WOH2012 In the period 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E., different factors led to the emergence and spread of new religions and belief systems, such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

1. Develop an argument that evaluates how such factors led to the emergence or spread of one or more religions in this time period.
2. You may pick one religion or more for your paper. Put simply, the question is asking you to discuss what factors led to the emergence or spread of such religions. For example, if you choose Buddhism, explain what factors led Siddhartha Gautama (AKA the Buddha) to seek enlightenment and salvation. If you choose Christianity, what factors led to the rise of Jesus (remember the Jews were awaiting a messiah to liberate them from the Romans); finally, if you choose Islam, what factors led to the rise of Mohammad and Islam (remember Islam came out in Arabia at a time of social injustices). All three religions grew on what we call the outer rim areas of civilization. Buddhism in northeast India–the outer limits of Indian civilization, Christianity in Judea–the outer limits of the Roman Empire, and Islam in Arabia–the outer limits of both Persian and Roman civilization.

REQUIREMENTS

1. An introduction and thesis statement (the main idea of your paper)
2. A body (about 3 paragraphs, not including of your introduction and conclusion)
3. A conclusion that will restate your main argument with some afterthoughts.
4. A bibliography or citation page that includes at least 3 sources you used to write your paper