Prelim SOR 1 - Nature of religion and beliefs, Islam, Christianity

Supernatural Dimension

- Dimension relying upon a divine revelation or revealed faith, exceeding the laws and capacity of nature, and cannot be explained in normal terms of the physical world
- Can be described as metaphysical or miraculous

Transcendent

- Transcendent means to have continuous existence outside of the physical world
- A transcendent religious worldview is one that refers to the divine as being above or superior to the world, they highest being and the ultimate cause of the universe
- Transcendent religious include: Judaism, Christianity and Islam as the central God exists beyond the human world, yet guides humanity through existence.

Immanent

- A worldview where a divine being or powers dwell within the individual and there is a divine principle that guides people
- It recognises a divine being or powers as a constant reality - an active and continuing presence among believers and this world
- Immanent religions include: Buddhism and Hinduism

Beliefs and Believers

- Sustains all religions
- The central belief of a religion is the most important part, as it defines the worldview of the believers
- Central to all religious traditions there is a belief in a 'greater reality'. The can involve transcendent or immanent God/s
- A believer is somebody that adheres to a religion's central teaching

Sacred texts and writings

- At their centre, all religions have oral and/or written sacred texts, writing or other types of stories
- Several sacred writings are presented as a revelation from God
- Texts contain rules and directions on how to live as well as prayers and rituals central to the tradition

Ethics

- Ethics govern what an adherent of a religion must do, and what obligations are upon them, to their God/s or fellow humans and the environment
- Practical application of belief (the way the believer's conduct themselves in relation to the teachings of their religion)

Rituals and ceremonies

- Celebrate and reinforce the central belief system and structures for that religion, led by religious leaders
- All religions have ceremonies that mark points in the year or peoples lives, like marriage, coming of age and funerals.

Dynamic, living religion

- A dynamic religion is one characterised by energy, ambition, new ideas and practical achievements. It refreshes itself constantly and therefore avoids settling into a predictable or conservative rut
- A living religion is one that is full of life; it is practical, real and immersed in everyday human existence
- Any religion is likely to stagnate if it does not constantly revitalise it beliefs and believers, sacred texts and writing, ethics, rituals and ceremonies
- When these characteristics of religion interact creatively, they help to nurture a religion that is alive, dynamic and active in the lives of its adherent and in the society and culture in which it exists
- A religion that is lived

Contribution of religion to: Individuals

Answer life's profound questions:
- Explains the creation of the universe, human nature and life's purpose
An identity, sense of belonging:
- Helps the person understand what it is to be human
Behaviour:
- How to treat themselves, others and the environment
Present role models, guidance and direction:
- For individuals to develop their understanding of their faith and how to become better people

Contribution of religion to: society and culture

- Contributed greatly to the survival and development of humankind
- Religion helps maintain order and wellbeing for most members of society

Dreaming - Origins of the universe

- The dreaming explains the origins of the universe (the creation of the physical world, animals and plants which inhabit the world) having been the actions of ancestral beings
- To Aboriginal people the dreaming is not a myth but a metaphorical, which means it incorporates the past, present and future reality as a complete and present reality
- No sense of creation or the first creator

Dreaming - Sacred sites

- An individual is inextricably connected to the land → gives life, food, shelter and where their ancestors dwell
- Sacred sites carry significant because they are associated with various dreaming events
- Each Aboriginal tribe has the responsibility to care and learn from these sites e.g carrying out prescribed rituals like balance rites

Stories of the Dreaming

Stories, songs, art and ceremonies recall the journeys of the ancestral beings and their interactions with people and their bestowal of land

Symbolism and art

- Explains the creation of the natural world, and the laws which stem from this
- Used as a means of teaching Aboriginal children about ethics and behaviour in society
- Art has many layers of meaning and is linked by their strong designs and religious significance

Diversity of the dreaming for Aboriginals

- There are about 900 Aboriginal nations within Australian and so Dreaming stories differ greatly
- Each of these nations had its own dialect by which they communicated. As a result there are differences in the dreaming accounts
- Some groups that are close to each other geographically share many common elements of their Dreaming stories

