Religious and Spiritual Experience

Question 1

‘For where two or three come together in my name,there I am with them.’ Matthew

Answer 1

This shows how Christians view worshipping together as a time when God is with them. They believe that worshipping together, as well as in private, will help them to develop their faith giving them:

• A sense of unity
• A feeling of tradition
• A peaceful way to reconcile and resolve disagreements
• An opportunity to look at Christianity in a new way
• A chance to support others
• A chance to receive Holy Communion

Question 2

‘The seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.’ Exodus

Answer 2

This demonstrates how Christians believe Sunday to be the day of Worship as they believe that this is the Sabbath and that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday.

Question 3

‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me…. This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ Corinthians

Answer 3

This shows the importance of Holy communion- and how it represents Jesus’ last supper and the words he spoke, reminding them of his sacrifice.
For Catholics, Holy Communion (or mass) is the most important part of the service where bread (or wafers) and wine are shared as the body and blood of Jesus. Catholics also believe in the idea of transubstantiation- that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.
Communion is not made such an emphasis of in other Christian Churches, and is not always performed every week- they instead place more emphasis on hearing the Gospels and the Word of Christ.

Question 4

The Lord’s Prayer (‘Our Father who art in Heaven….’)

Answer 4

This is the best known prayer in Christianity and many Churches use this prayer as it is the words of Jesus.
It reminds them that they should praise God, ask for forgiveness and pray for others.

Question 5

Hail Mary (‘Hail Mary, full of grace…’)

Answer 5

This prayer is mainly used in Catholicism with Rosary beads as well as in Churches and is used as an expression of devotion to Mary and the immaculate conception.
In the Rosary there are 150 Hail Mary’s said, which echo the 150 Psalms in the Bible. This allows Catholics to meditate upon Jesus’ life.
Hail Mary is also used in the Angelus. It demonstrates a very liturgical form of Worship.

Question 6

‘On that day they fasted and there they confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord’ Samuel

Answer 6

This shows how, in the Bible, fasting is sometimes used as a way for people to confess their sins, or show the sincerity of their prayers and, in the book of Acts, people are shown to be fasting before they make important decisions.
Many Catholics try to fast before taking Holy Communion, so that they can focus more on God.

Question 7

‘When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’ Matthew

Answer 7

This shows how, in the New Testament Jesus taught that if people wanted to fast, they should do it for the right reasons, as a way of getting close to God, rather than to impress others.