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Essay Instructions: Christianity claims to be unique. Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father but through me". Demonstrate the uniqueness in research and show why other religions could not be considered the way to salvation. You might use the key characteristics of religion discussed by Malloy as a starting point.
One of the main sources to use in this paper is;

(1) Michael Malloy, Experiencing the World's Religions, Tradition, Challange, and Change, fifth edition, 1942

Essay Instructions: CHRISTIANITY AND PAGANISM.

REQUIREMENTS: Read the text and write an analytical essay of 5 double-spaced typed pages on ONE (1) of the topics below:

A. What were the varieties of "persecution" brought to bear against paganism by Christians at different social levels? How effective were these actions?

B. What role did gender-based social differences play in the competition between paganism and Christianity?

C. Within both communities - Christian and Pagan - there are apparent tensions and conflicts between "learned" and "popular" religious beliefs and practices. Explain these conflicts and how Christianity was able to assimilate some of these practices to its own advantage.

D. What role did "Magic" - control of the natural elements through invocation of special powers - play in the duel between Christianity and paganism. What did these perceptions tell us about how early medieval people viewed the world in which they lived?

E. What sources does the author use to reconstruct religious life at the dawn of the Middle Ages, and what are some of the problems he encounters in their use?

E. Realizing the Christian biases of our sources, how can these stories help us to reconstruct the politics, religious beliefs, and social organizations of pre-Christian society?

INSTRUCTIONS.

PREPARATION: Essay must be not less than five double-spaced typewritten pages. The paper must be typed or composed on a word?processor.
REFERENCES. Essay must use at least five sources. Christianity and Paganism counts as one. Other sources may include books, journal articles, and/or one Internet source. You may NOT use such High School Sources as World Book, World Almanac, dictionaries, or generic encyclopedias (Britannica, Americana, ENCARTA, etc.). All papers MUST use quotations (including some direct quotes), following the examples used in Rampolla, You MUST reference those quotes correctly, and MUST have a correct Bibliography page.
When you quote directly from a source and the quotation is longer than four lines, you must set the quotation off by single-spacing and by indenting approximately five spaces from both left and right margins. Do not use quotation marks. For quotes of three lines or less, leave the citation in the body of your narrative. Either way, all quotes must be correctly cited by footnote or endnote. Do not use Parenthetical citations!!!

Essay Instructions: Christianity and Islam accept many of the same beliefs, but differ in their interpretation of those beliefs. Read the passages from the Bible and the Koran that relate to the following events. Prepare a comparison in which you explain each religion?s view of three (3) of the follow accounts. Be sure to site the Bible?s chapter and verse or the Koran?s surah number. (A comparison table works well.)



a. Abraham?s sacrifice of his son: Isaac or Ishmael? (also spelled Ismail)

b. The Virgin birth

c. The nature of the Trinity: monotheism or polytheism?

d. The nature of Jesus

Essay Instructions: CHRISTIANITY

Printing out the assignment sheet to check that you've done all parts is a good idea. Please be careful not to plagiarize from your sources. Use your own words.
Here are two dictionaries to use for all the lessons on religion:

http://dictionary.babylon.com/religion/world-religions
http://www.religioustolerance.org/glossary.htm

Please submit to the discussion board the appropriate vocabulary list, citing your sources and using quotation marks where you use someone else's words directly:

1. Vocabulary, Christianity: citing your sources:
? Gospel
? parable
? baptism
? trinity
? creed
? eucharist or communion
? ecumenical
? bishop
? heresy
? schism
? Catholicism
? Protestantism
? orthodox Christianity
? The Reformation
? liberation theology
? denomination
? sacrament

2. For the assigned faith tradition, in brief answer format, present this information, so that your classmates in the group assigned to the other faith can understand:

? Basic tenets and beliefs
? Basic practices of the faith

a. A reaction to the holy text assigned for the reading
? For Christianity, the Gospel of Luke

b. Important religious holidays and details about celebrating them:
For Christianity:
? Easter
? Christmas
? Pentacost
? Reformation Sunday
? Good Friday
? Birth, wedding, and death practices [not beliefs, but actual celebrations]
? At least two sacred places for the faith, and how the places are significant
? Other information of interest to you