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Rel 103: Final Exam

This class will require very strict standards of honesty regarding the work that you put your name to for the class. In this class, questionable academic honesty will mainly relate to cheating, as well as any quotation of someone’s words or ideas without giving them direct credit in your papers.

Furthermore, each question is pulled directly from the readings assigned and/or from the in class lectures and discussions of those readings. There is thus no reason to look anywhere else for the answers. I especially advice against trying to find answers online. Not only can I detect it easily, the Internet tends to be a terrible source for quality information on religion.

Your writing should be 12-point font, Times New Roman, and double-spaced, though I do understand that Isidore sometimes messes up formatting. As long as I can read it, I really don’t care.

The single most common thing I say when grading is “this is vague.” In other words, it does not contain enough detail. As this is a test, the point of it is for you to demonstrate to me that you have read and understood the details of what these authors are saying. You should not only show what they argue, but also how, and why. Simply put, be specific. For example, if you were taking a Botany test, and the question was “explain how plants feed themselves?” The vague, yet true, answer would of course be “through the process of photosynthesis.” But this answer gives zero detail, and only shows that the person answering it knows a fact, whereas the point is to understand and explain in detail how photosynthesis works.

Please complete each section by following the instructions below.

Short Answer: Answer the following.

Answer these questions in 3-5 sentences. 10 points each.

1.) What best describes the ideology of modernity? Name three things that disrupted this ideology and brought about the post-modern era.

2.) According to Coogan, how is the first account of creation related to the Babylonian creation narrative Enuma Elish? What purposes do the changes serve?

3.) Why did Jesus use parables as a primary form of teaching his message?

4.) According to Marcus Borg, what makes something sacred?

5.) How does God speak to Augustine in his rebellious youth?

Short Essay: Answer the Following

Write at least a 600 word short-essay in response to the following prompt. One small quote is acceptable. 25 Points

1.) Pick one of Jesus’ parables that Levine discusses other than the Good Samaritan and apply the historical-metaphorical approach to scripture to it. That is, write an essay that explains the parable through a historical-critical lens. What historical knowledge is needed to understand the parable? What meaning would it have had to its first century hearers? How does its historical meaning differ from traditional interpretations, etc.?

Essay: Answer the following:

Write at least a 1000 word essay in response to the following question. Two small quotes are acceptable. 45 Points

1.) According to Westphal, what can the believer learn from the Masters of Suspicion? That is, when should the believer not refute atheism, and why should Christians be reading Freud, Feuerbach, and Marx?