Section D - The Question of Faith

Section D - The Question of Faith Religious Belief - what people believe to be true about God and their relationship with God. It can be applied to any world religion, e.g. Christian belief in the Trinity. Religious Practice - how people express their faith through actions, e.g. going to mass. Religious Belief & Practice in the past compared with now - People went to mass every Sunday, most believed in Hell, shops closed on Sundays, the novena, daily Lenten masses took place, the May devotions took place, etc. The European Values Study - between 1981 and 1999 the belief in God fell by 1%, the belief in life after death fell by 4%, the belief in heaven fell by 3%, the belief in Hell did not change and the attendance at religious services at least once a week fell by 24% between 1981 & 2005. The only major difference was in the attendance at religious services. Therefore we know that the belief is still there but there is a decline in the number of people expressing their beliefs through actions, in this case going to mass.   Second Vatican Council - this was a meeting of Roman Catholic bishops from all over the world in Rome. It aimed to update structures & practices of the Church, to improve relationships with other world religions (interfaith dialogue) and to promote unity within Christian Churches (ecumenism). Before Vatican II - priests said mass in Latin with their to the people, you had to receive communion on your tongue, only the priest could give out communion, there was a railing around the altar, the priest was the most important and the lay people could not read or give out communion. However, this all changed after Vatican II. Question/Questioner - to ask or argue about things that are uncertain or debateable. Person who asks questions. E.g. Why are we here? Adult/teenager. Search - to look for, to seek out, to enquire - in order to find meaning or answers. Meaning/Meaninglessness - when people search for meaning in life, they look for relationships or things that make life feel worthwhile, that bring satisfaction and that make sense of life. People experience meaninglessness when they feel life is not worthwhile, when they can find no reason to suffer their present difficulties. Search for meaning - what are the big questions that we ask? - Why are we here? Where do we go when we die? Why is there evil? Does God exist? Where do we look for answers? - Music - 'The Climb' by Miley Cyrus. This song talks about how life's just a journey and it's not going to be easy. Poetry - 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost. Life is about the choices you make, make them for yourself and not to please others. Movies - The Blind Side. Life's not about material things. Religion - We are here to spread the word of God, Jesus died for us. (Christianity)    Questions a child might ask - why do people get sick? Why do people die? How are the questions different for a teenager? - a teenager possesses the ability to reflect and so the questions they ask are deeper than those of a child. What kind of questions do adults ask? - Why are we here? Can any good come from this? Reflection - Reflection is the ability to think more deeply about something.  Awe & Wonder - this is simply when we see or experience something that causes us to reflect and ask a question about life. World Views - how we view the world and the meaning of life. A set of ideas about why the world is the way it is, e.g. Christian world view. Christian World View - the Christian world view is rooted in the Bible. For Christians, the Bible is the inspired word of God. Christians believe that: *       God is the creator of the world *       God created human beings in God’s image and likeness *       The world that God created is good *       God invites us to develop a loving friendship with him. Evil comes when we refuse to co-operate with God. *       God sent Jesus to teach people how they should live *       The Word of God is to be found in the Bible *       Those who have loved God in this life will live in eternal friendship with God. Humanism - humanists believe in human goodness and intelligence. They believe we don’t need God to answer the questions. We don’t need God for moral codes. We can answer these questions ourselves, e.g. what happens when we die – there is no afterlife, we are just gone, this world is all there is. Atheism -  atheism is the view that God does not exist. Agnosticism - agnosticism is the view that people cannot know for sure whether or not God exists because there is not enough evidence to decide one way or the other. Secularism - secularism is the view that religion should have no part in civil matters. Materialism - materialism is the theory that only material things are real. Stages of Faith: Childhood faith - childhood faith is an imitative faith – children imitate the faith and religious practices of their parents and other important adults. Adolescent (teenage stage) - the teenage faith is the questioning stage. Teenagers ask questions about their religion and explore other religions or world views. Mature Faith - God is mysterious and loving. People at this stage have thought deeply about their faith and have made the decision to believe and practice for themselves. They continue to ask questions about the meaning of life. They are comfortable talking about their faith. Their Religion and Faith is very much a part of their lives. Some people don’t move beyond the childhood stage. They don’t ask questions. They remain at the childhood stage or forget about their faith. Images of God - Christians believe that the best way to develop a truthful and helpful image of God is to look at the images of God in the Bible, especially Jesus’ understanding of God. Everyone has a different image of God and an individual’s image of God usually develops as they progress through the three stages of faith. A Person of Faith: Mother Teresa - Born in Macedonia on the 26th of April, 1910. At the age of twelve, she felt strongly the call of God. Prayer - at the age of eighteen, Mother Teresa joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. Mother Teresa also said a daily prayer. Worship - Mother Teresa became a nun to worship God. When she saw the pain & suffering of the people of Calcutta, she dedicated her life to helping the needy in honour of God. She said she helped so many because she believed that at the end of this life, she would be judged by God on whether or not she had fulfilled this passage from the Bible, "I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in". Way of Life - Mother Teresa first dedicated her life to God by becoming a nun. When she saw the suffering in Calcutta, she dedicated her life to the neediest of people to honour her beliefs in Jesus Christ, her religion, the Golden Rule and the moral code of Christianity. Personal Faith - one's personal response to God and what is known about God. Grows and develops as a person grows. Religion and Science - Religion and Science should work together. They see the world from different points of view – both have a valid point – neither one is better than the other. Religion teaches the why and Science teaches the how, e.g. Darwin’s theory explains how life began, Genesis explains why it began. Christian Story Of Creation - Day 1 - God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light "day" and darkness "night." Day 2 - God created an expanse to separate the waters and called it "sky." Day 3 - God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters "seas." On day three, God also created vegetation (plants and trees). Day 4 - God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and to govern and separate the day and the night. These would also serve as signs to mark seasons, days, and years. Day 5 - God created every living creature of the seas and every winged bird, blessing them to multiply and fill the waters and the sky with life. Day 6 - God created the animals to fill the earth. On day six, God also created man and woman (Adam and Eve) in his own image to commune with him. He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate. Day 7 - God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy. Scientific world view -  scientists look at the world from a scientific perspective. They observe, they carry out experiments and they look for evidence. Story of Galileo - Galileo was born in 1564. He was interested in the planet and stars. He worked as a scientist and he invented an improved version of the telescope. In his book he wrote that he agreed with the view of Copernicus that the earth revolved around the sun. This idea conflicted with the story of creation in Genesis because in Genesis it says that God created the earth before the sun and the Catholic Church taught the earth was the centre of the universe.   Story of Darwin - Darwin was born in 1809.  He was interested in how humans came about. He worked as a scientist. In his book he wrote that plants and animals gradually changed or adapted to their environment in order to increase their chances of survival. In this way, new species or forms of life developed. This idea conflicted with the story of creation in Genesis because in Genesis it says that God created each form of life separately. Can Science and Religion Work together? - In 1979, Pope John Paul II admitted that the Church were wrong about Galileo. He said – “the Bible teaches us how to go to Heaven, not how the heavens move”. The bible is not a book of Science but does have value. The Bible is not to be taken literally – it holds Religious Truth. Science works from a different angle – scientific truth and evidence.

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