Several of you highlighted throughout the course that one religion or another did not write down their sacred texts until much later. As a mini-lesson, for most religions (excepting Islam and possibly Daoism), the birth of the sacred text went something like this:

1. People gathered around a campfire and shared stories which were meaningful to them; in the case of a leader such as Jesus or Buddha, they would share the teachings they remembered from Jesus or Buddha's sermons.

2. Generations later (realizing generations were 40 years or so, but still, little to no chance original followers were still alive), a group decided these teachings were important to write down, and began collecting and organizing the stories/teachings.

3. Editors were involved, to help make the stories cohesive and make sense with current law/trends (it was really important to the author of Matthew to show how Jewish Jesus was, for example).

4. In some cases, such as Christianity, a small group of people voted which sacred teachings were "worth remembering" and those which "were not worth remembering." Often the excluded texts were revered by other people. In cases such as Hinduism and Judaism, they just kept adding and adding and continue to have sacred texts (although not AS sacred as the original texts) which grow larger even today.

Muhammad is the only major religious founder who actually wrote his text, and even that is debatable by some. It's important to remember that there are many many people whose influence are on sacred texts, which is why it is difficult to claim one text is different than the other.

Question 1
Does it make a difference for you that every religion has editors and multiple authors? What are the challenges in studying religion when this is the case?

Several of you have discussed the freedom and liberty we have in living in the United States - the freedom to practice our religion as we choose, the luxury to attend our houses of worship in peace, or to wear jewelry or t-shirts reflecting our religious views without many repercussions.

Some people would like for the United States to have a national religion.

Question 2

In light of what you've learned and discussed in the course, what would be the advantages and disadvantages of a national religion? Would you like for there to be a national religion; why or why not?

o Several of you mentioned how the readings and teachings in this class spoke to you personally.

Now that you've considered thoughtfully how other religions perceive the world, try the Belief-O-Matic!

This lengthy but amazingly accurate quiz was developed by the people at Belief Net. By taking it, it will recommend what religion is closest to your actual beliefs.

Question 3
What did you think of the results?

o This discussion revolves around the third article, Religion and the Death Penalty.

Every religion helps its followers deal with their current situation (life) and the guarantee for everyone (death). As you've seen from the news, from church, from friends, and in other places, life and death matters are hugely controversial issues (abortion, death penalty, etc).

Question 4
What do the religions we've studied think about the death penalty? How does it affect your thoughts on the death penalty?

(Because of the delicate nature of this conversation, please keep it on the death penalty and not on other issues in order to get credit for your post.)

These are Dq questions please answer in your own words 100 to 150 words put question under each answers with references if possible but rather answers be as if you were discussions these questions with another person