Comparative Religions--Monday, Period 3, Final Examination

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Hello," Vala greeted them. On each desk were a blue book, a number two pencil, and a pen. "First, I'd like to thank you all very much for being such an attentive and open-minded class. The class discussions have been very enlightening for me, and hopefully for you as well. Unfortunately, that doesn't get you out of having to take a measurable final examination of some kind."

She wrote three questions on the board:

1. Compare and contrast two religions that we've studied. How are they alike, how do they differ, which one appeals to you more on a personal level, and why?

2. What do you look for in a religion? What do you think others hope to gain from their belief?

3. If you could lead a religion, what kind of objects would you make sacred? Why?

"Credit will be given to the best two answers out of three questions answered. I'm looking for coherency and logic in support of your arguments as well--I want you to think, not just parrot back to me. Also, if I catch you cheating, you'll be staked outside naked and decorated like a Christmas tree. Good luck!"

Comments

Re: Take the final

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

She had been a few weeks out, so Adah was feeling a little anxious about the exam. She, despite her best efforts to convince herself otherwise, wanted to do somewhat well to make up for the weeks when she was either braindead or halfway so. She buckled down to right, and paid very close attention to make sure she didn't accidentally slip into writing backwards or in a different language.

For the first question, she made a straight forward comparison between Judaism and Islam. She considered comparing Christianity to one of the Polytheistic religions, but she wanted to keep her cynicism to a minimum.

The second garnered a more interesting response, which stemmed from the fact that Adah quite frankly didn't look for anything in a religion, because she didn't believe in having one.

That bled a little into the third question. If she was the leader of a religion, she would be doing it purely for exploitation of the people who would be foolish enough to follow it. So, to add to the whole thing, she'd find the most ridiculous object she could find and use that, just to see how many people would fall for it.

Either that, or a shirt.

She wasn't going to explain that one.

And, as she wrote, she decided that she wasn't really as concerned with doing well as she thought she was. Oh, well. She ended the paper in a different language after all. C'est la vie. Carpe diem. Je ne sais quois. That was what she looked for in her religion.