"Introducing Religious Studies"
Why were some people attracted to the message about Jesus in the teaching
of Paul the Apostle during the first century of the common era? What
meaning did early Christianity offer them? This course will broaden
students' understanding of religious life and culture by examining the
worldviews, beliefs, practices, symbols, and social formations of
Greco-Roman religions, Second Temple Judaism, and early Christianity. We
will explore each religion's capacity to provide meaning to life, while
considering their potential to challenge and transform individuals and
societies. Topic such as God/gods, myth, cosmology, evil, sickness,
suffering, death, afterlife, ethics, ritual, love, mysticism/prayer, and
community will be addressed. The study of these religious ideas and
expressions will be done by reading ancient writings and contemporary
secondary texts. Early Christianity will be encountered through the
mission and writings of Paul the Apostle. While studying each religion,
similar and/or divergent religious ideas from contemporary American
popular culture will be highlighted. Students will consider how these
ancient religions' search for meaning, particularly Christianity's, is
still
relevant to humanity's search for meaning today. 