Unit 4 AOS 1 Flashcards
Where do challenges come from?
- Internal or external sources
- Theological: sometimes the religious tradition has challenges from inside the religion due to different interpretations of beliefs
- Ethical: political/wealth issues or power issues
- Threat to existence
What makes challenges significant?
- Could be the number involved in challenge,
- Length of time involved in the challenge
,- The threat of the existence of the religion - May cause breaks in the tradition (schism)
- They force changes to religious aspects
Different stances a religion can take in responding to a challenge
They could,
- Reaffirm their beliefs
- Accept with conditions changes
- Reject or deny challenge
- Ignore the challenge, dismiss issue
- Reevaluate
Aspect of religion that is most likely to be challenged
- Ethics
- Challenges that occur may test people and force them to make decisions which would go against their morals/behaviours
Edict of Milan: who and what was challenged?
- Identity of the early Chuch as a persecuted and highly committed group of churches in the Roman Empire
Edict of Milan: what was the challenge and why?
- Constantine becomes Emperor
- Seeks to legalise Christianity and have it become the state sanctioned religion
Edict of Milan: what were the responses of the church?
- Majority of leaders of church welcome the opportunity
- Minority disagree
Edict of Milan: what aspects were challenged?
- Codes of behaviour: pacifism; most early Christians were pacifist and refused to serve on the Roman army
Edict of Milan: what was the impact of the response in the church?
- Wealth: christian churches had always been relatively poor and powerless
- Edict of Milan allowed reclamation of property and reimbursement of losses as well as a number of other benefits
When did the Edict of Milan occur?
- In 313 after an agreement with the Eastern Emperor Licinius
What was the impact on the wider society after the Edict of Milan?
- Rules and laws were changed
- Church and state as people were now allowed to freely practice Christianity and it was made its sanctioned religion
What was the Great Schism 1054?
- The break up of the Christian churches into two sections: Western and Eastern
- Turned into Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church
Why did the Great Schism occur?
- One problem was that the Roman Catholic’s changed the Nicene Creed which was not allowed and the Eastern Orthodox Church did not agree with
- Another was that Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox felt as though they had jurisdiction over the Balkan territory
Result of the Great Schism
- Two sides have not reconciled yet
