Please watch one of the following videos about Judaism in the modern period:Modern Judaism Began: Emanicpation and the Enlightenment, History of Jewish Movements: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox, How did Kabbalah Begin? Brief History of Jewish Mysticism, What is Hasidic Judaism? A Brief History of the Movement.
After watching the video, anwser the following questions:
1) Who were the important figures or groups for Judaism in the video you watched? How did these figures/ groups impact Judaism?2) What was the main location for your video? Did the politics of the country have any impact on the narrative?3) What were the most important political, social, or theological issues addressed in this video?4) What lasting impact to Judaism does this video address?5) What did you think while watching the video? Were you familar with this topic? What did you learn?
JournalsJournal 5b (Response to Journal 5)This week's journal has two parts: First, for part one, please watch this video and this video on the Jewish calendar. You should also look at this calendar that covers the Gregorian calendar year 2021.
For your next task, please pick one of the holiday Jewish holidays: Yom Kippur, Purim, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, Shavout, Tisha B'Av. (You might want to start with your textbook or here.)
Answer the following questions about the holiday you picked.1) What day or days is this holiday celebrated on the Jewish calendar? (Don't forget to include the year.)2) What day or days is this holiday celebrated on the Gregorian calendar?3) What is this holiday about?4) What special rituals are related to this holiday?5) What historical event/or theological event is relevant to this holiday?6) What does this holiday say to you about the jewish faith?
Journal 6This week's journal reflects on Jesus' teachings and their central role for Christianity. In particular, why do you think that Jesus mostly taught in parables? How do you think that time or cultural differences have influenced how individuals interpret the parables? Do they have the same meaning now as they did for a medieval monk or someone in Jesus's audience? Why? (You might click here or here to find examples of Jesus' parables.)
Journal 6b (Response to Journal 6)For this week's journal, pick one of seven sacraments and discuss how at least two different Christian traditions view this sacrament. What do they believe in common? What is different about what they believe? How do their similarities and differences relate to their shared beliefs discussed?
Journal 7Islam is one of the most misunderstood religions in American culture. For this week's journal please reflect on how Islam portrayed in media, both news as well as movies, tv shows, games, or comics. How well does Islam as seen by the media relate to the information learned about Islam in this class? If you can not think of any media that has discussed Islam, instead think about what information you do know about Islam: who told you this, how did they know, etc. No matter how which question you are answering, think about the relationship the media/ or person had with Islam: did they have a positive or negative one? Why do you think that is?
For Journal 7B, focus on one of the pillars of Islam: Shahadah (belief in one God), salat (prayers), zakat (charity), fasting, and hajj (pilgrimage). For whichever pillar you chose, first, explain what this pillar is and what it requires of a Muslim? Then discuss your opinions about the ritual. In particular, be sure to address 1) what kind of significance you believe this spiritual practice would have, and 2) how it might impact a Muslim's faith?