Sacred Texts: Bible

What gives the text authority?

The Bible is the most important text in the Christian religion. The Old Testament details the beginning of the earth and how man got here. It also tells the stories of many prophets and is hundreds of years old. The New Testament is the story of Jesus and his teachings as the son of God.
The New Testament has authority from Jesus Christ. He is the speaker of God and gains authority for his teachings from his connection with God. Christianity asserts that there is only one god and as the son of the  only god Jesus has a lot of influence. The Old Testament gains authority from its age and from the large number of people that follows its teachings. The Old Testament is from either the 3rd Century or earlier so it gains authority from the being passed down over 100's of years. Many people also follow the Old Testament, it is even a sacred text for other religions such as Judaism.

Who can interpret the text and why? 

The Bible used to only be available to the very wealthy and to religious figures to interpret the text. However, now it is printed so often and in so many different versions that the text can be interpreted by anyone, leading to contrasting ideas about the same text. 
"When Jesus gave 5,000 people bread and fish (John 6:1-15), for example, he gave them real bread to satisfy their physical need. Here we are reading literally. But just a few verses later, we are told that Jesus is "the bread of life" (verse 35). Here we must read figuratively: Jesus is the source and sustainer of eternal life.

The real bread that Jesus gave the people had symbolic value. The bread portrayed the important truth that just as Jesus could miraculously create and give the substance of physical life to humans, he could also give them eternal life." 

In this example we can see that each individual word can have many meanings making the Bible difficult to interpret. It is also noticeable that there are times in which the Bible should be interpreted literally and times when it should be interpreted metaphorically, meaning there isn't a right or wrong way because there is a balance. This means that the text requires the interpreter to have a decent amount of knowledge about context in order to know when to interpret literally and when to interpret figuratively. 

What are the links between sacred texts and key figures? 

God and Jesus are the two main figures of Christianity. The Bible is the direct word and teachings of Jesus Christ who spoke the word of God. Thus the Bible comes directly from God through Jesus. The texts are his teachings and his lessons for humanity. Life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are detailed in the Bible, these events are also the proof that Jesus was God's son and teach valuable lessons about the human condition. For example, how we live in sin and the most important Christian belief: that Jesus is the savior. 

Had interpretation changed as the religion developed? 


Sources: https://www.gci.org/bible/literal

Fieldtrip Reflection

Islam Center:

We learned about how salat (ritual prayer) is performed. In order to face the right direction they can use either a compass or an app to find Mecca. They can also use the orientation of the sun, but because they most often pray in the Mosque they already know which direction to face. They have to remove their shoes because the pray on mats, they also pray in different areas based on gender, to help remove distraction and to keep the mind fully focused on Allah. I also learned that prior to prayer, they wash their hands and face because praying is considered a meeting with Allah and one should be clean and presentable to meet with god. They also do the same for funerals so that when the dead finally meet Allah, their bodies are clean. I really enjoyed the way that the tour leader presented all aspects of the center and their involvement in the community rather than just telling us about the religion. I also enjoyed that he had some of the kids from the school present. It was really interesting to see the kids recite from the Koran, especially after watching the Koran by Heart documentary in class.

Buddhist Temple: 

We learned a lot about the Dalai Llama. I didn't know that he was a bodhisattva and that each Dalai Llama is actually the same person reincarnated. I found this really interesting. I also thought it was interesting how he leaves clues for where to find him after his death, this is particularly interesting because the current Dalai Llama is rather old and has already given some description of where he will be in his next life. We were also taught about the various other Bodhisattva that Tibetan Buddhists worship and the certain powers or areas of life that each one helps in. I thought the various colors and offerings around the temple were also very cool to see in person and to understand. The nuns did a very good job of explaining and answering questions, but I wish they had told us a little bit more about their daily lives or rituals. I would also have liked to hear a little more about the services that they participate in and how a typical meditation session usually goes.

Hindu Temple:

This temple was the coolest, but also the least welcoming. I enjoyed that they did not interrupt their worship while we were there because we got to see how things actually are on a normal day in the temple. However, it felt that we were intruding on their space and time. Overall, I really enjoyed looking at the shrines and hearing the stories of the Gods and Goddesses. I liked that the tour guide took the time to show us these and tell the stories. I also thought it was really interesting how prayer and rituals were conducted with the offerings and the use of incense for the Gods. We learned a lot about the practices of the religion but I don't really feel like I learned many news things about the religion itself.


Synagogue: 

We learned about how the Jewish tradition and culture is passed down in families through dinners and holidays. The Rabbi also taught about how the Dalai Llama enlisted the help of a Jewish Rabbi to help keep the Tibetan Buddhist culture and religion alive for the people living in exile from Tibet. The Dalai Llama taught them to sit down to a dinner in order to share cultural stories and traditions. The Rabbi also taught us about how Judaism differs from Christianity but how they share the Old Testament. He also taught us that unlike Christians, Jews don't send out missionaries attempt the spread their religion. Instead they welcome those who want to convert but mostly the religion is passed through families. He also taught us about the different sects of Judaism. There are Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative. Orthodox Jews are much more old fashioned and are not open to change in the religion. All of their services are performed in Hebrew. Reform Jews are on the opposite end of the spectrum, they are very open to change and most services are performed in English or in the native language for wherever they live. Conservative is in the middle of the spectrum and are open to some changes as long as the essence of the religion is preserved. They have some services in Hebrew and  some services in English.

