Free Online Religion Courses

Free Online Religion Courses Whether youre looking for a deeper understanding of world religions or simply want to understand your own faith on a deeper level, these free online religion courses can help. With video lessons, podcasts, and exercises, youll be instructed by religious leaders from around the globe. Buddhism Buddhist Studies - If you want details quickly, youll get them with this Buddhist study guide. Choose your topic and your skill level for explanations of Buddhist spirituality, culture, belief, and practice. Buddhism and Modern Psychology - It turns out that many Buddhist practices (such as meditation) have a proven use in modern psychology. Through this 6-unit course from Princeton University, youll explore how Buddhists view the human mind and human problems. An Introductory Course on Early Buddhism - If youre looking for an in-depth discussion of Buddhist philosophy, this course is for you. The PDF lessons walk students through Buddahs life, the four noble truths, the eight-fold path, meditation, and many other essential beliefs. The Central Philosophy of Tibet - For the academically-inclined, this podcast offers a professorial look at Buddhist principles and practices throughout Tibetan history. Christianity Hebrew for Christians - These text and audio lessons are designed to help Christians study Hebrew to gain a deeper understanding of their early scriptures. Truth for the World - These brief lessons include beginning, intermediate, and advanced topics in Bible studies. Students can browse through written lectures and also view short video segments. Both the Old and New Testaments are discussed. Bible Study Lessons - Take a look at these step-by-step Bible study guides to learn more about the scriptures from a Christian perspective. You can download guides as PDF documents or read them online. Once youre done with each section, take a quiz to see how much youve learned. World Bible School - Through this easy-to-understand course, students can learn the essentials of the Bible from a Christian faith-promoting world view. Email and mail correspondence options are also available. Hinduism American/International Gita Society - Through four levels, this course helps English speakers understand the Bhagavad Gita. The course includes an English language version of the scripture and dozens of PDF lessons guiding seekers through the book. Kauais Hindi Monastery - Take a look at this well-organized site to take online classes on the basics of Hinduism, sign up for a daily lesson, or listen to audio discussions. Interesting audio options include: How to Realize God: Like a Childs Self-Discovery, The Gurus Job: Love, and All Knowing Within You: No Good, No Bad. Islam Studying Islam  - Through this site, students can access a variety of course materials including YouTube videos, text-based lessons, and discussions related to essential topics in Islam. Introduction to the Koran: The Scripture of Islam  - From the University of Notre Dame, this course offers an academic look at the Koran, its text, its cultural meanings, and its place in history. Understanding Islam  - This free online course is designed for students relatively new to Islamic beliefs. With quotes from essential texts, graphics, and easy-to-understand explanations, students work their way through three units. Islamic Online University  - For practicing Muslims, this site offers a variety of course options including The Moral Foundations of Islamic Culture, No Doubt: Conveying Islam with Compassion and Reason, and Arabic Speech Simplified. Judaism Jewish Interactive Studies  - These introductory text-based courses help students understand the fundamentals of Jewish belief and practice. Both the Foundations and the Ethics courses are free in PDF format. Hebrew Learning  - If youre looking to learn Hebrew, this is a smart place to start. Explore dozens of brief lessons with audio and interactive graphics. Reform Judaism Webinars  - These webinars focus on topics of interest in Reform Judaism and are available on topics such as Torah Alive: Every Person Has a Name, Sharing Your Harvest with Others: Sukkot and Social Justice, and Jews and the Civil Rights Movement. Judaism 101  - If youre a young Jew between the ages of 18 and 26, consider taking this foundational online course. Youll learn through expert videos, quizzes, and events. Sign up and complete the requirements, and you may even qualify for a $100 stipend.

The Broken Record

The Broken Record Hate to sound like a broken record, but when I saw this quote, I hopped back up on that bandwagon I call diligence. Eighty percent of success is showing up.†Ã‚  - Woody Allen People are awfully sweet in complimenting me about my business savvy and ability to promote. Behind the scenes my husband shakes his head at my income. (You deserve to be paid more than you get for the time you invest.) Writers incomes are decreasing because of the huge number of writers in the mix, the ridiculous cost of ebooks which floods the market with free reading material, and the SEO writers around the world still willing to work for a penny a word. However, I cannot imagine not showing up to work each day. I love reading, writing, creating, and rubbing elbows with people who feel the same. So daily I rise and hit the keyboard. My duties include: 1) Researching material for FundsforWriters 2) Setting up appearances 3) Prepping material for online and in-person appearances 4) Tending social media and email 5) Writing on a novel 6) Seeking methods of promotion 7) Freelancing as the opportunities arise 8) Making notes about future books/articles To me they are all intermingled. One feeds the other, and frankly I love getting up and changing my mind as to what Ill do that day. But the bottom line is I show up every day. I write every day. During Thanksgiving, one of my sons asked, What have you done lately with your writing, because I know youve accomplished something new. You always do. Some days, however, I think its all for naught. Especially when I see others succeeding more than  me, or I hear nothing but negative on a given day; or worse, theres this big void of no response at all. But then a day dawns beautifully when I realize my work made it into another magazine, a book was chosen for an event/review/feature, my website landed me a public appearance. Some days I receive no reviews for my books, then other days I receive ten. This job is a yo-yo of the highest order. However, we never appreciate those grand days if we arent showing up for ALL days. Writing is a game of diligence, and while some days it feels like you are headed nowhere, in actuality, you are wearing down the resistance. The day will come when you realize all those thankless days of nothing were piling up and becoming days of worthiness.