the raj (royal) road to reincarnation".In my reflection of the movie, I found Hinduism to be a very beautiful and aged religion. It is very interesting how Hinduism is not a religion per say but more of a way of life for Indians. It is astonishing that at one point in history, Hindus actually ate beef considering how sacred the cow is to Hindus today. It is apparent that Hinduism played a major role in the creation of Buddhism and Jainism simply out of rebellion towards the Indian caste system. I admire the fact that India has acknowledged other religions. It shows decency and intelligence. Ghandi was a brilliant man by respecting and incorporating other religions in his everyday life. Before reading the book and viewing the movie, I had a preconception of India and it was nothing how I view it now. I am in awe by the Hindu beliefs and plan on incorporating them into my life. In my opinion, Hinduism definitely exists.

Essay question 7
Buddhism was once a single religion consisting of one type of personality and eventually separated into different schools of thought after the death of Buddha and right before the turn of the century. There were two schools of Buddhism that were seen. The first was founded on individualism, brainpower, insightful progression, meditation, prayer and that Buddha was a saint. This group, known as the Hinayanists or Theravada Buddhism, adamantly saw Buddhism as a permanent responsibility. In Theravada Buddhism, the individual is exclusively responsible for their success because there is no assistance in the cosmos. One must experience and learn, through wisdom, the path to enlightenment. Theravada Buddhism believes heavily in realism, reasoning and isolation. Simplistic guidelines were the way of life for Theravada Buddhism where monks and nuns were respected. The second was instituted on inter-reliance, passion and assistance. Mahayanists was the name given to the second group because they were the majority of the population and maha meant the big raft and Hinayana meant the little raft. Mahayanists believed that success was interdependent on the society as a whole, that they were not alone and received assistance from Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Buddha is referred to as a savior to Mahayanists. Mahayana Buddhism advocated that compassion was not naturally inherited but was actively achieved and would lead to enlightenment. Spiritual growth was achieved through prayer, pleading and repetitious calling of the Buddha. Once a Mahayanist achieves nirvana, they will revisit the world to offer assistance to others. Mahayana Buddhism allowed priests to marry and their primary goal was to serve the community. Both schools argued that the Buddha taught their way.

Theravada Buddhism remained as the orthodox view and did not spin off any branches. Mahayana Buddhism did have branches form from its foundation. The Pure Land school relied on compassion, while Ti’en Tai in China and Tendai in Japan preferred social accordance and education.

A third school of thought was the Diamond raft, known as Vajrayana Buddhism, which is a combination of Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism because it believes in both wisdom and compassion. Vijrayana Buddhism is also referred to as Tibetan Buddhism. Sexual encounters are mostly practiced in Tibetan Buddhism but are also important in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Many people are fond of Tibetan Buddhism from the Dalai Lama, who one a Nobel Peace Prize in nineteen hundred eighty nine.

In the world that we live in today, we still see both forms of Buddhism actively practiced. Theravada Buddhism can be seen in south Asian countries, such as Cambodia, Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. On the contrary, Mahayana Buddhism can be seen in China, Japan, Tibet and Korea.


Essay question 8
Parshvanatha, who lived around nine hundred before Christ, was the first person linked to Jainism. Religious influences for Jains have been obtained Rishabh as well. Jainism is a religion that is based on the foundation that all life forms have souls and deserve respect. Furthermore, Jains believe that there is no beginning and no end to the universe but instead the universe goes through developments of recurring transformations. The ethical view point of Jainism is based on the soul's liberation. Jains live by standards such as non-violence, truth, no stealing, celibacy, no attachment to worldly possessions, the practice of forgiveness and no animosity. In Jainism, the spiritual goal is to reach Samyak darshana, or true perception. This can be achieved by observation and knowledge of worldly associations without attachment and loathing.
The similarities found in Sikhism and Jainism is the ethical viewpoints, such as peace, truth, celibacy and economical exercise. Jains and Sikhs also have the same goal of finding the true self. Both groups are vegetarians and believed in a caste free system because we are all equal.
Jainism is a bit more intense than Sikhism is in the sense that in Jainism, everything is considered to be as equal as a human is, including a fly, and should be treated with the same respect that we would want to be treated with. In Jainism, the universe is viewed differently as there is no beginning and no end.


