Religion and Culture

New Religious Movement Project For this project, you will pick a "new" (originated in the last 100 years or so) religious movement to study and write a short paper on. You can choose a religious movement from any of the ones listed below, or if you have an idea for a different religious movement, just let me know! The list below is definitely not a complete list! Possible Religious Movements Include: Jews for Jesus Snakehandling Churches Branch Davidians Buddhist Christianity Kabbalah Messianic Judaism Hare Krishna Self-Realization Fellowship Black Liberation Theology Nation of Islam Rastafarians Santeria Scientology Christian Science Heaven’s Gate Wicca Church of Satan Jehovah’s Witnesses Unification Church Theosophy Ghost Dance Native American Church Soka Gakkai Cao Dai Core Shamanism Falun Gong Raelism The Satanic Temple You will then write a 1250-word (minimum - you can always write more) paper that answers the following questions: 1. When did this religious tradition start? Was it started by a single individual? Give a general overview of the origins of this religious movement. 2. What are the tradition's doctrines/truth claims? (i.e. what do they believe about the world, its origins, God or another higher power, what happens after death, etc.) 3. Sacred Texts – Do they have any sacred texts or stories? If so, what are they? 4. Ethics – what is this religion’s view of the good life? How are practitioners encouraged to behave, live their lives, and treat others? 5. Ritual – are there any rituals that are performed in this religious movement? If so, what are they? 6. Society – who can become an authority figure in this tradition? Is it restricted to a certain gender? 7. Your overall impression of this religious movement, including your conclusions on the following: Do you think this movement qualifies as a "religion"? Why or why not? Do you think that this movement will grow or fade away in the future? Why? What did you find most interesting/surprising about this religion?