“People of the book.”

Suggested Writing Method: Now is the time to put the deconstruction assignment to good use. When you set up your essay, be clear and logical with each level and you will be on your way to a strong essay. Make sure you have selected the best evidence from your sources and documented it accurately. Create a draft, then walk away and forget about. Return in a couple of days to edit and revise, check your documentation, and add whatever you need to make it your essay and your best work. Read it out loud. Be critical. Plan ahead.

Deconstruction levels

1. The general topic and the specific focus
2. The specific problem or issue you find interesting
3. Your solution to the problem or issue you set up (thesis)
4. The main arguments supporting the solution—always advance your thesis

ESSAY TOPICS:

1. Most of the world religions insist that peace is a core value, yet nearly all of the religious groups are or have been at war with each other and often side with political factions waging war. How are we to understand the professed virtues of religion in light of violence and persecution?

1. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are described as Abrahamic traditions and their

adherents are described as the “people of the book.” Why then do these traditions

often find themselves in conflict?

iii. If sin is forsaking God for the temptations of the flesh/ego (Christianity) and

ignorance is forsaking Brahman for the illusion of the self/ego (Hinduism), then

what, if any, is the essential difference between sin and ignorance and between

liberation and salvation?