Category: Religion and Theology

You have accomplished a lot in the past 5 weeks of this course—exploring many fascinating faith traditions from around the world and from ancient history through to the modern day. You’ve learned to see religion not just as a fixed set of rituals, but as an interrelationship between people, religious spaces, religious actions, religious beliefs, and the earthly connection to the Divine in its many interpretations. In this Reflection, you will consider your whole experience in this course and what you will apply to your own life after this course concludes.
Questions about this Assignment? Post them in the Contact the Instructor area. That way, everyone in the class will see, and benefit from, the Instructor’s response.
To prepare for this Reflection:
Consider how you have grown in knowledge and religious perspective since the beginning of the course.
Reflect on how this course impacts your own beliefs and identity and what perceptions and actions you will take with you once this course concludes.

Write a 5 –7 page research paper (at least 2,000 words) on a subject of the student’s choosing that is related to the class material. The subject should be narrow enough to require some depth. The paper requires documentable research using at least five to ten scholarly sources.
The topic is the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)

Instructions provided in PDF. best if you can get access to this book:
The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft 4th Edition 
by  Rebecca L. Stein

You may go to canvas.liberty.edu, and click on the link for APOL815. You will login with the username ********************* and the password as Surviver23! If you have any questions or concerns, please email or text me. Please make sure this assignment is in current Turabian format. There should be a downloadable link somewhere under the APOL815 link to see exactly how the assignment, title page, bibliography, etc. should look. The narrow focus of this dissertation assignment is the philosophy of St. Augustine in the writings and philosophy/theology of C. S. Lewis. Thank you 

Final Paper 
Students are required to write a final paper. This paper should be about 12 pages doubled-spaced and should be submitted through canvas by the date of the final. You have broad discretion to choose a topic of your own, so long as it falls within the general theme of the course. You should confirm your topic with me before you begin writing. You can also write on one of the topics that we covered over the semester. 
There are many ways to write a good paper. Your paper should articulate a clear thesis at the outset which you then defend throughout the paper. Your writing should be clear and organized. Your paper should meaningfully contribute to our understanding of a topic. This can be a new application of an idea we discussed in the course, an inquiry into further dimensions of the topic, a different way of thinking about the topic, etc.

Thompson and Schrempp define myths as “narratives of profound cultural and individual importance that in some way help establish our symbolic sense of the ultimate shape and meaning of existence—of ourselves, of everything else in the cosmos, and perhaps especially of the relationship between the two” (p.7).
Doniger defines myth as “a story that is sacred to and shared by a group of people who find their most important meanings in it; it is a story believed to have been composed in the past about an event in the past, or, more rarely, in the future, an event that continues to have meaning in the present because it is remembered; it is a story that is part of a larger group of stories” (p.3). She also has much to say about what myth is not.
In your first post to the discussion, discuss the following questions: How do these ways of defining myth differ from the definition that you had when you signed up for this course? How do Doniger, and Thompson and Schrempp challenge the colloquial use of “myth” to denote something that is false or untrue?

Information. Your third and final paper will be due, online, by 11:59pm on May 17. 
The paper itself should be four to five pages (4-5pp.) double-spaced—that is, at least four full and
at maximum five full double-spaced pages—excluding your works cited page. For your font, use
Times New Roman 12pt., with 1” margins. These papers are (very) short: I want you to learn how
to write cleanly, forcefully, and succinctly. Don’t write a paper that is merely a summary of the
readings thus far. Write with prosaic and not poetic language.
Remove all identifying information when you submit your paper: aside from a descriptive title,
don’t include your name, my name, the course’s name, or even the date. 
For further information about the virtues your paper should demonstrate, please refer to the writing
handouts that I’ve posted in the “Handouts” folder on Canvas. 
Like I stated on our syllabus, I don’t accept late work, under any circumstances, so it’s your
responsibility to submit your paper on time  
Prompt. Over the course of the semester, we have covered methods for the study of religion,
theories of religion, and the textbook understanding of religion. In this paper, you will need to
draw on all three.
From a popular news source—for example, The New York Times or The Guardian—find a recent
news story concerning religion. This news story will serve as your example. What should we know
about this example? How does religion fit into it? Then drawing from any of the theorists we have 
read, analyze the example from the theorist’s perspective. What should we—your audience—take
away from the example you have chosen?
In your analysis, you might follow some theorists and describe whether and how the example is
religious in nature. Or you might follow some other theorists and evaluate whether the example is
actually religious or a distortion of a particular religion. But you should move beyond simply
repeating the news story report about the example. Also, as long as you provide citations, you may
draw upon ideas that you presented in your first two papers.

