Respond questions fro the Textbook – Living Religions
Other
Respond to one question from Group I and one question from Group II, then respond to one more question from either group (your choice), for a total of three questions answered. Each response should be 300 words, for a total of 900 words total.
Textbook: Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions, 9th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall), 2011. ISBN: 0-205-83585-6
History and Beliefs (Chapter 10, pp. 376-405)
The Spread of Islam (Chapter 10, pp. 406-433)
Sikhism (Chapter 11, pp. 434-458)
New Religious Movements (Chapter 12, pp. 459-495)
Religion in the 21st Century (Chapter 13, pp. 496-517)
Group 1
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Compare and contrast what is known about the life of Muhammad with one of the following religious founders: Buddha, Confucius, Zarathushtra, or Jesus. What are the most significant similarities and differences between Muhammad and whoever else is selected? Explain.
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What have been the interrelationships between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? Explain.
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What distinguishes a Sunni from a Shi’ite Muslim? Explain.
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Using specific examples, explore some of the different interpretations of Islam proffered by Islamists and more moderate Muslims.
Group 2
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Explain the key teachings of Sikhism and explain how military power became a part of Sikh tradition during the time of the Gurus.
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What is the Guru Granth Sahib? What is its significance within Sikhism? How is it incorporated into worship practices at Sikh gurdwaras?
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What does the emergence of multiple new religions imply about the success of mainstream religions in meeting human needs? In your discussion, describe and evaluate some of the theories proposed for explaining why people convert to new religious movements.
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Explain the difference between a catastrophic millennial movement and a progressive millennial movement using specific examples.
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Briefly describe Neo-Paganism and Deep Ecology. What role does nature play in these new religious movements?
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Critically discuss the current trend to understand oneself as being “spiritual” as opposed to “religious” and what this designation implies.
