3.1 RS (quotes)

Nature-

• A religion is defined as a community organised around beliefs related to ultimate reality.

• These adherents centre their beliefs on the system of beliefs.

• These beliefs are focused on the understanding of the Ultimate Reality.

• The nature of a religion also reveals how communities use their daily practices to make belief manifest

• An example of this would be rituals of a religious tradition, which turn abstract ideas into concrete.

• Furthermore, religion is used to create a meaningful relationship with the Ultimate Reality, providing adherents opportunities transcend from the ordinary.

Purpose

• purpose allows for humans to know that they have an intended goal in life and the reason why they exist.

• Humans also search what it means to be a ‘good’ person’ where they would live an ethical and moral life.

• Moreover, humans also want to know the existential questions to know the answers of life’s biggest mysteries.

• Furthermore, They also connect to the Ultimate Reality through religion so they may have a meaningful relationship with the Ultimate Reality. -

• Humans long for emotional well being as they want to be happy and fulfilled in life.  This is the role of religion in the human search for meaning generally

Nature (Religious Beliefs)

• Religious beliefs refers to the reality that is beyond the theological and historical realm.

• These beliefs are a set of descriptive and prescriptive statements that outline statements about existence and the way the world is.

• These beliefs form claims of absolute truth and seek to explain the concept of truth that the human person seeks.

• These religious beliefs are consistently based on foundational beliefs and fundamental beliefs which are expressed through these aspects.

• Unlike science beliefs that are proved by evidence, religious beliefs are developed by divine revelation or traditional texts.

OTIG

Trinity + Incarnation

The Catholic Christian Tradition (CCT) believes that the Ultimate Reality is One Triune and Incarnate God.

The Trinity is “one God in three persons, the consubstantial Trinity.” (CCC 253)

Our minds are  only able to understand something of the Trinity, however it is the “central mystery of Christian faith and life.” (CCC 234)

Moreover,  The second person of the Trinity, God the Son is also believed to have become “incarnate by the Virgin Mary” (Nicene Creed).

Jesus keeps his divine nature, but takes on a new human nature ultimately becoming “flesh” John 1:14) in order to “receive our salvation in it” (CCC 459)

He showed the people of Israel his two natures, as “true God and  true Man” (CCC 464)

Attributes of God

One- “God revealed himself as the only one” (CCC 201)

Creator- God is the “creator of human and earth” (CCC 279)

Truth- “God is truth itself” (CCC 215)

Mystery- “God is mystery” (CCC 206)

The answer to our desires- “The desire of  God is written in the human heart” (CCC 27)

Love : “God had only one reason to reveal himself to them.. his sheer gratuitous love.” (CCC 218)

Transcendent -  “God is infinitely above everything we can understand and say” (CCC 648)

Omnipotent-  The world was created by the word of God, so what is seen was made of things which did not appear” (CCC 268(

Omnipresent- God is “present everywhere” (CCC 2671)

Omnibenevolent- “God is infinitely good and all his works are good” (CCC 385)