...Religions have been a significant factor in maintaining societies since the first human society formed. For instance, when Hinduism first emerged, it prevented peasants from rebelling by giving them hope that a person could rise to a higher-caste in his or her rebirth if the person works hard in his or her lifetime. Religions have been a solution to many social problems. In Cry, the Beloved Country, Paton suggests that faith can serve as a coping mechanism by showing how Christianity helps Kumalo overcome his suffering, gives people hope and solace, and integrates various ethnic communities to explain that Christianity can be a solution to many social problems. Christianity helps overcome Kumalo’s suffering. Throughout the book, Kumalo keeps...
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...9:30-10:45am Fall 2015 History 111B 1st Lab: Martin of Braga (520-80) Group 1 Audience: Bishop Martin of Braga (c. 520-580) created the primary source in the form of a letter that was intended for another bishop located in Spain. This other bishop was to receive the letter that he in turn would be delivered in a sermon to the mere local peasants that filled the streets of Spain at the time. Purpose: Martin of Braga had the intention of fully denouncing the Christian converts of Spain for retaining traditional religious beliefs, practices, and cults. The reasoning behind this was because these people or peasants made a pact with god when they converted to Christianity. Paganism was always a major persistence and serious problem for the clergy and Christianity. Point-of-view: Braga’s main interest was to have those who still followed and practiced paganism change their ways for the best. It was in Braga’s main interest to have people ditch their old ways of life and religion in favor for a better life under the watchful eyes of god. If they didn’t fully convert to Christianity, they would suffer misery. Format: The primary source was in the form of a handwritten letter. Argument: Braga is arguing for people to repent and fully worship god while also fully accepting baptism to its full extent. Baptism/Christianity was the right way to live life in the eyes of Braga and would stop at nothing to have people realize that. By practicing paganism, people were simply worshiping the...
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...The Galatians from this passage I have just read, are actually the group of early Celtic Christians who settled in the area now known as Turkey. Paul the apostle, wrote this book, Epistle to the Galatians, originally as a letter to the Galatians. It is known that Paul was the creator of the churches of Galatia and was responsible for the alteration from Paganism to Christianity within that area. The primary copy of this letter was not found but a similar copy was located in 200AD. The original copy is said to have been written sometime during 50AD, a significant time for Christianity as Jesus had only died around 20 years prior and there was already a large flow of conversions from other religions to Christianity. In any case, the people that Paul was addressing were new Christians who had converted from Paganism but were now being tempted by other missionaries to add parts of the Jewish law to the cross of Christ as a way to salvation. Since Paul had visited, a different interpretation of Christianity had been brought to the people by converts...
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...St. Paul was an extremely important and influential person in the early development of Christianity. Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus (modern day Turkey), was a tentmaker and a Roman citizen. He took the name “Paul” after he converted to Christianity. Paul lived the first half of his life as a Pharisee. As a Pharisee, he was a member of the Jewish religion that strictly lived by the Law of Moses. In fact, he spent much of his time persecuting people involved in the Christian movement. It was on such a journey on the road to Damascus , to root out Christian communities, that everything changed. On the road to Damascus, with military troops behind him, Paul (Saul) suddenly fell off his horse and to the ground while a bright light...
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...The Galatians from this passage I have just read, are actually the group of early Celtic Christians who settled in the area now known as Turkey. Paul the apostle, wrote this book, Epistle to the Galatians, originally as a letter to the Galatians. It is known that Paul was the creator of the churches of Galatia and was responsible for the alteration from Paganism to Christianity within that area. The primary copy of this letter was not found but a similar copy was located in 200AD. The original copy is said to have been written sometime during 50AD, a significant time for Christianity as Jesus had only died around 20 years prior and there was already a large flow of conversions from other religions to Christianity. In any case, the people that...
