Module Two

GCSE RE Full Course

Religious and Spiritual Belief

Key Areas…How Christians experience God as a community or as

an individual through worshipThe concept of worshipWorship in a Christian place of worship or at homeThe symbolism of worship: how it is used and what it

meansThe use of art and music to express beliefs about GodThe concept and purpose of prayer and contemplationHow food is used in Christian festivalsFasting as a response to God

What is Christian Worship?• The word ‘worship’ means ‘worthiness’. Christians

believe that in their worship, they are offering something that is worthy and precious to God – because He is worth it.

• Born out of Jewish worship tradition – holy day on Sunday rather than Saturday (Sabbath)

• Christian tradition of worship connecting them with the Holy Spirit (see Pentecost notes)

Why worship God?• For Christians God is the almighty creator of the universe

– Therefore should be praised.

• Each worshipper then has opportunity to say and show how much God means to them.

• God is loving and so Christians should respond by loving Him in return – Model for living life – i.e. loving their neighbours to express

their love for God.

• There are different ways of worshipping

Prayers: they play a very important part in all Christian worship. The worshippers add ‘Amen’ at the end of the prayer. Sometimes people speak the prayer out loud.

Sermon: sometimes called the ‘homily’ – is a talk given

by a minister. It explains the meaning of a passage

from the Bible and how people might apply it to

their lives.

Hymns: these are poetry set to music. By singing them together, worshippers are expressing a spiritual fellowship with each other.

Bible readings: this is where a Bible

passage is read aloud, often by a

member of the congregation.

Public Worship – Division Style 1

Liturgical Worship• This follows a written pattern set

down in a prayer book. While the Bible readings and hymns vary each service to suit the theme of the worship, the basic structure of the service stays the same each week.

• The familiarity of the service provides comfort, as does the continuity of the text being unaltered over centuries.

• Anglican, RC and Orthodox churches mainly follow a set liturgy.

Non-Liturgical Worship• This type of worship does not

follow a set order of service / liturgy. While the services may have a general structure, the form it takes varies each week.

• Non-Liturgical worship is likely to be Bible-centred, with an emphasis on modern hymns.

• There is a stronger feeling of freedom and emotion in the service.

• The emphasis is on participation, and anyone can lead the congregation in spontaneous prayer.

Most Christians belong to a local Church and attend services in their place of worship on Sundays. Church services mostly fall into one of two categories:

Non-Liturgical Worship• Non – Liturgical services, however, are not all the same.

Far from it!! – Many different Pentecostal groups, for example, participate in

highly emotion-filled services – Charismatic worship involves the process of Glossolalia in

order to connect emotionally with the Holy Spirit– The Quakers, an older group going back to the C17th, spend

their time worshipping in almost unbroken silence. – Baptist and Methodist Churches do not have a regular

structure to their services but they are non-liturgical since their services do not follow a prayer book.

Public Worship – Division Style 2 Division over the place of the Last Supper

‘The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me’ (1 Coe 11:23-5)

Ritual/Sacrament has different titles Sacrament: an outward, physical sign of an inward, invisble grace Holy Communion, Eucharist (Anglican) and Mass (RC) and the Lord’s

Supper (Non-Conformist). This is the service at which worshippers share the symbols of bread

and wine to help them share spiritually in the death of Jesus. By taking part in Communion worshippers are re-enacting the Last Supper.

What actually is the Eucharist? Orthodox Church

Real Presence of Jesus – bread and wine truly become the body and blood (Transubstantiation)

Roman Catholic

Protestant Traditions Jesus spiritually present but no change to the bread/wine (memorialism) Jesus spiritually present but no change to the bread/wine until received by

a Christian when they become the blood and body (receptionism)

Anglican Traditions Not a uniform belief as changes dependent on the tradition of the parish.

‘Real presence’ but bread and wine not transformed (consubstatiation)

No Eucharist? There are 2 major Christian Churches that don’t

celebrate Communion Salvation Army Quakers

Focus on the primacy of the word of God and action in the world rather than engaged in a ritualistic/sacramental focus

Private Worship Many Christians set aside a time each day when they read their

Bible and pray quietly. Some Christians refer to this as their ‘Quiet Time’.

They will use this time to pray for: Anything in the world that concerns them. It might be something that they

have read about or seen. The needs of their family and friends. Someone might be facing a decision

about their future or their health Themselves and their own needs. Jesus encouraged people to pray for

themselves but only after they had prayed for others.

Christians feel that this time of private worship gives them a solid foundation on which to base their lives day by day

Private Worship• Rosary Beads to aid

worship– 1 crucifix– 5 Sets

• 1 large• 10 smaller

– Say Apostles Creed– Remember

mysteries (key events of Jesus’ life)

– Prayer to Mary

Informal Worship• Grace said at meal times

– ‘For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen

– Bless O Lord this food we are about to eat; and we pray You, O God, that it may be good for our body and soul; and if there be any poor creature hungry or thirsty walking along the road, send them into us that we can share the food with them, just as You share your gives with all of us. Amen

• Pray together at key religious events in the year– I.e. Advent

• House Groups– Informal groups meeting for Bible Study, Prayer, friendship.– Some are a continuation of the Church into the local community so that

prayer and worship can continue outside the church setting– Informs Christian lifestyle

Christians often use symbols as language is inadequate. Over the centuries many Christian symbols have been used and they can still be seen today in many places of worship.Cross: this is the most well

known and important symbol. It reminds people of Jesus’ death on the cross and that Jesus brought them forgiveness and everlasting life.

