Module Three - religious belief

terminology:

the nature of religious belief = offers insights and understandings about life that then find expression in a variety of religious teachings and practices.

• nature = the qualities or characteristics of something

• feature = distinctive or prominent attributes of something

religious belief = a conviction about an idea central to a religion that expresses a religious truth (making it at the core of a religion)

• they offer particular insights and understandings about life which then find expression in a variety of religious teachings and practices.

religious teaching = what guides and informs people as to how they should respond to religious beliefs —> an example of this in regards to revelation is prayer as it allows people to reach back to God

• they can be seen within the creeds

  • Catholic beliefs and teachings are expressed in a variety of Church documents eg the Catechism of the Catholic Church which acts as the central doctrine that we need

religious practices = a recognised way of doing something religious that often uses religious signs and symbols with rituals also possibly playing an important part of the practice

• they refer to a broad range of experiences that relate to many aspects of religious life

  • eg for revelation mass/the Eucharist.

religious signs and symbols = these are used to represent and convey meaning about faith and what’s occurring or important for a religious practice, ritual, celebration, or event

• SIGNS represent or point to something else

• SYMBOLS are tangible items that represent something deeper

  • they convey meaning and help people see beyond the surface

religious rituals = use symbolic actions, gestures, and words to express what’s important about faith

• they play an important role in Catholic worship eg Sacraments

  • are frequently communal celebrations that express a sense of belonging to a community and call for participation NOT observation

  • typically Catholic rituals involve movement and gestures that act out or symbolise important elements of faith

creeds = a profession of faith, something that lists the beliefs of a group of people.

• the Catholic Church uses creeds to summarise the basic beliefs of its faith with the two main/core beliefs being the Apostles’ Creed (first and based on the teachings of the first Apostles) and the Nicene Creed (second and defines essential Christian beliefs as it emphasises the importance of the Trinity in three parts. whilst also describing the community of believers/the Church in terms of four qualities; one, holy, catholic, and apostolic which then define the unity believers strive for).

  • from the very beginning, the Church handed on the faith in a list of common beliefs that united the early Christians

The Catechism of the catholic church = presents the essential and fundamental elements of the Church’s faith

• is presented in 4 main parts with each part focusing on a key element of Catholic faith being that;

  1) Creed

  2) Sacraments

  3) Life in Christ

  4) Prayer

religious celebrations = are special times when religious communities join together in worship, prayer or to celebrate a religious festival

religious event = similar to religious celebration

• usually has a set time and sometimes a set place in which an important aspect of religious faith is celebrated

SYLLABUS LEARNING POINT 1 —> Nature of religious belief

religious belief = a conviction about an idea central to a religion that expresses a religious truth (making it at the core of a religion)

the nature of religious belief = offers insights and understandings about life that then find expression in a variety of religious teachings and practices.

CATHOLIC BELIEF OF DIVINE REVELATION:

Divine Revelation is the continuing and dynamic process by which God communicates personally with people

Therefore, it’s the process by which God has led every generation to know him personally

• it’s the active building of a relationship between the Divine and humanity as walking with God and following Him (participating in the religion) allows for salvation

The Catholic belief regarding Divine Revelation helps believers make sense of the nature of God and the relationship of human beings to God

• an example of such insight is “heaven not hell” as a link to Jesus as He comes to communicate between people and God so the relationship between them is better.

eg Marriage:

Jesus challenged the Jew’s thoughts about marriage

• The Jews saw it as a contract between two families

  • they also allowed divorce (a man from his wife) and the wedding itself was allowed to take place in a non-sacred space

• Jesus said that the Jew’s views went against God’s stipulation within the Bible in which marriage is where people stand before God and stipulate their love for each other

  • meaning that the ‘real meaning’ of marriage is a sacred union brought before God.

NATURE OF A BELIEF:

in reference to the definition and the qualities or characteristics of a religious belief

Divine Revelation is the continuing and dynamic process by which God communicates personally with people. Its characteristics include coming through Sacred Scripture and the fact it was completed at the last Apostles’ death and yet continues

CHARACTERISTICS OF DIVINE REVELATION

1) That it has come through Sacred Scripture and handed down through the Apostles

2) That it was completed at the death of the last of the Apostles, but it continues today by simply finding out what has already been revealed making it a dynamic and continuing process

—> Therefore the main purpose of Divine Revelation is the self-communication of God to then enable people to share in God’s life as;

• we are made to know, love, and serve God

• we can know God only because He reveals himself

• God reveals all the Truths necessary for our salvation.