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...Apostle Paul forms the main character in relation to examining the respective entities attached to the issue. He was charged with three different assignments which were; preaching the gospel to the gentiles, providing the church leaders with the biblical instructions and encouragements, and lastly to teach the Christian community ways to live righteously in an unsaved world. Through endless efforts and dedication, Paul was able to accomplish these tasks via his ongoing missionary journeys plus the letters he wrote to various churches. It is evident that while Jesus’ life and teachings tend to offer Christianity with the required foundation, the letters that Paul wrote availed the structure on the foundation. However, the Gentiles urgently embraced the message of salvation, the conflicting ideas on how to live righteously altered their faith. The complexity of the cultural differences however, didn’t stop Paul from managing to address some of the areas of contention using the letters that he wrote to the Romans. The assumptions...
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...In the 7th century, people of England were not fully Christians. Converting those people to Christians was one of the goals of Christian Churches around that time. The process of conversion of those people to Christianity were extensively written by Medieval Historian Bede, on his book “Ecclesiastical History of England”. In 8th century, people of Europe were mostly Christians, so the goal of Christian churches were not conversion instead it was unification Christianity. One of missionaries of Roman church who were to improve and spread Christianity was Saint Boniface, whose works and efforts left recorded in various ways especially in the form of letters. Process of conversion to Christianity in the 7th century differed from that of 8th century judging from Saint Boniface’s letters, and Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History of England”. Biggest of the differences are that in the 7th century turning people’s attention to Christianity, and therefore making them believe in the one true god was the focus, in the 8th century correcting the wrong ways to worship Christianity, also correcting wrong teachings of the Christian clerics were...
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...enter the kingdom of heaven and reside with the lord thy GOD. A great variety of crosses has developed, some with specific symbolic meaning and others that have simply become culturally associated with certain groups. | The simplest and most common Christian cross is the Latin cross. It may not have come into use until the 2nd or 3rd century. The empty cross, usually favoured by Protestants, reminds Christians of the resurrection | | The Greek cross, with arms of equal length, is the most ancient cross. | | A Celtic cross places a circle around the arms of a Latin cross. A cross within a circle or cross with multiple rays like spokes from a wheel is an emblem of the sun and is found on many stone carvings and objects prior to Christianity. The sun cross became the Celtic cross, uniting Christ with the luminous and cosmic power of the sun. | | The triumphant cross with orb represents Christ reign over the world. It is often shown atop Christ's sceptre in Christian art. | | An inverted cross is the cross of St. Peter, who, according to tradition, was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die the same way as Christ. As Catholics believe the pope to be a successor of St....
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...followers to worship and pray. Both Christianity and Judaism are monotheistic and as such there are similarities but also differences within each religion. The sacred text for Judaism is the Tanach while Christianity has the Bible. The essay will explore the structure of each sacred text, what type of literature is in each canon, authorship of the text and how it is used in practice. Structure of each canon Christians believe the Bible is their sacred text. The Bible is a library of 66 books and is made of two parts, Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books). The Old Testament...
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...Next I will explore how through the dominant gaze, both Columbus’s letters and Rowlandson narrative transmits the colonizer’s Christian values and influences, further affirming the colonizer’s dominant position in the New World. Both Columbus’s and Rowlandson’s texts are rich with references to Christianity. As Christians themselves, both writers are able spread their Christian influences and values in their writing. And by using the dominant gaze, Columbus and Rowlandson are able to identify America as a symbol and model of the Christian religion. America is portrayed as a Christian civilization specially made and provided for the European colonizer to dominate. For example, Christopher Columbus’ descriptions of discovering the New World in...
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...Under the Cloak of Religion – Interracial Marriage in Antebellum America The letters among Harriett Gold and her extended family in To Marry an Indian, edited by Theresa Strouth Gaul, give intimate insight into antebellum white people’s opinions on Indians and interracial sex. This correspondence between a young white Christian woman and her extended family regarding her relationship with an Indian man reveal white Americans’ disapproval of interracial sex and marriage. This family’s views are reflective of society at large during the early to mid-1800s. Overall, the letters show that antebellum white people see Indians as a heathen, uncivilized people who need to be saved. White Americans are willing to accept Indians as converts into the Christian religion; however, the white people do not see them as equals. It is generally thought that Indians and whites should not engage in interracial sex or marriage, and white Americans consistently mask their feelings of superiority with their religious beliefs. Upon hearing of Harriett’s engagement to Indian Elias Boudinot, her extended family begins voicing their opinions on the matter through the letters compiled in To Marry an Indian. Harriett’s brothers-in-law are particularly vocal about their disapproval of the engagement, and their words very clearly express their view that interracial sex and marriage are not acceptable. Daniel Brinsmade refers to the couple’s love as an “animal feeling,” and Cornelius Everest states, “this...