Importance of the dreaming for the life of Aboriginals

- Envelopes the most essential aspects of their society such as creation, history, ancestry, folklore, laws, rituals, ceremonies, culture, philosophy
- All their rules, laws, way of life and humanitarian way of being is shaped by the stores and experiences of the Dreaming

Connection of the dreaming, land and identity

- The land is the core of all spirituality → the land is not dead, it is alive with power and the Ancestral beings who live in it.
- The land is the Ancestors and as long as the land lives, so do the Ancestors.
- The land is not just soil, rocks or minerals but a whole environment and is sustained by people and culture.
- It is impossible to discuss the beliefs and spiritualities of Indigenous Australians without talking about the land

5 pillar - Hajj

- 'To set our for a place'
- Pilgrimage, central and essential
- Muslims who are able to Mecca should make at least one trip in their lifetime
- Take believers back to the birthplace of Islamic faith

Christianity - Origins

Judaism →
- Christianity grew out of Judaism.
- Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come.
- Jesus did not conform to what most thought the Messiah would be
Roman empire →
- Conquered Palestine in 63 BCE - made part of the Roman Empire
- Jews were generally self-sustained but were under the ultimate authority of the Roman Empire
- Roman State was polytheistic (they worshipped many gods)

Jesus Christ - principal events

- Birth of Jesus
- Beginning his ministry
- Days in the wilderness
- Parables of Jesus
- Miracles of Jesus
- Ministry in Jerusalem
- Passion, arrest and death of Jesus
- Resurrection
- Ascension (ascended to heaven)
- Pentecost

Jesus as a role model

Reign of God, Life of prayer, Service to others, Advocate for the poor, Loves and forgives others

Development of Christian communities

Stage One: Jesus' death and resurrection is announced to the Jews and others at Pentecost (Acts 2-4).
Stage Two: The Church learns its first lesson about expansion. The first break—the gospel message is not tied to Jerusalem (Acts 6-9).
Stage Three: The Church learns a second valuable lesson. Expansion and disagreement—you need not be a Jew to be Jesus' disciple (Acts 10:11, 13:4, 15).
Stage Four: The Church expands through Paul's missionary journeys.

Anglicanism

- A protestant church
- Began during reign of Henry VII when Pope Leo X refused to allow the King to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. ~Act of Supremacy
- Two strands: Low (evangelical) - importance of personal conversion, High (Anglo-Catholic) - stress ritual and sacraments

Catholicism

- The term 'catholic' means 'universal' and refers to the worldwide unity in belief and conduct that comes from affirming' one Lord, one faith, one baptism'.
- The Catholic Church traces its history back to the community originally founded by Jesus Christ an anointed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Orthodoxy

- From the Greek word meaning' correct belief'
- See themselves as being direct line of apostles.
- Patriarch of Constantinople as the head of the church
- Mary is seen as 'God bearer' but not "the mother of God"

Pentecostalism

- A protestant Church
- The most significant Christian movement of the 20th Century.
- Charismatic churches
- Emphasis on gifts of the holy spirit e.g. speaking in tongues.

Protestantism

- The protestant reformation revolved around the central issue of who had the authority to interpret the bible and hence to direct the Christian way of life.
- Key principles are: faith alone, Christ alone, grace alone and scriptures alone.

Principal beliefs - Divinity and Humanity of Jesus

- Christianity affirms that Jesus was fully God and fully human. Christians believe that the human person of Jesus reveals the divine person of God the Son.
- Jesus was human - he was born like other humans, he ate, he drank, slept, experienced suffering and joy. Yet at the same time he was my seriously the divine Son of God.

The importance of death and resurrection of Jesus

- The resurrection of Jesus provides proof of the divinity of Jesus. It also gives believers hope that they too will enjoy life beyond death just as Jesus promised to his followers. The Christian hope of eternal life is not simply wishful thinking but is firmly grounded in the resurrection of Jesus.

Beliefs of the nature of God and the Trinity

The doctrine of Trinity states that God is one God, yet within the Godhead there are three distinct persons:
- God the father/ creator
- God the Son/ Jesus
- God the Holy Spirit
- Each person within the Godhead acts consistently with the others yet they each have their own role.

