By the Numbers Less than 1% of the world population 16 million globally (6m US, 6m Israel) Three primary sects with several subsects Orthodox Conservative Reform Began c. 1800 BC Primary Texts: Torah, Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) In the beginning … Judaism, Christianity, and Islam trace their origins to Abram as chronicled in the Torah (the first five books of the New Testament). Abram…
Category: Religious Studies
Christianity
By the Numbers 29% of the world population 2.2 billion followers globally Largest sect: Roman Catholicism (1.2 billion) 20,000+ sects Began c. 30 AD Primary Text: The Holy Bible Timeline c. 1 AD Annunciation c. 1 AD Birth of Christ c. 30 AD Death and Resurrection of Christ The Annunciation (c. 1 AD) Through the angel…
The Protestant Reformation
First a Break, Then Splinters Martin Luther A Dominican friar was in Germany raising money for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. His “fundraiser” was the offering indulgences in exchange for alms (a bad idea). Martin Luther, an Augustinian priest and later the author of On the Jews and Their Lies (1543), responded…
Essential Elements of Organized Religion
Organized religion adds structure and definition to the complexities of belief and faith in God, devotion to Him, and fulfilling the desire to please Him.
Suffering and the Human Condition
Examining the experience of evil and its connection to humanity.
Reflecting on ‘Fides et Ratio’
“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth.”
John Baldino, OFS, MALS 