Module One - search for meaning
summary notes:
Focus = religion’s place in society —> people’s varying responses to religion and how people turn to/respond to the way it handles their concerns, needs, and questions.
Related Syllabus content/concept:
the relationship between important life events and the questions people ask about meaning and purpose in their lives.
breakdown;
relationship = the connection between people, the environment, etc
important life events = experiences that alter someone’s perspective/outlook → who they are and what would or could make people ask something and in turn think beyond themselves
questions = queries or concerns or the search for information
people = children, teens, adults (society)
meaning and purpose = the reason for which something exists or is done/made/used —> it’s why things occur or have specific outcomes (the meaning and purpose of (their) life).
This module is about how what we experience as individuals in our lives shapes our understanding of the world around us and why we exist.
People search for and find meaning in life in many different ways due to an important life event —> in response to this search many find answers in religion and choose to follow a particular religious way of life.
important life events:
can happen at any moment in your life and often trigger your search for meaning with four main, significant experiences across cultures and ages
1) Birth:
the birth of a child is a special mystery experience due to the creation of a new being that’s completely dependent on you and it can stir questions about:
unborn life
parenthood
the wonder of the new-born child
the depth of personal joy
family relationships
belonging
2) Development into adulthood
the development into adulthood shows the journey one goes through as one becomes independent of those around them as they are recognised as being capable of living full adult, mature, and responsible lives and it can stir questions for both those in this stage and their families about:
the desire to be accepted as responsible
how to become more responsible
discovering how to influence and make a difference
personal identity within society
social and community responsibilities
future vocations and work
3) Marriage
marriage is the joining of and commitment between people who have responsibilities that impact another first-hand and can stir questions for the couple, their families and others close to them both before and after the commitment about:
commitment
the path to future life
relationships
parenthood
personal priorities
trust
sharing
4) Death
death to show the fragility of life and lead to you asking why as well as stirring questions about:
the nature of death
whether those who are good and those who aren’t, end up together
personal values and priorities
personal lifestyle
how to find forgiveness for past guilt
illness
suffering
FROM A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE —> The search for meaning and the role religion plays in the lives of people is understood in terms of a number of important understandings outlined below:
1 = human heart questions
these questions create a link back to God due to them being at the core of our relationship with him as all people have been created to relate with their Creator
it’s when people “listen to their hearts” that they can then find God (more easily).
meaning that the search for and thinking about God comes from within
it’s within our hearts that each person can find themselves stirred to ask questions and seek out God
2 = conscience
plays an essential role in moral decision making but it's also so much more as it’s also
“Man’s most secret core and sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.”
meaning that conscience is:
the source of true religious yearnings and is able to recognise the experiences of God found within the human heart
what stirs a person to recognise signs of God and draw a person into dialogue with Him
something that needs to be properly formed in order to enable a person to recognise and accept God’s guidance
able to recognise genuine religious experiences.
BUT what actually is a religious experience??
Genuine religious experiences of God have a number of effects as they lead people to then consider things above themselves:
These effects:
tend to not be short-term and lead people to think more about their lives and behaviour
cannot be kept inside and draw people together as they need to be expressed
are able to relate to issues of daily life ie they AREN’T an escape from reality
Effects of searching:
A person’s search for meaning and purpose in their lives could lead them to:
sense the presence of a greater being
work out reasons for the existence of God
acknowledge that they themselves are dependent upon a divine being
resist efforts by others to stifle their religious behaviour, especially by persecution and ridicule.
ACTUAL EXAMPLES OF LIFE EVENTS THAT LED TO PEOPLE SEARCHING:
1 = 9/11
a horrific “satanic act” that led to many people questioning the meaning of life and their purpose on Earth, causing many to turn to religion and some form of God for answers including the Stantons.
the darkness around ground 0 gave way to a guiding light in which the ‘true’ God was able to bring good
in the Stantons’ case, they realised they wanted a real relationship with God as they were totally dependent on Him for their future.
2 = Danny Abdallah
a parent who went through something none should go through, causing him and his wife to turn towards each other and towards God as they sought answers to questions that were brought about through their children’s deaths.
three of their kids and one cousin were killed by a drunk driver when they were going to get some ice cream, turning the Abdallah’s lives upside down
“it was like entering the aftermath of a war zone.”
they were found with a choice between numbing the pain or responding to it and running towards God so He could lead them through this time.
3 = Victor Frankel
a Holocaust survivor (also the only family member that survived)
losing his family (wife and kids) led to Victor looking for something more —> to him choosing to look beyond the darkness that encompassed the camp and see something/believe in something other than nihilism*
it led to him discovering the true meaning of life - love - and this idea that love transcends and triumphs over everything including death, giving him hope/the feeling of his family’s love instead of hopelessness due to their deaths
giving him a reason to live.
*nihilism = the belief that life is meaningless/just darkness, bleak and black.
LIMITS OF SECULARISM
Religion survives because it answers three questions:
1) Who am I?
2) Why am I here?
3) How shall I live?
We’ll always ask these questions and religion has ALWAYS been our greatest heritage of meaning —> it’s been our greatest source of/for meaning throughout history
THEREFORE
not only has religion not died, but, it’s a fundamental and primary source of community and altruism
and it’s through this collective belief within certain societies that give them advantages over others
it’s this idea of the whole community having someplace to belong that gives the upper hand
MEANING it’s not about the number of guns or politics but the shared belief that there’s something more to life than just a series of accidents, that life is more than an accidental collection of atoms.
it’s also not a war between science and religion as we need science to explain the universe and religion to explain the meaning of human existence
important quotes:
“The idea of life having a purpose stands and falls with the religious system” ~ Freud
“To believe in God is to see that life has meaning” ~ Wittgenstein
“To know and to answer the question, ‘what is the meaning of human life?’ is to be religious” ~ Einstein
“The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind” ~ Einstein
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” ~ Nietzche.
So… basically
Faith is what brings society together in a collective meaning and purpose of each individual’s life.
rather than providing a single answer to multiple questions, religion allows for each person to find their own answer and sense of belonging in something that’s more than just themselves
This then ultimately lets them see the meaning of life instead of life being meaningless.