Essay question 9
According to Hudson Smith, Confucius had five principles that shaped his thinking. The first value was jen and was the most important of them all because it outlines the standards of interaction between individuals. The second value is chun tzu, which is the dignified and ample way life in its entirety is handled. The third value is li and has two connotations: propriety and right conduct. The fourth value is te, which means power. The last value is wen and refers to the ability of tranquility. Confucius believed that heaven and earth were connected to each other firmly. Heaven made up of our ancestors and Earth stored mortal beings. Confucius believed that the dead should be treated as if they were living on Earth. A good supernatural did exist in the cosmos, according to Confucius.

The Confucian project states that there is no self without human relationships. Communication with others defines the self, which is in the center of it all. According to Confucius, individuals are like birds and the affiliation with others are our wings that allow us to fly to the goal. As long as individuals try to be unselfish and outstanding individuals, their peers will help them succeed.

My mother raised me to treat others as I would like to be treated, which are famous words for Confucius. In my life, I was taught that you succeeded in life by assisting people on the way up. Pushing people down in life was not the answer and would come around to bite you in the rear, ten fold. I definitely believe that Heaven and Earth are connected in some way because of their connected gateways. Since my mother-in-law died last year, my husband and I find that we visit her and talk to her everyday as if she were still alive.

According to Smith, Taoism was created by Lao Tzu, about six hundred before Christ. Tao te Ching is the book that defines the religion, just like a bible does in Catholicism. Tao means path and there are three implicit logics of the path. The first is the way of the definitive connotation. The second is the way of the cosmos. The third is the way of human existence. There are three schools of Taoism that exist in China. One school of thought is the philosophical Taosim, known as a way of life, which has two elements: comprehension and accomplishment. The second school of thought is known as the proficient Taoism because it does not settle for comprehension but instead wants to master the Tao. The third school is known as the religious Taoism because a church was established to give hope and power to ordinary people. All three schools of Taoist thought all have the same agenda, which is to find the power to make the most of the path. Paralleling the Tao with an individuals’ daily life is an important task in philosophical Taoism.

Other Taoist values condemn self-confidence and competitiveness. Exploitation, mistreatment of the natural world, wastefulness and pageantry are not permitted. Modernity and travel are forbidden in Taoism. Oppositions, such as the yin/yang symbol in the Chinese tradition, compliment each other: man and woman, day and night, life and death and the rest. Peacefulness is important in Taoism and war is solemnly viewed.

Growing up, I was taught to stay on the right path and not to wander off of it by bad influence. Education and accomplishments in my life were greatly appreciated by my parents because they felt that I was growing up to be a good person. If I became too confident, my parents would remind e exactly who I was. Competitiveness between my brother and I was not allowed because my mother felt that it would make us grow apart.

According to Smith, Confucianism and Taoism are like yin and yang. Taoism is based on naturalness while Confucianism promotes analyzed behaviors. Confucius centered on the human while Lao Tzu connected humans to doing extremely well. Confucius travels within society while Lao Tzu goes further than society.


Essay question 10
I found Hinduism to be the most interesting Religion we have studied in this course so far. I would imagine that I would be a firm believer in Bhakti. Indians were extremely advanced for their time. The knowledge possessed by Indians is mind boggling. For instance, in the different paths to God there are four types of personalities that we find in this world; through knowledge, love, work and psychophysical exercises. Today, we still use personalities to find our true self. Another example is the different stages that we face in life. These stages accurately assist us to plan ahead in our life. Hindus knew how to read people in a sense because they were able to accurately figure out what people wanted in life; desire, community, duty and success. Less is always more but that does not change the truth behind human beings. Hinduism is not a religion per say but more of a way of life for Indians. It is also apparent that Hinduism played a major role in the creation of Buddhism and Jainism simply out of rebellion towards the Indian caste system. I admire the fact that India has acknowledged other religions. It shows decency and intelligence. Before reading the book and viewing the movie, all I knew about Hinduism was the fact that the cow was viewed as being sacred and was not used as a food source. I had a preconception of India and it was nothing how I view it now. I am in awe by the Hindu beliefs and plan on incorporating them into my life.

