Discussion on Religion
Humanities
For the first graded discussion, I want to explore these questions: What is religion exactly? What makes it different from philosophy and science? If many religions say many different things, can there be a single Truth? Are religion and morality inextricably linked or can one be a moral person without a belief in supernatural laws and punishments? (Toward the end of the course we might ask if the Buddha is saying the same thing as Jesus, on the whole, or are they saying very different things? But this is for later.)
When giving your comments make sure that you cite your sources. You may only use the assigned sources, i.e. Holloway, Nadeau, Wright, primary and/or secondary documents that are provided, and lectures.
To cite texts, use this format (author pg#), e.g. (Holloway 17). To cite primary documents cite the author of the document and page number, if available, or if no author is available the first significant word of the documents, e.g. (Psalms 7:5). For the lecture, give the instructor along with the lecture number and slide number: (Colling lecture/slide #) e.g. (Colling 2/47).
Your posting should be at least one and a half to two pages long (at least 600 words) of clear, well documented argumentation.
After the due date, I will reopen the discussion so that you can respond to at least one other student’s posting. Do not just agree with someone. Say why you agree with them and and add significantly to their argument. It is even better if you find one that you disagree with. In both case, you’ll cite your sources. The intent of the discussions is to exchange ideas with each other and debate where your ideas conflict. Be kind and intellectually generous, especially when you disagree.
Here are a couple of added sources you might want to look at. They represent differing views:
https://www.thoughtco.com/einstein-quotes-on-ethics-and-morality-249859 (Links to an external site.)
