Junior Theology

theodrama

God's story

egodrama

your own story

what is the mission of the church?

to tell God's story

What does "Christian" mean?

Christ-like

Is God male or female?

neither; we limit God by referring to him as a male w/ our common language

faith

belief in God without proof

religion

how a person relates to what he or she believes God to be

church

a community of believers who relate to God in the same way

theology

the study of God

how do we best experience God?

through other people

what does the church need in order to run? Why?

it needs guidelines (must practice and follow rules to become better); church is for sinners and hypocrites, not perfect saints

what does it mean to be a Catholic?

habit of being that we are Christ-like all the time without thinking; telling God's story instinctively

where does Church history begin?

with Adam and Eve

3 great religions of the western world

1. Judaism

2. Christianity

3. Islam

where do all 3 religions originate from? What to they all believe in?

comes from Abraham; all are monotheistic and believe in the same God

what do each of the religions believe about Jesus?

Judaism & Islam- he was a prophet

Christianity- he is our savior

types of Jews

orthodox (wear yamakas etc) and reformed

types of Christians

Protestant and Catholics

How are Catholics split up? What's the key difference?

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox; Romans follow the authority of the pope in Rome

Types of Islam

Sunni and Shiite

who was the first monotheist?

Abraham

ethical monotheism

the emphasis on morals/righteousness and belief in one God

Judeo-Christian religion

Christians were first Jews; Christian practices come from Judaism

how do the 3 religions relate back to Abraham?

through his children, Isaac and Ishmael

Ishmael meaning; why was he named this?

"God has heard"; he was the promised son of Abraham (was the child of Abraham and his wife Sarah's slave)

Isaac meaning; why was he named this?

"laughter"; Sarah had him 9-10 years later

Which religion(s) stem from Isaac? Which stem from Ishmael? Why?

Judaism and Christianity stem from Isaac & Islam stems from Ishmael; beliefs differ on who God asks Abraham to sacrifice

Who is Isaac's son? What was his name changed to?

Jacob, changed to Israel

What do Jacob's 12 sons become? Ishmael's?

12 tribes of Israel; 12 tribes of Ishmael

The Old Testament is in the New Testament, while the New Testament is _ in the Old Testament

revealed; concealed (in the NT, Gospel writers have references to the OT, and in the OT, the Israelites are references to the church in the NT)

how do we relate to ethical monotheism?

by being righteous/moral/ethical

Catholic symbols to remind us of Jesus

crucifix, fish acronym (Jesus Christ, son of God, Savior), lhs (Jesus in Greek), alpha & omega symbols, IC XC NICA (Jesus, Christos, Nike)

where do last names come from? Does Jesus have one?

occupation, location, physical appearance, and/or relationship; no

Catholic meaning

universal

difference between Catholics and Christians

Christians include Catholics and Protestants, Catholics do not include Protestants

Protestant meaning

protesting Catholic

platitude

overused expression

4 major protests that Protestants have against Catholics

1. authority of the Pope

2. Mary/saints

3. Sacraments (specifically Reconciliation)

4. Transubstantiation

why do we believe in the pope?

we don't; we believe he was appointed by Christ

prerequisites to be pope

1. Catholic 2. man 3. unmarried

types of authority

traditional, rational-legal, charismatic

traditional

inherited authority (ex: parents)

rational-legal

appointed or elected officials (ex: president)

charismatic

given authority because of what they are/how they act (ex: MLK, Hitler, Jesus)

charisma

personal appeal or attraction; magnetism

what does knowing authority allow?

to the expectations of you and the person in charge, gives an idea of how to behave

pastors

in charge of the day to day parish (can be a priest, nun, or deacon)

grace

help from God

sacrament

outward sign of inward grace instituted by Christ (receiving help/grace from God)

spiritual authority

power in mass (Bishop, Priest, Deacon)

which sacraments can a bishop perform?

all 7

which sacraments can a priest perform?

5 (cannot do Holy Orders or Confirmation)

which sacraments can a deacon perform?

2 (only Baptism and Matrimony)

how many electors decide the pope?

120

types of authority in the church

spiritual and temporal/secular

temporal/secular authority

in charge of the parish

curia

40 people who live in Rome and are with the Pope

archbishops

80 bishops at large around the world

cardinals

Catholic officials ranking next below the pope and above ordinary bishops

those involved in temporal/secular authority

pope, cardinals, bishop, priest, deacon

what is the pope's official title?

Bishop of Rome (pope is simply a term of endearment)

authority of archbishops

only in charge of their region (usually a big city); can't come to a smaller diocese and boss that bishop around

why do we regard the Pope as the highest power?

because Jesus told Peter that he'd lead the church

why did Jesus choose Peter? Who are the successors of Peter today?

When asked who he was, Peter told Jesus was the savior without any prior persuasions (church is built off of Peter's faith); the pope

who are the successors of the Apostles?

bishops

organization of church authority; where does this originate from?

World Church -> Province -> Diocese -> Parish; the Roman Empire

who is in charge of the world church?

pope and curia

who is in charge of Provinces?

archbishops

who is in charge of dioceses?

archbishop or bishop

who is in charge of parishes?

priests and deacons

what are cardinal's jobs?

they elect the pope (200 bishops total but only 120 are electors--cannot vote after the age of 80)

Papal Infallibility

pope cannot error in the matters of faith and morals

ex cathedra statement

statement that comes from papal infallibility

how many times has the pope issued an ex cathedra statement? What was it for?

once; to declare the Assumption of Mary as a dogma of the church

what must the pope do to make an ex cathedra statement?

in his chair in the cathedral (comes from ancient practice of teaching from a throne while seated)

Bible-only Christianity; why is this not justified?

believe that the Bible is the only source of truth; Paul says in the letter that the pillar of truth is the church and says to rely on the Scriptures (which don't exist yet because he was still in the process of writing them)

ethnocentric

believing in the superiority of one's own ethnic and cultural group and disdain for others

what percent of Catholics are in the US?

.6%

significance of rock and keys when Jesus told Peter he'd lead the church

rock- calls Peter the Greek word for rock, actual rock he was referring to was a pagan worship sight (Jesus tells Peter that on this rock he'll build the church)

keys- the king was in charge of the keys of the kingdom but gave it to his right hand man to take care of; represents exclusive domain (Jesus gives Peter these keys)

sacraments of initiation

Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist

sacraments of healing

Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation

sacraments of service

Holy Orders and Matrimony

outward signs in the sacraments

physical thing used

Baptism- water

Confirmation- oil

Matrimony- rings (never-ending fidelity)

difference between promise, vow, and oath

vow is more serious than a promise and oaths are more serious than vows

covenant

taking an oath

major reason for marriages end in divorce

differing opinions on children

only religion to view marriage as a sacrament

Catholic church

difference between divorce and annulment

divorce- fulfills secular obligations

annulment- fulfills religious obligations

Reconciliation meaning

to make amends/atonement