Q Religion has been and continues to be an important factor is policy-making and public political and social discourse around the world. The continued importance of religion in society can be found frequently in today’s news. For this assignment, you are tasked with choosing a topic from public discourse in which religious argumentation or views play a prominent role (examples could include abortion or other contraceptive use; issues surrounding gay marriage and sexual identity; appropriate responses to immigration and refugee crises, appropriate political or social roles for women, euthanasia, etc.). Summarize the issue or topic you have chosen and explain how the Bible or other religious texts have been used in this argument (*note that in many cases you may find different uses of the Bible/religious texts on both sides of the argument, so try to demonstrate the spectrum of religious opinions on the matter) and evaluate this use. Some of the questions you will want to address might include “Is the Bible being used appropriately in this situation? Why or why not? What texts are relied on by the authors? Is this an appropriate interpretation of these passages? What are other suggested interpretations? Are other interpretations better?” Be sure to take into account variables such as the context of these passages, both within the Bible as a whole, as well as the historical and cultural contexts in which these texts were written. Your use of solid critical skills and argumentation are more important than your conclusions, so be sure to use good lines of evidence and argumentation and that you acknowledge and critique alternative opinions and interpretations. If written concisely and thoughtfully these responses need be no more than 2-3 pages. Over the course of the semester two such responses will be required. Each journal entry is worth 50 points (5% of your overall grade).