Religion

Take a look at the prayers (laments) of Jeremiah and answer the following questions.Jeremiah 11:18-23 = The people tell Jeremiah not to prophesy and his life is threatened. He pours his heart out to God concerning his feelings.How does Jeremiah feel?What is God’s response?Jeremiah 15:10-21What is Jeremiah’s first complaint?What does he ask God to do for him?Why does Jeremiah claim that he deserves God’s favor?What is his final question before God answers?What is God’s response?Jeremiah 18:18-23What are the people planning on doing to Jeremiah?What does Jeremiah ask God to do?Why does Jeremiah claim that he deserves this from God?Does God get angry at Jeremiah’s bold prayer?Jeremiah 20:7-13What is Jeremiah’s complaint?What decision did her first make to deal with this problem?Why did he not follow through with it?What does Jeremiah finally affirm about God?Jeremiah 20:14-18What does Jeremiah curse?What does he wish for in this prayer?Does God condemn him for expressing these feelings?

The Case of Jim Bakker and PTL Jim Bakker created PTL, a Christian-oriented syndication network, in 1977. Prior to that time, Bakker had spent seven years working for the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) owned by Pat Robertson. Bakker was not well educated in theology; he had dropped out of North Central Bible College after only three semesters. However, he was a natural on television, where he preached seed-faith and prosperity theology. These theological philosophies had originated with Oral Roberts in the 1940s and by the 1980s were widely embraced by many evangelists. The seed-faith philosophy taught that if the believers served and gave to God, they would be rewarded by God with an abundance of material needs. Prosperity theology, also known as “health and wealth theology,” asserted that God wanted the whole man, including his finances, to be healed. Those practicing prosperity theology recommended that believers pray for a specific outcome or object. Indeed, Bakker recommended that if his supporters prayed for a camper, they should specify the color; otherwise, they were asking God to do their shopping. Bakker, then, did not preach hard work, saving, and responsible planning. Instead, he subscribed to the belief that the Spirit willed financial miracles as well as the actions of Its followers. Bakker sermonized only on the love of God and ignored the topic of sin. This religious philosophy apparently appealed to a wide cross-section of middle-class Americans, as Bakker’s congregation grew rapidly. Only 20 percent of Bakker’s sup-porters came from his own Assemblies of God Pentecostal faith; the remainder came from other Pentecostal denominations, other Protestant denominations, and the Roman Catholic Church. Their contributions and support made PTL one of the three wealthiest and most popular media ministries in the nation. Consequently, by 1984, PTL served 1,300 cable systems of 12 million homes and had accumulated $66 million in revenues and $86 million in assets. PTL also had 900 people on the payroll and enormous operat-ing expenses and debt. Bakker often prayed, with his television audience, for the financing of specific projects, an evangelical university, a PTL show in Italy or Brazil, or the “Christian Disneyland” labeled Heritage USA. When the money for these projects poured in from viewers, however, Bakker would use the funds for something else because that was the way he had been moved by the Spirit. Because of this style of financial management, PTL debts mounted. Thus it was in 1983 that Bakker conceived the idea of selling lifetime partnerships for donations of $1,000 or more. The lifetime partnerships entitled the contributors to three free nights of lodging and recreation at Heritage USA for the remainder of their lives—a package previously valued at $3,000. The funds from the lifetime partnerships were to be designated for completion of construction at Heritage USA. Unfortunately, Bakker sold lifetime partnerships to more donors than he could accommodate at Heritage USA. Further, as the number of lifetime partnerships sold escalated, contributions to the general PTL fund diminished. In order for PTL to continue, funds from the lifetime part-nerships had to be diverted for everyday operating expenses. Consequently, construction on the lodging facilities at Heritage USA were never completed. Bakker’s followers were aware of where their contributions were being channeled. The Charlotte Observer regularly reported the financial actions of PTL and the Heritage USA construction cost overruns as well as Bakker’s purchases, which included three vacation homes, gold-plated bathroom fixtures, an air-conditioned doghouse, and vast amounts of clothing and jewels. Indeed, Bakker would display the headlines on television to demonstrate the hostility of the press. His followers never wavered. They supported and even endorsed Bakker’s materialistic lifestyle and promise of financial miracles. After all, Bakker was only acting out what he preached—a religion with standards of excess and tenets of tolerance and freedom from accountability. As a televangelist, he was free to preach what he pleased, and people were free to listen or not. No one coerced monetary contributions from Bakker’s supporters—they willingly sent in funds and did not hold Bakker accountable for the disbursement of those funds. Further, the government was aware of Bakkers’ actions. Bakker and his PTL operation were extensively investigated on separate occasions by the Federal Communication Commis-sion, the Justice Department, and the Internal Revenue Service beginning in 1979. Even though the agencies had substantial evidence ofmisconduct involving millions of dollars, no efforts were made to stop Bakker, and none of the agencies moved toward indictment. Bakker was allowed, indeed, encouraged in his behavior because he personified the cul-ture of the eighties. No government agency or public outcry arose to stop him until after Bakker, fearing reprisal concerning his affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn, resigned from PTL. Bakker’s actions could hardly be called covert because they had taken place in plain sight, exemplifying the religious philosophy he and his followers had daily espoused. In 1987, almost a decade after noting apparent misconduct in the operations of PTL, the federal government charged Jim Bakker with 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy, alleging that Bakker had bilked his supporters. Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in a federal prison and order to pay a $500,000 fine. In 1992, Bakker’s sentence was reduced to eight years and the $500,000 fine was voided. In that same year, Bakker’s wife, Tammy Fae Bakker (known for her mascara-streaking crying sessions while on camera), divorced Jim. In 1993, Bakker was transferred to a minimum security prison where he was paroled in 1994. Discussion Questions 1. What service properties inherent in religious groups contribute to consumer vulnerability? 2. Which types of moral philosophies could be argued to be the basis for Bakker’s actions? 3. What are the ethical issues involved?

