Short Project Options for March Due April 11, 2002 Any of the following would be an appropriate project: From Chapter 5 Question 1. pp. 89 This would make a good team project, one student from the Catholic tradition and one student from the Protestant tradition visiting a pair of churches together, discussing their reactions with each other, but writing up their reactions of the experiences together. As Part of the process of choosing a Protestant church, visit websites sponsored by the denominations in question to help you decide what to seek out. In this day and age many individual congregations have websites of their own, for example, First Baptist Church in America in Providence at http://www.fbcia.org/ or St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at http://www.sstephens.org/. These may also help you determine a good place to visit. Question 7, p 90. How much authority ought a community of faith have over the lives of its members? Note that within the Catholic Church there are significant minority voices which seek to balance their allegiance with the Church and their own particular set of needs/beliefs. For example, Dignity USA is an organization of and for gay, lesbian, or transgendered Catholics. It's website is found at http://www.dignityusa.org/ . The North American Conference of Separated and Divorced Catholics, Inc., an organization for divorced Catholics can be found at http://www.nacsdc.org/ Similar dissenting groups can be found within many denominations: Gay, lesbian and transgendered Episcopalians are minstered to by Integrity USA, Inc., which has a website at http://www.integrityusa.org/ Question 8, p. 90. The Ordination of Women. If you choose to work on this one, you will want to do at least a little research into the arguments on both sides. The position in favor of ordaining women to the Catholic priesthood can be found at the website of the Women's Ordination Converence URL: http://www.womensordination.org. See also, The Catholic Internet Library on the Ordination of Women , found at http://www.womenpriests.org/ The traditional view that only men can be priests can be located at http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/ordination_women.asp Analysis of anti-Catholic imagery in the 19th century. As you have seen, Catholics were subject to a fairly constant barrage of propaganda directed against them and their faith. Much of this also reflected a Nativist anti-immigrant bias, as well. A large number of these images have been collected at http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/imageapplication/Images.cfm?Major=RE &Minor=D , which is a part of the History and Cultures Project at the University of California Davis. The URL for the whole website is http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/index.html There is a lot of material here useful for teachers at all levels. What I would like to have you do is choose any 5 of these illustrations and analyze them. What criticisms do they make of the Roman Catholic Faith, and how do the images convey those criticisms? Question 6, p. 118 Question 7, p. 118 If you do this one, you will want to do some background research. Feminist issues from the Orthodox perspective can be found at the website of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. URL: http://www.jofa.org/ The Reform perspective can be found at Women of Reform Judaism at http://www.rj.org/wrj/ . For the Reconstuctionist perspective visit http://www.jrf.org/recon/reconmain.html |
Michael R. H. Swanson, Ph. D. Office: Feinstein CAS 110 Or by Appointment Phone: (401) 254-3230 e-mail: mswanson@rwu.edu |
AMST 310 Varieties of Religious Experience Roger Williams University CAS 122 11:00 - 12:25 T, Th Spring, 2002 |
Michael R. H. Swanson, Ph. D. Office: Feinstein CAS 110 Or by Appointment Phone: (401) 254-3230 e-mail: mswanson@rwu.edu |
Consensus Judaism in America |
For Tuesday, April 2, 2002 Read, in Corbett, Chapter 5, Living a Jewish Life in the United States. pp. 92 - 120 As is our practice, begin your reading of this chapter with the introductory exercises on p. 92. It is very important that you understand that there are multiple definitions of what it means to be a Jew, and that persons may identify with any or all of these. You will also note a number of similarities between Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices, including the concept of a liturgical year. As Christianity began as a sect within Judaism this is not surprising. It is important not to make too many assumptions about the nature of the similarities, however. Different meanings may attach themselves to similar practices, sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidentally. |
In our discussion of Catholicism we made much of the fact that Catholic Immigrants most often migrated from countries where they enjoyed majority status into a country where they enjoyed minority status. Jews, on the other hand, were in the minority before and after their immigrant experiences. This creates different attitudes toward issues of assimilation. |
