9. What precisely do we know for certain about life of Jesus Christ?

We know Jesus was born in Palestine in approximately 4 BC and that he grew up in Nazareth. We know he was baptized by John and was a teacher of his beliefs for about 3 years prior to his crucifixion. But since the details of most of his life are non-existent we know very little if anything for certain. For instance in class we spoke about how there is no real physical description of Jesus, was he tall or short, fat or thin, black or white? It is unlikely he resembles the image we have of him in movies. We know approximately when he was born and when he died but very little about in between. Unfortunately there are no original documents from Jesus. Nothing written at the time he was born and raised. Not even a diary account by Jesus or his disciples as he was traveling and preaching his lessons up to the time of the crucifixion. The Bible is made up of writings completed years after the death of Jesus.

We do not really know about Jesus much. There aren’t any primary sources surrounding his life, or detailed transcripts, or even a diary. It’s uncertain where and when he was born, who his parents were, if he had brothers and sisters, what he looked like, or what he did for big chunks of his childhood, which were left out of the bible. We don’t know any of that for sure. The only things we do know are not written by him, but by people who knew him and only years and years after his death. And, the only things that have been written are written by people who believed that Jesus was God.

The earliest writings about Jesus are written by Paul after Jesus’ death. The 4 gospels were not even written until 40-60 years after! And, were not even written by the apostles, but rather passed on as oral traditions to people who lived much later. The only things that we “know” are what has been passed on and perpetuated by both believers and non-believers. There were non-Christians surrounding his time who wrote about his existence. The consensus is that Jesus was a wise man that he gained disciples, that he healed sick and diseased people, that he was accused of practicing sorcery and leading Israel astray, and that he was crucified.

10. Compare and contrast Judaism with Islam.

Both religions are Abrahamic and site Abraham as the founder and father of their respective religions. Using this as a starting point it is clear they are two parts of the same religion in some ways. Two branches from the same family tree of Abraham. Abraham is an old man when he appears in the bible. What I find interesting is how Abraham plays such a vital role in not only Judaism and Islam but Christianity as well. He enters the bible with not as much hoopla or celebration one would expect considering the importance he is to play in the development of 3 of the worlds largest religions.

There does not appear to be any dispute that Abraham makes one of the most important and influential pacts or covenants with God of any other persons in the bible. For it is as a result of this covenant that these 3 major religions evolve, not to mention the hundreds of sects or splinters of these same religions.

God asks Abraham to leave all he knows, basically with no directions or maps, and wander. In exchange for this blind faith and commitment, God promises Abraham he will make him a great nation and bless him and his family. A family was what Abraham wanted most, sons. Talk about a leap of faith.

It is believed that the Muslims are descendants of Abraham's first son Ismael, born of his wife's maid Hagar, who was banished to the desert at the request of his wife Sarah. God tells Abraham to do as Sarah asks even though he is very upset by the idea of banishing his first born. Ismael and his descendants are the Arabs and the founders of the Islamic faith.

In contrast Jews are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's second son born of his wife Sarah. They are the Israelites.

Judaism and Islam are monotheistic and criticize Christianity's belief in the Trinity and the concept of Jesus as God as going against this concept. They believe in prophets and in fact many of the same prophets such as Adam, Moses and Noah. They however place varying levels of importance on "their" prophets. Jews with Moses and Islam with Mohammad.

Both Judaism which is the oldest monotheistic, Abrahamic religion and Islam which is the newest or youngest Abrahamic religion, have strong practices and belief in oral history and teachings. In fact many of the stories of the Torah/ Hebrew Bible and the Koran are still told and memorized at this time. Both also have of religious laws based on oral tradition and can override written law.

Both religions believe in One God and pray multiple times day, Jews at least twice and Muslims 5 times a day. Though they face their prayers towards different destinations. Jews to Jerusalem and Muslims to Mecca as directed by Mohammad.
They both follow strictly Kosher diet, and do not allow eating of pork.

They both believe in the same God and agree that Jesus was an important prophet but that he was not an embodiment of God. Muslims believe he was a predecessor to Mohammad as a prophet of great importance. They do not however believe he was crucified by the Jews, they believe God took him to Heaven alive. Muslims do however believe as Christians do that Jesus will return on judgment day and that it will follow with either Heaven or Hell immediately. Judaism does not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, nor do they share the beliefs of Heaven and Hell. Both religions have rabbi's, who are the "teachers" of religion. They also both believe in angels and demons and practice circumcisions as a sign of dedication to their religion. Jews worship on Saturdays in Temple and Muslims on Friday in Mosque.

