May 4, 2012

May 4 was truly a distinct class.

In its beginning, the class was visited by a team of Seniors come to teach us about their Service Learning Project. To give us but a taste, they showed us a video of their project: baking and delivering pies to military veterans.

The second and final segment of the class bore witness to an event worthy of the mightiest toasting. Classmates gazed upon with thine eyes the spectacle that was the presentation project produced by none other than Eric Rupprecht, Tyler Maroulis, and of course, Juan Carlos Urcia. In this project, no, carnival of awesomeness, the three aforementioned students displayed their prowess and knowing of the religion colloquially referred to as that which is, of course, the Greek Orthodox Church (of Christianity). These studs were the first group to go.

Connections: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P5FZkqWBuU
                        This is a Greek Orthodox Chant, characteristic of the Greek Orthodox Church.

                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGPiqAlqu18
                        Tradition and culture is a main core of the Greek Orthodox, and thus, here is a video of a                                      Greek Food Festival.

Homework: Update thine site of Circumlectio; Construct ye Religion IA Paper!

Class of April 23rd

Today in class we learned about the divisions of Christianity.
Homework:  Continue updating Circumlectio and continue progress of Site Visit Presentation and IA.

We began class with prayer, and proceeded to take notes from a video recording of a lecture by some professor.  Despite what I expected, the guy actually wasn't that boring and I stayed awake and took notes the entire time.  He explained the schism of the East and West churches, the origin of the Protestant Christians, and also the differences and similarities between, including terms such as filioque and theotokos.

We discussed these notes the following class so nobody should've missed this key information.

Here is a diagram/timeline/flow-chart thingy that helps visualize the religion's divisions.  Stimulating multiple senses helps you remember things so perhaps this diagram will help you remember the different schisms of Christianity for future reference.

Link 1:
Here is a very informative website which has links to articles on the most common denominations of Christianity.
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations.htm

Link 2:
This is another article comparing the three main divisions of the religion.
http://www.world-religions-professor.com/protestantism.html

April 19th: "The Shack"

Today in class we read a few excerpts from The Shack.  Our assignment was then to reflect on specific images of God that were distinctly Catholic.
Here are some quotes that show the distinctly Christian Catholic view of God:
"I am neither male nor female"
"An emphasis on fathering is necessary because of the enormity of its absence."
"Everything is about him."
"when all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?"
"the bird walked straight to her hand and began feeding."
"By nature I am completely unlimited, without bounds. I have always known fullness. I live in a state of perpetual satisfaction as my normal state of existence"
"Although he is also fully God, he has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything."

This is the Shack by William Young

http://www.challies.com/articles/the-shack-by-william-p-young
This is a link to a review/analysis of The Shack that examines it as a book, and the theology aspect of it.

March 27th: Stations

In class we did two activities in two separate groups.  One group went to the media center and viewed a power point while the other reflected on the Holocaust Museum, then we switched!

 The Power Point was all about The Holocaust.
It outlined the history of the Holocaust such as the years leading up to it and how it was able to happen.
The history covered goes from 1933 to the end of World War II
One thing I want to share from the power point are the 3 Stages of the Nazi Plan:
1. Shooting

• Jews were told they were being relocated but were shot in the woods and then their bodies were burned

2. Gas Vans

• The Jews again were told they were being relocated. However, the van was constructed so that the exhaust was sent up to fill the van.

3. The Camps
Concentration and Execution camps

This is a website that similar to the Power Point shows the history of the Holocaust

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/history.html

The other Half of class was spent reflecting on our visit at the Holocaust Museum.  I really enjoyed hearing what my class mates had to say and what they found to be inspiring, touching, heartbreaking, and moving in the museum.  The museum is very deliberately designed in such a way that you could get a true sense of a small taste of what it was like for these brave people who suffered in the Holocaust.
Here are some pictures from the Holocaust Museum.


These are only some views of the many moving exhibits that are in the Holocaust Museum.