Field Trip

For my hands on religious experience, I chose to visit the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple. I have passed the Hsi Lai Temple numerous times in my life and always wondered what was inside the Temple. I was extremely excited to visit the Temple but nervous at the same time. I thought that I would feel out of place since I was not Asian. I soon realized that there were different nationalities at the Temple, which took a big load off my shoulders. My dumbfounded look drew attention to a Caucasian male volunteer who directed me to the information desk where I would start my self guided audio tour and end watching a Dharma service. As I spoke with the Bob, the Caucasian male volunteer, I realized that he converted to Buddhism in the nineteen hundred eighties and enjoys spending his free time volunteering at the Temple. Bob raved on and on about the Temple and even gave me a little tour on the way to the information desk.

The Hsi Lai Temple was founded in nineteen hundred eighty eight by the Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The Hsi Lai Temple was built by Master Hsing Yun to provide a spiritual and cultural place to learn about Buddhism, to spread a personable Buddhism and to generate an untainted place. The temple took ten years to complete, from the planning stages to the finished site. It covers fifteen acres of land in Hacienda Heights, California. Master Hsing Yun established the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order in Taiwan in nineteen hundred sixty seven. In Taiwan today, the Fo Guang Shan monastery is the largest seen and is spread over one hundred and forty eight acres. The architecture of the Hsi Lai Temple is a replica of the traditional technique used in ancient Chinese monasteries. Everything from the buildings to the gardens is simulated. Hsi Lai translates to “coming west” and it is significant because it represents the dedication of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order in educating the Western Hemisphere of the Buddha. The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order is a non-profit organization with its headquarters remaining in Taiwan.

The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order preaches the teachings of Mahayana Chinese Buddhism. It is a monastic order that can be categorized into eight differing disciplines: Tiantai, Pure Land, Huayan, Sanlum, Chan, Faxiang, Esoteric and Vinaya. The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order fits in to the Linji Chan discipline. Through a personable Buddhist direction, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order strives to merge all schools and divisions of Buddhism. Through discussion and ceremonies, the order endorses inter-religious dialogue among all spiritual traditions. The main purpose of the order is to offer confidence, hope, joy and convenience to everyone. Master Hsing Yun has been successful spreading the word of the Buddha throughout Asia for the past thirty years, instituting more than two hundred temples. The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order has more than fifteen hundred monks and nuns serving today.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun built the Hsi Lai Temple, which has a traditional religious foundation, for individuals that want to discover Buddhism and Chinese culture. The Temple spreads Buddhism by way of enlightened endeavors, cares for Buddhist followers with teachings and through Buddhist exercises informs people.

My first stop in my self guided audio tour was the gate in the very front of the Temple. The words “International Buddhist Progress Society” are listed in the middle of the gate in English and in Chinese. The four great vows of Buddhism are written in Chinese on the reverse side of the gate. The four great vows are “Save all sentient beings, eradicate all worries, ceaselessly study the Dharma, and continually ascend to Enlightenment.” In Buddhism, formulating vows is essential because binds people to complete their exercises.
My next stop was the Bodhisattva Hall, which was my favorite place in the Temple. Bodhisattvas are enlightened individuals who have promised to selflessly, lovingly and compassionately free everyone from suffering. Each Bodhisattva, known as a “Buddha in training”, has a worthy Buddhist eminence in them. Individuals will visit the Bodhisattvas for assistance in obtaining the worthy qualities each Bodhisattva has. Individuals visiting the Bodhisattvas light insence and place them at the bottom of their feet and bow out of respect for the Bodhisattva. Bowing also represents humbleness and self control. Gifts, such as fruit, flowers and beads, are also given to the Bodhisattvas out of respect. The nuns selling the offerings were absolutely beautiful with their shaved heads. There are five Bodhisattvas inside the hall and two outside on each side of the hall. The two Bodhisattvas outside the hall are outstanding individuals and people seek their guidance. The other five Bodhisattvas inside the hall are known as Samantadhadra Bodhisattva, who symbolizes immense preparation, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who is recognized for his immense oath, Maitreya Bodhisattva, who is the next Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who symbolizes compassion and love and Manjusri Boddhisattva, who symbolizes immense wisdom. On my way out, I donated one dollar in exchange for dharma words.