Based on my research I see many more similarities in Islam and Judaism than differences. The main difference I feel is their difference in opinion about Jesus as Messiah and his return for a Judgment days followed by Heaven or Hell. Again they are brothers of the same father, branches of the same tree s is Christianity and based on this common father in Abraham, it would be wonderful if a family reunion would be possible to reunite the religions in a common understanding and faith which in turn would bring us that much closer to a possible heaven on earth with Abraham's family living in peace. Let's try to make that our common ground, our common prayer, our common goal. Only then will the promise of Abraham's Great Nation come to fruition.

11. Compare and contrast Taoism with Confucianism.

Taoism teaches followers to be peaceful towards all and not struggle against the world’s happenings. It urges believers to adopt physical and hygienic practices and to attain harmony between other people, the natural world, and the cosmos. Meditation was believed to emphasize the unity of the emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual identity. Taoism believes that the world is a balance between many pairs of opposites, such as light and dark, male and female, and good and evil. Thus, the yin-yang is a prominent symbol of Taoism. The primary goal of the religion is to return to a wholly natural, almost childlike state, living in perfect harmony with the world and the other people in it.
The main lesson of Confucianism is to teach followers how to think about things and the world around them. It promoted the adoration of ancestors, education in history and culture, as well as the creation of harmonious hierarchal bonds and teachings or moral and ethical principles.
Confucianism perpetuates teachings which resemble the Golden Rule, urging followers to treat all others kindly and with respect. This philosophy taught that all men can constantly improve themselves through education and study, and helping others, and even stated at one point that Taoism could be improved upon. Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, disagreed and thought that there existed some men who simply could not be taught.
Confucianism and Taoism were both founded nearly 2500 years ago, yet the amount of followers of Confucianism outnumbers Taoism 7 to 1! There are nearly 350 million followers, whereas Taoism has 50 million. Confucianism does not offer any step by step program to reach an ultimate goal, but rather offers One Thread (humanity and love) which is woven through all of its teachings. It professes that the primary goal should be to strive for perfect virtue, righteousness and the improvement of character. Confucianism also stresses proper conduct, self cultivation, harmony in the family and peace in the empire.
Taoism (translating to Tao Jia or Tao Jiao, meaning School of Tao or Religion of Tao), China’s oldest indigenous religion, teaches that happiness and a longer life can be achieved through practices of prayer, magic, proper diet, breath control, meditation, and recitation of scripture. It’s founder, Lao Tzu (“Master Old” or “Old Infant”), who wrote Tao Te Ching, the religions sacred text, was a hermit who was disgusted with the world and wanted to depart to the mountains in the West. Upon his departure, he came across a gatekeeper to whom he recited his lessons in “five thousand words.”
A common myth surrounding Confucianism is its founder. Many believe that since it shares the name with Confucius, that he was the religion’s creator. However, it actually predates him by nearly 100 years. There was a strong link between his values and the religions beliefs, so they aptly named it Confucianism, and Confusions was its first sage.
Other than being founded around the same time, the two religions both represent China, one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Neither religions have a belief in God (Confucianism denies the existence altogether while Taoism believes in many gods, although their Taoist priests hold superiority), “worship” spirits of ancestors (but rather urge intense admiration), have a religious headquarters or governing body, or have fixed religious services (they can both be practiced anywhere).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
http://www.religioustolerance.org/taoism…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianis…
http://www.religioustolerance.org/confuc…

12. How did Judaism evolve away from its polytheistic roots into a monotheistic religion?

The evolution of Judaism’s polytheistic roots to a monotheistic religion was a slow progression and did not happen overnight. In fact, just like the Hebrew history, the development was a long and rocky road. Major shifts inspired major changes in the religion itself and it wasn't really until after the Exilic revolution that the Torah was completed.
During Judaism’s “Pre-Mosaic stage,” polytheism and animistic practices were common. In fact, as mentioned in Genesis chapter 11, Abraham worshipped Elohim, which is translated into “more than one God.” It is believed that the introduction of Yahweh worship and monotary occurred during the migration from Egypt.
After the migration, Judaism adopted a single, local god as their god. Then came the “Prophetic Revolution,” in which the religion grew under the intellectual leadership of a few "prophets" or "prophetic" writers. “Mosaic Judaism,” or Judaism brought by Moses, taught henotheism (the belief in one God that is superior to all other gods) was under this umbrella as well. Moses introduced Yahweh as the God above all other gods, or the only god deserving worship.
The disaster of the Exile led to the rethinking of the Yahweh religion and the elevation of the Torah as the single, unsullied law for the Hebrews, and by the time the Hebrews were established in Jerusalem, Yahweh had become the only God, thus the origin of monotheism.

