Experiencing God

Question 1

Other than worship name three ways that religious believers may learn about god

Answer 1

• sacred / religious text
• from their community or other believers
• pilgrimage to a holy city

Question 2

explain how believers may experience god through one type of worship (5)

Answer 2

• Prayer allows for intimacy and communication with god
• Believers can have a liturgical prayer during any of the liturgies in church. Often found in sacred text
• In Christianity they pray through Jesus which brings comfort due to his immanence
• theists pray for guidance to ask help for themselves or others
• They Access the Holy Spirit by praying to god by the power of the Holy Spirit

Question 3

Describe the work of one religious leader you have studied (5)

Answer 3

• Desmond Tutu was the archbishop of South Africa of the Christian Faith
• Advocate for peace and reconciliation in the Apartheid of South Africa, the “voice for the voiceless” and won the Nobel Peace Prize
• When Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa, Archbishop Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, where the perpetrators of terrible crimes met with and were forgiven by their victims
• He was a pacifist who held peaceful protests to bring about change in South Africa for black people
• He was briefly imprisoned for his convictions

Question 4

Difference between a General Revelation and a Special Revelation (2)

Answer 4

• A general revelation is when a God reveals himself though things which everyone can see and experience if interested in faith in god. This can come through conscience to communicate right and wrong in ones behaviour, people, awareness of morality, scripture (writing with religious significance) and reason
• A special revelation is when God communicates directly with an individual, for example a dream, vision, miracle, experience or prophecy

Question 5

Suggest one religious leader who experience a Special Revelation from a God

Answer 5

Muhammad

Question 6

How Hindus experience god through religious texts (6)

Answer 6

• Many sacred texts in Hinduism are a type of general revelation. Hindus believe these were ‘heard’ by rishis (Hindu scholars). Four Vedas are still used by Hindus today
• Sama Veda ; a collection of poems that are chanted or sung
• Rig Veda ; collection of hymns dedicated to the ancient gods e.g Agni (god of fire)
• Atharva Veda ; charms and spells for preservation and success and philosophy
• Yajur Veda - Details about the performance of priestly rituals
• These texts are highly respected by Hindus and reveal something about the nature of Brahman and reality. They provide guidance about how to behave in this life in order to attain moksha

Question 7

Name and describe the four main forms of worship in Christianity

Answer 7

• Charismatic worship. People feel god is working through them and influencing their actions first hand e.g speaking in tongues
• Sacramental worship. Receiving a Holy Communion which reminds them of the death of Jesus and gods love and sacrifice for them
• Contemplative worship: through meditation and focusing on gods creation in order to feel spiritually fulfilled
• Prayer: He or she can come closer to god by bringing their problems to Him by asking for forgiveness or help

Question 8

What is learned about god during Revelations (3)

Answer 8

• for the Christians receiving S.Rs, God is a personal and living God.
• They believe god still communicates with his followers and treats them as individuals
• Visions And dreams suggest that god knows and understands what is happening in their lives

Question 9

Explaining views of revelations to non-believers

Answer 9

• S.Vs are difficult to explain as they are generally only experience by one one person, which means an appreciation of these revelations requires faith
• Some revelations are difficult for Christians to understand if they have never experienced one before

Question 10

What Hindus believe about dreams and visions (2)

Answer 10

• Dreams are another state of ‘being’ for the Atman where Brahman is accessible to any ordinary atman
• if dreams contain a prophecy, this may be interpreted as a type of special revelation to be acted upon

Question 11

How Hindus gain knowledge of Brahman (3)

Answer 11

• Meditation ; chanting sacred verses or repeating the sacred syllable ‘aum’
• Pranayam ; using breath control to aid health and meditative focus
• Use of mala that concentrates the mind

Question 12

What do Christians learn about god from the bible ? (5)

Answer 12

• His nature (omnipotence)
• He is the creator (Genesis 1)
• He is loving (omnibenevolent)
• He Sent his son to die - Jesus’ crucifixion
• Learn about the Trinity

Question 13

Should the bible be eternally relevant ? (4)

Answer 13

• No: It is antiquated, lacks guidance on contemporary moral issues
• Yes: god inspired it and it is therefore always relevant
• Easy to relate to, parables
• Concerns Jesus when he addresses issues

Question 14

When might Christians make use of the bible?(3)

Answer 14

• Difficult times, sickness and grief
• In church as part of a sermon
• Daily devotion

Question 15

What are Cessationists

Answer 15

Christians who believe the bible is true, accurate and god breathed. But the stories are historical and only applicable to the people at the time they were written

Question 16

What does the Qur’an mean

Answer 16

Recitation

Question 17

Role of Arabic language in Islamic faith (5)

Answer 17

• Qur’an means recitation
• Arabic is the language in which the Qur’an was originally written down
• It may not be possible to translate the meaning of each word precisely and therefore only Arabic copies of the Qur’an are considered to be the Holy Qur’an
• Word of the Qur’an were written by Muhammad in Arabic
• Words of the Qur’an are recited during Salah five times a day

Question 18

Significance of the Qur’an during Ramadan

Answer 18

Recited during mealtimes

Question 19

How are the words of the Qur’an used every day

Answer 19

Words from the Qur’an are refuted during Salah fives times a day

Question 20

Worship in Hinduism and use of the 5 senses

Answer 20

• Sight; Hindus worship before an image of a god or goddess to remember different aspects of Brahman
• Sound: passages from the Vedas May be read and prayers chanted
• Smell: incense is burned as a sign of respect to the god or goddess being worshipped
• Touch; Hindus often kiss or touch the murti as a sign of respect and honour to the god or goddess
• Taste; Hindus often share food (Prashad) after they have worshipped which will have been offered to the god or goddess before being shared

Question 21

Describe special revelations in Islam (5)

Answer 21

• Miracles are important in Islam mainly as signs to prove the truthfulness of prophets e.g when Muhammad was taken through the heavens to meet Allah
• Some muslims believe that their dreams or visions can come directly from God as a teaching or message and look to the Qur’an or Hadith to interpret them
• Some muslims believe that Allah meets them through direct meetings through prayer or worship
• Special revelations reveal to Muslims that Allah is a personal and reachable God that has power to intervene in their lives
• It also confirms Allah as omnipotent and therefore can reveal himself in many ways

Question 22

Five pillars of Islam and worship

Answer 22

• Shahadah ; sincerely reciting the declaration of faith
• Salat ; performing set prayers five times a day at specific times to act as a constant reminder of the importance of Allah in the life of a Muslim
• Zakat ; giving a portion of ones income to help the poor. This helps Muslims to purify their wealth and keep away from greed
• Sawm ; fasting during Ramadan to connect with Allah
• Hajj ; the annual pilgrimage to Mecca which is expected to be done at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime