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A3.1 Believing in GodA. Why believe?Faith means to believe and trust � more than just ideas. Cardinal Newman said �Faith is a principle of action�. What we believe determines how we try to live our lives. B. Catholic upbringingMost people follow the religion of their upbringing. The example of people around them, and the things they teach, lead them to follow the same beliefs and practices. For a Catholic there are many aspects of Catholic upbringing that may lead someone to keep to Catholic faith. some of these are Catholic education (schools), being taken to Mass, baptism, confirmation and first communion, parental teaching and the example of parents and other relatives and friends. C. Religious ExperienceC.1 Experience of the numinousMany people believe because they have had an experience of something greater than themselves. It is a feeling of Awe and Wonder � sometimes it involves fear. An example from the Bible would be when Moses heard God speak from the Burning Bush. These experiences may be moments of conversion, but not always. C.2 ConversionPeople sometimes come to God by experiencing great change in their lives. Typically something happens to them and they make a dramatic change. An example from the Bible is the conversion of Saint Paul. Many other famous Christians have had conversion experiences � such as St Augustine. Some Christians describe this kind of experience as �being baptised in� or �receiving� the Holy Spirit. C.3 MiraclesA miracle is an event breaking a natural law and only explicable by reference to God. Some �miracles� might have a rational explanation (conincidence) but for the people who experience them they are convincing of the power of God. Examples from the Bible are the miracles of Jesus. More recent examples are found in people who have been healed at Lourdes or other places of pilgrimage. C.4 PrayerReligious people believe God answers prayers � though not necessarily in the way that they hope. Responses could be �yes�, �no� or �not yet�. There are several different kinds of prayer. The main forms are: vocal (words and voices) meditation (of the mind), contemplation (without words or thoughts). Different practices and techniques may be used in prayer: e.g. rosary, prayer alone or with others. Jesus taught his disciples to pray. In particular he taught them the Lord�s prayer. C.5 MysticismA mystical experience is a more unusual kind of experience � an extreme experience of the numinous. Mystical experiences are out of body and out of time. Normal senses are suspended. People often say they have had visions and are sometimes given messages. William James said that there are four main characteristics of a mystical experience. noetic � an experience of the mind. It could also be called �ecstatic�. The person having a mystical experience feels outside space and time. ineffable � it is very hard for the person to explain the experience in words. transient � the experience does not last, and may be difficult to remember precisely. passive � although some people practice techniques to lead to mystical experiences, when the experience comes the person does not feel in control. It is something which comes from outside the person. You do not need to know these terms, but you should be able to explain what they explain. Some drug-induced experiences are similar to mystical experiences. Most religions have some form of mysticism, but only a small number of people ever have a mystical experience. Famous Christian mystics: St Teresa of Avila, Hildegaard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Richard Rolle, St John of the Cross, and many others. (It is useful to know something about one of these, or another mystic). D. ArgumentsSince about the 17th Century, people have argued about whether God exists or not. Arguments for and against the exisitence of God rarely convince people, but they do help people who do (or don�t) believe to feel they have support for their belief. D.1 The Argument from DesignThe Argument from Design is that the world is very complex and intricate. It is hard to believe that it could have come about by chance. The beauty and intricacy of the world suggests that there must be a designer. William Paley (1743-1805) described this by comparing the world with a watch � if you found a watch on the ground, you would be convinced that it had a maker and a purpose. The world is much more complex, so it must have a maker. A note about Creation. The beginning of the book of Genesis describes God as creator of the world and this is a basic Christian belief, in �God, the Fatheralmighty, maker of heaven and earth� (Creed). Scientific ideas of the origin of the world are steady-state theory � it has always been here � and biochemical ideas � big bang and evolution. Some see Science and Religion in conflict: some reject religion because of it, others (creationists) reject this part of science. The Catholic Church sees no conflict between the two ideas. Genesis is not meant to be a scientific book. It explains the why, rather than the how. D.2 The Problem of EvilThe ProblemChristians believe that God is Omnipotent (All-powerful),
Omniscient (all-knowing), and Benevolent (all goodness). If this
is so, then the existence of evil in the world is a problem for them. If God is
all-powerful, could he not overcome evil? If he is all-knowing, could he not
forsee evil? If he is all-good, he cannot want evil to exist. God must be the answer
to evil, but what is the cause? This problem is known as theodicy. The AnswersCatholics have a number of answers. 1. Practical answers: prayer and service. Catholics see the existence of evil in the world as a challenge to ask God to act and to do something about it themselves. The Catholic Church is strongly in favour of human rights, Catholics work for peace and justice in the world and often do works of mercy in caring for people who suffer. 2. Pain can be meaningful. Pain is not a good thing in itself, but suffering can lead to good being done, as when someone sacrifices something for a good end. 3. God�s ways are mysterious. God understands better than we do what is good. What might seem very wrong to us could have some purpose for God that we cannot (yet) see. 4. Original sin. The Catholic Church teaches that God made the world good but evil entered the world through the disobedience of human beings. Original sin lies at the heart of the evil which is found in the world, and the power of evil (the devil). 5. Free will. God gave human beings free will to decide whether to serve him or not. God does not force people to serve him, so if people are allowed by God to choose evil rather than good, evil will exist in the world. 6. Preparation for heaven. Catholics believe this life is a preparation for life in heaven, so any suffering in this life will be put right in heaven. E. Passages and ReferencesYou do not have to know any of these, but they are useful background. Burning Bush Exodus 3:1-15 Conversion of St Paul Acts 9 Job who suffered and argued with God Genesis 1 The creation of the world Revelation 21:1-4 � a new heaven and earth where all tears will be wiped away. Matthew 6:7-15 The Lord�s prayer.
The Catechism of the Catholic ChurchBelieving in God: 26-49 Faith 142-184 Theodicy 385-418 The Life of Prayer and types of prayer 2697-2724 Some LinksMYSTICISMChristian Mysticism http://www.digiserve.com/mystic/Christian� and� http://www.christianmystics.com William James on Mysticism http://www.well.com/user/elliotts/smse_james.html DESIGNWilliam Paley on Design http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rossuk/Paley.htm |