"I find
the name of Jesus Christ written on the top of every page of modern
history." - George Bancroft, historian
Reminders: We'll take a look at the Judaism multiple choice quiz. Your short essays on Judaism are due on Tuesday, November 25th, and your fifth Independent Assignment is due by the end of Thanksgiving weekend.
Ideally, you will soon begin reading the Christianity chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. Please try to make some progress there by the time we next meet. I've updated the reading schedule.
Bulletin Bloopers - This is not a current event, but rather something I find amusing each year at this time. This is a collection of typos and mistakes which have supposedly been printed in church bulletins. Enjoy. DON'T READ AHEAD ON THESE. IT SPOILS THE MOMENT...
Introduction to
Christianity: Discussion
As with Judaism, we will try to avoid recovering ground with which you are already familiar. The assumption is that you have studied the subject in Regional Studies/ Western Civilization and that you have acquired at least some understanding of the religion and its role by living in a country where it is the predominant religion. We'll take a few minutes to consider some of our conceptions/ preconceptions of Christianity. These questions are intentionally worded vaguely. I want to see from where we are coming.
- What is the "core" of Christian belief? In what ways is this different from, or similar to, other religions we have considered?
- Is the United States a "Christian nation"? If so, what does that mean? If not, why not? How should this status be viewed? (Is it a good thing?)
- Is the study of Christianity complicated by the fact that the numerical majority of our students are Christian? What advantages or drawbacks does this reality create?
- In today's world, what does it mean to be a
"Christian"? To what degree does this vary by geography and
individual?
Differences with Judaism: We will spend a good deal of time looking at the historical ways and reasons why Judaism and Christianity split. Too often, many mistakenly assume that Judaism is simply "Christianity minus Jesus." Theologian Leo Trepp has compiled a list of eleven major differences between the faiths. Here is Trepp's list of Judaic principles. For each, provide the Christian "side" of the distinction.
Defining terms: original sin, sacrament, Messiah
- The God that Jews know is One.
- God is formless and will never assume human
form.
- No human will ever be divine.
- No human will ever be perfect.
- Jews believe that everyone has direct access
to God.
- Jews believe that the soul comes to us morally
neutral, with free will to choose between good and evil.
- Judaism insists on obedience to the God-given
commandments in Torah and on our personal responsibility to be
"co-workers" of God on earth.
- Judaism does not have sacraments.
- Jews believe that "all the righteous
peoples of the world have a share in the world to come."
- To Jews, Christian ethics are no more advanced
than their own, and many speeches attributed to Jesus are merely
restatements of traditional Jewish teachings.
- To Jews, the New Testament is not divinely
revealed.
Jesus of Nazareth: It is clear that Jesus is the pivotal figure in the history and development of Christianity. However, historians and religious scholars still differ markedly as to the "true" Jesus. Recent years have seen a wealth of new, and often conflicting, scholarship on this issue. We will begin with an examination of that controversy and the role that Jesus played in the development of the Christian religion.
From
Jesus to Christ: The First Christians - PBS Frontline
Here you can find a number of references and links related to the early years of Christianity.
At the turn of the
millenium, a group of artists met to consider a "newer" face for
Jesus that they believed would be more historically accurate. You can see the
image they produced here.
HOMEWORK for Christianity - Day #2
Your short essays on Judaism are due on Tuesday, November 25th.
Your fifth Independent Assignment is due by the end of Thanksgiving weekend.
You should begin reading the Christianity chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. I've updated the reading schedule.