13. How is the Koran different from the Christian Bible?

Muslims argue that the Koran is the direct literal communication or dictation from God to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel. The bible is written "as told by", 3rd person and none of it direct quotes or teachings of Jesus. The bible accounts of events are somewhat in the order of occurrence. The Koran in contrast refers to events in remembrance and does not give a lot of details about events, rather focuses on the moral significance or lessons of events. It skips back and forth between events, in no organized fashion or timeline. Muslims believe that although many of the stories and players in the events are the same as in the Bible and Torah such as Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, that they had been corrupted and altered over time and that the Koran was the corrected version of the gospels and teachings. However Jews and Christians argue that the biblical finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls prove that they predate the Koran as well as prove its authenticity.

14. What are the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestant Christian?

Protestant religions were a result of the Reformation; there were several resulting sects of Christians such as Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists. They have many of the same primary beliefs as Roman Catholics.
There were 5 major differences as a result of the Reformation movement and they became know as the Five Soles.

1. Christ Alone: this finds that Christ alone is the link to God. They do not believe that the Pope is the head of the church.
2. Scripture Alone: They believe in the bible alone and feel the Catholic Church distorts the teachings with doctrine and dogma.
3. Faith Alone: Belief in Christ by itself is enough to be saved and Catholics believe you must also earn salvation through good works.
4. Grace Alone: Protestants believe grace is determined by God only and Catholics believe it is combination of God's grace as well as good works
5. Glory to God Alone: Salvation is determined solely by God, and that no human being, not the pope or the saints is deserving of the glory they have been given.

Protestants believe Catholics are idolaters relating to papal infallibility but have been accused of bibliolatry or idolizing the bible. Some other differences are that Roman Catholic Priests must remain celibate and cannot marry, and women cannot become priests. Protestant priests can be women and are allowed to marry in some instances. Protestants do not believe that the Eucharist becomes the body and blood of Christ but are simply symbols. Roman Catholics believe that the gifts change into the body and blood of Christ or transubstantiation. Also relating to the Eucharist, Protestants believe any Christian can receive the Eucharist whereas Catholics believe only members of the church may receive communion.

Protestants do not believe in the Assumption or Immaculate Conception of Mary and these are both dogmas of the Catholic Church. Protestants do not believe the Pope has the right to speak for the entire church nor that he is infallible; they believe the only infallible teachings are the bible. Catholics believe he has the highest authority in matters of the church and that he is infallible as he relates to faith and morals.

Catholics believe that the bread and the wine become the actual body and blood of Christ thus denying that Christ died once and for all for our sins which undermines the whole Christian faith. They also believe that Mary was born without any original sin which denies scripture which says 'all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'. there is no "except Mary". And that she continued being a virgin until her death which is untrue as it is recorded that Mary had more children.

They also make statues and images of Jesus and Mary and worships them which breaks the second commandment 'thou shaft not make unto thee any graven images'. They also believe that there is a purgatory which is not mentioned in the Bible and denies the teaching of hell. They believe that you can pray to the dead and pay money to get them out of purgatory. They believe that the pope can intercess for you and is "Gods person on Earth" which denies that 'there is only one intercesser between God and man; Jesus Christ.

They also say that the Bible alone isn't sufficient to get someone to heaven and that it has to be combined with the traditions of the catholic church such as veneration of Mary. They also believe that you can get to heaven through doing good works which contradicts the scriptures which says 'it is by grace alone you are saved not through works, lest any man should boast'.

15. Why is atheism appealing to many in American today?

In the history of the world, nothing has been the catalyst of more grief, hatred, war, and crime than religion. Religion allows a person to hate, kill, torture, or steal, while allowing him to recuse himself of all blame. Religion causes people to break the laws of ethics and morality in the name of a god.

Religion dulls the mind and weakens the senses. It makes "God did it" seem like a reasonable answer to anything at all, squelching questions of why, and how, and when, and replacing these questions with repeated mantras and prayers to nobody.
Religion is exquisitely profitable, with most adherents tithing a portion of their income. The churches, synagogues, and mosques, which do little to serve their community outside of "outreach programs" (marketing and recruiting), pay almost no taxes.

Religion spreads like disease through societies, rarely coexisting with pre-existing mythologies, rather preferring to conquer or be conquered. Religion is anything but tolerant. American Atheists is not afraid to point out that which is true: religion is ridiculous. Mythology and religion are synonymous, and none is better than another. Religion is malicious, malevolent, and unworthy of respect.

We're respectful of the American People's individual rights to practice as they see fit (equal to our rights to do the same), but this does not mean we have to respect the decision. If you choose to ignore logic and knowledge in order to believe in an invisible magic man in the sky, or Santa Claus for that matter, you've made a ridiculous decision and we're not going to pretend it's "just another way of looking at things".

We challenge the ethics of the professional liars who claim to speak for gods to bilk parishioners into giving away their money in exchange for an immortality that will never be granted. We also challenge the ethics of the politicians who use government to further their religious agenda, and vice versa. We will not let anyone's religion infiltrate our schools, our government, or our pockets, at least not without a good fight.

