Discussion Boards for Poetic and Prophetic Literature of the Old Testament - RELG 301 ENMU

The Discussion Board is intended to help you develop skills in communication, and encourage participation by all students in the course. You will all have to take an active part in learning and discussions with your classmates.

If you need help with the technical aspects of a Discussion Board (how to post a thread, how to reply to a thread, etc.) see the Help files on Canvas. Other technical help may be obtained by calling the Computer Help Desk at 575-562-4357

Discussing Religion is fraught with more than the usual dangers of misunderstanding and anger. Our religious beliefs (or lack of them) are a basic part of our personality, and we tend to feel threatened when encountering other world-views. Please be very careful in your remarks and replies to state your position carefully, with due consideration for the beliefs and feeling of your classmates. Please do not react hastily to any remark which angers you or which you take personally, but try to understand the underlying reasons for the remark, and then reply courteously if appropriate.
Flaming or any attempt to start a Flame War will result in removal from the Discussion Board (and a grade of "F") and may result in closure of the Discussion Board.

Think before you post or send
Read through your message carefully and thoughtfully before you post or send.
If in doubt - don't send it

Your threads should be 300-500 words long. You may write more if you wish.
What you write should be relevant to the topic or question asked.
Be sure to address all parts of a question.
Read the question carefully, and think about it, before you start to write your thread.
Plan to use an introductory paragraph, then develop your thread through at least one more paragraph, and end with a concluding paragraph.
Use correct grammar, spelling, and style. Aim for a polite slightly formal style, rather than being colloquial or using slang or abbreviations.
Use complete sentences and a connected sequence of ideas.
Be sure to cite any sources you use outside the textbook and the course notes.
Try not to copy large chunks of the textbook or notes, and do not copy and paste from the Internet - always try to express yourself in your own words.
Prepare your thread in a Word-processor or text editor, read it carefully, edit it, and save it to disc before posting it.
Threads should be posted by 9am Friday of the relevant week.

Read all your classmates' threads, and reply to at least 2 of them
Make it clear to whom you are replying, by putting a title such as "Reply to Joe Student" in the Subject line of the reply.
Each reply should be 100-200 words long and contain at least two positive comments about the thread and one suggestion, addition, or question to think about.
Do you have any particular insights and/or experiences which might be helpful to the poster or to your classmates as a whole?
Replies should be posted by 9am Friday of the relevant week.

NOTE - "I like what you said." or "I agree" and similar remarks are not adequate replies - you must say why you agree or disagree, and you must do so constructively.

Discussion Board Introductions
Introduce yourself to your classmates, by posting an introductory message to the Discussion Board on Canvas.
Things to include might be the State and/or country in which you live, your Major, your interests and hobbies, and what you want to get out of this course.
Get to know your classmates by reading their messages.
You do not need to reply to any messages, but you may do so if you wish.
Students who enter the course during the Drop-Add period should introduce themselves and endeavor to catch up with the class as soon as possible. The Discussion Board is set up to allow late submissions.

Discussion Board 1, Module 1, Poetry, Prophecy, History
Thread :
What was most challenging this week, and how did you deal with it?

Discussion Board 2, Module 2, Poetry and Prophecy in the Historical Books
Thread :
Do music videos help with the study guides?
From an internet search, suggest three videos - one which is a strict setting of a scriptural text, one in which the lyric includes extra material not in the scripture, and one which is loosely derived from a scriptural text

Discussion Board 3, Module 3, Psalms 1 - 50
Thread :
Discuss some of the pros and cons of using music in a Church service.
What sort of music would be appropriate? Only settings of Psalms and other Scripture texts? Hymns derived from Scripture? Hymns written by other Christians, but which are only loosely related to scriptural texts? Secular songs?

Discussion Board 4, Module 4, Psalms 51 - 100
Thread : What insights do the Psalms and the Historical Books give into the character of King David? How did he handle adversity? How did he handle the knowledge of his own sin and guilt? What made him happy?

Discussion Board 5, Module 5, Psalms 101 - 150
Thread :
How do the Psalms relate to the great variety of our circumstances, emotions, and spiritual growth. Give examples of Psalms which might apply to particular times of our life

Discussion Board 6, Module 6, Job
Thread :
Discuss how the Book of Job might relate to some of the problems in pastoral ministry when people are going through bad times. What are some of the ways we might be of help to someone going through a bad time? What sorts of things should we avoid saying or doing when with someone who is going through a bad time?

Discussion Board 7, Module 7, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
Thread :
Discuss Solomon's life, character, and achievements.
You should illustrate your points with references to Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. You may use 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles for further information.
Would you prefer to have lived in Jerusalem during the reign of David, or during the reign of Solomon? Why?

Discussion Board 8, Module 8, The Song of Songs, Lamentations
Thread :
Review your Study Reports for the course up until now. Choose three Key Verses that have special meaning for you, and post them to the Discussion Board with a Thread to describe their significance

Discussion Board 9, Module 9, Jonah, Amos, Hosea
Thread :
Whom would you prefer to have been - Jonah, Amos, or Hosea?
Say why you chose that particular person rather than the others
You should consider their messages, and what it cost them to obey God's call to prophesy

Discussion Board 10, Module 10, Isaiah
Thread :
Which of the videos for this week was your favorite, and why? Things you should discuss are - how closely did it keep to the Scripture? How well did it express the Scripture? How did it make you feel? What can you tell us about the composer/artist/group?
Remember that Threads should be at least 300 words in length

Discussion Board 11, Module 11, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
Thread :
It must have been very discouraging for Habakkuk, when no-one seemed to respond to his preaching, and he knew that his people were headed for disaster. However, the line he wrote "The just shall live by his faith" (Habakk.2:4) has reached further than he could have imagined (St. Paul, the writer of Hebrews, Martin Luther, . . . )
If you were able to go back in time and meet Habakkuk, what would you tell him?

Discussion Board 12, Module 12, Jeremiah
Thread :
Try to imagine how you would have handled being taken as a captive to Babylon after the Fall of Jerusalem. Families were allowed to stay together (if they had survived the siege) and some women and children were allowed to ride on ox-carts, but everyone else had to walk and carry their belongings. The Jews did not speak or read the language of the Babylonians. Jerusalem and the Temple had been burned to the ground. The leaders were dead or captives. What would your thoughts and plans have been as you walked to Babylon?

Discussion Board 13, Module 13, Obadiah, Ezekiel
Thread :
Write a letter, as if you were Ezekiel in Babylon, writing to Jeremiah in Jerusalem, at the time when Nebuchadnezzar was besieging Jerusalem. What messages, news, warnings, and encouragements would you give.
Replies :
Reply as if you were Jeremiah, replying to their letters as Ezekiel, to at least two of your classmates' threads

Discussion Board 14, Module 14, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah
Thread :
To be posted

Discussion Board 15, Module 15, Joel, Malachi
To be posted

Final Message :
Say goodbye to your classmates, with thanks for ideas and help if appropriate.
If you plan to graduate at the end of this semester, what are your plans for the future?
If you are continuing towards your degree, which courses are you enrolled in for next semester?
You do not need to reply to any of the messages, but you may do so if you wish.

Discussion Boards 1-15 have the potential of earning 8 points each : 4 for the initial thread, and 2 each for two of your replies to other threads.