World Religions: Christianity for Intermediate 2 and Higher

NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT

Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

World Religions – Christianity

[INTERMEDIATE 2;

HIGHER]

The Scottish Qualifications Authority regularly reviews the arrangements for National Qualifications. Users of all NQ support materials, whether published by LT Scotland or others, are reminded that it is their responsibility to check that the support materials correspond to the requirements of the current arrangements.

Acknowledgements

Learning and Teaching Scotland gratefully acknowledge this contribution to the National Qualifications support programme for RMPS.

Scriptures quoted from the Good News Bible published by The Bible Society/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK © American Bible Society, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992.

This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by educational establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.

CONTENTS

Contents

Introduction 4

Section 1: The human condition

The human condition – from what do I need to

be saved? (Parts 1–5) 6

What is the cause of the human condition? (Parts 6–8) 22

Section 2: The goals of life

What are the goals during life? (Parts 9–12) 32

What is the final aim of existence? (Parts 13–18) 46

Section 3: The means to achieve these goals

What helps to achieve the goals? (Parts 19–23) 63

What practices help to achieve the goals? (Parts 24–28) 78

Appendix

Online sources 98

Some reading suggestions 100

Glossary 101

Theologians cited in this pack 103

RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – CHRISTIANITY (INT 2/H) 3

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Introducing the support materials

These support materials are centred on three organising principles and their meaning:

(1) The Human Condition: From what do I need to be saved?

(2) The Goals of Life: What is my destiny?

(3) The Means to Achieve These Goals: What must I do to be saved?

It is important that you have an understanding of these principles and the part they play in the Christian religion. You should be able to relate different concepts to the principles and think about their importance in the world today.

These support materials are therefore in three sections, subdivided into 28 parts. Each of the 28 parts consists of an explanatory section and then various activities for you to test your knowledge. Many of the activities (especially debates etc.) will also need homework preparation and class time. Interspersed through the three sections there are ‘Section reviews’ (pages 21, 32, 45, 61–2, 77, 96) which can be used for revision and testing your knowledge on the materials in the section. The aim of these materials is to balance academic understanding of the Christian religion with some idea of how it is lived practically in the world today.

Included in this pack are the biblical ‘source’ passages to be examined. These are taken from the Good News Version of the Bible. Interaction with the sources will allow you to engage with the concepts within a Christian framework of understanding. On the whole, particular denominational perspectives have only been mentioned in areas where there exist differences of opinion between the Christian groups. Elsewhere, broad labels such as ‘Christian understanding’ have been preferred.

These support notes are just that, ‘supportive’. They are meant to engage and help you become familiar with the main elements of the Christian religion centred on the three principles listed above. They will assist you develop knowledge, allow you to explore different viewpoints and encourage you to evaluate the significance of Christianity in contemporary society. However, they do not claim to tell the whole story. You will be expected to supplement the material here with your own reading and research on the

topics. The websites and bibliographic sources listed at the end of this pack are a good place to start this task.

Be creative, be lively and above all enjoy interacting with elements of this hugely influential world religion.

RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – CHRISTIANITY (INT 2/H) 3

THE HUMAN CONDITION

Section 1: The Human Condition

The human condition – from what do I need to be saved?

1. Introduction

We are all members of the human race, living in human bodies and experiencing the world as human beings. However, this common ‘humanity’ can be understood and interpreted in many ways.

Understanding of what it means to be human can differ according to race, religion, culture, context, situation and time. Before we look at Christian answers to the question of the human condition it may be helpful to consider our own ideas of what it means to be human.

Activity 1.1

Discussion

Get into groups and consider the following questions:

· Make a list of all the different things that make up being a human being.

· What is important to human beings?

· Where do you think humanity comes from and what is the point of human life?

Activity 1.2

Newspaper search

· Try to gather newspaper articles which give some idea of what it is to be a human being.

· Do the human beings in these stories have anything in common with you?

· What do these stories tell us about human beings?

Activity 1.3

The human condition in films

There are a number of films that address questions of the human condition. Think about themes in one of your favourite films and consider the following questions.

· What picture of human beings does this film give?