Sacred Texts Excerpts

1.What is the meaning of each of the excerpts?
2. What makes these important or why are they essential to the faith?


Romans: 

1. It means that all people are responsible for following laws and for not sinning and that all people will be held accountable to God for their actions.

2. The excerpt explains human sin. It tells why it is bad and why it matters to people of the religion by explaining that people are held accountable to God to follow laws etc. Christians believe that Jesus Christ died to save humans from sin and this is the basis of the Religion in the New Testament.


1 Corinthians:

1. It first explains that Jesus is God and works for his people. It also explains that love is great and enduring and that love is the greatest out of faith and hope. It also explains that God loves each person unconditionally. This excerpt explains that Jesus Christ died in sacrifice for human sins. He was crucified and resurrected on the third day.

2. It shows the relationship that God has with humanity and each individual person. It says that He loves each person despite their flaws and short-comings. He loves each person even if they do sin.


Matthew: 

1. This excerpt explains the Lord's Prayer. The prayer teaches us what we should want and what we deserve. It tells what people should ask for from God and the order of importance in which these things should be asked for.

2. This is the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. It was meant to teach Christians how to pray and how to contact God.

Key Concepts - Christianity

1.Trinity: The Christian doctrine of the Trinity  defines God as three consubstantial persons, expressions,  the Father (God), the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit ("it is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds"). According to Christian theology, God can only be recognized through the holy trinity. 

2. Incarnation: The belief that the second person of the trinity (Jesus Christ) was given flesh through the womb of Mary. He is recognized as both man and god. It is celebrated through the holiday Christmas. 

3. Church: A building used for Christian religious worship. They are often erected in the shape of the cross and represent the body of Christ. They are used for group worship mostly on the sabbath (Sunday). 

4. Salvation: The act of saving the soul from sin. Salvation has been made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Different denominations of Christianity prescribe different ways of achieving salvation. 

5. Kingdom of God: The relationship between God and humanity is called the "kingship of god". God's Kingdom is Heaven. The term is primarily used by Jesus Christ in the first 3 gospels.  The idea of God as king stems from Judaism which predates Christianity. 

6. Atonement: Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of man, this sacrifice reconciled us to God. Jesus was able to redeem us from sin, however, the price for this redemption was his life. Jesus described his death as a ransom payment but it is unclear as to who the ransom was paid to. Some speculate that it may have been the devil.

7. Sin: The breaking or transgression of God's law. It can also be defined as the disobedience or opposition to God. Sin came into the world when the serpent, Satan, tempted Adam and  Eve and caused them to disobey God. 

8.  Resurrection: Meaning coming back to live after death, in reference to Jesus Christ dying on the cross and resurrecting 3 days later. His resurrection allowed for the salvation of man. 

9. Redemption: Forgiveness or absolution for past sins. It provides protection from damnation. It can also mean freedom from captivity. 

10. Repentance: The stage in redemption in which the believer turns away from sin. Some believe it occurs prior to faith and others believe that it occurs after faith. It acknowledges that you have done something wrong and that you feel remorse for said action. 

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/08/28/what-is-the-bible-definition-of-church-what-is-the-biblical-view-of-church/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation_%28Christianity%29

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/236611/Kingdom-of-God

http://christianity.about.com/od/glossary/f/whatissin.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repentance_%28Christianity%29

Sub Work

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Objective 1.3

To what extent do rules on dress reflect or inform a communal identity? 

        To different degrees many Muslims agree that modest dress is an important part of Islam both as a religion and as a culture. Modesty in dress can range from long pants and long sleeves to a hijab (headscarf) or to a fully covered burka. Some Muslims believe that this modesty is called for by Allah (Muslim God) in the Koran (Islamic holy book). However, the degree to which this modesty is called for and how this modesty should be addressed is a frequently debated topic within and outside the Muslim community. Some say it is even an important factor in determining whether or not one will be accepted into Jannah (paradise) on Yawm al-din (judgement day after one dies).  

       In Muslim dominated cultures higher degrees of modesty are more common and sometimes even enforced by law, such as in some countries in the Middle East. The degree of one's modesty can even be interpreted as being indicative of one's religious devotion. However, this dress identifies one not only as part of the Muslim community but also as part of the Middle Eastern community. Therefore the rules for dress create a community that is reflective of the culture in that region. 

      Often times people are much more accepted if they follow the rules of dress in an area. For Muslim women, dressing modestly gives them more rights and greater strength within their community. This allows one to feel more accepted an integrated into the community that they live and to better embrace the culture and values of that community. In this way dress informs one's role in the community.   

