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.