Religious legitimacy or legitimately religious?

Alright, so we've just seen how seen how rulers use the popular beliefs of the people to legitimize their rule. China and Japan clearly stand out (you may want to look into this on your own) during the era of the Tang (China) and Yamato (Japan). It's particularly striking to see how those advocating the belief system of Buddhism in China were able to influence the rulers and adapt to the local customs. I think the question that arises from this is who has more power - the rulers or the religious leaders? That Buddhist monk, Deng, sure was able to hold tremendous sway over the Chinese ruler. Think back to the beginning of the year where we saw the natural connection with religion and power. Has this changed at all? I think of our current, and however ridiculously early, presidential race. The struggle among the Republican candidates seems to center on who is more religious. This even goes way back in our nation's history, but has become increasingly more dominant in national politics. Think of the 2000 and 2004 elections - "values" voters (code for relgious) clearly favored one side over the other. Why this connection? Is this still relevant in the age of democracy?

Themes, themes, and MORE themes...

1)Impact of interaction among major societies
2)Cultural and intellectual developments and interactions among and within societies
3)Changes in functions and structure of states and in attitudes toward state and political indentities
4)Impact of technology and demography on people and environment
5)Systems of social structure and gender structure
6)The relationship between change and continuity across the world history periods

Remember these themes? These make the foundation of this course. They are what we return to time and time again (besides Guns, Germs, and Steel). Seeing as how its half way through November (yes, November!) I thought I'd start reflecting a little bit on the various developments we've been studying over the year. Looking back at the themes, I was really struck by how much we have covered without really thinking about it. What are your thoughts on this? Go back all the way to the beginning of the year and think about what we've learned to the present. What themes have we touched upon? In what ways? Are there any specific civilizations that present clear examples of some of the themes above?

I can think of a few...