Each student will chose a scripture reference (Job 14:9) that can either be a single verse with a focus on an animal, a body part, or a natural element (mud, salt, etc.), or a phenomenon that may have scientific implications, such as various apocalyptic occurrences in Revelation, to study from a scientific perspective over the course of the semester. Each assignment serves as the foundation for the next assignment. • Assignment 1: Planning a Research Paper (PRP) For this assignment, students will write one to two paragraphs introducing a verse or story from the Bible that will be analyzed using a scientific perspective. The paragraph should include initial thoughts or interpretations about the verse from a theological standpoint and present a hypothesis as to whether science evidence about the key word, phrase, or concept will support or refute the theological message being delivered. • Assignment 2: Annotated Bibliography (AB) For this assignment, students will critically analyze three to five sources that will be used to conduct research on the chosen Bible verse. Each reference must be written according to the APA 6th Edition Formatting and Style Guidelines. Following each bibliographic entry, one to two paragraphs must be written explaining what type of information will be retrieved from the reference and why the chosen source is credible. • Assignment 3: Rough Draft of the Paper (RD) For this assignment, students will write a rough draft of the paper focusing on the chosen verse. The body of the rough draft must be between seven (7) to ten (10) pages. This does NOT include the cover page or references. Final Paper (FLdoc) For this assignment, students will submit a final copy of their paper (research project assignment 3) focusing on the chosen verse. The body of the final draft must be between seven (7) to ten (10) pages. This does NOT include the cover page or references. This paper should serve as an extended version of what will be the final oral presentation in this course.

topic is LAW OF ATTRACTION- I want you to introduce the topic a bit historically first — provide a bit of historical context as an introduction; then go over the concepts/ideas involved in that topic, perhaps practices (I’d like to see some depth, don’t be too superficial, this isn’t high school, want to see that you did some research); and then how this is being used, how it shows up, in today’s “new spirituality.” overview of what the teachings are, how it got popularized in The Secret, its roots in New Thought (Spirituality and new thought) Do provide your sources at the end, a bibliography; you may use a bit of a video clip as a demonstration of what you’re talking about.

A great deal of scholarship (perhaps a bit too much) deals with the authenticity of Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. Was Constantine’s conversion authentic? Why or why not? Who argues for the different positions that are held in reference to this topic?

“The objective is to broaden and deepen your understanding of Christianity. The idea here is to undertake some research on a topic and then, through your paper, engage the material. This means that you should not only find information but to intellectually analyze and respond to it, to compare different opinions, and to form some conclusions of your own about it. In other words, don’t just show facts, but show some questioning engagement with those facts. Next, any paper that is written for academic purposes must include in-text citations.”

A paradigm is not a summary outline. Do not submit a skimpy treatment of the religions. Instead, following the headings presenting in number two and present each of the religions in as much detail as to make the topic clear and complete.

Write as much as you need too!

Use the headings in each paper:

Origin (country)

Founder

Concept of God or the supernatural including spirits, both good and evil

Concept of Humanity – As people relate to the supernatural and nature

Concept of Sin (what constitutes sin or a serious offense)

Concept of Salvation (the final goal of man or their view of the afterlife)

Means to Salvation (or way to achieve Salvation or to reach the afterlife)

Sacred Writings (scriptures)

EVERY HEADING MUST BE ADDRESSED AND NEEDS TO HAVE ITS OWN HEADING.

To get full credit for your Buddhism Paradigm, you must address and list the following doctrines:

The Self or Soul

Four Noble Truths

Eightfold Path

Five Precepts

Submit a bibliography for sources used.

Paradigms will be graded according to content, grammar, spelling, and neatness.

chose one out of the two questions:

1. Identify the different forms of religious groups that are comprised in the typology outlined by the classic sociologists of religion. Explain the basic characteristics of each and provide examples.

2. Establish a distinction between the popular misuses of the term “myth” and its meaning in the scholarly context of Religious Studies. Explain the functions of myth according to the scholar Joseph Campbell.

1000 words (maximum).
Read Notes pages 1-66.
Instructions:
(1) The central purpose of these papers is for YOU to develop YOUR views on the relationship between
science & religion.
(2) In writing these papers, USE the ideas found in the Class Notes, Class Handouts & Class Audio-Slides,
and in doing so DEMONSTRATE to me that you grasp these concepts.
(3) After describing your views, always defend them––that is, give me reasons why you believe in your view.
(4) Always RESPECT the Maximum Word Limit for each paper.
(5) Use Endnotes for citations & use the Chicago Manual of Style to format the Endnotes.
Paper 1. 1000 Word Maximum.
Describe and Defend your definition of religion and your definition of science. Then point out similarities and differences between your two definitions. Also include your view of divine action and whether or not it is part of your two definitions. To close, state your personal worldview (eg, atheist, Muslim, Christian, etc.) and explain how it fits into your two definitions.

Write a paper 5 to 7 pages on the character of Samson in the Book of Judges. Examine his strengths and weaknesses. You should research the character using at least 3 references and also referencing the King James Bible. List the references on a separate page. You may double space with 1 inch margins. Please use Times New Roman and size 12 font.