March 23rd: Nazi Ideology

In this class we focused on the Nazi Ideology in regards to the Holocaust.
We read an article and watched a video to help learn about this topic.
I would like to show what we learned by sharing some quotes and concepts:
Mein Kampf (MyStruggle): written by Adolf Hitler while in prison

•     outlined his plan for future Germany
• advertised antisemitism
• Social Darwinism: abilities determined by racial makeup
• first stepping stone to the Holocaust

Nationalist Political Movements shared Hitler's belief and felt their position at the top of the hierarchy was being threatened by infiltrators
"Aryan" stock: racially superior beings
Nazis believed they were destined to rule the empire
No group was more dangerous or threatening than the Jews-believed they had triumphed the Soviet Union
Viewed Jews as Communists
Hitler's Theories led to persecution of "inferior" races

The website below is supplemental to the article we read in class.  This just adds to what we have already learned and serves as an outline of the Nazi Ideology.
http://www.nazism.net/about/nazi_ideology/

This is a video documentary of Nazi Ideology and expands on the Social Darwinism talked about in the article and video.  It shows how this concept led to a horrific genocide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADixIqj8XyA

April 25, 2012

Due today: Updating of Circumlectio

In Class: Lecture on the East-West Split

Ms. Egan went on great length to discuss the high significance of what is known as the East-West Split or Schism. Occurring in 1054, the event marked a permanent division of the Christian religion. Rather than there being one unified church, there now existed one in the West, and one in the East.

The Schism was not at all a sudden event. For centuries, history had been leading up to it. Within the Roman Empire, there existed (among many) the two cities of Rome in the West and Constantinople in the East. Rome was known for being more liberal in observing practices and traditions, whereas Constantinople was known for being strict on its conservative policies. Rome was Latin; Constantinople was Greek. In time, a rivalry brewed between the two cities, vying for power within the Empire. 

The Bishop of Rome, the Pope, and the Bishop of Constantinople, the Patriarch, were at odds with each other.  Rome demanded the observance of its supreme authority in all ecclesiastical purposes. Much to the dismay of Constantinople, it pressed on the East a mandatory celibacy of the clergy and mandatory Latin-use in services, among other changes to Church tradition. The "final straw", however, was the West's addition of the phrase "filio que" (and the son) to the Nicene Creed in regards to the Holy Spirit's procession. The East refused to add this change, the Pope and Patriarch excommunicated each other, and thus, the two halves went their separate ways.

Monday, April 30th

Today we started off with prayer by Courtney and Kyara. They prayed about the end of the month, school year, and all of our stresses we may have. Next, we got two packets, one called  "Christianity in View" that has comparisons between Orthodoxy, Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The second one was about the history of Orthodoxy.

The next thing we did was watch a video clip of a talk about life on Oprah by a speaker who had only a couple months to live. His main points were:

-Brick walls are there for a reason
-People vs. Things (material items)
-Tigger vs. Eeyore (enthusiastic about life, or complaining)
-Work/Play well with others
-Apologizing
-Show Gratitude
-Don't complain/work harder
-He spoke about this for his three kids

The last thing we talked about was summing up what Eschatology is. It is the study of the last things (heaven, hell, purgatory, Kingdom of God, etc.) "Death will not have the final word" means the legacy of people on Earth will live on. It is not an ending place- everything Christianity stands for is for life after death. "One who has hope lives differently" means if you live your life for a purpose, you will be focused and have a different attitude. If you know something is coming you will act a certain way. Revelation 21:4 means Gods conquers all things evil in Heaven. There will be complete and total justice where God has what he intended in the beginning to be. Faith vs. Works is about salvation. Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism believe these two are important but are not a one time deal- it is an ongoing process. Protestantism believes you must have faith.

Tuesday, April 17th

Today we started talking about Christianity. We discussed the three main questions about faith: What is the Sacred? Where are we going? What should we do? We brainstormed and wrote on our piece of paper everything we knew, and then wrote them on the whiteboard. After reading, we discussed the main ideas of Christianity and what we had written. Then we were given two handouts: one about Thomas Aquinas Five Proofs and Pascal's Wager.

