Religion ATAR - Structure of the Church

define structure

the organisation of a religion, including its leadership. This may be well established and formal or less defined and informal. They are designed to support the work and mission of the Catholic Church and usually serve at least one of the 3 functions

1) Teaching and safeguarding the Church

2) Providing for the growth and holiness of the believers

3) Governing the church

define process

refers to how things are done in a particular religion and are the workings of a particular religious structure. Typically they are a way of doing something according to a series of steps, actions or understanding.

why do religions have structures and processes?

Religions have structures and processes to help keep things organized and guide followers in their beliefs and practices. These systems make it easier to make decisions.

define the magesterium

The pope and the college of bishops interpreting the Bible and Apostolic tradition of Christians.

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Purpose of the Magisterium is to ensure all who are trying to live and to teach the message of Christ do so authentically.​

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Church has accepted the authority of the Pope and bishops when they have officially exercised their roles of leadership in name of Jesus.​

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Catholics have accepted the human limitations of members of the Church's Magisterium, but also believe that the power of Jesus is too strong to be affected by these limitations.

what is the role or purpose of the magesterium

The Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, made up of the Pope and the bishops. Its main role is to interpret and protect the teachings of the Bible and Church tradition. It helps guide Catholics in understanding their faith and making moral decisions.

what is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church

Pope, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Priest, Deacons.

Explain the function of religious structures and processes 'Teaching and safeguarding the Church'

The Christian mission is to present the message of Christ to people across the world. This includes working to help develop the conscience of a society from a Christian perspective. This needs to be done accurately, so message needs to be safeguarded from losing the intentions of God.

give an example of religious structure

the Catholic Church has a structure called the magesterium, which is the teaching body of the Church which educates and guides all Catholics on the teachings of the Bible and theology. It is an unbroken chain of authority dating back to Jesus Christ. It consists of the Pope an, the bishops and the priests. The leader is the Pope who is infallible in his decisions and decrees ex-Cathedra. The process of passing the gifts from the Apostles to the current Magisterium is the apostolic succession.

what is the relationship between structures and processes

The relationship between the magesterium of the Catholic Church and the processes is that they are direct. The only way that processes such as an Ecumenical council, Synod or an encyclical would happen is if it is directly called or promoted by the Pope, who is the leader of the Catholic church and the Magisterium.

give an example of a religious process

The Catholic church utilise many processes. If there are issues in the church the Magisterium, processes are used such as ecumenical councils, promoting the encyclicals or opening a Synod of Bishops. An encyclical is a statement or apostolic letter for the Pope to the people. It is a letter of guidance which is in alliance with Catholic teaching and understanding and how it applies to modern issues. A synod is an event where the Pope calls an order to gauge issues in the world with gathered opinions from Bishops. Ecumenical councils are major events which review, discuss, analyse and consider (if necessary) a change in the Church teaching and practices. These are rare and there have only been 21 in history.

quote about the apostolic succession

"Spiritual wisdom is passed on from person to person, which is the real and lasting meaning of apostolic succession. You can only give away as a gift what you yourself received as a gift." (Rohr, 2013 p170)

This means that the knowledge or wisdom of faith is passed on through history as people have allowed what we know about faith to currently be understood, taught and practices. It is what we have been told that we know in regards to religion or faith and this defines what apostolic succession is.

quote for apostolic tradition

"Of the dogmas and messages preserved in the Church, some we possess from written teaching and others we receive from the tradition of the apostles, handed on to us in mystery." (The Holy Spirit 27:66 [A.D. 375]).

what are the four levels of official catholic teaching in the Catholic Church. Give a brief description of them

- Infallible teachings of the Church: examples include the Nicene Creed, Nature of Jesus being both human and divine and the 7 sacraments. They are infallible because they are found in what God has revealed to us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit has guided the Church's understanding of them. THEY CANT BE CHANGED

- Definitive Catholic Teaching: these help define a person's faith. These include deliberate abortion and euthanasia break the 5th commandment and no one is forced to worship if they don't believe.

- Teachings which help understand revelation: they help people understand the Christian message. examples include social justice and dignity of all people.

- Teachings on contemporary issues: they help people respond to many current issues such as slavery, nuclear weapons and moral use of medical technology.

Catechism quote on the role of the Magisterium

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the magisterium role is the "task of giving an authentic interpretation of the word of God, whether in written form or in the form of tradition." (CCC p85)

define canon law

is a code of laws of the Church and clergy governed by them. It applies to all Catholic faithful, both clergy and laity alike, over the world. It is used as affirmation of the equality of all Christians

list and explain the 3 important roles/missions/offices of Jesus and how it relates to structure

the 3 fold important missions or roles of the Jesus were as priest, Prophet and King and these were used in order to organise the Jewish religion from which God could reveal himself to and redeem the world.

- Priest: The bishops and the Priests sanctify the church by their prayer and work and by spreading the word of God.

- Prophet: "Preach the gospel of God to all men." (CCC 888). Christ who is the truth willed to confer on her a share in his infallibility

- King:

explain

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Jesus promised to remain and help his followers in several ways:​

i. Promised to be present as they taught the message as he would guide and help them. ​

ii. During the Last Supper Jesus promised to share the Holy Spirit who would remain present continually. The Holy Spirit would both strengthen and guide followers so the message would be protected.​

iii. No evil or human weakness or pressure would prevail against the Church, "the gates of the underworld can never overpower it." (Matthew 16:18)

Explain the function of religious structures and processes 'governing the church

Apostles exercised their role as leaders in the early Church as they handed on the teachings of Jesus.​

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They celebrated the liturgies he instituted, repeated and explained his teachings, and called everyone to "observe all the commands" (Matthew 28:20)​

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Knowing the responsibilities Jesus had given his Apostles and believing his promises, the early Christians accepted the teaching authority of the Apostles.​

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Explain the function of religious structures and processes 'Providing for growth and holiness of believers.

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Jesus promised to remain and help his followers in several ways:​

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i. Promised to be present as they taught the message as he would guide and help them. ​

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ii. During the Last Supper Jesus promised to share the Holy Spirit who would remain present continually. The Holy Spirit would both strengthen and guide followers so the message would be protected.​

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iii. No evil or human weakness or pressure would prevail against the Church, "the gates of the underworld can never overpower it." (Matthew 16:18)​

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Jesus called the 12 Apostles to accept special gifts of leadership from the Holy Spirit. Their calling was to lead the Church with St. Peter as their head.​

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​"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit into the wilderness." (Luke 4:1)