Next, I visited the Arhats Garden, which houses the eighteen Arhats. An Arhat is an individual who understands the true meaning of no-self. Arhats have eliminated all attachments to worldly possessions and desires. They are above ignorance, greed and anger. Arhats have been inspirational to individuals searching to become a Bodhisattva. On the opposite side of the courtyard is the Avalokitesvara Garden. In the back of the garden sits Avalokitesvara Buddha, surrounded by her two assistants, Shancai and Longnu. The four Deva Kings enclose the pond and are Virudhaka of the Southern Kingdom, Virupaksa of the Western Kingdom, Dhanada of the Northern Kingdom and Dhrtarastra of the Eastern Kingdom. These kings are guardians who protect against evil. The four Dragon Kings and the Four Seas border the guardians and worship the Bodhisattva. The flowing water represents dharma water to clear everyone’s mind.

The Courtyard was my next stop and was absolutely a beautiful site because at the top of it was the Main Shrine. The courtyard, known as the “way to Buddhahood”, is where outside events and meditating retreats are held. There are several concrete blocks all the way up to the Main Shrine and inside the cracks of the blocks is grass. This is symbolic because through Buddhism, an individual can eliminate everything corrupt if superior seeds are planted. The lions at the corners of the courtyard symbolize courage, strength and ignorance awareness. Bob informed me that weddings are held in assembly hall on the right side of the courtyard. Depending on where the bride is from and how wealthy her family is will illustrate the colors that she will wear on her wedding day. Meditation classes are also held in the conference and assembly halls.

Above the Main Shrine are the Memorial Pagoda, which houses books, the International Translation Center and the Meditation Hall, where meditating classes are held.

The Art Gallery was my next stop, which displayed beautiful works of art. The steps on the way up to the Art Gallery had beautiful little statues along the way. Traditional Chinese and Buddhist artifacts from around the globe and works of contemporary artists were also displayed in the Exhibition Hall. As I stopped by the book store, I saw the dining hall to my right and to my left were two ladies making little vanilla and red bean pies from scratch. The red bean pies were absolutely delicious.

As I walked up the side steps of the Main Shrine, I witnessed a Dharma service. It was absolutely beautiful. This is the most significant location inside the Buddhist monastery and literally means “Precious Hall of the Great Hero.” It was offered in the name of Sakyamuni Buddha, who founded Buddhism. Sakyamuni Buddha possessed compassion, wisdom, virtue and evil suppression. Followers can honor the Buddha here, in search for their sacred home. There are three large Buddha statues portraying enlightenment on the back side of the shrine, just as Jesus is behind the priest during mass. On the right hand side of Sakyamuni Buddha, who is in the middle, is Siddhartha Gautama and on the left of the Sakyamuni Buddha is Amitabha Buddha. Gautama found truth and insight while meditating underneath the bodhi tree. Once he reached enlightenment, he was named Sakyamuni Buddha because the Buddha is “the enlightened one.” Amitabha Buddha is the educator in the Western Pure Land. Over ten thousand Buddha statues are on the walls of the main shrine. As I witnessed the Dharma service, I noticed that followers would light insence and then place the stick to their forehead as the bowed to the Buddha. Because I was wearing shorts, I could not enter the Main Shrine but viewed the Dharma service from the outside. There was repetitive chanting throughout the service, which was completely filled with additional followers viewing from outside. Even though I could not understand what was being said, I felt the dedication that a Buddhist has for his or her religion.