Each cirumlectio group was assigned a proof to read over and explain to the rest of the class. Our's was the last: the Intelligent Designer. This said that many things lack intelligence and therefore must have been directed by something intelligent so the world must have had an intelligent designer which is God.

1. First Mover: there must have been a first mover to have caused other things to move- God
2. First Cause: there must have been a first cause because other things are caused- God
3. Necessary Being: not everthing is contingent, so there is a necessary being- God
4. Greatest Being: some things are greater than others, so there must be a greater degree of greatness- God
5. Intelligent Designer: look above

Pascal's Wager, from Pensees, talks about his rationale for why everyone should believe in God and why they will have a certainty of gain.

Thursday, March 29th

Today we read an article called "Man's Search for Meaning." We discussed with a group what the three phases were: the period following his admission, the period when he is well entrenched in camp routine, and the period following his release and liberation. This article is about a man in a concentration camp talking about the symptoms of the phases and how a man is affected by the concentration camps. The first phase brings shock and delusion- he thinks he is going to be fine. The second phase brings a "necessary mechanism for self defense." It deals with apathy; they begin to only care about their own survival and become detached. The third phase deals with the psychology of the prisoner who has been released. They desire to regain their humanity. This is from "Experiences in a Concentration Camp." Viktor Frankl spent his time in Auschwitz as a prisoner. My group was surprised that other prisoners were working crematoriums jobs and when they also received them from the train. The "delusion of reprieve" is clinging to false hope that they will survive when they are about to die. Some prisoners were supplied with liquor because they were friends with the S.S. and had access to it. Frankl says the mental agony was worse than physical pain because they were occasionally beaten but were in constant fear of being killed. Frankl experienced love with his wife- love is ultimate goal for man. The released prisoners wanted to eat a lot and talk about their experiences and Frankl "became human again" meaning he was able to feel again.

The next thing we did was break off into groups and  listen to the Elie Wiesel speech. He is a Holocaust survivor who gave this speech on April 12, 1999 hosted by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. Elie was deported in the summer of 1944 to Auschwitz in occupied Poland. Wiesel was liberated by American troops in April 1945 and moved to Paris, became a journalist, then later settled in New York. He has written over 40 books including Night, a chronicle of his Holocaust experience.

Class of April 23rd

To be completed...This post serves as a placeholder showing that Jimmy is aware of the fact that he should have written a post for this day already.

March 21st

This class was the very first class of the 4th Quarter.  We began with a prayer by Erin King.  The homework due today was the 1-2 page reflection on our experiences at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  After collecting those, Ms. Egan began a discussion on "Why Do We Remember the Holocaust?".  In recognition of the terrible event, we must pay learn about the history so we can respectfully understand it fully.  We must remember so that it never happens again.  Many people knew about it, but didn't do anything about it during the Holocaust, but we have learned our lesson for prevention of future genocide.  We than transitioned into talking about modern genocides or evil in the world that is often forgotten.
  Mrs. Egan brought to our attention such modern evils as Kony, someone who has been taking children and making them soldiers and sex-slaves, who was made known through a viral video.  Ms. Egan then showed us several videos about modern nazis, as in member of the American Nazi party that still exist.  It was terrifying.  I was shocked that things like this still existed.  They seemed very organized, which was concerning.  Next, Mrs. Egan showed us some videos of the Westboro Baptist Church, which were horrifying and almost entertaining at the same time.
  The Westboro Baptist Church is a church created by Fred Phelps and most of the members are from his family.  They are extremely against homosexuals and Jews but the interesting part is they think God hates EVERYONE.  Not just one group, but they consider that God wants the entire country to go to Hell because of it's sacrilegious actions.  When interviewed, their logic makes little to no sense.  They performed a rendition of "We Are the World" called "God Hates the World".  They interviewed the young children in the family, who seemed so hateful and very uninformed on their arguments, producing such iconic phrases as "Fags are basically Jews".



