Assignment Problem: Bible open book (including bilingual or your first-language Bible, or printed passages from BibleGateway.com). No other texts or online searching is permitted during the in-class test; however you should prepare by reading additional material beforehand. 65 minutes writing time, in your own words.
Preparation - choose topic you will write on and familiarize yourself with the facts. Compare one other major faith or world views with Christianity. If Christianity is not your cultural experience, you may like to compare your own birth-worldview or birth-religion. If you have a Christian upbringing, choose a different worldview to compare it with. For example, you may compare the different approaches found in Christianity and Hinduism, or between Christianity and atheism, or between Christianity and Islam, etc.
Attempts allowed:
Part 1: Preparation - choose topic you will write on and familiarize yourself with the facts. Compare one other major faith or world views with Christianity. If Christianity is not your cultural experience, you may like to compare your own birth-worldview or birth-religion. If you have a Christian upbringing, choose a different worldview to compare it with. For example, you may compare the different approaches found in Christianity and Hinduism, or between Christianity and atheism, or between Christianity and Islam, etc.
Part 2: Suggested structure - Use one paragraph to answer each of the following questions.
Consider each of the following questions for Christianity and your chosen worldview:
a. What is the creation story or cosmology (explanation for the beginning of life and origin of the universe)?
b. What is the main Scripture or source of knowledge in the tradition?
c. What are 5 of its moral instructions for living a good life (or moral values)?
For your chosen worldview and Christianity:
d. What happens when you do something wrong in this tradition? How do you reconcile or correct wrongdoing or 'restore honor'?
e. What does the worldview tell you about the purpose and future of life?
f. How does the worldview tell you to act towards other people similar or close to yourself? (e.g. your friends and family)
g. How does the worldview tell you to act towards people different to yourself? (a foreigner, person of different class or caste, unrelated stranger, an enemy)
h. Who is the main teacher or exemplar (person whose behavior models the beliefs) of the tradition?
i. According to this worldview, what happens after a person dies?
How is a person's worth or value determined in this worldview?
k. What are the main rituals or ceremonies and practices important in the worldview?
I. What types of knowledge are considered most trustworthy? (e.g. scientific evidence-based knowledge, knowledge based on life-experience, knowledge from sacred Scripture, the knowledge of a guru or leader)
m. What is the relationship between humans and God/gods like in this ideology or worldview?
(e.g. remote/uninvolved, connected, personal/intimate)
n. What is the perception of God/gods? (E.g. fear/temperamental/angry/moody, neutral, loving/caring)
o. What is the human relationship to God/gods like? (My actions please God/tasks are necessary to be accepted by God/no interaction/God is merciful/God listens)
p. What is the frequency of human interaction with God/gods? (frequent/nothing routine festivals/special or daily offering prayers, sacrifices)