Subject: Religious Studies / General Religious Studies
Question
dq 1
Religious Experience (graded)
Have you ever had an experience that you could properly describe as religious? I have in mind not only dramatic experiences like visions and conversions, but also more commonplace, socially-embedded experiences such as receiving communion, becoming bar mitzvah, serving as a godparent for a young relative, or even simply attending religious services. Think about that experience and ask yourself: Did it put you in touch with the infinite? How would you describe the experience? Was it transcendent? Monotheistic? Elaborate.
dq 2
The Origins of Religion (graded)
Imagine that you are in a comparative religions class and your professor argues that all religious experience is false. It is nothing more than a projection of childhood fears (sic Freud). How would you answer your professor? Use one of the authors studied this week to counter this claim. Use specific details to support your answer.