The lesson of this class was that though we all remember the Holocaust and it must be prevented ever occurring similarly again, there are many modern groups just as evil as the Nazis were during World War II.

Homework: Circumlectio

Here is a link to the website for the Westboro Baptist Church.  It is quite frightening.  The hate begins just with the url.
http://www.godhatesfags.com/

Here is an article about the modern neo-nazis in Israel.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/11430#.T2xFUxEgdDQ

March 8th

Today our main activity was preparing for the upcoming Judaism tests by forming test questions in A/B form using provided quote and scripture hangers within our Cirumlectio groups.  The questions we came up with were:
1.  a.  How does this covenant through Abraham impact Jerusalem?
     b.  What is the relevance of the covenant in Jewish life?

2.  a.  Describe how the Jews view themselves as God's chosen people.
     b.  Explain the holiday to which this quote relates to.

3.  a.  Describe two Jewish symbols to which this quote relates.
     b.  Explain the significance of these symbols and their involvement in everyday Jewish life.

4.  a.  How is man based in an image of God?
     b.  Briefly expand upon the nature of the sacred.

March 6th, 2012

Today we took a short pop quiz on the reading that was due for today on the Mezuzah, Tallit, Tefillin, Menorah, etc. Also, a Father from St. Raphael's came and spoke to us about listening to the calling in our lives and our vocation. We watched a short video called Fishers of Men that discussed how the Church is recruiting more men and women able to follow their vocation in life and serve the Church and God. Lastly, we created 5 questions in the format of A and B to prepare for the test on Judaism.

1. A. Explain what the symbol is and how it should be prepared to completely fulfill the mitzvah.

B. What is its purpose and how is it used in everyday life?

2. A. Where is this located/what is it?

B. What is its significance in the Jewish religion?

3. A. Describe the menorah as an ancient symbol.

B. Explain the Jewish holiday this is associated with.

4. A. How is this a modern Jewish symbol?

B. What are the different origins of this symbol?

5. A. How is this stored in the synagogue?

B. Explain the significance of the Torah.

Class of Friday, March 2 2012

The class of Friday, March 2012 is a class of highly notable distinction. Due to the fact that fellow classmates were absent on this day because of retreat, the entirety of the class was utterly encompassed by a viewing of the remainder of the film, Fiddler on the Roof.

Fiddler on the Roof is a critically acclaimed film adaption of a musical of the same name. Set in the midst of a tsarist Russia trembling with a growing revolutionary fervor, the story follows a poor milkman by the name of Tevye and his daughters. Conflict comes to the table as his daughters one by one grow ripe for marriage, however, being members of a very traditional Jewish family, Tevye and company are faced with a very difficult problem. The film deals with the conflict of tradition, an aspect very characteristic of some Jewish life, and new ideas, revolution, and change. Truly, an epic masterpiece of cinema, Fiddler on the Roof gets 5 TRADITION out of 5 TRADITION.

TRADITION.

Class of February 29, 2012

The class of February 29 was marked by the final quiz on Judaism and another viewing of the film Fiddler on the Roof.

The terms on the quiz include:

Passover - a Jewish holiday celebrating the exodus of Jews from Egypt

Matzoh - unleavened bread eaten over Passover

Sader - meaning "order", referring to the ritual dinners held on first and/or second evenings of Passover

Passover and its many traditions remain a highly integral component of Jewish life and custom.

Febuary 27th, 2012

Today in class we had our 3rd vocabulary quiz and the 3 words were Kosher, Mitzvoth, and Covenant. All 3 are concerned with living out the Jewish faith and doing things in the name of God. Mitzvoth and being Kosher are ways that Jews today honor the covenant with God. They both involve giving something up for God. This is the orthopraxis part of Judaism which reflect the customs and traditions of this faith.

During the second part of the class we watched The Fiddler on the Roof

This is an example of a Kosher Gift basket, related to one of our quiz words

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw

This video is a selection from Fiddler on the Roof when the papa sings tradition, which is really what the whole movie is based on. It talks about the importance of tradition yet the world is changing so much that 'tradition' is not always honored.