You’ll need one more thing, which is the link to the book which is The Road to Hope. Please contact me for the information to my Barnes and 
Noble Nook Login.  For this assignment, you will need to create an emotional story for me 
because this paper requires me to relive one I do not wish to write about ever. There are many moving parts to this essay, as there are 
essentially 3 components (The Road to Hope, a depressing story about me going to my friends NA meeting with her, and phrases from the Bhagvat Gita and or “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop) you have to fit this into 4-6 pages. I have provided 2 sample essays, really try and 
stick to that. 

briefly highlight the difference between orthodoxy and orthropraxy in relation to this question
include Sharia and its workings
ultimately the question is asking, in a Muslims day to day practice of Islam how vital is the Quaran?

Getting Started
Getting Started
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10–18 NLT
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8 ESV
Resources
Bible
Website: Critical Theory
Article: The incompatibility of Christianity and Critical Theory, Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer
Course Resource: Comparison Chart of Social Justice Ideas and Terms
Optional video: Introduction to Fault Lines Vodie Baucham – on Social Justice
Background Information
By now, you have already learned about Critical Theory in this or your undergraduate social work program. (See Critical Theory) Critical theory has been a dominant theory in studies of social work, sociology, education, and other areas of the humanities for some time. Critical theory has been applied to race (critical race theory), sexuality (queer theory), gender (feminist theory), and other areas as a framework for responding to issues faced by minority populations. A major focus of critical theory is seeking to understand disparities and ways to address oppression and marginalization. The idea of social justice is a significant component of the theory. A Biblical view of Christianity affirms the importance of some of the issues identified by Critical Theory and as a result, many Christians find it attractive in its efforts to support marginalized people groups.
For example, Critical Theory tells us that there may be systemic problems affecting marginalized groups. The Bible also tells us in Ephesians 6 that, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”. This passage acknowledges that there are forces at work influencing and seeking to perpetuate sin beyond individuals and their choices. Sin can manifest itself in the beliefs and laws of cultures. Jesus also confronts the Pharisees and religious elite in the Bible for creating rules and reinforcing a religion that makes heavy burdens for people and keeps them oppressed. Sin has indeed become embedded in the culture and organizational rules and structures Jesus is confronting. However, the Bible is also clear that the primary source and starting point of sin is the human heart and that salvation and transformation require each individual to repent, be born again, and turn to live a new life. A balanced Biblical worldview seeks to understand these truths in the context of God’s plan for salvation.
Overall, though the intentions for many are good in supporting Critical theory and the movements it increasingly inspires, there are significant aspects of the theory that are at odds with historic orthodox Biblical Christianity that Christians must understand and guard against.
For this devotional, you will read about the differences between Critical Theory and secular beliefs about social justice and Biblical views and a Christian response.
Pray
Father, you know all the ways that sin has impacted the world and our human hearts. You know how we hurt ourselves and others and that our hearts are prone to deception, pride, and partiality. Help me to better understand your plan of redemption so I can join you more fully in bringing good news, freedom, and true justice to the world. In Jesus name, I ask. Amen
Instructions
Review the information about Critical Theory and its history.
Read the article, The incompatibility of Christianity and Critical Theory.
Read through the Comparison Chart of Social Justice Ideas and Terms in the course tools folder.
Watch the video: Introduction to Fault Lines Vodie Baucham – on Social Justice. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m8E_9Q5WGI)
In your discussion post respond to the following questions:
Based on the reading material and your review of the ideas connected to modern social justice ideas rooted in critical and conflict theories in the comparison grid, provide a brief description of critical/social theories and their worldview (of origins/creation, fall/core problem, solution/redemption).
Identify and explain two aspects of critical/social theories that are at odds with the Christian worldview as explained in the reading material and comparison grid. Why are they at odds?
Describe one key insight you gained from reading the material and reviewing the comparison grid regarding critical/social theories and what you learned about important differences in thinking about issues of injustice or oppression from this comparison.
**Use in text references from resources provided**