Write a paper, 23 pages (500-750 words) long, in which you describe and analyze religious symbols (used in rituals, folk art, or
daily life, etc.) from the Expressive, Zoroastrian, and/or Baha’i traditions to interpret their religious and cultural significance.
•Give your paper a creative title and post an accurate word count after the title. Minimize or eliminate errors of grammar and
spelling. Write logically, with topic sentences. Use at least three written sources, and provide full and accurate bibliographical
citations for all books, articles, and websites.
•Describe the religious symbols, providing a picture of each. Include the religion to which the religious symbol belongs, and
state the context in which it is used or displayed, such as, in a ritual, worn by members of a certain social class, displayed only
in certain places, and so forth.
•Treat each religious symbol separately, using both Religionist and Reductionist concepts in your discussion of each. Apply
some Religionist concepts of Rudolf Otto, Gerardus van der Leeuw, Mircea Eliade, and others; and also some Reductionist
concepts of Max Weber, Bruce Lincoln, and others.
o From the Religionist perspective, you might ask: (a) What is the meaning of this religious symbol to the people who use it in
the context of rituals, body decoration, and so forth? (b) Is there any hierophany or kratophany associated with the religious
symbol? and (c) What are some religious experiences associated with the religious symbol, and how might these reflect the
mysterium tremendum and the mysterium fascinans?
o Your analysis from the Reductionist perspective might include such questions as, (a) Is the religious symbol used by a certain
social class, or for a particular political end? (b) Is the religious symbol associated with a particular historical event, (c) In what
cultural, political, or psychological context does the religious symbol become meaningful? and (d) Does the religious symbol
serve to bolster the political interest of the status quo, or is it associated with a religion of resistance or revolution?
Checklist
•The paper treats three religious symbols, one from an Expressive tradition, one from the Zoroastrian tradition, and one from the
Baha’i tradition.
•The religious symbols are depicted and clearly labeled with the name of the symbol and the tradition to which it belongs.
•Each religious symbol is analyzed from both the Religionist and the Reductionist perspectives.
•The paper has a creative title
•The paper is between 500 750
words long, with a word count posted as part of the paper heading.
•The paper has proper citations, has no plagiarized material, and is free from errors of grammar and spelling