Class of February 23, 2012

This class, we had an open notes quiz on the ritual packet.  The terms in question were:

• Rash Hashannah
• Yom Kippur
• Shabbatt

Next, we all read a packet describing various opinions on the Jewish afterlife.  Then class read aloud the World View section of Judaism in our text book. We took notes on the Jewish perspective on the world, absolute, human condition, community, and ethics, which were collected.

Absolute - The Jewish God is beyond all other things. He is kind, just, and loving. Naturally, he deserves the utmost love and dedication from His children.

World - The world is ultimately a good and beautiful place. Being God's designated shepherds of the earth, human beings can feel free to love and enjoy the fruits of creation.

Community - The entirety of the humanity is God's children. However, it is the people of Israel that are God's chosen people. The Jews are held up to higher standards and suffer from many tests of faith.

Ethics - Among the many sects of Judaism are a variety of outlooks on life issues. Changes in divorce and homosexuality laws are accepted by some reformist Jews, while they are looked down upon by more conservative Jews.

Problem for Humans - Humans are sinful creatures. Very often they break the covenants with God or disobey His laws.

Solution for Humans - Humans must attempt to restore the withered bonds with God. They can do this by upholding His laws and covenants. In addition, they must endure the suffering of mortal life and await the coming of a Messiah.

We also watched the music video for "Candlelight", be the Maccabeats, a Jewish a capella group.  Here is their website, as their songs can be helpful for understanding Jewish rituals.
http://www.maccabeats.com/

February 16th, 2012

Today we attended the service fair in the gallery. I think it was really helpful to see all the projects and look at the brochures, seeing as a lot of us need service hours still! We also finished filling in information about the different rituals and feasts celebrated by Jews. These included:






I also think this picture gives good examples of symbols for the different Jewish holidays that we studied :)

• Bris (circumcision)


• Bar Mitzvah (son of the commandment)


• Shiva (mourning)


• Shabbat (rest; Sabbath)


• Yom Kippor (atonement, fasting)


• Rosh Hashanah (Creation)


• Shavu'ot (early harvest)


• Hanukkah (Feast of Lights)


• Purim (deliverance)


• Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Rememberance Day)

We also began watching "Fiddler on the Roof." The first song sung was very important because it talked about tradition and how vital it is to the Jewish religion. The practices, rituals, and tradition is what keeps the Jewish community united.

February 14th, 2012

Today in class we focused a lot on the rituals of Judaism and Shabbat. We did a group activity defining words and identifying translations, timing, symbols, and rituals.

Our group translated these words as follows:

WORD TRANSLATION TIMING RITUALS SYMBOLS (in order)

Bris: covenant 8th day of boys life circumcision covenant

Bar Mitzvah: son of commandment 13 yr old boy reading from Torah adulthood

Shiva: Sitting 7 days mourning deceased death

Shabbat: rest Friday sundown to Saturday Sundown light candles and the four blessings family and bread

Yom Kippur: 24 hours of atonement and fasting; 10th day of days of awe; prayer and fasting; repentence

Rosh Hashanah: celebrating God's creation; first day of days of awe; prayer and self-examination; creation

Sukkoth: booths 8 day autumn festival commemorating exodus and celebrating harvest autumn

Shavuot: revelation spring celebrating early harvest 10 Commandments

Hanukkah: Feast of Lights 8 day celebration @ end of solar year lighting of menorah oil and light

Purim: lots early spring celebrates story of Esther and Mordecai with party and costumes & plays

Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Remembrance April 20th memorials star of david

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwFFQScUcT4

• This youtube link is really helpful in displaying the rituals which are a very important part of Shabbat

This is a great image of the symbols of Shabbat!

February 21, 2012

The first blue day, and, ergo, Blue 2 period in which our IB World Religions I resides, of the week fell on Tuesday the 21. A substitute Mr. Poletto covered for Ms. Egan's absence.