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...widespread method of Biblical interpretation used by scholars today?<!--[if !supportLists]--> a. Mystical b. Allegorical c. Historical critical d. Literal | | | | | Question 2: (1 Points) | What was the message of early Christianity?<!--[if !supportLists]--> a. Salvation comes through fast b. Salvation comes through circumcision c. Salvation is by faith d. Salvation is by self punishment | | | | | Question 3: (1 Points) | The New Testament consists of: <!--[if !supportLists]--> a. 4 Gospels, 21 letters, 1 Apocalypse b. 3 Gospels, 1 Acts, 22 Letters, 1 Apocalypse c. 4 Gospels, 1 Acts, 21 Letters, 1 Apocalypse d. 3 Gospels, 2 Acts, 21 Letters | | | | | Question 4: (1 Points) | Which one of these are seen in the Bible as signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God?<!--[if !supportLists]--> a. Gospels b. Parables c. Miracles d. Teachings | | | | | Question 5: (1 Points) | Matthew, Mark and Luke are based on what writing?<!--[if !supportLists]--> a. Pseudepigrapha b. Quelle c. Apocrypha d. John | | | | | | CHRISTIANITY IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE LESSON 2 Question 1: (1 Points) | Christianity was born in what Empire?<!--[if !supportLists]--> a. Babylonian b. Assyrian c. Hellenistic d. Roman | | | | | Question 2: (1 Points) | Which of the following was opposed by the church?<!--[if !supportLists]--> ...
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...At the time, the Roman Empire had strict laws about religion in their empire. The Romans had it set that current religions can continue, but no new ones will be forced. During this time period, Christianity formed out of Judaism as a reform movement, and at the time, had very few members. Slowly, the descendants of the apostles passed on traditions and it became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire. This success was because there was organizational strength within the religion. Paul, an early Christian leader, wrote the “Letter to the Romans” to give the Romans a concrete foundation to serve God effectively. Paul incorporated many ideals into this letter, and one is how to follow and obey the law. Paul wrote, “You must obey the governing authorities. Since all government comes from God, the civil authorities were appointed by God, and so anyone who resists authority is rebelling against God’s decision” (Paul, Letter to the Romans, 267). Paul also wrote about respecting your enemies, which also became important during the period of persecutions under the Roman Empire. From roughly the year 64 C.E until 312 C.E, Roman authorities felt as if the Christians lacked a respectable element and were violating the law. Many Christians were persecuted during this time period, often in very gruesome and...
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...thousands of miles trying to convert people to Christianity and spreading the word where ever he went. He wrote important letters. He worked...
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...Jesus: Fact from Fiction Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world with approximately 2.1 billion people identifying themselves as Christians. Jesus is the central focus of attention and worship in Christianity, and is held by most Christians to be the Messiah, foretold in the Hebrew Bible or “Old Testament”. They believe him to be the savior of mankind, and the son of God. However, in modern times, the use of critical scholarship in analysis of the Bible and to the New Testament Gospels in particular, has lead to an accelerating rate of disintegration in the traditional Christian belief system. The term "scholarship" implies the application of the scientific method of the evaluating evidence on the basis of objective standards unhindered from any personal involvement or biases. The main source of information on Jesus is from the Christian Gospels. Some scholars claim that the sources on which the Gospels are based were written within the living memory of Jesus' lifetime. There are four such Gospels the earliest being Mark (68-73 AD), followed by Matthew (70-100 AD), Luke (80-100 AD), and John (90-110 AD). Many conservative Christians accept these writings as evidence for a historical Jesus and as an account of his life and death. According to the Christian Gospels, Jesus was born in Bethlehem between 6 BC and 6 AD. The Gospel Mark, reports that Jesus was "the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon" he also states that Jesus had sisters. Nothing of Jesus...
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