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REL 107 - Introduction to Religion

Week 4 - Christianity

Textbook Readings

• chapter 2, pages 52-87
• Note - on page 58, the textbook writes of "three wise men". The accounts in the Bible do not mention how many wise men there were. We only assume that there were three of them because they brought three gifts to Jesus
• Note - the side-bar on the Jesus prayer, page 67, may give the impression that the prayer is said once, or a few times. In actual practice it is continuously repeated silently, timed to the breathing or the heart-beat of the person praying. One method is (breathing in) "Lord Jesus Christ, son of the Living God", (breathiing out) "have mercy on me, a sinner". It eventually becomes an on-going part of the person's life

InterNet Links for this assignment

• Go here for Links for this week
• Useful articles can be found by using the Topics as search words in Search Engines such as MSN, Dogpile, AltaVista, or Yahoo
• Remember - always cite your sources

This Week's Assignment : Twenty Questions

1. According to the textbook, on what two main points were Jesus' teachings based
2. Describe the seven sacraments recognized by Roman Catholicism
3. How does the authority structure of the Eatern Orthodox Churches differ from that of the Roman Catholic Church
4. According to the textbook, how do most Protestant Churches differ from the Roman Catholic Church
5. According to the textbook, upon which issues would most Christians agree
6. What were some of the factors that led to the East-West Schism. When did this schism come to a head
7. Who formulated a "rule" for a monastery, which became the basis for Western monasticism. What did this rule include
8. What was the aim of the Crusades. What were some of the results of the Crusades
9. Name two "reformers" who prepared the way for the Protestant reformation of the sixteenth century. What happened to them
10. Write a paragraph on the life and work of Martin Luther
11. Compare and contrast the teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin
12. When was the Council of Trent, and what were some of the results of the Council
13. Describe the doctrine of the Trinity. What insight did Tertullian have on the nature of the Trinity. What insight did Origen have on the nature of the Trinity. To what did medieval theologians compare the Trinity
14. What were some of the themes of "mystical union". What were some of the methods of attaining mystical union. Describe four famous medieval mystics
15. What are the "seven deadly sins", the "four Cardianl Virtues", the "three Theological Virtues", According to the textbook, which is the prime Christian virtue
16. Compare and contrast the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes
17. Which are the two principle festivals of the Christian year, and what do they commemorate. What are the seasons which precede them, and what is the emphasis of these seasons. When does the liturgical year begin.
18. Which is regarded as the main Sacrament of Christian ritual. How do various denominations interpret this Sacrament.
19. What were some of the reasons that Sunday became "the Lord's Day" for Christians. How do various denominations celebrate the Lord's Day
20. What do all Christian creeds affirm about life after death

Remember to cite your sources

Use MSWord or a text editor such as Notepad to prepare and save your work, then send it as an Attachment to, or pasted into, an email message to Dr. Rollinson at rel107@hellokitty.com, rel107@mail2world.com, and rel107@catholic.org.
Please use all 3 email addresses in case any of the mailboxes go down.

Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved

Dr. Rollinson

Department of Religion
ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated: August 20, 2007

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