role of church in community + living practices Flashcards
rites of passage
a ceremony or ritual which marks a stage in someone’s religious journey
Infant baptism
Roman catholic + church of england - water sprinkled over childs head
orthodox - immersed in water in the baptism bowl - represents leaving behind the life o f sin and entering a new christian life
bpatised the child in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit
use of water - cleansing of original sin and the beginning of a new life
roman catholics - then rub blessed oil ( chrism ) to symbolise the coming of the holy spirit which will beginw orking in the child’s life
priest may light a candle to represent moving from spiritual darkness to light
congregation welcomes child
infant baptism is seen to have an inward effect upon the child
parents take vows on behalf of the child which the child can then reaffirm at a confirmation later in their life
confirmation
no age limit
roman catholics, orthodox, church of england and methodist
opportunity to confirm their own personal faith
take part in a series of classes to undrstand more about the fauth
at the service they will answer the same question that their parents did at the baptism
‘Do you turn to christ?’
‘Do you repent your sins?’
bishop places hand on candidate’s head and prays for god’s holy spirit in them
roman catholic - also put some chrism on their forehead, a symbol of richness from the holy spirit
confirmation fulfils promises once made by a candidates parents
once confirmed - they are consciously setting out to a live a Christian life
dedication
Non conformist church like baptists DO NOT BELEIVE IN INFANT BAPTISM
Bible - adult baptism is a choice to demonstrated once indoctrination of faith
INSTEAD THEY HAVE A SERVICE OF DEDICATION FOR THEIR INFANT - gives thanks to god for baby
parents + congregatiuon make promises to commit to bring them up in a christian faith until the child is old enough to make their own declaration of faith
prayers - seeks god’s wisdom and guidance
believer’s baptism
in baptist churches - a symbol of individual’s free choice to become a christian
adult asks god for forgivennes and publicly commits themselves tot he faith
may give a testimony about how they became a christian
believr stands waist deep in a pool of water - wears white to symbolise purity and forgiveness of sins from god
minister asks them to proclaim their repentance of sin and commitment to the faith
then minister sasys i baptise you in the name of the father and of the son and the holy spirit and lays the beliver fully back under water
this symbolises removal of sin
the believr being raised up again symbolises new life and new faith with the prescence of the holy spirit
water itself symbolsies the cleansing work of god
Christian marriage cermonies
-start of ceremony, minister explains the purpose of marriage and explain that couple will come together in sexual unity and have children
( not just an act for them but also for god - a binding commitment to one another and god ) ( bigamy is illegal. Christianity teaches a monogamous relationship )
- couple exchange vows in front of god and congreation
‘In the prescence of god, i make this vow’
vows include - encouragement to stick to commitment, reasurrance of commitment and guidance on how to relate to spouse
-Couple then exchange rings and minister asks god to bless the vows they have made - rings are a symbol of commitment - an outward sign to others that they are married and unavailable for a marital/sexual relationship with anyone else
prayers of guidance for the couple are said - encouraging their reliance on god
keeping god at the centre of their united lives
some churches have eucharist after marriage
couple given birth certificate
Orthodox wedding services
-couple excahnge rings at engagement before wedding
THIS IS CALLED TEH BETROTHAL CEREMONY - MOST RITUALS REPEATED THREE TIMES TO REPRESENT THE TRINITY - rings placed on third finger, given candles in left hands to signify willingness to god
wedding services - silver crowns (STEFANAS) held over heads of bride and groom - crowns represent royalty of marriage
best man may also presetn them with two crows with white ribbon symbolising unity of marriage
three sips of wine from a shared cup - trinity and shared cups represents the unity and who they become one with god
also recalls when jesus turned water into wine at Cana
priest curcles alter three times and they follow - this represents the first steps taken as a united christian couple
Orthodox wedding services
-couple excahnge rings at engagement before wedding
THIS IS CALLED TEH BETROTHAL CEREMONY - MOST RITUALS REPEATED THREE TIMES TO REPRESENT THE TRINITY - rings placed on third finger, given candles in left hands to signify willingness to god
wedding services - silver crowns (STEFANAS) held over heads of bride and groom - crowns represent royalty of marriage
best man may also presetn them with two crows with white ribbon symbolising unity of marriage
three sips of wine from a shared cup - trinity and shared cups represents the unity and who they become one with god
also recalls when jesus turned water into wine at Cana
priest curcles alter three times and they follow - this represents the first steps taken as a united christian couple
funeral rites
marks the end of physical life but the hope of ongoing spiritual life
- an acknowledgement to person no longer living but in god’s care
- mourners benefit as they draw comfort from other mourners
- reassured that the dead person will live on with god
- an public expression of their love for the deceased
- marks beginning of new life
EPITAPH - gives honour to someone who has died and is usually inscribed on their tombstone
Christian funeral service
bible reading - reading focuses on eternal life with god
eulogy - talk or speech reflecting on the person’s life. minister reminds congregation of eschatological beliefs
prayers - prayers said for friends and relatives of dead person
hymns - hymes are sung with the focus of afterlife or a favorutie song aof the dead person may be chosen by relatives or friends
Requiem mass ( CATHOLIC CHURCH )
mass for the dead
begins with a liturgy that requests god to ‘GRANT THEM ETERNAL LIFE’
Requiem mass (orthodoix and greeek orthodox)
fullest form of the memorial service
contains hymns readings and a liturgy - can lasy three hours
church of england
no requiem mass but some high anglican services will inlcude a requiem mass as part of a funeral service
burial/cremation
burial - futher prayers said alongside graveyard before final comittal statement by minister
commititng the dead person to god’s care - purpose of commital stateement
church of england commital statement - ‘we therefore commit his/her body tot he ground’
how church comminities help families
Church services mark significant events
role of minister is beyond just providing a service - visiting sick people or offers counselling to couples experiancing marital difficulties
church communities - run volunteering services to help young mothers or elderly folk
church involved in local charities - providing respite care for caretakers
youth clubs - socialise
examples of agape in action