KEY FEATURES OF DIVINE REVELATION:

OLD TESTAMENT:

• Creation:

  • the origin of God’s self-revelation as he has been made known to people from the very beginning through his creation he intended humans to admire and recognise his presence when reflecting on the created universe

• Patriarchal revelation: (MAN)

  • through Abraham, Noah, and Mosaic revelation it’s revealed to us how God revealed an unconditional love to His people over time and in stages

    • it’s this process of revelation in which it can be seen how instead of revelation primarily being a body of truths or facts it’s the personal revelation of God to humanity

NEW TESTAMENT:

• Jesus Christ;

  • ultimately his life, death, and resurrection show how Jesus was the centre of the last revelation/attempt by God

    • Jesus became known as the Messiah, the Christ —> he proclaimed and restored the kingdom of God,

      • in practice, this means that he made it possible for everyone to be free to relate closely to God

        • by relating with Jesus people came to know God the Father

• Apostles

  • through Tradition ie the teachings of the Church as seen in the Bible

    It’s in the Bible in which people are shown/have God’s revelation revealed to them

    • the Bible = Sacred Scripture - encaptures all of God’s revelations/attempts to reveal his true self to humanity

    • it’s through reading and interpreting it that people today can continue the process of Divine Revelation as they then seek to actively build a relationship between the Divine and themselves

      • Rules for interpreting the Bible correctly:

        1) God is the teacher in the Bible and as such the interpretation of any passage must be consistent with the teachings in the rest of the Bible ———> so if someone suggests that a passage teaches something that contradicts other teachings the person is mistaken

        2) Any interpretation must be consistent with the rest of Christian teaching —> God CAN NOT give contradictory teachings

        3) Jesus gave special spiritual gifts to the Apostles being that they were the final interpreters of the Scriptures these gifts were then handed on to their successors meaning that ANY interpretation of a passage of Scripture that is in conflict with their teaching CAN’T be consistent with God’s teaching

    • as such people can come to know God through the Bible by reflecting on the passages as you are essentially reflecting on God’s teachings and stirring Him within you leading to a deeper and more personal connection with Him.

TODAY:

• Life of the Church

  • through his followers today and the way in which they continue to reflect on/in Christ

  • in Sacraments, the Liturgy, and through personal prayer

  • in Creation and signs

SACRED SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION:

Sacred Scripture

• the inspired Word of God —> meaning it is NEVER to be challenged

  • it’s the Word of God written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

Sacred Tradition

• what human beings have come to understand as sacred truths revealed to specific individuals as they have been divinely inspired —> meaning it CAN be challenged/open to interpretation

  • it’s the divine truth preserved and transmitted through Apostolic teaching

EXPRESSION OF DIVINE REVELATION:

- find expression in the nature of a religious belief ie in the teachings and the practices

teaching = Jesus’ Two Great Commandments

practice = the Eucharist

Jesus’ Two Great Commandments —>

1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul

2) Love your neighbour as I have loved you

The Eucharist —>

The Eucharist is an expression of the belief in Jesus’ new covenant (God reaching out to people today = Divine Revelation)

it’s a personal encounter between God and self that acts as an expression in the belief of Divine Revelation as God through Jesus reaches out to us creating a new covenant between humanity and the Divine

3 Key Features:

1) It’s the new covenant of Jesus: bread and wine

• God wants to unite us to himself as seen in the Dei Verbum 2

  

  • making it a Holy Moment as we do what Jesus did at the Last Supper and therefore creating a covenant with Him —> The New Covenant, as shown in Luke 22:20

    “This cup is the new covenant, in my blood, which shall be poured out for you.”

2) Christians are sent forward after the Eucharist for Jesus’ mission and are nourished by the Eucharist for this purpose today

• the bread and wine = Jesus

3) It’s the real presence of Jesus Christ

• “It’s the source and summit of the Christian life” — Catechism of the Catholic Church

  meaning it’s at the heart of the Catholic faith as it’s the most powerful way we can encounter the real presence of Jesus Christ.

The belief in Divine Revelation finds expression in teachings and practices such as the Eucharist which in turn is a practice that expresses the belief in Jesus’ new covenant today where people personally encounter God today.