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Address some of the major themes and ideas that appear in the early Hindu Scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmanas). How are the Vedas different from the Upanishads? What are some of the concepts addressed in the Laws of Manu, Mahabharata, Ramayanna, Bhagavad-Gita and Puranas? Why are each of these works considered to be important? (You don’t…
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Outline some of the aspects of Meso-American polytheistic belief. How might you explain the propensity for human sacrifice among the native religions of Mexico?
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Compare and contrast various aspects of Native American and African belief systems. How are their mythologies similar? What are some of the problems inherent in the study of indigenous religion?
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Why do you think the early academic study of religion in the 1800’s was multidisciplinary? Write about how his came to be and give some of your own opinion on studying religion in this manner. (Chapters 2 & 5 of Embarking Upon the Study of Religion.)
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Look at the origin of the academic study of religion by Christian scholars. Trace some of the early history and reasons for the scholarly pursuit. Why did this come about in a Christian context in Western Europe? Look at some of the developments in the field of Philosophy in the 1700’s & 1800’s that led…
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What are the differences between Theology, Philosophy and The Study of Religion ? (See Chapter 4 of your text Embarking Upon the Study of Religion.)
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How might you define the terms religion, myth, and scripture? What are the definitions used by scholars? ( For religion see Chapter 3 of Embarking Upon the Study of Religion . ) When you think of terms like sacred or holy, what type of things come to mind? Again, it might help to make a…
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Discuss some of the sociological, anthropological and psychological theories for the development of religion or belief systems proposed by 19th and 20th century thinkers such as: Mircea Eliade Herbert Spencer Emile Durkheim E.B. Tylor Rudolph Otto James Frazier Arnold Van Gennep William James John Lubbock Sigmund Freud Rudolf Bultmann Friedrich Nietzsche Did…
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Discuss the role of mitosis in eukaryotes. Include the purpose, location, and what occurs. Discuss the important role that cyclins play in the cell cycle. Discuss issues with broad spectrum antibiotics as it relates DNA replication in prokaryotes. Include multidrug resistant bacteria in the discussion. Discuss the role of meiosis. Include the purpose, location, and…
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Why do you think people believe in God ? (This may pertain to people today or in the past). You might start by making a list of reasons for belief. The parameters of a definition for God in this first question can include the notion of a higher power, ultimate reality, universal source (force), supreme…