Spread of Islam

Link: http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=92292

Christian Conversions

Both Prince Vladimir and Constantine converted their empires to Christianity. This had a large impact on not only both empires, but Christianity itself. Both conversions were a large part of the spread of Christianity. Prince Vladimir believed that he needed to use religion to keep his people tame so he sent out people to test all religions around his empire. He believed Christianity was the best choice because he did not disagree with any major points of it like he did with other religions. Constantine declared himself a Christian at age 42 although he was introduced to it as a child. He believed that Christianity and God brought him success and thought it would do the same for the empire.

Byzantine Architecture

I found a pattern in the architecture of all of these religious buildings of many large and decorative styles. All of the churches or monasteries were large, and most were decorated, but there was one or two that looked very plain. I feel like the size was used as a function for holding many people at once. I feel like the decoration was just to make it look nice or just to promote religion.

Constantinople Documents

I found that document 1 is the most credible due to all of the information it gives. It was written by Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela for people that were visiting Constantinople. Document 2 was written by Robert of Clari in an attempt to attract people to Constantinople by glorifying it. Document 3 was written by Nicetas Choniates who described the Latins as barbarians for destroying artwork in Constantinople. Document 4 is by an artist that can not be identified and seems too simple of a map to be valid. Document 5 is also by an unknown photographer and it shows the importance of church to people of Constantinople. Document 6 is by George Acropolites for people later in history promoting religion and prayer. Document 7 is by Chrysobull and is an informative document to the public about how the Venetians have helped the people of Constantinople.

Jesus vs. All

Jesus's beliefs:
One god.
God created everything.
Poor are blessed.
The good are blessed.
People seeking righteousness are blessed.
Pure hearted people are bleessed.
Reward for these people is heaven.
An eye for an eye.
Be good to even the people you hate.
Other Philosophies (Zoroastrian, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, Hindu, Socratic):
one main god (Z)
Battle between good and evil (z)
god created everything (z)
Polytheism (z)
Humans are good by natute (z)
Strive for harmony (c)
Men are all made the same, but their surroundings effect their actions (c)
Learning and applying that knowledge is key (c)
Peace and harmony with nature (d)
Selflessness (d)
Plain and modest lifestyle (d)
Not upsetting the balance of nature (d)
Kindness to all creatures (b)
Honesty is key (b)
No misusing sex (b)
No alcohol or drugs (b)
One superior god that created all things (h)
Universe undergoes endless cycles of creation (h)
Karma- eye for an eye basically (h)
Reincarnation (h)
All life is sacred (h)
Proper study for philosophy is man (s)
Ethics based on human reason (s)
Highest good for man is happiness (s)
Knowledge is key (s)

Caste duties according to the Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita contrats the ideas of Zarathustra and Confucious in the aspect of self control. Zarathustra and Confucious thought that a man has the ability to better himself and make changes to his life. The Bhagavad Gita basically states that one can not change his destiny and his future self is already set in stone. These groups all had the same thoughts about people doing good, itbis just that the Bhagavad Gita says that one has to do good, and Confucious and Zarathustra say to do good for a purpose.

Blog Post Assessment

I think that the criteria for grading a blog post should be based on grammar and quality.  I do not feel that the length of the post has to do with the grading as long as the post gets the point across.  A 3 should be for a person who got the point completely across with strong points / examples and no grammar mistakes.  A 2 should be a well written post, but lacking some examples or specific details and contains a few grammar mistakes.  A 1 is for someone who did not back up any points or made incorrect points or had many grammar mistakes that ruined the flow of the post.  In my opinion a person can get a zero but only if they do not post anything.  Both you and fellow students could comment on the blog posts to get good debates going and help people see where they are at with regards to the rest of the class.