I could never image just how beautiful Buddhism is by reading it out of a book. It was amazing to understand why Venerable Master Hsing Yun gave us this beautiful Temple in order to spread the word of Buddhism. The Temple itself is amazingly beautiful. The Bodhisattva Hall was my favorite because I felt comfortable in there. I felt like they could help me understand Buddhism. I felt embarrassed to visit Sakyamuni Buddha because of his status and because of my ignorance of is religion. By visiting the Temple and taking in what I learned about, I have started to incorporate Buddhist beliefs into my everyday life. I have realized the importance of people in my life, the pettiness of material objects, the significance of integrity, compassion, discipline, a promise, tradition and the search for wisdom. Incorporating these qualities in my life has given me a grounded sense of confidence and self knowing. I feel like my head is not filled with nonsense and the power to accomplish anything that I put my mind to. Maybe I will not convert to Buddhism from my Catholic background but I have to say that in my opinion, I have become a better person from visiting the Temple and practically learning about Buddhism.

Religious Literatures

Tao te Ching
The first section says that a person should be open to new ideas in order to learn. Experiencing life is the only way we will understand life. Desires weaken our spirit with evilness. The Master gave the world the path to enlightenment for the good our mankind. Goodness can be seen in a person that is unselfish. If we let go of worldly possessions, we can conquer the world. A person will be wholesome if he or she follows these rules. The second section describes how individuals should not be embarrassed, should be patient and friendly. If an individual brags about his or her accomplishments, than they have not truly accomplished anything. By following the Tao an individual will not disobey these. The third section talks about there being a supernatural that exists in the universe and is called the Tao. The greatness exists everywhere. The are four great things that exist; Tao, heaven, earth and humanity. The fourth section talks about the compassion in individuals to do the right thing by following their creator. We should not be impersonal and know when to be. Everything begins and ends with Tao. The fifth section discusses how the Tao is not aggressive. Individuals will follow their leader in which ever direction they take them. What an individual does today will affect future generations forever. In the sixth section, it talks about individuals acting as servants because individuals will be treated the same way they treat others. Individuals should not discriminate against others in order to reach true goodness. The seventh section says that we should only seek to understand one thing in life, the Tao. Individuals should be balanced, not paying too much attention to one thing. Individuals should appreciate life by not squandering. The eighth section expresses that actions speak louder than words. Meditation will take you far in life. The ninth section explains how the Tao will give to all. Individuals should offer assistance to others only if they follow the Tao. When we least expect things is when we shall receive. The tenth section explains that there will always be conflict and resolution in life but as long as we do the right thing, we will be fine.


Wisdom of the Buddha
In the first Canto, impurities can only harm us and pure thoughts can only benefit us. We will only hurt ourselves with hostile feelings. True self knowledge will allow us to live a peaceful life. Living a balanced life is important. Hard work in life will lead to a better life. In the seventh Canto, passion will endure sorrow and enslave. Unattachement to worldly possessions will allow for a deeper, more spiritual path. Living a subdued life without pride will gain respect from everyone, including the gods. In Canto eleven, wisdom is the key to success. Life is fragile and should be realized as being so. The cyclical birth and death cycle is like hell. Live life to the fullest so you do not look back one day in regret. The fourteenth Canto, Gods will adore those who meditate. Naturally, human life is difficult to perfect and such perfection is rarely seen. Fear should not run our life because we will become lost. A true believer will understand the Four Noble Truths. Great deeds cannot be measured. In Canto fifteen, do not lower your standards. Possessions will make us miserable in life. Passion is an inferno, hatred is an imperfection, physical existence is suffering and there is no other bliss than nirvana. The greatest gift we can receive is health. Surround your life with wise people who pull you up instead of pushing you down. We should naturally follow the Buddha in our lives.