Objective 1.4. - 1.7

Part 1: Origins 

1.  1.3 million Muslims are Shia

• Shia are minority
• Concentrated in Iran and southern Iraq
• Oil in Iraq and Iran
• Shiites predominate

1. 2. Sunni vs. Shia

• The split occurred after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the year 632
• Shia believed that leadership should stay within the family of the prophet
• Sunnis believed that leadership should fall to the person who was deemed by the elite of the community
• Shia call their leaders imam with Ali being the first and Hussein the third
• Sunnis believe that some of the Shia are attributing divine qualities to the imams, and this is a great sin because it is associating human beings with the divinity
•  Shiites are looking for the coming of the Messiah.

Part 2: Mideast Turmoil/Rise of Shiites

1. Shiites History

• Shiites of Iraq and Lebanon were ruled by Sunni Ottoman sultans.
• The Shiites of Arabia were under the authority of Sunni tribal leaders.
•  Pahlavi changed the name of the state to Iran and set about creating a secular government, much to the dismay of some of the Shiite clergy.

1.  2. Revolution

• Khomeini's revolution had a powerful influence in Lebanon
• The powerful influence came after Israel mounted an invasion in 1982 to eliminate Lebanon as a base for guerilla attacks of the Palestine Liberation Organization 
• Most Sunni rejected the Iranian revolution as a model for their own societies

Part 3: Sunni Reaction

1. Shi’ism Islam

• The minority branch of Islam known as Shi'ism first became widely known in the U.S. and established the modern world's first Islamic State.
• The revolutionaries believed they could export their Islamic revolution throughout the Middle East and beyond.
• They encountered resistance from the Arab states led by Sunnis            

1.  2. Sunnis

• Islam's majority branch
• Resistance between Sunni and Shi’ism would be both subtle and violent
•  Their objective was to overthrow of secular governments and establishments of Islamic states,
• Wanted anti-Shi'ism.          

1. 3. United States’ Role in Revolution

•  President Ronald Reagan sent U.S. troops to Lebanon as part of a peacekeeping force
• President Reagan soon reversed himself and pulled U.S. troops out of Lebanon, leaving the divided nation to another six years of war
• The invasion of Iraq in 2003 unleashed forces of Muslim sectarianism unseen in the Middle East

Part 4: Iraq War Deepens the Divide

1. US Invasion

• The United States invasion of Iraq began on March 20th, 2003.
• Thought the war would be over quickly, and that Iraq would return to peace
• The U.S. claimed that Iran was responsible for much of the violence in Iraq        

1. 2. Shiite Clerics

• Shiite clerics led movements, advocating parliamentary rule and just governance in the Middle East
• Clerics took the lead because there's hardly any form of secular civil society in the country today that can act as the nucleus of an Iraqi political system
• Shiite clerics in Iraq worked hard to pursue their own model of government            

1. 3. Shia

• Shia never governed a modern Arab state.
• They were in control in Persian Iran, but the Sunnis led most Arab states in the Middle East

Part 5: US Policies and the Shia-Sunni Conflict

1. Conflict

• The sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni deepened
• U.S. aims changed as conflict deepened
• U.S. view of some Shiite forces in the Middle East is overtly hostile

 Sufism: The Heart of Islam

1. Living Sufism

• Started as a refuge for people to learn about Islam
•  Fate connected to action
• Only go with good action when you die
• Men go out to work
• Women work at home
• Sufi is a good Muslim who looks for meaning and traveler on a path of his heart          

1. 2. Eternal Life

• Life doesn’t end at death
• Live in the present      

1.  3. Losing Self

•  No necessary connection between Sufism and Islam
• Be yourself
• Get on with life, live life fully
• Trying to discover God within us
• Sufism: journey of slave to king
• Some people die never knowing they took this path in life

 PBS Frontline- Salafism

1. Salafism Background

• Salafism is an ideology that posits that Islam has strayed from its origins
• Salafists originally are supposedly not violent         

1. 2. Salafism Jihadists

• Constitute less than 1 percent of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims
• See life as being divided between the world of Islam and the land of conflict or war
• The origins of Salafi jihadism can be traced to the Muslim Brotherhood        

1. 3. Takfir wal-Hijra

• Takfir wal-Hijra emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood
• Inspired some of the tactics and methods used by Al Qaeda

 Salafism and the Arab Spring

1. 1.  Assassination

• The assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid plunged the country into its biggest crisis since the 2011 Jasmine Revolution
• The assassination was also the destabilizing threat of violent Islamist extremists has emerged as a pressing and dangerous issue       

1.  2. Salafists

• The Salafists are spread between three broad groups
• New small political movements that have formed in recent months
• Non-violent Salafists
• Violent Salafists and jihadists who, though small in number, have had a major impact in terms of violent attacks
• The main Salafist political parties have far more of a stake in democratic transition than in Tunisia and Libya.

Essay Question: How are the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam related and how do they impact one another?