Religion, paper 3: Units 9 and 10

Question 1

What is revelation (in Religion)?

Answer 1

God revealing or showing something of himself. The ways in which god has made himself known to humans

Question 2

What are three examples of revelation

Answer 2

The Bible, God revealing his name to Moses from the burning bush, Jesus (who is the final revelation)

‘I am who I am’ Exodus 3:14
‘He [Jesus] reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature’ Hebrews 1:3

Question 3

What’s a vision?

Answer 3

A visual appearance, usually of Jesus, Mary, and angel of a saint

Question 4

What do Catholics view visions as

Answer 4

Private revelations that are God showing Christians his loving and mysterious nature. Visions only accepted if they don’t contradict anything taught by the Church

Question 5

What are the two different types of visions

Answer 5

Corporeal visions: physically seeing something

Imaginative visions: seeing something in dreams

Question 6

Give two example of biblical visions

Answer 6

Biblical: Abraham visited by God with a promise of protection and reward

During transfiguration of Jesus, Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus, James and John, and the voice of God spoke ‘This is my beloved son… listen to him’ Matthew 17:5

Question 7

Give an example of a non biblical vision

Answer 7

• 1424, peasant called Joan (St Joan of Arc) had visions of Saints Michael, Catherine and Margaret
• she was instructed to force the French from her homeland

Question 8

What’s a miracle?

Answer 8

Something that appears to break the law or nature

Question 9

Give two examples of biblical miracles

Answer 9

• Moses parting and crossing the Red Sea (Exodus)
• Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (John)
• Jesus healing a blind man by placing his hands on his eyes (Mark)

Question 10

Give two examples of non biblical miracles

Answer 10

• Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico City in 1531. Her image hasn’t faded and has avoided fire and bomb damage
• Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 in Lourdes, France. She pointed to a spring, which is now visited by over 5 million people a year. Around 70 verified healing miracles have happened there

Question 11

What is a religious experience and what do Catholics believe about them?

Answer 11

It’s a feeling of the presence of God. Catholics believe they confirm Gods role in the world, even though there’s a lack of evidence for religious experiences.

Question 12

What is the Principle Of Credulity? How does it link to religious experiences?

Answer 12

Richard Swinburne (a Christian) said it is reasonable to believe the world is probably how we experience it

Therefore, unless we have a specific reason to question a religious experience, it is possible that it is evidence for God.

Question 13

Who argues that wish fulfilment is argument for religious experiences not being proof God exists?

Answer 13

Sigmund Freud: adults still have childlike feelings and great delusions

Question 14

Summarise the design or teleological argument

Answer 14

• there is design in the world, must be a designer, this is God.
• One of St Thomas Aquinas’ five ways to prove God
• William Paley’s watch analogy: if you find a watch in a field, you know it has a designer

Question 15

Summarise the cosmological argument

Answer 15

• follows universal law of cause and affect; something must have caused the universe
• St Thomas Aquinas proposed God was the first cause of the universe
• Ancient Greek thinkers Plato and Aristotle called the fist cause of all other moving things the ‘prime mover’

Question 16

Who produced the inconsistent triad and what is it?

Answer 16

J.L.Mackie; the combination of any two positions (evil exists, God is omnibenevolent, God is omnipotent) means the third is logically impossible

Question 17

What do Catholics argue about the existence of suffering

Answer 17

Natural evil (evil from natural event humans cannot control) are a test of faith and an opportunity to do good

Moral evil (evil from actions of humans) is the price we pay for free will, God still encourages us to act the right way by giving us a conscience

Question 18

What are three biblical responses to the problem of suffering

Answer 18

• Job; God allows Job to be tested and tormented by Satan, faith gives strength to those suffering + shows suffering may not be something understood by humans
• Psalms; 119 teaches Christians they can learn from previous suffering
• New Testament; God who suffered through Jesus is revealed, any problem of evil has Christ at the answer, there must be a higher purpose humans can’t understand

Question 19

What are the two theodicies in response to suffering

Answer 19

St Augustine; evil is an absence of good, it exists due to abuse of free will, free will must be used to choose good

St Irenaeus; suffering allows humans to develop and grow, learn to make correct moral choices. We are created in God’s image but are incomplete, so must learn to be like him

Question 20

What are the two practical responses to suffering

Answer 20

Prayer; suffering shared in prayer
Charity; helping others is the same as helping Christ (parable of sheep and goats, Matthew 2£:31-46)
Those who help others in need will gain salvation

Question 21

What do Catholics believe about marriage

Answer 21

It is established in the creation story in genesis. Church sees marriage as uniting couple as best environment to raise children
Marriage is a sacrament called ‘holy matrimony)

Question 22

What did St Paul say about marriage?

