THE 225: Midterm Exam

Question 1

Who is Jesus?

Answer 1

He is a faithful Jewish, itinerant preacher who is the Messiah and described as being a “Miracle Worker.” He is categorized as a non-traditional teacher, with not credentials, and he talked about God as well as the kingdom. He brought a new understanding of God and was unorthodox. He can also be described as: rebel, apocalyptic, savior, revolutionary, fraud, and heretic.

Question 2

What did Jesus teach?

Answer 2

Jesus preached to love thy neighbor and the importance of love. He preached about love in all aspects: loving God, loving your neighbor, you enemy, and those that hate you. Additionally, he taught about the Kingdom of God and healed many in the name of God.

Question 3

What is the definition of a myth? Please describe myths.

Answer 3

Myths are true explanations of invisible realities. They are deeply serious insights about reality that include narratives that express profound truths but cannot be verified. They are also highly imaginative accounts of divine-human interactions. They do not contradict truth but explain what is beyond empirical observation. Myths give meaning. They do not contradict truth but explain what you cannot see.

Question 4

Why are myths necessary for religion?

Answer 4

Myths are necessary for religion because they are they embody the traditional foundations of a culture as well as understanding. Myths give understanding, ground the laws and rules, and are the framework of life as we know it. They deal with questions of cosmic and human origins and legitimate laws.

Question 5

The birth of the Mythic God - The God of the Hebrews

How do followers of the mythic religion understand the world and their place in it?

Answer 5

Followers of the religion understand the world and their place in it by speaking to Moses. For example, when the slaves were freed they felt that God chose them and he will take care of them.

Question 6

How did Jesus the Jew understand his relationship with God?

Answer 6

Jesus understood that God loved him special and he was the person who was chosen to teach about love.

Question 7

What decision did Jesus’ followers make that caused a major shift in Church History? (Council of Jerusalem) What was that shift?

Answer 7

Gentiles could follow without being Jewish. The shift was from Jewish to the religion of Greco-Roman. Gentiles did not have to become Jews before they could follow Jesus

Question 8

What was Christendom?

Answer 8

Toleration, major religion, ruled, forced conversion

Question 9

How did Christendom help/hurt Christinaity?

Answer 9

Helped: official religion, spread, tolerated
Hurt: became too political, lost holiness, lost intensity

Question 10

How did the Church’s relationship with the world change over time?

Answer 10

Lost intensity

Question 11

What was the general understanding of sin in the 15th century?

Answer 11

Sin = hell, indulgences 
Sin = you did something bad, you will pay by going to hell; no questions

Question 12

What are indulgences? How were they being used at the time?

Answer 12

Full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins - forgiven; helps reduce time in purgatory: instead of doing 2 years of public penance, you could pay equivalent. They were being abused, were selling them to pay for building

Question 13

Who was Martin Luther? What did he attempt to do? What was the outcome of his challenge?

Answer 13

Martin Luther was a Greek monk, professor of theology, and seminal figure of the Protestant reformation. He disputed the church regarding the selling of indulgences and God’s punishment with money and attempted to fix this. He began teaching that he confronted this by addressing his Ninety-Five Theses. He was then excommunicated by the Pope and created Protestantism. He translated the bible to German. He then sung hymns in church, got married, and became the Protestant leader.

Question 14

What was the purpose of the Council Of Trent meeting?

Answer 14

All bishops got together (world-wide) to focus on what we do really teach and the rules within the religion.They spelled out what was right and what was wrong. They cleaned up their act on indulgences. Indulgences were still used, but they were not abused.

Question 15

What did the Council of Trent teach? How? (Define: “Anathema”)

Answer 15

The council of trent focused on what was defined as a Protestant at the time and defined church teachings in the areas of Scripture and Tradition, original sin, justification, sacraments, the Eucharist in holy mass, and the veneration of saints. It answered the Protestant disputes. The masses were then standardized and could be found to be conducted the exact same way all through out the world. Anathema was something evil that would allow for eviction from the Church. It is when a person disagrees with something

Question 16

Why did the church consider modernism a threat? What did modernism stand for?

Answer 16

The church considered modernism a threat because people and theories began to question God. People began to think that they do not need God and can think for themselves. The human beings were to become too powerful and realized they can improve the world but not only praying, but by using our mind and thinking. The church was upset because God was not longer in charge but the wealthy, white males were when the church felt that there was only one way - God’s way. Additionally, the modern world was taking the bible literally which it should not be taken as but instead should be looked at as a myth.

Question 16

How did the church respond to modernism? How did science respond to the church?

Answer 16

The church rejected scientific truth and executed people who stood for it. Additionally, science rejected religion and began throwing out the bible saying that if you cannot see it, you cannot prove it. The church retaliated by trying to prove the myths within the bible.

Question 17

What (false) choice does modernism make the believer in the Mythic God address?

Answer 17

.

Question 18

What was the purpose of the Vatican I meeting?

Answer 18

The purpose of the Vatican I meeting was to establish rules to the Church and to discuss modernism. It was started to deal with the influences of rationalism, liberalism, and modernism. In discussion, it defined the Catholic doctrine concerning the Church of the Christ.

Question 19

What did it teach?

Answer 19

The meeting taught Catholics not to get caught up in modernism. It wanted Catholics to do as they were told giving them a list of rules and telling them they need to obey them because you want to go to heaven, not hell. Catholics were told to choose faith. Additionally, it taught about pall infallibility which states that the Pope has full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole church. He speaks for Christ and is the ultimate authority.

Question 20

Name and describe Fowler’s stages of faith.

Answer 20

Stage 1: Vibrations - magical, imaginative world
Stage 2: In-doctrination - beliefs of family, country, religion; if you say so, I believe it
Stage 3: Parade - following the community, peers, unity, loyalty, follow everyone else
Stage 4:Polarities - think for yourself; I decide what I believe in; don’t want to march in the parade of others; may way is good, their way is bad
Stage 5: Balancing - mysterious universe of diversity; start to question; conscience comes in to play (judgment, recognizing moral quality of act and whether it is right or wrong), everyone could be right; respect all ways
Stage 6: Harmony - very rare; amount of commitment; will die for this; God is present everywhere; selfless service; sense of connection and direct experience with the transcendent

Question 21

What is so critical about moving from stage three to stage four?

Answer 21

Between stages three and four there is the dramatic transition of beginning to think for yourself. You begin to no longer follow what others says and your belief comes out of a personal decision. In 1-3, you believe because of others, but in 4-6, you consciously choose for yourself.