For this research paper, you must write a cohesive essay that’s 6-7 pages long (double-spaced, regular fonts and margins). Compare and contrast two specific religions from two different families (to be clear, this means you should NOT be comparing, say, Christianity and Islam, or Buddhism and Hinduism): • An Indigenous religion (choose a specific tradition from somewhere in the world) • Confucianism OR Daoism • Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, OR Jainism • Judaism, Christianity, OR Islam on ONE of the following topics: • Nature of the Divine or Ultimate Reality • The creation, or origin, of the world • The end of the world • Death, dying, and/or the afterlife • Human nature • Miracles • Food • Architecture • Sex • Suffering • War and violence • Salvation/Liberation • Holy sites • The purpose of prayer • The status of women and/or LGBTQ+ people • Environmental issues • Divine possession, or the divine in human form • …Or choose your own topic to compare the two traditions (run it by me first) STRUCTURE • title page • introduction (approx. half a page), including a thesis statement • outline of how the topic is understood/explained within the first tradition (approx. 1-1.5 pages)  cite appropriate source(s) in support • outline of how the topic is understood/explained within the second tradition (approx. 1-1.5 pages)  cite appropriate source(s) in support • analysis of the main points of comparison, either similarity or contrast, between the traditions with regard to the topic (approx. 1.5-2 pages)  again, you can cite a source if relevant here, but this analysis should primarily be your own • conclusion (approx. half a page) • bibliography/works cited Note that the thesis statement is in bold, but it needs to be contextualized by the statements before. You should also include some idea of the direction of the paper (what you will do) after your thesis. For the comparative analysis, you will need to identify the main points of interest within your chosen topic – both similarities and/or differences – between the religious groups, using examples to help. Try to avoid stating the obvious here; the more subtle and/or deep your analysis, the better. The conclusion is essentially a re-stating of your thesis, plus perhaps offering some ‘food for thought’ for future analysis. you must find at least two ACADEMIC sources.