General Religious Views Flashcards
What influences peoples’ understanding of God?
> their up-bringing and culture
their interpretation or reading of holy books
their particular faith - Muslims don’t believe in the Trinity whereas Christians do
religious experiences
miracles
very personal and inner feelings about God’s nature
Why do some people believe in God?
> they were brought up to believe in God
they have had personal experiences of God or have had a ‘religious experience’
they believe God provides answers to important questions
they have inner and almost unexplainable feeling that there is a God
Why do some people not believe in God?
> God is believed to be all-loving and all-powerful yet there is so much suffering in the world
they believe that science provides all the answers to important questions
they believe that religion is an illusion people create to help them cope with life’s problems
What is the connection between faith and doubt?
> In matters of faith there may be lots of evidence but not certain proof of how things are bringing about doubt
How does religion have value in a secular society?
> religions teach people good moral standards which make them good citizens
religious beliefs bind people into communities and these communities often tackle very difficult social problems
religions teach courage and inspire self-sacrifice so many people who do very good work for society are religious
religious people regularly give money and support to the charities of their religion
religions have people like priests,nuns and monks who work long hours for very little pay to help society
How does religion have very little or no value in a secular society?
> society is most non-religious and therefore the smaller amount of people who are religious don’t really have an impact on society
people have different traditions and values and since they out number the people who have religious beliefs, what they want usually happens
people do good work because they want to and are just good people - they don’t do it because they are religious
some people go as far as to say that religions cause social problems as they form tight communities and become isolated from the rest of society
In what way do people experience God?
> awe and wonder
prayer and worship
reading sacred texts
miracles
the kindness of people or acts of benevolence
through inner and personal feeling that God is with them
How do people respond to God?
>praying to God >worshipping him in Church celebrations >going on a pilgrimage >through a vocation >by service and commitment
Why is worship important?
> a way of demonstrating their love, respect and appreciation for God’s goodness and a way of feeling closer to him
provides religious believers with inner peace and an opportunity to reflect on what is important in their lives
a way of demonstrating how important God is in the lives of religious believers
How important is a belief in the afterlife?
> allows people to make sense of human life and their lives and helps balance up the unfair things in this life with the possible reward in the next life
people will fear punishment and avoid bad actions
people will be able to endure suffering and hardship in the hope of future happiness in the next life
people have a fixed purpose and goal in life
What is prayer?
> prayers can be specific such as The Lord’s Prayer or just talking to God in ordinary words
they can be done privately or as a community of believers
reading passages or singing hymns is regarded as praying
experiencing and responding to God
