Apr 20, 2024  
Undergraduate Bulletin 2014-2015 
    
Undergraduate Bulletin 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

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THEO 371 - Law and Legal Reasoning in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

3 hours
Law and religion often converge or conflict in profound and complex ways. This is certainly true of the Abrahamic religions. As the title suggests, this course has a two-fold but interrelated focus. On the one hand, we will explore in a comparative way the theological status and character of law in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. For example, is law understood to be eternal or divine? What is the relationship between God’s law and human law? Will following the law lead to salvation? Does law have diverse theologically-defined uses or aims? Is the law affirmed by a religious tradition meant to be universal or is it restricted to that particular community of believers? On the other hand, we will explore, again in a comparative way, the practice of legal reasoning in the three traditions as applied to such issues as religious observance, the taking of human life, gender relations, and economic justice.

Listed also as HNTO 371 .

Prerequisite(s): Pre-law minor or consent of instructor.

This course will fulfill the Theology core area requirement.



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