Revelation

- These were given to God to Moses after Moses has left the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. They were intended to be guidelines for living as God's people; they were meant to help God's people get the most out of life.
- The first 4 commandments are to do with a relationship with God. Commandments 5-10 are to do without relationship with other people.

The Beatitudes

The beatitudes is the name given to the nine well known sayings of Jesus recorded the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, which all begin with "blessed are... ". The beatitudes describe the characteristics of those who are blessed by God. This blessing is not determined according to worldly standards but from God's eternal perspective.

Jesus' commandment to love

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbour as yourself. These two commandments hand all the Law and the Prophets." -Matthew 22: 36·40

Salvation

Salvation is a comprehensive term for being delivered from personal or collective suffering or evil it is the belief that human beings require deliverance by God from the power of sin and darkness.

Sacred text - The Bible

- The Bible teaches Christians about the nature of God and the ministry and teachings of Jesus.
Christians regard the Bible as being inspired by God. The bible is a collection of books, there are 29 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, which include law, historical narrative, poetry, letters, gospels, prophecies and apocalyptic literature.
- All streams of Christianity view the Bible as the basic source of belief and practice.

Ethical teachings

ten commandments, beatitudes, Jesus' commandment of love, Golden rule

The importance of ethical teachings

Christians are called to follow these teachings both in their personal lives and also in the wider global context. Christian are encouraged 'to bring good news to the poor' and work to overcome unjust social structures.

Prayer

- Personal devotion for Christians revolves around prayer.
- Prayer is an essential spiritual discipline to Christians.
- Christian prayers take on different forms and embody different purposes.

Different types of prayer - Extemporary

Extemporary -
- Those that are said without being written down or memorised. Prayers from the heart.

The lords prayer

Praises God and asks for the remission of sins and hopes that the one praying will be delivered from evil. The Pater Noster (Our Father) is found in (Mt 6:9-13).

Golden rule

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12

Different types of prayer - Intercession

Prayers for others and makes up part of the formal liturgical worship of many Christian churches.

Different types of prayer

Vocal, mental, contemplative, meditation etc

Tawhid - oneness of Allah

- The oneness and absoluteness of Allah, Allah has absolute power and authority
- Monotheistic belief, based on both immanence and transcendence
- Allah is all knowing, eternal, and is responsible for all events and happenings
- Tawhid infers the ultimate surrender to the will of Allah
2:255 "Allah, there is no deity except him." Muhammad: "None have the right to be worshipped but Allah."

Mala'ika - Angels

- The existence of angels and jinn
- Angels: Messengers between humans and Allah
- Angels have no free will, and are Allah's most immaculate creation
- The greatest angel is Jibril (Gabriel), who delivered the Qur'an to Muhammad

Kutubullah - books of Allah

- The Books of Allah, texts which are direct representations of the word of God
- The Qur'an is the most reliable, as it is the direct, untainted Word of Allah.
- Delivered to Muhammad over 22 years
- This includes: - The Scrolls of Abraham - The Torah of Moses - Psalms of David - Gospel of Jesus Christ - The Qur'an

Rusul (nabi) - Prophets

- Rusul are the great prophets, responsible for delivering a Holy Book
- Nabi are the general prophets recognised in the Islamic tradition
- There are 25 Rusul mentioned in the Qur'an -
- Muhammad is the seal of the prophets, the final messenger of Allah

Akhira - life after death

- Each person has two angels which record their good and evil deeds throughout life
- Souls experience an intermediate period after death
- Judgement is signalled through two soundings of the trumpet by Israfil
- The records of each person are opened and Allah judges all souls
- Good go to paradise (Jannah) and the evil go to the hellfire (Jahannam)

Qadr - fate/predestination

- Fate and predestination
- All individuals are predestined for paradise or the hellfire
- Mankind also has free will: But evil will be punished
11:106 "As for those who were (destined to be) wretched, they will be in the Fire" Muhammad: "When the people of Paradise will enter Paradise."