Course Notes (Descriptions)
- Old Testament (OT) -- UNDERSTANDING THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES: This covers the Old Testament and apocrypha in an academic way showing how it was put together using many different writers answering questions of when, what, where and why?
- New Testament (NT) -- UNDERSTANDING THE NEW TESTAMENT: Using the higher critical tools of bible study to answer the same questions as for the Hebrew Scriptures.
- Western Religious Traditions (WRT) -- WESTERN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, an introduction: The three “religions of the book” have a common history but many differences. This covers their beginnings and brings them all up to the modern era.
- Eastern Religious Traditions (ERT) -- EASTERN AND ARCHAIC RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS: covers the religions of primitive societies, India (Hinduism), China (Taoism, Confucius), and Buddhist traditions and Japan with Shinto and Buddhist traditions.
- Western Religious Heresies (WRH) -- HERESY IN THE WESTERN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS: Jewish, Christian and Islamic people or groups considered “deviant” in their own traditions.
- Western Mystical Tradition (WMT) -- WESTERN MYSTICAL TRADITIONS: The three “religions of the book” have unappreciated traditions of mysticism, devotion and prayer. This covers those traditions of Kabbalah (in Judaism), Christian with its great diversity, and Islam, with the Sufi brotherhoods such as the Whirling Dervishes. It covers the most important of these.
- Women & Religion (WMR) -- WOMEN IN THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS; this course examines women in tribal religions, in India, China and Japan and the Western traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam covering the changing attitudes thru time. It will also cover the Wicca and feminist movement.
- Two Marys (TMY) -- MARY IS A GRAND OLD NAME: This course cover the two great Marys in Christian tradition, Mary Magdalene and the many stories surrounding her. This includes all the stories of whether she was Jesus wife and had his children, and the Virgin Mary and the many stories about her also. This includes the sightings of the Virgin Mary and their significance.
- The Celts (CLT) -- THE CELTS: AND HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS SURVEY: this course covers what we know of their origins and migrations from archaeological evidence and writings of the Greek and romans. It covers their society, medicine, etc. and finally, the last half or so, the Celtic Church and how it developed in Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland.
- Jesus in the Movies (JSM) -- JESUS IN THE MOVIES: this course tries to portray how Jesus has been shown in the movies beginning with the silent era (1912) and coming up almost to today. It uses American, British, Italian and Canadian films. May not be totally up to date.
- Science Fiction & Religion (SFR) -- THEOLOGY THROUGH TIME AND SPACE: This course investigates various religious themes found in the genre of science fiction. Using novels, short stories, tv series and movies we look at what kind of religions might develop on colonies, what alien religions might look like, and views of the end of all. Mostly using classical sci fi.
- Fantasy & Religion (FNR) -- RELIGION AND THE WORLD OF FANTASY: This covers many writers of the past century with strong religious elements in their books. Tolkien, Lewis and J.K Rowlings, among others. The mythology of “the ring” will be giving significant time as it is important.
- TANGIBLE RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION: This course covers the way in which people express their faith by making pilgrimages or going to see relics and places where saints have lived. We cover the “big” relics such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy lance, the shroud of Turin, the cross, and many others.