Blog 2

LoriLee Davis

His 101 - W1

Blog 2

9/28/2011

From Jesus to Christianity versus from Mohammad to Islam

            In the Christian Religion, the Bible is the main religious text. However, after being examined, some have noted that quotes by Jesus are similar to  hundreds of passages. Consequently, this discovery caused some historians to think that these passages drew from the same source. More specifically, a common "Q" source.

            So what is the Q source exactly? According to an article published in 1998 by Elaine Pagels of Princeton University, The Q has been misunderstood by many to be part of the gospel when in reality, it's just a hypothesis. Pagels also says that the "Q" is a collection of quotes by Jesus, but the person/persons who collected it didn't care about his Crucifixion or about his resurrection. They only seemed interested in what he taught. Pagels also pointed out that in Matthew and Luke, the similar passages were the most obvious.  Strangely, when the passages are translated into Greek, they are nearly identical. But they are not similar when translated into Aramaic. This is bizarre because  Aramaic was Jesus' native tongue.  This suggests the idea that if the sayings came from the "Q", then instead of originally being written in Aramaic, that they were written in Greek. Pagel reassures that since it's just a hypothesis, that the "Q" has never actually been found

            In addition to this, many churches have different views and teachings of the Bible because of the different versions and  interruptions. Many churches don't completely follow the word of Jesus. In Matthew 19:4 and 19:5, Jesus said, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?"  Jesus openly condemned homosexuality. However, from my experience as a Methodist, I  can say my preachers have never condemned it, but they have never condemned it either. According to the United Methodist Church website,  there stand on homosexuality is as follows: " United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God's grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons" Other churches have different views than this. According to an 2005 article by MSNBC titled "United Church of Christ endorses gay marriage," The United Church of Christ became the largest denomination to allow same-sex marriages. According to the 2001 article, "The Church and Homosexuality" by Loren Johns, some churches see homosexuality as " Those who attempt to support homosexual practice from the Bible use approaches to the Bible that do not support the understandings historically held by the Christian church."

            Different views of the Koran have developed as well. In an article called, "Theological and historical error in the Qur'an", it pointed out that Muhammad misunderstood and thought that Mary was part of the Christian Ttrinity. As a result sometimes in the Koran,  it says the holy trinity is "Father, son and mother." He also says that God was Allah, and that Gabriel was the holy spirit.  Also, due to the different views of Islam, there are different denominations.  According to  a article, "The Sects of Islam," Islam has different denominations. These are, Shunni Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims, Wahhabis, Suffis, and Bahaiism.

            There have been some conflicts between Islam's and Christians.  In a article by Laura Hayes, Borgna Brunner, and Beth Rowen, an example of the conflicts was the September 11th attacks. The attackers were members of Al-Qaeda, Muslim extremist, wanted American out of there nations. They also wanted to wipe out anyone that went against their faith. According to "The Crusades" article by History World International, another example of conflict was the Crusades. They go on to explain that "The Crusades were a series of wars by Western European Christians to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims"

Andrew. "Theological and Historical Error in the Qur'an"" Interactive Bible Home Page Www.bible.ca. Bible Ca. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-bible-koran-errors-catholic-mariolatry-trinity-father-son-mary.htm>.

"The Crusades." World History International: World History Essays From Prehistory To The Present. History World International. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://history-world.org/crusades.htm>.

Hayes, Laura, Borgna Brunner, and Beth Rowen. "Al-Qaeda." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com. Pearson Education, 2007. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/al-qaeda-terrorism.html>.

"Human Sexuality." The United Methodist Church. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=1728>.

Johns, Loren L. "THE CHURCH AND HOMOSEXUALITY." AMBS. Lancaster Conference of the Mennonite Church, 19 Sept. 1997. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.ambs.edu/lJohns/Lancaste.htm>.

Matthew. King James. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.

Pagels, Elaine H. "Q - The Hypothetical Gospel." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Frontline:WGBH Educational Foundation, Apr. 1998. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/hypothetical.html>.

"The Sects of Islam." Contender Ministries Apologetics, News, Forums, and Information for Christian Contenders. Contender Ministries. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://contenderministries.org/islam/divisions.php>.

"United Church of Christ Endorses Gay Marriage - US News - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. The Associated Press, 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8463741/ns/us_news/t/united-church-christ-endorses-gay-marriage/>.

Blog 1

LoriLee Davis

His 101 - W1

Blog 1

9/5/2011

Blog 1

            According to our text book, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, King Phillip II turned Macedonia into a powerful nation during his reign. However, after King Phillip II was murdered in 336 B.C.E, his  son, Alexander III, took the thrown. Alexander was a violent ruler. He had the city of Thebes wiped out for defecting. He ran one of the most powerful militaries in history.

            Early in his reign, he took control of Turkey, Egypt, and Uzbekistan. Because of this, he earned the nickname, Alexander The Great. He  his men to victory time and time again. In battle, Alexander showed no concern for his own safety. He was known for charging into battle on his warhouse. To make his build up his alliances, gave away his land to officers.

            During Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire, he tried to untie a the Gordian Knot. It was predicted that whoever untied this knot would rule Asia. Using his sword, he sliced the knot. Despite capturing the wives and daughters of the king of Persia, he treated the women with honor and did not harm them. For this, the women wanted for him to be the king. Later, Alexander created a technology that allowed for him to break down the walls of Tyre.

            Alexander wanted to keep the governments the same in areas he took over. When he took control of Egypt, he created the city of Alexandria. He later married a Princess named Roxane.  He continued on his conquest. Many of his men were tired and no longer cared for the cause. They were so fed up that they turned against Alexander. This caused for him to return home.

            When Alexander was returning home, he went though the deserts of Iran. Due to starvation and lack of water, many of his men died. After returning home, perpetrations for his next invasion begun.. However, these plans never happened. He died of drinking and of a fever. As he died, Alexander expressed he wanted the next ruler to be the "most powerful."

            Based on studies, its believed that Alexander was obsessed with war and conquest, but at the same time, he wanted to cultivate and discover other lands. In his time, Alexander was seen as a legend and an idol. He wanted to be respected as a god. His followers gave him this treatment, however, he took it too literally. He actually thought he was Zeus's son.

            During his conquest, Alexander had the findings written and documented. This has helped in fields of science and in geography. The cities that were formed during his rule helped to enhance trade between the cities. Because of conquest, alliances were formed between Greece and his formed cities.

Works cited:

Hunt , Lynn A., Martin, Thomas R., Barbara H. Rosenwein, R. Po-chia Hsia, and Bonnie G. Smith. "Chapter 4: From the Classical to the Hellenistic World." The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Third ed. Vol. 1. Boston [u.a.: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 111-115. Print.