Atheism, the absence of religion, is the only "ism" that obeys the laws of physics. There is never a "well you have to have faith about that part" in atheism. Nowhere in atheism is there a text that must be obeyed, or a preacher that knows the "one true way". In atheism, "god did it" is not acceptable, but "I don't know" is just fine -- because it's the truth. The bottom line is that people are searching for answers and each will find their "truth". As proof that America people are truly free, free to believe or not believe and not have to worry about persecution.

http://www.atheists.org/religion

16. What is the appeal of new religious movements, like the one founded by Adi Da?

Adi Da first became well-known in the counterculture of the 1970s for his books and public talks, and for the activities of his religious community. His philosophy was essentially similar to many eastern religions, that seeing oneself as an individual separate from a divine unified reality is an illusion and the cause of unhappiness. Distinguishing his from other religious traditions, Adi Da stated that he was a uniquely historic avatar (incarnation of a god in human form) and as such was the sole source of enlightenment for humanity. Though he at times gained praise from authorities in spirituality and philosophy, Adi Da was also criticized for what were perceived as his isolation, controversial behavior, and cult-like community.
In the mid 1980s, allegations by former devotees of financial, sexual and emotional abuses within Adidam garnered international media attention. These allegations resulted in lawsuits or threatened suits on both sides.

With an increasing number of followers, Adi Da founded a new religious movement called "The Dawn Horse Communion". The organization soon began to open bookstores in major American cities and in Europe to disseminate Adi Da's teachings and recruit new members. In 1973, he traveled to India to meet again with Swami Muktananda to definitively discuss spiritual enlightenment and how to achieve it. They disagreed and ended their relationship, going on to later disparage each others' relative level of spiritual accomplishment. Adi Da nevertheless stated that he continued to appreciate and respect Muktananda as his onetime teacher.

In 1973, Adi Da initiated a period in his message that came to be known as the "Garbage and the Goddess" (the activities and ideas of which were documented in a book by the same title). Some followers reported having profound metaphysical experiences in Adi Da's presence, attributing these phenomena to his spiritual power as guru. However, others present remained skeptical, witnessing nothing unusual.

Adi Da increasingly began to use unconventional means of instruction he called "crazy wisdom", likening his methods to a tradition of yogic adepts who employed seemingly un-spiritual methods to awaken observer's consciousness. Adi Da directed his followers in "sexual theater", a form of psychodrama that often involved public and group sex, the making of pornographic movies, and other intensified sexual practices. Drug and alcohol use were often encouraged.

Adi Da said that this behavior was part of a radical overturning of all conventional moral values and contracts in order to help shock students into insights regarding habitual patterns and emotional attachments so that they could more completely surrender to him and the community. Members said that experiments in everything from food to work, worship, exercise, money and sexuality were all attempts to grow spiritually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Da

17. The Mormon Religion

Fundamentalist and Evangelical Christians levy the charge of giving the same words a different meaning when it comes to the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. One of the most prevalent charges is that the Mormons worship a different Jesus than the rest of Christianity. The argument that Mormons worship a different Jesus is used by detractors of the Mormon faith. Fundamentalists view it as a powerful argument for the falsehood of the LDS belief system, while the charge is largely ignored by faithful Mormons. A few apologetic sites address this issue, but the question of whether or not the Mormons worship a different Jesus than the rest of Christianity is not given any coverage in church publications.

The Mormon Jesus- A Theological Debate
The cahrge that Mormons worship a different Jesus lies on doctrinal issue, rather than the historial perception of the man, because both Mormons and all othe Christans believe that Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for the benefit of all humanity.

The Mormon Jesus Vs. The Christian Jesus
Many of the points of Christan theology and Mormon theology are the same, as long as some of the quotes of Brigham Young about the conception of Jesus are discounted. Both Mormons and other Christians believe that Jesus was born of a virgin and that he came to save mankind from sin. The historical points of the man's life and what he did are not in contention between the two groups. Theologians point to this doctrine to show that the Mormons worship a different Jesus.

18. Fundamental Differences Between Science and Religion

The important difference between science and religion is that religion comes with absolute statements, that neither can be proved or disproved, and science evolves from relative truths and statements, that can be testified and proven false. Moreover, science does not claim it has absolute knowledge on anything. Religion claims it has. If something is neither provable nor disprovable, then it is useless. It only can have value to people who prefer to be ignorant, and do not want to get into complicated knowledge, and prefer to believe in something that is disprovable. Religion is for people who claim to know everything absolutely without having done any work to get to that opinion, abd for which nobody can give any disproof. Science is based in objective findings, details, measurements and physical or natural findings or proof. Religion is based on subjective, ideas or beliefs including some based in the supernatural or intuition.