Legal controversies occasionally spike over the influence of religious codes of conduct on modern-day legal codes. Pick a religious code of conduct such as the Ten Commandments, the Code of Hammurabi or Hittite law and apply it to modern concepts of jurisprudence. Analyze whether these ancient systems of ethics and morality could be the basis of constitutional law. Then frame an argument over whether these systems should be the basis of modern law.
The peak of Christian influence over European civilization occurred during the Dark Ages when knowledge outside the sphere of scriptural teachings was condemned, banned and used as the basis for defining heresy. During this period of history, those living in Islamic countries enjoyed a golden period of discovery in science and culture. Compare how each religion viewed scientific discovery and provide contrasts between how specific scientific advancements were viewed from opposing perspectives.
The dominant religions prior to the rise of Christianity were polytheistic in which many gods were worshipped for very specific attributes. Write a paper that analyzes how the change from polytheism to the monotheism of Judaism, Christianity and Islam affected those societies that had long existed under polytheistic beliefs.
Compose a list of films that differ in their approach to portraying Jesus Christ. Compare and contrast these differences and how they might affect an audience's reaction to Christian tenets of belief. Look closely at whether Jesus is portrayed more as a divine being or more as a human being and determine what impact this choice has on the messages and themes the movie is trying to get across.
Controversy has surrounded media representations of all the major religions of the West. Research the reaction of religious leaders and members of the public to such controversial religious materials as "The Last Temptation of Christ," "The Satanic Verses" and "The Passion of the Christ." Note the differences, if any, in the emotional level of reaction by Christians toward Martin Scorsese's adaptation of a novel about Jesus, Muslims toward Salman Rushdie's novel and Jews toward Mel Gibson's film based on the Scriptures.