The Koran: Selected Suras
The individuals that believe in the power of Allah and prayer will be successful in life. For the individuals that do not believe, they know what is right and it is up to them to decide their fate. For those disbelievers, Allah has stripped away their hearts, eyes and ears and they will be punished. People who say they believe but clearly do not will be punished because they are deceitful but are only hurting themselves. Because they have lied, Allah has imposed pain upon their hearts. They will be sorry that they turned Allah away in the end. Allah does not guide disbelievers. Do not turn your back on Allah, your creator. Try to understand the meaning of Allah but if you do not, you shall suffer. Give out compliments to people that so deserve them. Allah will guide you and educate you. Disbelievers shall remain lost. Keep your promise to Allah and he will keep his promise to you. Only fear me. Live a humble life through patience and prayer. I will help you to believe if you truly try to believe in me. Those who believe will not be afraid and will succeed on the last day. Without Allah you would be lost. Only serve Allah, be good children to your parents, be charitable with the less fortunate. Allah knows everything that is thought of and everything that happens. When Allah gave us his words through Muhammad, the disbelievers would be punished. Be aware of the evil spirits around you for they will make you sin. Allah has power over everything. Do not judge others because only Allah will be the judge. Allah gave you life and has chosen your faith so respect and honor him. Follow your faith and you will be fine. Appreciate Allah for what he has given you. Recognize Ramadan if you are not sick because this is when the Koran was given to you. Fasting will teach you how to fight off evil. Do not eat or drink for sunrise to sunset and do not have sex with your wives. Fight those who try to harm you, but not in a mosque. During your pilgrimage, do not have sex or fornicate. Do not drink or gamble. Do not marry someone that worships idols. Allah will make you responsible for your own actions and he is all knowing. Do not test the limits of Allah. Allah will not give you more than you can handle in life. Follow the word of Allah and ignore all other words. Help individuals that are less fortunate than you. God is the creator of all things and completes all things to the end of time. Those who follow Allah will be saved.


The New Testament: Gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the four gospels in the beginning of the New Testament. The four gospels share a similar goal which is to show that Jesus was the son of God. All of the gospels give a description of the life of Jesus, with emphasis on similar and different material. We learn in all four of the gospels that Jesus was a healer, who preached the word of the Lord throughout his life and up until his death. According to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus was brought to a town called Golgotha, which literally means skull hill, and was crucified with two other criminals. They nailed him and the other two criminals onto crosses and left them there to die. According to Matthew and Mark, the town was covered with darkness, when Jesus cried out loud, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” According to Luke, Jesus cried out loud "Father, 'into your hands I commend my spirit'", and then he died. According to John, there was not an incident such as the one described by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Instead, while Jesus was dying on the cross, he said that he was thirsty. The people around him noticed that there was a bowl of wine nearby. The soaked a sponge with the wine, put it on a stick and gave it to Jesus to suck on. Jesus then said “it is finished”, and then he died. This also happened in Matthew, Mark and Luke. According to Matthew, a wealthy man named Joseph asked for the body of the disciple, Jesus, and buried him. Guards surrounded the tomb of Jesus for the next three days, just in case he rises from the dead, as Jesus said he would. Mary, mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdala were standing in front of the tomb when an earthquake occurred and an angel appeared. The angel told them that Jesus has risen and to notify the disciples. As they went to notify the disciples, Jesus appeared to them and said “peace be with you”. Jesus tells them to follow the words that he has bestowed upon them and spread them to people like wildfires. Jesus also told them that he will always be with us until the end of time. According to Mark, Solomon accompanied both Mary’s and the earthquake did not occur but the angel was standing there waiting for them. Then, he appeared to everyone on separate occasions. Jesus then told all of them to live and teach the words of the Lord and they will be saved. According to Luke, the people that followed Jesus to his crucifixion went to go see him and were accompanied by two men who told them Jesus has risen. While Mary Magdala, Joanna and Solomon were reflecting the day, Jesus appeared to them and spoke to them. Jesus said to remain in the city and follow the words of the Lord and blessed them all. According to John, Mary Magdala went to visit the tomb of Jesus but saw his beloved followers who told her that the body of Jesus has been taken and they did not know where. Then, two angels appeared and told them that Jesus has risen. Then Jesus appeared before her eyes. Jesus told Mary to tell the disciples that he is going to our Lord and said “peace be with you.” A week later, Jesus appeared to his disciples and told them to believe in him and they did.