Question

write a response to this discussion prompt: Should U.S. students be required to learn a foreign language? Why/Why not?

in your own words summarize and reflect the following in a few sentences each:

1. What are the world's largest religions?
2. Differences in universalizing and ethnic religions.
3. What are the three major branches of Christianity?
4. What are the two principal branches of Islam?

Answer 1

“The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it.” In other words, you can’t have it all. By choosing to do one thing, you’re choosing not to do another, and additional language study would have to come at the expense of something else—something else that people, facing the incentives and constraints they currently face, have deemed more important than a little more language learning.

One might respond that there are benefits to language study even if someone doesn’t obtain fluency. They’re right, but there are also costs— and most Americans have voted with their time and money for lots of things besides studying foreign languages.

Would the world be a better place if Americans knew more languages? It absolutely would be, but the world would be a better place with more of a lot of things (great music, great artwork) and less of a lot of other things (obesity, poverty). Bryan Caplan argues that people don’t retain a lot of what they study, and foreign languages are one of his main examples. In light of what we actually know about what people learn, retain, and use, the sad fact is that eliminating language requirements would almost certainly be a very good policy move.

Throughout the world, there are many different religions. A religion is defined as a system of faith or worship. A person that is religious believes in controlling power, such as a God or gods. Beliefs vary based on the religion that is followed.

There are many different religions, but the most popular is Christianity, which is followed by an estimated 33% of people, and Islam, which is practiced by over 24% of people.

In contrast to universalizing religions, ethnic religions usually consist of beliefs, superstitions, and rituals handed down from generation to generation within ethnicity and culture. Ethnic religions do not attempt to appeal to all people, but only one group, maybe in one locale or within one ethnicity

Christians are monotheistic, i.e., they believe there’s only one God, and he created the heavens and the earth. This divine Godhead consists of three parts: the father (God himself), the son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. The essence of Christianity revolves around life, death, and Christian beliefs on the resurrection of Jesus. Christians believe God sent his son Jesus, the messiah, to save the world. They believe Jesus was crucified on a cross to offer the forgiveness of sins and was resurrected three days after his death before ascending to heaven.

This article summarizes the different branches and schools in Islam. The best known split, into Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, and Kharijites, was mainly political at first but eventually acquired theological and jurisprudential dimensions.The original difference between Sunnis and Shias is over who the true first successor to Muhammad is. Shias believe Ali ibn Abi Talib is the true successor to Muhammad, while Sunnis consider Abu Bakr to hold that position. The Khawarij broke away from both the Shias and Sunnis during the First Fitna (the first Islamic Civil War) and subsequently opposed both the Shias and the Sunnis, often violently.