Unit 1 Module 1 Flashcards
Meaning
Designed or destined for a particular purpose, when something is given a value
Purpose
The reason for which something is done/created, or for which something exists
Important Life events that prompt questioning
Marriage: Will it be difficult to always trust my partner?
Birth: How can I be a good parent?
Development into Adulthood: What is my purpose in life
Death: Is there life after death?
Being Religious
• When people seek, search and think about the meaning of life and the reality of God they are being religious. How a person responds to this search and where they find support and answer to their questioning may lead a person to accept and follow their religion.
• Examples:
Sensing the presence of a greater being
Working out reasons for the existence of God
The Search for Meaning
People search for and find meaning in life in many different ways. Many people find answers in religion and choose to follow that religion as a way of life. A person’s search for meaning often occurs with the experience of important life events which have the capacity to prompt a person to question the meaning and purpose of their life. This questioning leads people to God to find an answer and begin a religious journey.
The Search for Meaning: Types of Experiences
Throughout life people have many experiences. Some of these experiences are mundane and ordinary while others may be dramatic. Yet all have the power to change a person and prompt them to ask important questions about the meaning and purpose of their life. There are three broad categories of life experiences a person can encounter: The Created World, Others, The Mystery of who they are.
The Search for Meaning: The Created World
The wonder of creation leads people to ask important questions about life and its meaning. This type of questions may lead people to first think about the existence of beings greater than them. The universe constantly effects people even when they’re not conscious of it. People wonder at the origin of the universe, its grandeur and its power. They wonder about its future as they grow and in understanding of its origins. These thoughts lead them to awareness of the divine.
The Search for Meaning: The Goodness of Others
The goodness in other people lead people to ask important questions about its life and meaning. This type of questioning leads people to first thinking about the existence of a being greater than themselves
The Search for Meaning: Personal Mystery
The discovery of personal mystery is one of the most significant of all human experiences as it has the potential to lead a person to important questioning about who they are, the purpose of their life and its meaning. This type of questioning may lead people to first thinking about the existence of a Being (or beings) greater than themselves. As people spend time reflecting about themselves, they find that there are always new insights and understandings about the mystery of themselves.
The Role Religion plays in answer questions about meaning and purpose
People search for and find meaning in life in many different ways. In response to the search for meaning, many people find answers in religion and choose to follow a particular religious as a way of life. A person’s search for meaning often occurs with the experience of important life events which have the capacity to prompt a person to question the meaning and purpose of their life. Such questioning can lead people to God. When people respond to this, they begin a religious journey.
Christianity: plays a role in helping answer peoples questions about the meaning and purpose of life and directs them to having an intimate and personal relationship with God.
Roman Catholicism: in particular plays a role by reminding people that they have been created to relate with their Creator and that this is where questions of the ‘human heart’ come from, and that it is the human conscience that recognises these questions.
The Catholic Church plays a role by providing their followers with opportunities to study the following to support their relationship with God:
• the life of Jesus himself.
• the Scriptures.
• the teachings and beliefs of the Apostles, handed down within the Church instituted by Jesus.
• Christian moral teachings.
