Answer the Questions
Worldview is a set of creeds and acceptations that reflects people’s attitude to the outwards things. Worldview refers to such questions as the origin of the world, human beings, and living creatures, sense of life, God’s existence, moral issues, and absolutes. (Ministry)
Describe the various worldviews that we discuss in the class.
There are three types of worldview. They are naturalism, non-naturalism, and supernaturalism.
Naturalism states that there are only natural things that exist, and studied by natural science. Most of scientists and philosophers are naturalists. Naturalism in religion can be represented by some branches of Buddhism and Taoism.
Non-naturalism assumes that some moral values exist and they are much higher than the natural values.
Supernaturalism proclaims at least one intellect existence beyond the natural world and accepts the non-naturalists point of view that some things exist there too. This worldview can also include God’s mind, the minds of souls, angels, demons, and ghosts. Some representatives of supernaturalism believe in life after death. Christians, Muslims, and Jews belong to supernaturalism. ("Three Types Of Worldview, With Defenders For Each")
Explain your own worldview as you understand it now.
As for me, I am a Catholic Christian so my worldview is supernaturalism.
Explain the Jewish religion as presented in the Old Testament and as discussed in the class.
Judaism is the oldest of the three world’s monotheistic religions. It is not the religion only, it is also a unique lifestyle of Jews. The main doctrines and laws of it can be found in Torah. In the Old Testament, these are the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. ("Sacred Texts")
Discuss the major events and figures in the history of Israel, as well as the meaning of covenant and law, the role of prophets, and the sacrificial cult.
The History of Israel is rich in different events and it is difficult to judge what events are more important and what personalities are prominent. The birth of Israel. The key figure of the event is Abraham. He tied together three main religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abraham was called by God to teach His faith and laws and to become the father of Israel. From Abraham’s submission, Israel was born. Joseph was Abraham’s great grandson. He was a prisoner and slave in Egypt but in the end, he became the second in command of the country. However, after Joseph death, the Egyptians kings forgot about him and made Israelites their slaves. So people of Israel had been in slavery for about four hundred of years until they were released by Moses with the help of God. During their wandering in the desert, the Jewish people were given Ten Commandments in the Mount of Sinai. In forty years after the Jews left Egypt, one of the Moses’s followers Joshua led people to the land that was promised to His people by God. Thus, the establishing of Israel through Abraham, the Egyptian slavery and release, Ten Commandments and reaching the Promised Land can be considered as the major events in the history of Israel. ("Israel History")
Covenant is an interaction and agreements between God and a humankind. The Bible can be considered as a covenant document because the word “testament” means “covenant” in Latin. God listed the obligations for His people in the Ten Commandments. Then. There can be seen a set of rewards and punishments for those who breaks the covenant. ("COVENANT - Jewishencyclopedia.Com")
In the Bible, there are many God’s messengers and prophets that were sent to people during the history to different places, at the different time and on different occasions. Prophets are common people who were chosen by God for the missions. Their role in the history is great because God speaks to people with the help of the prophets and discovers His plans through them too. The major prophets of the Old Testament are Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel and many others. ("Bible Chronology Timeline - Chronology Of The Old Testament Prophets")
Sacrifice is an offering to God. It was usually a lamb or a calf that was killed and then burnt in a special place called altar. The smoke from the sacrifice reached God. First fruit and some kind of meal were also a sacrifice. There are many examples of sacrifices given in the Old Testament. The most impressive of sacrifices was Elijah’s sacrifice when he challenged Baal prophets. Two bulls were prepared and one of them was sacrificed to Baal but unsuccessfully. Baal did not answer although people were dancing and calling him the whole day long. Elijah ordered to wet his bull with the water and fill the ditch around the altar with the water too. When Elijah called God He burnt the offering together with the stones of the altar and dried the water in the ditch. Thus, it proved the presence of powerful God of Israel. (I Kin. 18:40 New King James Version)
Explain how Christianity developed out of Judaism.
Christianity derives from Judaism. In the Old Testament, there are a lot of prophecies about Jesus Christ. One of the examples can be read in Isaiah: “Therefore the lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold , the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel.” (Is. 7: 14 New King James Version)
Who is Jesus?
Jesus in Christianity considers as a Son of God who was offered to a humankind by God Creator in order to remove people’s sins. Jesus often called “A Lamb,” because He was like a sacred lamb from the Old Testament but that time God gave His sacrifice to humans because He loves people and wants them to join Him in heaven. The recollection of this event can be seen in Catholic and Orthodox and some Protestant churches in the form of the Eucharist. ("Where Does The Old Testament Predict The Coming Of Jesus Christ?")
How is he Jewish?
It is difficult to say was Jesus a Jew or not. According to Jewish law, a person whose mother is Jew and if this person has gone through the process of Jewish ceremonies and rites considers as Jew. We know from the Bible that Mary was Jew and Jesus passed the ceremony of circumcision in His babyhood and then He lived according to the Jewish laws. In the gospel according to Matthew, we can read about Jesus’s pedigree that stated that Jesus was the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matt. 1: 1 New King James Version) Thus, we can conclude that in His earthen life Jesus belonged to the Jews. ("Was Jesus A Jew?")
How does his thought and practice vary from Judaism?
Jesus’s teachings were different from the Jew religion in some aspects. In His Mount Sermon Jesus compares and estimates some of the Jewish laws from the Old Testament and interprets them in a new and more peaceful way. Jesus says that He does not come to destroy the laws but improve and fulfill them. He corrects such issues as insults, family relations, divorce, and adultery, in particular, revenge and false swears. He teaches people how to be good to others and love their enemies. (Matt. 5: 17-44 New King James Version)
Describe the development of the Christian community (Church) after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
After Jesus’s death and resurrection, his followers started to call themselves “Christians” and spread his teachings. They did not have churches buildings and usually met at homes. The most prominent figure of those days was Paul the apostle. The first Christians were not encouraged to confess their beliefs openly and were violently prosecuted by the Roman Empire because the new faith was a threat to its power. The Roman law considered Christians as a Jewish sect. When many other nationalities joined to Christians due to the missionary work of disciples, Christians lost their Jewish status.
What challenges did the early Christians face, and how did they resolve them?
Christians refused to worship Roman gods and the Romans believed that it could cause their gods anger and they sent punishments to the Empire. This led to waves of prosecutions and by the end of the 1st century BC being a Christian was punishable. Many people were tortured in prisons, died from the predators’ claws in the circus arenas, and executed in different terrible ways. In spite of those challenges and deathly threat, Christians continued to attract many people. They were well-known for their kindness and hospitality, they helped people in need and took care of ill and suffering people.
Christians lived in communities. They were strict in their beliefs, united and honest. These personal qualities helped them to preserve the new religion but it cost thousands of people death as martyrs. ("Early Developments")
Works Cited
"Bible Chronology Timeline - Chronology Of The Old Testament
Prophets".Biblechronologytimeline.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
"COVENANT - Jewishencyclopedia.Com". Jewishencyclopedia.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 22
Apr. 2016.
"Early Developments". Patheos.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
Holy Bible New King James Version. 2nd ed. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
2016. Print.
"Israel History". AllAboutHistory.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
Ministry, Christian. "Worldview". CARM - The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry.
N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
"Sacred Texts". Patheos.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
"Three Types Of Worldview, With Defenders For Each". Commonsenseatheism.com. N.p.,
2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
"Was Jesus A Jew?". GotQuestions.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
"Where Does The Old Testament Predict The Coming Of Jesus Christ?".GotQuestions.org.
N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
