I have a concern about world history. Its not homework help, I'm just a little distressed about the course.

Question

I take an AP World History class and I've come to notice that it has taken a serious toll against my classmates’ religions. It is taught by one of the greatest instructors I've ever had, and the class is taught to a very prestigious group. The course consists of the many theories of how man begun and its development into the being it has become today up to the most recent times. It covers topics very distinctively in areas such as economics, culture, politics, epidemics, language, war… Everything you could ever know about a civilization.

However in learning about these civilizations, you are also taught their religions and understand how their beliefs affect their society and much more. It can practically be seen as a religion-converting-class. My teacher does not attempt to convert my class in any way, but instead teaches so well that we grasp the concepts of belief that take hold of so many of its followers. I, myself, occasionally considered converting once to a Jehovah witness and a Protestant. When I noticed that after our lessons I began to seriously ponder deeply into the religions that we had discussed previously in class, I begun surveying my fellow classmates to see if I could find a similar trend. As expected, I found that they were experiencing the identical, deepening thoughts of foreign religions as I had. Except they saw these newly taught ideas from many different viewpoints.

Two females and one male contained the same thoughts as I had. One had recently became agnostic; confused at the many reasonable religions that could possibly be correct one. One Catholic believer became an atheist for the same reason a former agnostic became atheist. When I asked why, they both gave me the same explanation. They had come to see religion as a way to explain unknown occurrences, the hostility or dependability of the land they lived on, or was in a certain persons best interest. My two believing classmates accepted this “fact” (as it was to them). So I’ve come to ask is it right that World History changes the perception of many of its pupils? I’m not quite sure what to consider it as. Please leave your comments. Thank you and if you feel like you would prefer to leave an extra comment, feel free to e-mail me. 8-)

Answer 1

One cannot simply state “I believe {this happened, these are the facts, etc.} because anything else is not rational”, for to say this or similar things is irrelevant until one has first defined their presuppositions of truth, knowledge, and morality.

On the topic of "facts" and rationality:

No person attempts to make their interpretation honest to “the facts”, but rather “the facts” are determined by reference to the individual’s system of interpretation (world view).

Therefore, our systems of interpretation (presuppositions) determine how we look at the world. No one is a neutral explorer.

The reason you or your friends are experience this cognitive disonance is that, without some explanantion that goes beyond mere historical recitation, nothing can really make sense of the world around us.

When you examine these events in light of what is revealed to us from the Bible, things start to make sense. This is one of the greatest benefits of the Christian world view. When we examine the suffering, misguided actions of others, etc., in this world now and in the past, we can position these events in the proper biblical context.

Don't misunderstand me, studying world history is a good thing to do. But no one is asking you to suspend your personal world view while you study.

Answer 2

History is what it is.
However, as some say "History is Written by the winners".
It is wise to listen and learn from History.
The one thing I know from the past 25 years is that the most intelligent people I have met, who have done History Courses containing elements of religions and their key arguments, all seem to vary each week or so from one faith to another, or no faith at all.
It is in part a sign of a good teacher that the impact of each religion in history can be conveyed to you; so be happy that you seem to have a good if not great teacher.
My thought would be to hold off on a rash judgement until you have all the info you need.
If you are really worried about what is taught, see if you can discuss things with a Priest or Pastor who has a good academic background; you might be surprised at what other food for thought will be available.
All I can say is never stop thinking, you sound like a person onto a world of intelligent examination of History and life the Universe and Everything

Answer 3

Wow. That was long. For me (and it seems many others) reading the Bible/studying religions usually leads to disbelief. I was raised Christian but when I really looked into it and tried to defend it, that was the end of my belief. But, unlike true atheists, I cannot let go of the concept of another world; I think there are too many chance occurences and coincidences not to have something purposeful behind it. But, I see duality in almost everything, so I can't comprehend a singular deity. And given the importance of the feminine, especially not male only.
I think it would be unsual for a person to take a World History/Religion class and not deny the religion they grew up being 'taught' when they are made aware of other cultures and/or people who really believe what they're told.

Answer 4

Well, Maybe the answer to this one is as simple as the old saying
You have to stand for something, or you will fall for anything.

Knowledge of other times and cultures and yes, even religious worship is a good thing. Knowledge is something that cannot be taken away from you by the passing of a law or rule. Once you have it, it cannot be taken away from you.

Knowledge, once learned, needs to be tempered with wisdom. Wisdom is what seems to be missing from your classmates at this point in their lives.

Wisdom is taking all that you have learned and sorting through it all (absent of personal desire) to find the truth.