· What ideas about human beings appear in the film?

· What goals are the characters aiming for and how do they achieve these goals?

Films give many different ideas about human life and what is important in human life. Two fairly recent examples are Spiderman and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In Spiderman, when Peter Parker realises the changes and powers brought about by his spider bite, he has to learn to use his gifts unselfishly. Spiderman is tempted by the demon Green Goblin and must overcome that temptation. Spiderman’s mission changes his whole approach and outlook on life. He has power, but also responsibility. The closing scene presents Spiderman having to put his own desire to be with the girl he loves second to his mission to overcome evil.

In The Lord of the Rings trilogy Frodo must forget about his own fear in order to destroy the ring and conquer evil. On one level he is a small unimportant creature, but on another level his actions and choices affect everyone. The message of the film suggests that unselfish actions can often be more powerful than the selfish use of great power.

Activity 1.4

Brainstorm on Christianity

As a class, make a list of all the things you already know about the Christian religion. Someone should act as a scribe, recording people’s comments on the board. (Consider beliefs, practices, information about the history of Christianity, and any other facts you know).

What is the human condition?

Genesis is the first book of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is an important part of the Christian Bible. It is also used as the sacred scripture for Jews. Genesis is often called the ‘book of the beginnings’ or ‘origins’, and it tells the story of how and why humanity was created.

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning, when God created the universe, 2 the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the power of God was moving over the water. 3 Then God commanded, ‘Let there be light’ – and light appeared. 4 God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness,5 and he named the light ‘Day’ and the darkness ‘Night’. Evening passed and morning came – that was the first day.

6-7 Then God commanded ‘Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places’ – and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it. 8He named the dome ‘Sky’. Evening passed and morning came – that was the second day.

9 Then God commanded, ‘Let the water below the sky come together in one place, so that the land will appear’ – and it was done. 10 He named the land ‘Earth’ and the water, which had come together, he named ‘Sea’. And God was pleased with what he saw. 11 Then he commanded, ‘Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit’ – and it was done. 12 So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw. 13 Evening passed and morning came – that was the third day.

14 Then God commanded, ‘Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin; 15 they will shine in the sky to give light to the earth’ – and it was done. 16 So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars. 17 He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw. 19 Evening passed and morning came – that was the fourth day.

20 And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.’ 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.’ 23 Evening passed and morning came – that was the fifth day.

24 Then God commanded, ‘Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life: domestic and wild, large and small’ – and it was done. 25 So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.

26 Then God said, ‘And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds and all the animals domestic and wild, large and small.’ 27So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, 28 blessed them and said, ‘Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds and all the wild animals. 29 I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; 30 but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food’ – and it was done. 31 God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came – that was the sixth day.

Genesis 2

1 And so the whole universe was completed. 2 By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. 3 He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working. 4 And that is how the universe was created. When the Lord God made the universe, 5 there were no plants on the earth and no seeds had sprouted, because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land; 6 but water would come up from beneath the surface and water the ground.

7 Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live. 8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed.

9 He made all kinds of beautiful trees grow there and produce good fruit. In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.

10 A stream flowed in Eden and watered the garden; beyond Eden it divided into four rivers. 11 The first river is the Pishon; it flows round the country of Havilah.12 (Pure gold is found there and also rare perfume and precious stones.) The second river is the Gihon; it flows round the country of Cush. 14 The third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. 16 He said to him, ‘You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, 17 except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.’

Source: Genesis, Chapters 1 and 2

2. God, one creator, beyond human understanding, reveals self to humanity

God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. (Genesis 1: 31)

Christians believe in one God, who created everything. Many teachings of Jesus and the earliest Christian creeds affirm this: ‘I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth’ (the Apostles’ Creed). God not only creates but also continues to support and provide for the world.

The idea of God as creator is first found in the Genesis story and is an important part of Christian teaching. Christians believe that God created the universe out of nothing (ex nihilo). Everything owes its existence to God. God as creator guarantees the ‘goodness’ of creation, he is pleased with what he has created (Genesis 1: 10). A number of important Christian beliefs about God are related to this.