Essay & Formal Presentation
Using APA style (Owl Purdue, Lynn’s Library Website, & the iBook) write roughly 4 pages (1100 to 1300 words) on your chosen topic. I am open to writing new essay prompts according to student interests. If you have an idea for a prompt, share it with me.
Otherwise, choose from the below prompts: Compare and Contrast concepts of spirituality found in the iBook, lectures, or videos (use 2-3 sources). Some recommended iBook readings are Mere Christianity, Why I’m Not a Christian, Each and All, or the Age of Reason. For each reading you choose, you should briefly and accurately summarize what each reading says about the meaning of spirituality and relate it to another source. Provide an evaluation of concepts of spirituality. Once you have done that for each of the readings you’ve selected, your final body paragraph ought to provide your definition of spirituality informed by the similarities and differences found. Evaluate the benefits and detriments of atheism and theism. Do the benefits or detriments of one outweigh the other? Use the iBook readings (or other course materials) to support your argument about which stance you believe to be the correct one. Using the readings of Mere Christianity, Why I’m Not a Christian, and the Age of Reason as a base, conduct an interview with a spiritual or religious leader. Ask them about some of the ideas, questions, and concerns found within the readings and document their responses. How do they make sense of “the problem of evil” and how do they respond to Russell’s statement that faith is rooted in fear? If they represent an institutionalized religion, how do they respond to Paine’s pronouncement: “My mind is my own Church.” Also, feel free to ask them the deep questions that you have about life and God. Your paper will use the interview as the main source and capture what you felt were the most important aspects of the interview and your evaluation of the person’s responses. (Click here for citing interviews in APA format) Write about a religion different than your own. What are the primary beliefs of the religion and how do you evaluate those beliefs?
Gather resources and attend one religious event regarding your chosen belief system (communicate with me about what sites are available, below are some suggestions with links). Write about your chosen religion and walk us through your educational experience visiting the religious event. In order to accomplish the visitation requirement, you must arrange your own transportation. Enjoy, and be respectful of other people’s religious customs, which may require you to wear certain things, be modest in speech and dress, and behave in certain ways. Certainly, do not be buried in your phone the whole time! You are there to experience something new and interesting. https://www.icbr.org/ https://stjoan.org/ http://www.saintmarkboca.net/index.php https://www.thubtenkungaling.org/ https://www.tbeboca.org/ Identify aspects of spiritual health (time in nature, meditation, prayer, denominational exercises) and examine bad habits in your life, work on eliminating them, and cultivate good ones. For three weeks improve your spiritual health habits and journal about your experience. Do some research and figure out aspects of spiritual health (such as what is meditation?). Track things, like your time spent in nature or in prayer, and develop goals that you have established for yourself. In your journal refer to your practical application of religious teachings and track your progression with regards to what you are learning about yourself and your religious practices. Also, evaluate your overall spiritual health and mood in “before” and “after” terms. Write your paper about religious and spiritual health ideas and your experiences applying them to your wellbeing: the bad habits you had, the good ones you developed, what your goals were, what you did, and measure your progression to your goals.
#Evaluate #benefits #detriments #atheism #theism