Humans have been trying to prove the bible fake for centuries, but have yet to do so. This inability to dispel the bible and its writings are what make it the purest form of truth that exists yesterday, today and tomorrow. No other way of worship can make this claim. Their writings and their leaders have been proven fake and wrong and mislead all throughout time.
No one can claim to have found anything false unless they have throughoughly read it and studied it for themselves, hence, the knowledge of it must come first.

So, now you have a bit of knowledge on many different ways of worship. Study further, compare, and wisdom will be the end result.

Answer 5

My Son is learning about other religions in class at school. He goes to bible study and knows the difference in what they teach and what the Word really says and I discuss it if he has a question. I tell him to just learn what they want him to learn even if it is not true such as evolution topics. Can you write reports or verbally say before talking that you dont believe in these teachings but you are trying to pass this class as best as you can?

Answer 6

Hmmmmmm, is this world history or comparative religion?

And how do you know that the professor does not have his own agenda?

Having had courses of each: with the comparative first, it never caused cognitive dissonance in me. However, without a solid foundation, I can readily see how it could.

The civilizations that have come and gone had their religions and said religion is intertwined in the culture; so that it is next to impossible to distinguish culture from religion.

A brief course in world history is in order: God turned the fertility cults loose on the earth a long time before He disclosed Himself. Why He wanted to give them a headstart - God only knows...hehe (pun intended)

When the sun went down (and/or it got real cold) people got scared. When the earth quaked or a volcano erupted, people got scared. When the harvest didn't come in (drought, blight, locusts) people got real hungry.

The Meditterannean Sea was the world's sea and the land: north, south, east and west was the 'world'. Around 650 Before Christ, there was an epochal change in all of the civilizations of the world. In fact, it is called "a turn of the axle of history"...confusius taught, buddhism arose, hinduism was broadcast, zorastrinism proclaimed mono theism....egypt was a land dotted with huge tombstones and so on. (There were lots of 'peoples of the north'....superstitious, violent and war mongering types). That no one knows much about.

The Hebrews were working on teaching monotheism and challenging all of the female cults; which morphed into...spring reproduction cults led by baal..who needed his consort (a female) to go into the underworld and remind him that it was spring. But, it's all the same thing. People needed to believe in some devine providence/protection and promulgated religions, with various beliefs that served their purposes...

Confusius wanted man to be wise. the hindu's wanted to be born into the highest caste. The buddhists wanted to meditate and transcend the sufferings of this life. The pagans danced and had lots of guiltless sex; for fertility's sake, of course.

Only the Hebrews taught of a relationship with God; and taught that it was skewed and messed up and needed some evolution (and other corrective things) to happen . Only the Hebrews taught that sexuality needed to be used properly and that by circumcision, one has submitted the genitals to God.

Then came the greeks...who decided that the gods were gods with human flaws..and made elaborate stories up about what their names were, what they could/could not do, what their virtues and foibles were and so forth.

Then came the romans...whose god was a god of war and they went out conquering and to conquer; and assimilated a lot of what the greeks had made up...then, added some of their own.

There were no moslims...they came along circa 650 after Christ's death.

As I have studied history, what has occurred for me is to see: how only one religion espouses the need for reparation of relationship with God; and only one Christ went to the terrible agony of The Cross. As someone said, 'must Jesus be crucified in every generation for the benefit of those who have no imagination?'

I hope that you will use the research book I have provided.

Answer 7

A class like that can leave you totally confused no matter how well taught it is. The only Bible that is God made is the Holy Bible. He talked through man and the story is told this way. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and if we give our lives to Him we will have eternal life in Heaven. No other religion is like this. They are all man made , changing the scriptures around to fit their needs. They all take out the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Jehovah Witness's' are one of them!

Answer 8

It's good, you should examine your beliefs and decide what you believe, i was a teacher for a short time and i was always concerned how i might be unintentionally affecting people, i didn't want to majorly affect anyones life and make them think my crazy thoughts. A lot of that relationship has to do wth how attractive you are and how personable. Things seem much more important when you hear them from someone you admire.

Answer 9

Im not shure if this answers your question but there is a hungarian play called "the tragedy of man".

In it Adam has a dream and he forsees all of history. And it describes this history in terms of a struggle between good and evil, form the time of the caveman to the romans to WWII. The final scene shows the end of times. Its a scene on a piece of rock where two people are fighting over a seal.

When Adam wakes up and he sees all the suffering, hate and wars that are the future, he tries to kill himself. but God stops him and says "mankind, your duty is to keep up hope."

Answer 10

This is known as a true awakening. When you become exposed to a liberal education and have the opportunities to see how religion is used throughout the world, it really gives you a much clearer perspective. Welcome to enlightenment. Many people live their whole lives and never make it to where you have. :)