SCHEDULE OF LECTURES:

Wisdom to ponder:
"You cannot understand the human condition without understanding religion or religious arguments." (Stephen J. Gould 1941-2002)
"The most dangerous people are the ignorant" (Henry Ward Beecher 1813-1887)
"When a nation's young men are conservative, its funeral bell is already rung." (Henry Ward Beecher 1813-1887)
In the 1872 lecture at Yale Divinity School Henry Ward Beecher warned the students of the danger they faced of being left
behind by "the intelligent part of society." (Henry Ward Beecher 1813-1887)
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry
     off as if nothing ever happened."  (Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965)
 "The religion that is afraid of science dishonors God and commits suicide." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I am come not to send peace, but the sword." (Jesus, Mt. 10:34)
 "The Bible tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." (Cardinal Baronius 16th Century)

January 10   Introduction to the course: Science v. Pseudoscience.   Studying Religion.  Read Why Smart People Believe Weird Things.    [Like to know more about Critical Thinking?]

Is the earth flat (click here)?  For a humorous take on Creationism by Lewis Black (some profanity), click here.  Pew Results.

January 12    Introduction (cont'):  What is religion (the 4 Cs)? Read Origin of Beliefs. for class discussion.
                       [a peak at unique characteristics of American religion]

January  17     Introduction (cont'):  The Formation of the Biblical Canon.  Click on and read Inspiration of    
                         the Bible a short presentation of the development of the canon of the NT, and then this view from Larry A. Taylor on
                         the Canon of the Bible

January 19     Native American Traditions and Roman Catholicism in Early America.   Read lecture and
                       1.4, 1.5, 1.6, and 1.8 of CHAPTER ONE.

January 24    Colonial America.  Read lecture and 2.1, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 of CHAPTER TWO.  
                       Denominational Profiles 1776  TULIP

January 26     The Great Awakening.  Read lecture and 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, and 2.22 of CHAPTER TWO. 

January 31     The American Revolution.  Read lecture and 2.25 and 2.26 of CHAPTER TWO; 3.6, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.15 of
                        CHAPTER THREE.

February  2   REVIEW.  TERM PAPER TOPIC DUE.

February  7    FIRST MAJOR EXAM.

February  9   Religion in the Early Republic .  Read lecture.

February 14    Second Great Awakening     Read lecture and 4.3. of CHAPTER  FOUR.

February 16    Liberalizing of the American Religion  Read lecture and 4.5, 4.7 and 4.9 of CHAPTER FOUR.
                        ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE.    

February 21    Communalism:  The Beloved Community:  Utopias, the Millerites, spiritualism & Horace  
    Bushnell.  Read lecture and 4.12,.4.13, and 4.14 of CHAPTER FOUR.

February 23    Mormonism  Read 4.15, 4.16 and 4.17 of CHAPTER FOUR. 
                       
February 28    REVIEW.

March    1        SECOND MAJOR EXAM.

March    6        Post-Civil War America  Read lecture.  
                         Thesis and Outline due.

March   8        Tensions of Immigration.  Read lecture.  

March  12-18   SPRING BREAK

March  20         Intellectual Revolution of the Late 19th Century.  Read lecture.

                            TERM PAPER DUE

March  22        The Industrial Revolution and Religion I.  Read lecture . 

March  27        The Industrial Revolution and Religion II. Read lecture and 6.1, 6.7, 6.13

March  29        REVIEW.         Religious Profile of the United States Pew Survey

April   3            THIRD MAJOR EXAM.

April   5           The Other American Religions.  Read lecture. 
                        Read The Soul and write a one-page reflection.
                        Topic for discussion:  In what ways do the sects of Judaism reflect our
                         class theme of "religion is a response to life"?

April  10            Religious Movements of the First Half of the 20th Century.  Read lecture.  Clarence Darrow v. William Jennings Bryan.

April  12             Roman Catholicism in the 20th Century.  Read (15) 

April  17             Spiritual Chaos   Read (16) Hinduism and Buddhism.

April   19            Islam. 

April   24            Nature religion.  Read lecture.  Read Religion in an age of Science.  Neurotheology

April   26           The Astounding Growth of Atheism  Some famous atheists.
                           What did we learn about religion in America?        REVIEW

When studying for finals, remember Mark Twain's advice: 
“Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”

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Send comments and questions to Dr. Richard Baldwin, Gulf Coast State College.
This page last updated 3/17/12