Question description
Week 4-Application-Geography
Three World Religions
In the midst of Southwest Asia lies the birthplace of three
of today’s major world religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Despite
their close proximity, however, each of these religions has taken separate
paths in ideology toward non-believers, and their geographical claims in the
realm and in the global community. In this assignment, you will look at
scripture that denotes their views on “outsiders,” and reflect on how
those elements along with the history and geography of the region impact
current events.
Questions about this assignment? Post them in the Contact the Instructor area
on the left navigation bar. That way, everyone in the class will see, and
benefit from, the instructor’s response.
To prepare for this Application:
Review the Scriptures document located in the Learning
Resources.
Review pages 283-288 regarding the discovery of oil and its
impact on the region.
Consider the distribution of resources, economic
opportunities, political differences, and religious differences of Southwest
Asia, specifically around the major cities of Mecca, Medina, and Jersusalem,
which are the cornerstones of these three religions.
Reflect on the possible connections that can be made between
the scriptures about “foreigners”/”non-believers” and
today’s current state of economic and political affairs in Southwest Asia.
The assignment:
Compose a 500-word essay (research study bay writing) in which you do the following:
Compare the scripture readings on how each religion views
“non-believers”/”foreigners”/”strangers.” In what
ways are these religions similiar in this respect? In what ways are they
different?
How do these scripture quotes relate to the current state of
this realm surrounding Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem? How is each religious
faction reacting to current events based on their beliefs?
How is the geography of the realm affecting political
decision-making of each religious group? Relate the geography to not only land
features, but also distribution of natural resources and economic
opportunities.
