Islamic belief is such...God has always spoken to prophets beginning with Adam.  He spoke to the Jewish prophets and gave them the Torah.  He later spoke to Jesus, who plays a prominent role in the Quran, and gave them the New Testament.  Eventually, man corrupted the scriptures so God sent his final prophet with the … Continue reading Class Notes →

Most don’t think of the Gilded age as an exciting time in history.  To a point I agree, however, I think it would have been an exciting time to have lived.  Some of their technological advances changed the world more than many of our advancements change how we live today.  In 1866, we laid a … Continue reading Class Notes →

"Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a Power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23:Even though I walk … Continue reading Class Notes →

When Muhammad made the Hirjah, or immigration to Medina, he formed the Ummah.  The Ummah is the community ruled by the one God.  In the very beginning this included Jews and Christians, as they were also followers of the one true God.  Muhammad saw Islam as a continuation of these faiths, not something different.

Another confusing aspect of studying the Middle East are the people.  The terms Muslim, Middle East and Arab are often used interchangeably.  However, not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arab.  In fact, only about 20% of Muslims are Arab.  As for Arabs, the vast majority are Muslim, but there are also … Continue reading Class Notes →

One way the arrival of the Spanish changed Indians lives forever was the introduction of the horse.  When you live a nomadic life style and had to physically carry everything you owned, your possessions were limited.  Yet a horse and carry 200 pounds and pull another 300.  Think how much your way of life improved … Continue reading Class Notes →

We tend to think of the Middle East as a rural desert setting, but in fact the region is quite urban.  Some of this is Hollywood.  There is a scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Jones and Sallah are looking over the city and Sallah said, "Cairo, city of the living."  The only … Continue reading Class Notes →

In order to tame the West, the government created a system of Land Grant Colleges, as part of the Morrill Act in 1862.  Each state was to establish a college, where their principle focus was on agriculture and engineering.  If you want to help the West, they needed to find better ways to farm and … Continue reading Class Notes →

We struggle with immigration issues in our country today, but it is not a new thing.  By 1880, there were over 200,000 Chinese living in the U.S.  To combat this growth, the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which decreased the Chinese population by 40% in 40 years.