A quiz was had on the terms Shabbat, Yom Kippur, and Rosh Hashanah.

Shabbat being the "sabbath" for Jews, a day of rest.

Yom Kippur being the day of atonement in Judaism.

Rosh Hashanah being a day of celebration for creation.

The remainder of the class was spent watching the film Fiddler on the Roof. The feature features a tale of a Jewish male and his eager-to-marry daughter living in Russia. Philosophic questions on tradition vs. the new are a high point to this film.

February 10th, 2012

This class was continuing to introduce us to Judaism.  We began class with a prayer lead by Mrs. Egan.  A "Hail, Mary", to be exact.


Afterwards, we went straight into the first Vocabulary Quiz for Judaism.  The word were:
Talmud - The collection of rabbinic teachings. It had deep influence over the lives of Jews from the beginnign of the medieval period. The Mishnah and the Gemara were incorporatedin the Talmud.
Aggadah - The nonlegal, story aspect of rabbinic literature. It is distinguished from Halakhah, the legal side of Judaism.
Torah - Teachings that copmrise the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.


What's that, you say?  You wish there was a more convenient way to study these vocabulary words with such free services as Quizlet?  Well, courtesy of the wonderful Jillian Wessel, here is a Quizlet for all the Judaism Vocabulary Words.

http://quizlet.com/9452003/judaism-terms-flash-cards/

Following the Quiz, Ms. Egan proceeded to lead us to the gallery to eat miniature donuts.  Why?  Because Mrs. Egan is awesome.

We then returned to room 109 For what is possibly the most impressive overview of Jewish History I have ever seen in twenty minutes.  But, then again, I don't think I have seen very many twenty minute Jewish History presentations, if any.  Still, it went over everything from the earliest prophets to World War II and the Holocaust.

A theme of this class is that Jews have been pushed around quite a bit.  The holy land has been conquered several times.  One example is in Judah, when Babylonians exiled the Jews in 597 BCE.  This picture shows Jewish people in exile under a Babylonian.

Links:

Vocabulary?  Well, instead of doing a section of the vocabulary, here is a Quizlet of all the Judaism vocabulary in place of one link.

http://quizlet.com/9452003/judaism-terms-flash-cards/

Here is a timeline of the Holy Land and the various groups that have fought over, seized, or taken ownership of it.

http://allfaith.com/Religions/Noahide/timeline.html

February 8th, 2012

Today in class we took a map quiz, and also explained what the Hallowing of Life in Judaism is.
It is the practice and importance of rituals in Judaism which is based upon the belief that all life is a reflection of God. They see God as the source of all piety; even the smallest thing can be a reflection of God. He prepares the world for the coming of the Kingdom of God when everything will be redeemed and the holiness of God's creation will be clearly seen.

We then discussed the Jewish Torah (scrolls) which is the center of Jewish spiritual life. It unites community of believers in law, history, culture, and practice. There are twenty-four books in the Hebrew Bible (which is called the Tanak; T-N-K). It consists of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. The Canon was established in 600 BCE.

The Jewish Talmud is the book of Jewish scholarship and learning. It contains religious laws, history books, and story books. It comes from the Hebrew word talmed, or study. It has two parts called the Mishah (Jewish law from Biblical times- Hebrew shanah which means to repeat) and the Gemara (explanation of the Mishnah- Aramaic gemar which means to teach).

Class of February 6, of the Year 2012

The class of this day, Monday, marked the introduction of our study on the world religion known as Judaism. In continuation of our past viewings for the other religions, Ms. Egan arranged for us to watch the Judaism episode of the CPD religions video series. Among the many aspects of Jewish life brought up, the three classes of Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews (becoming more liberal sequentially from left to right) were focused on. In addition, the many sacredities and customs of the Jewish people in the home, temple, as well as in daily life, were explained.

In the class's beginning, Ms. Egan gave a few words on the recent mandate issued by the federal government which some believe to hamper the religious freedom of American citizens.

At class's end, the presentation preliminary work was handed back, graded.