Answer 22

Marriage bears witness to the everlasting love of Christ for his Church, husbands should love their wives as Jesus loved the church (Ephesians 5:25-26)

Question 23

What are the four marks of marriage

Answer 23

Marriage is Loving, lifelong, exclusive and fruitful

Fruitful = open to the possibility of children. Infertile couples ‘can radiate a fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality and sacrifice’ CCC 1654

Question 24

What does the church teach about sexual relationships?

Answer 24

It should be martial, unitive, and Procreative

Sex is a ‘joy and pleasure’ CCC 2362 and a sign of ‘spiritual communion’ CCC 2360

Question 25

What is cohabitation

.

Answer 25

When a couple live together (and probably have sex) before marriage

Question 26

What’s extramarital sex?

Answer 26

Adultery or having an affair

Question 27

What does the church teach about marriage and why?

Answer 27

• Family created by God and is the basic unit of society. The Holy Family (Mary, Joseph and Jesus) provide the perfect model to follow
• It is called the ‘domestic Church’ CCC 1666
• it is called ‘a communion of love’ by Pope Benedict XV

Question 28

What is the general view of family accepted by Catholics and non religious people

Answer 28

‘A family is any unit committed to sharing resources and to mutual support and the welfare of children’ (A humanist Discussion of family matters)

‘Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God’ CCC 2226

Question 29

What are the five main types of family and which one does the church support

Answer 29

Nuclear: two parents and their children, church supported
Blended: a couple where one or both has children from previous relationships
Extended: including grandparents, aunts, uncles etc living together
Single parent
Same sex parents

Question 30

Give three examples of ways the Catholic Church/parishes are obligated to help families

Answer 30

• Family worship (eg family masses)
• groups for children (eg youth clubs + children liturgies in mass)
• classes for parents (train parents on how to be a good catholic parent)
• counselling (parish priests are trained councillors)
• family group movement (eg parish friendship groups, open to all)
• donations to struggling families (eg St Vincent de Paul charity)

Question 31

What is the catholic teaching on birth control?

Answer 31

Any kind of artificial contraception is a sin. Natural family planning is the only means of birth control allowed.

Life begins at contraception and the unborn child is created in the image of God

Question 32

What is many Christians teaching on birth control?

Answer 32

Contraception isn’t a sin, although abortion goes against sanctity of life so is not okay.

Situation Ethics - decide what is write or wrong depending on circumstances

‘If contraception results in every child being a wanted child, and in better, healthier lives for women, it must be a good thing’ A humanist Discussion of family matters

Question 33

What does the Catholic Church believe about divorce, annulment and remarriage

Answer 33

Divorce from sacramental marriage is not possible, annulment can only take place under specific circumstances. Remarriage is only allowed if a partner dies.

Question 34

What is Church teaching on divorce

Answer 34

A covenant is made during sacrament of marriage that cannot be broken by earthly powers
Separation and legal divorce allowed for safety and health of couple and children, but in eyes of god they’re still married, so cannot get remarried

‘I hate divorce, says the Lord the God of Israel’ Malachi 2:16

Question 35

What does the church teach about roles of men and women in the family

Answer 35

‘Husband and wife are called to give themselves
in love and in the gift of life’ CCC 2207

Domestic work holds same value as work to generate income

Question 36

What does the church teach about roles of men and women in church + life

Answer 36

Men and women should have equal roles and rights
Yet this is contradicted by woman being unable to be ordained

Church of England allow women to be ordained etc

Question 37

What is gender prejudice

What is discrimination

Answer 37

Gender prejudice: believing people of one gender are inferior or superior on the basis of their sex

Discrimination: treating people less favourably because of their gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, class, etc

Question 38

How do Catholics use evidence to oppose (but also support) prejudice and discrimination

Answer 38

• God has no preferences between people ‘there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ Galatians 3:28
• ‘women should keep silence in the churches’ 1 Corinthians 14:34. Paul may have been trying to reduce chaos in the early church

Question 39

How did Jesus treat gender prejudice and discrimination

Answer 39

Jesus treated everyone with respect and as individuals
Examples:
- the Samaritan woman at the well (John)
- The woman caught in adultery (John)

HOWEVER

Jesus had no female disciples, and was male himself