We will note, too, both today and on Thursday when we begin to look at Albanese, that Jews, like Protestants, evolve into a number of different denominations, and we will want to keep the principal distinctions between Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism in mind. As always, try to visit several of the websites mentioned in Corbett's chapter. The links are presented to the left. |
For Thursday, April 4 Read, in Albanese, Chapter 2, Israel in a Promised Land: Jewish Religion and Peoplehood. pp. 49 - 71 |
We return for a second, and deeper, look at elements of the Jewish tradition. It is important to understand the continual evolution of Jewish thought commencing in Biblical times, though it is not necessary in this course to mark every step along the way. Do understand, however, the distinction between polytheism, henotheism, and monotheism, that last of which is a Jewish contribution to theological thought which shaped the formation of both Christianity and Islam. You should also make sure you understand the concept of a covenant. The idea of a Covenant gives rise to the idea of moral law and is the basis of reverence for the Torah and the creation of the Talmud. Be aware, too, of the impact of antisemitism and especially the Holocaust on the thinking of Jews in America. Zionism pre-dates the holocaust though it doesn't predate a long history of persecuation of Jews throughout Europe |
Short Project Options for March Due April 11, 2002 Any of the following would be an appropriate project: From Chapter 5 Question 1. pp. 89 This would make a good team project, one student from the Catholic tradition and one student from the Protestant tradition visiting a pair of churches together, discussing their reactions with each other, but writing up their reactions of the experiences together. As Part of the process of choosing a Protestant church, visit websites sponsored by the denominations in question to help you decide what to seek out. In this day and age many individual congregations have websites of their own, for example, First Baptist Church in America in Providence at http://www.fbcia.org/ or St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at http://www.sstephens.org/. These may also help you determine a good place to visit. Question 7, p 90. How much authority ought a community of faith have over the lives of its members? Note that within the Catholic Church there are significant minority voices which seek to balance their allegiance with the Church and their own particular set of needs/beliefs. For example, Dignity USA is an organization of and for gay, lesbian, or transgendered Catholics. It's website is found at http://www.dignityusa.org/ . The North American Conference of Separated and Divorced Catholics, Inc., an organization for divorced Catholics can be found at http://www.nacsdc.org/ Similar dissenting groups can be found within many denominations: Gay, lesbian and transgendered Episcopalians are minstered to by Integrity USA, Inc., which has a website at http://www.integrityusa.org/ Question 8, p. 90. The Ordination of Women. If you choose to work on this one, you will want to do at least a little research into the arguments on both sides. The position in favor of ordaining women to the Catholic priesthood can be found at the website of the Women's Ordination Converence URL: http://www.womensordination.org. See also, The Catholic Internet Library on the Ordination of Women , found at http://www.womenpriests.org/ The traditional view that only men can be priests can be located at http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/ordination_women.asp Analysis of anti-Catholic imagery in the 19th century. As you have seen, Catholics were subject to a fairly constant barrage of propaganda directed against them and their faith. Much of this also reflected a Nativist anti-immigrant bias, as well. A large number of these images have been collected at http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/imageapplication/Images.cfm?Major=RE &Minor=D , which is a part of the History and Cultures Project at the University of California Davis. The URL for the whole website is http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/index.html There is a lot of material here useful for teachers at all levels. What I would like to have you do is choose any 5 of these illustrations and analyze them. What criticisms do they make of the Roman Catholic Faith, and how do the images convey those criticisms? Question 6, p. 118 Question 7, p. 118 If you do this one, you will want to do some background research. Feminist issues from the Orthodox perspective can be found at the website of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. URL: http://www.jofa.org/ The Reform perspective can be found at Women of Reform Judaism at http://www.rj.org/wrj/ . For the Reconstuctionist perspective visit http://www.jrf.org/recon/reconmain.html |
