World History Module 1

Step 1: * In what ways is the Holy Land an important site for all three monotheistic faiths? * Christians find their holy land important because it is where Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and resurrected from the dead. Christians spend their entire lives worshiping the life and death of Jesus; therefore the site is studied deeply and worshiped daily. Muslim’s holy land is where Mohammed went to the heavens to meet the almighty god that they worship on a daily basis. Jewish people find their holy land extremely important because it is in fact where the temple and the wailing walls for their religion are. * The three major monotheistic religions are sometimes described as branches of the same family tree. If this is true, how would you describe the trunk of the tree? * The trunk of the tree would be Judaism because Christianity and Muslim beliefs are both based off of Judaism but years ago were altered to better fit their own beliefs. * How are the three major holy books of the monotheistic faiths both similar and different? * The holy books of all three religions are somewhat similar because they are all written by a close follower of the worshiped God. The difference though, is their reasons for believing that their holy book is more correct than the others. Jewish people do not believe in the New Testament while the Christians do and the Islamic people that Jesus was a great prophet but that neither Christians nor Jews are correct in their beliefs. * How are the basic beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike? * Judaism is the trunk of the tree, therefore displaying that all three religions have the same base for their beliefs. Different renditions of the holy books are what make each individual religion unique. All three religions believe in a all powerful God and all three have holy books that are believed to be inspired by their God. * What types of internal differences and divisions exist within each religion? * Each religion has different ways to express their love for God. For the Islam religion, it might be praying in the direction of Mecca and they have different branches within their religion that have different ways of displaying their beliefs. Within the Christian religion, they have Holy Communion and things of that nature to wash away their sins. Under Christianity also are very many branches that have their unique ways of standing out. Judaism shows it beliefs through worship and fasting as well. * What characteristics and beliefs of the three religions make them different? * As stated in the question above, the different religions have different ways of displaying their beliefs for their God. Through daily/weekly rituals where they publicly/privately show their faith and also through the holidays celebrated within each religion. Ramadan, Christmas, Easter, Lent, all these holidays are only celebrated by certain religions and aren’t recognized by the others.
Step 2: * (For Jesus) Throughout your time on Earth, you received hatred from people everywhere who believed you were trying to take the place of God, how did that make you feel? * Although many showed hatred toward me through what they thought was a difficult time, I did not retaliate nor show any negative love because I knew they would eventually thank me. They didn’t understand my goals or love for them and the situation was misconstrued. I was not trying to take the place of God but rather fulfill his wishes as the son of God.