Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Religion

Journalistic Language and Subgenres

Defining Characteristics of Journalistic Language

Journalistic language adheres to several key characteristics:

• Conciseness

  The volume of text in major news stories requires conciseness, which is an indispensable trait for transmitting as much information as possible within a fixed time or space.

• Special Content Disposition

  The subordination to a determined space, time, or the desire to capture the reader's or listener's interest necessitates a special content disposition for journalistic news articles. Data shows greater interest in secondary aspects following the main news (known as the inverted pyramid structure).

• Tendency Toward Cliché

  The inherent urgency required to write journalistic texts, along with the

Universal Moral Values in World Religions

DBEN solutions seem fair and impartial to a reasonable observer. Q-values and norms are proposed to be universalizable across both religion and ethics. While they may differ significantly, we must consider the moral question of whether major religions share common moral points.

Major Religions and Shared Ethics

The major religions include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. These great religions share common moral elements, for example:

• The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• The recognition of inherent human dignity, often referred to as basic human rights.

Material vs. Formal Ethics

Material Ethics

Material ethics proposes that a supreme good or happiness exists...

Chronology and Origins of the Paleo-Christian Basilica

Chronology: Between the 4th and 6th centuries.
Construction Materials: Marble, wood, and bricks.
Decorative Materials: Mosaic.

The Paleo-Christian Basilica was the first house of Christian worship officially recognized. It is derived from the Roman basilica, but following the Edict of Milan, the basilica became the most characteristic building of early Christian art. It serves a dual role: a place for the meeting of the assembly of the faithful (ecclesia) and, at the same time, it is God's house (Domus Dei).

A) Architectural Plan and Layout

The plan is simple, featuring a longitudinal axis. It consists of 3 to 5 naves; the central nave is twice as wide and taller than the aisles. There is another...

Architecture of the Paleo-Christian Basilica

The Paleo-Christian Basilica was the first officially recognized building for Christian worship and derives its form from the Roman basilica. The floor plan is simple, featuring a longitudinal axis of naves. Consisting of an odd number of aisles (3 or 5), the central nave is twice as wide and taller than the side aisles. On the wall of the head, or front wall, is the apse, which is semicircular, while the entrance door stands at the opposite end. These naves, which are inscribed in a rectangle, are preceded by an atrium.

Interior Elements and Religious Symbolism

To emphasize the value of the altar, it is draped with a baldachin. Within the apse reside the bishop and the priests, while the people are...

Desire, Passion and Death

Desire and Its Features

Desire and passion. Desire is a movement of our psychic activity: we reach toward an object impulsively. We consider desire a source of satisfaction. I want to highlight three features:

1. Failure: Desire is the wish for something one does not possess.
2. Excess: Desire often lives in the world of excess; it goes beyond mere need.
3. Conflict and unrest: Desire can be based on conflict and cause intranquility; at extremes it can include a wish to die when it reaches positions opposed to its objective.

Value and Positions on Desire

We can recognize different views about the value of desire:

1. Positive view: Recognize desire as a fundamental human aspect; this position maintains that desire is an essential reality.

Faith: A Personal Relationship with God

Faith is an experience of a personal relationship with God, who takes the initiative.

Faith is an experience of a personal relationship with God based on trust and surrender. It is an experience that is lived, not only thought, and it involves the whole person. Faith is only possible if the person is associated personally with God. The initiative belongs to God, who calls through multiple modes. When the person answers "yes" to this call, the journey of faith begins.

The first fruit of this response is conversion. When a believer freely decides to step into faith, they are not moved by logical proofs, but by trusting and relying on the support of God, who inspires and sustains their experience. Thus begins...

Core Terms and Biblical Concepts

The Identity and Mission of Jesus

• Gospel Authorship: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—the evangelists who wrote faith accounts of Jesus.
• Acts–Luke Connection: Written by the same author; Luke is the Gospel, while Acts chronicles the early Church.
• Incarnation: The mystery of God becoming human in the person of Jesus.
• Jesus’ Name (Yeshua): Meaning “God saves.”
• Emmanuel: Meaning “God with us.”
• Immaculate Conception: The belief that Mary was conceived without Original Sin.
• Protoevangelium: The first promise of salvation found in Genesis 3:15.
• Original Sin: The fallen human condition inherited from Adam.
• Concupiscence: The human inclination toward sin.
• Jesus as the New Adam: His obedience restores what Adam lost

Foundations of Faith

• Bible: Foundational scripture.
• Tradition: Practices and reasons.
• Reason: Understanding claims.
• Experience: Personal faith experiences.
• Sola Scriptura: Only scripture is valid (excludes tradition).
• Magisterium: Church teachings (pope, bishops).
• Orthodoxy: Accepted beliefs.
• Heresy: Deviates from tradition (often false).
• Sensus Fidelium: Faith through the church.
• Revelation: God discloses truth.
• Certainty vs. Strategy: Assurance vs. account for human action.

Christian Positions on Science and Faith

• Fundamentalist: Strict interpretation as God’s reflection.
• Dialogue: Scientific understanding with faith.
• Integration: Merge science and faith.
• Evolutionary Theory: Explains life; debated in Christianity.
• Hermeneutics: Interpretation of the Bible.

Origins and Core Beliefs

Christianity is a religion founded by Jesus of Nazareth, who preached in Judea with his apostles from AD 30 onwards. Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate's rule in Jerusalem.

Christianity's main pillars are collected in the Gospels (St. John, St. Matthew, St. Luke, and St. Mark). It is a monotheistic religion, believing in one God with three forms: God the Father, Jesus Christ (God the Son), and the Holy Spirit. Core tenets include the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God for those who follow Christian laws, and the emphasis on love and forgiveness as the basis of human relationships.

Early Christian Communities and Expansion

The first Christian communities were organized by Jesus' apostles:

• St. Paul extended

Immanent Divine Presence

• Describes the divine as existing within and extending into all parts of the creative universe.
• In Buddhism and Hinduism, practitioners believe they can achieve unity with their supernatural being.
• Buddhists strive to follow Buddha's teachings to attain personal enlightenment (Nirvana), which liberates them from the world of pain and suffering.

Transcendent Divine Nature

• Embraces the ideology of a divine power existing beyond human capabilities and experiences.
• Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are considered transcendent religions.
• Jews believe that God is eternal, has always existed, and always will. God has provided laws for Jews to observe, which are found in the Tanakh.
• Adherence to God's instructions is seen as an expression