The Chi-Rho: this is an old Christian symbol taken from 2 Greek letters, the 1st two letters of the word

‘Christ’.

The Fish: in the earliest days of Christianity in the empire, Christians were persecuted and killed. The fish was used as a sacred sign so that Christians would know that other believers were around.

Alpha and Omega: these are the first and last letters of the Greek

alphabet. The were used to speak of God at the beginning and end of

time.

• Icthus is the Greek word for fish. The fish symbol was adopted by early Christians as a secret sign, due to persecution. The fish symbol was chosen because, in the original Greek, the letters stand as an acrostic for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."

Architecture

Churches dominated by the altar.• Most churches were built in the

shape of a cross with the alter at the far end of the building. This was to make God seem distant, remote and Holy. A rail was placed around the alter that only the Priest could go within.

• The same is seen in an Orthodox Church where God’s holiness is conveyed by a screen called the iconostasis, which hides the alter from ordinary eyes.

• Holy Communion is at the centre of of RC, A & O services.

Churches dominated by the pulpit.• The alter in modern churches is

now centred in the middle of the congregation and the emphasis has changed to the pulpit from the alter.

• This a raised platform from which the sermon is given . Non-conformist churches tend to be very simple as the preaching of God’s word in the Bible is at the centre of their worship.

• These are often called ‘chapels’.

Christians have been building churches since C3rd C.E. The design was intended to help worship and suggest certain ‘truths’ about God.

Music and ArtMusic

• This has always played an important part in most act of Christian worship. Vocal music going back to C15th, and sung by a choir, plays an important part in services in larger churches.

• Hymns have long been one of the most important forms of music in the western world.

• Traditionally hymns were accompanied by an organ although now it’s more likely to be guitars, drums and pianos.

• Purpose includes communal praise, reflection, commemorating specific occasion

• Rise of Gospel music

Art• Many Christian Churches are richly

decorated with art in various forms Stained glass windows Statues Icons• These are used to illustrate Bible

stories and different symbols that Christians might find useful in worship.

• Statues of the Virgin Mary are very common in RC Churches.

• Icons are characteristic of Orthodox Churches.

• The Church may depict the 14 stations of the Cross

Christian Prayer and Contemplation• Prayer is the basic way in which they communicate with God. • In any family, it is important that the children speak openly to

their parents as Christians are part of God’s family (God the Father)

• They believe that God loves them and wishes to look after/support them.

• Christians believe that God listens and answers their prayers but this is not necessarily in the way they might expect.

• When they pray, they are following the example of JC in the Gospels.

• JC put a big emphasis on prayer in his own life and encouraged others to do the same.

• Christians feel that when they pray they are entering into God’s presence where they receive divine strength and guidance.

The Lord’s Prayer• The Lord’s prayer (Our Father - RC) is the most

important of all Christian prayers. This is because it is the only one that Jesus actually taught his own disciples to use.

Our Father in HeavenHallowed be your nameThy kingdom come,Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation.But deliver us from the evil one.

Matt 6.9-13

Adoration: praising God for his greatness

Intercession: praying for

other people who are in

need

Petition: praying for their own

needs

Thanksgiving: thanking God for all His good gifts. Christians believe that everything comes in/directly from God

Confession: Christians

believe that they are sinners who need to ask for

God’s forgiveness

before they pray

Meditation and Contemplation

• Meditation is an important spiritual activity.• When some Christians meditate they try to focus their

thoughts quietly on God. • They might do this by thinking about a particular Bible

passage or by focusing on a piece of music or art(icon). • They might simply go and sit in their favourite place or in

their place of worship and know that they are in the presence of God.

• Contemplation is a slightly different form of this in which believers find themselves taken up with God. This is a form of prayer that some Christian saints did in the past.

The Jesus Prayer• As well as using icons in their spiritual devotions, Christians in the Orthodox

tradition also make use of the ‘Jesus Prayer’. This prayer can take several different forms but it basically says:

‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me’• More than just a prayer, this is really a cry for help. Many Christians use it as

an ‘arrow’ prayer, one that they use when they do not have time for anything longer.

The Jesus Prayer recognises 2 things:

Who Jesus is – the Son of God. This means that Jesus had the power to help because he is divine – God himself.

We are all sinners and so need God’s help – we cannot enter God’s presence unless we have His forgiveness.

Many Christians use this prayer as a basis for their spiritual meditation, thinking deeply on the depth of meaning in each word. They say the prayer in

rhythm with their own breathing so that it is muttered many times a day – almost without the person being aware of it

Ask and it shall be given unto you• Jesus is not telling his disciples that all

of their prayers will be answered in the way they want /expect. That clearly does not happen. Christians believe that God will answer their own prayers in His own way and in His own good time.

Christians believe that Jesus is God’s own Son and very close to Him. The favourite name that Jesus applied to God was that of ‘Father’ and he encouraged his followers to think of God in the same way. He told his disciples:

Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened unto you. For everyone who asks

receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened. (Matt 7:7-8)

Food and Fasting• Unlike many other religions, there are no rules about

what a believer may / not eat.• We read in the NT (Mk 8:1-13) about JC feeding a large

crowd of people with just a small number of loaves and fishes.

• He encouraged his followers to use the symbols of bread and wine to remember, and celebrate, his death on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

• One incident in the life of Peter (Acts 10:9-16) suggests that they were allowed to eat all kinds of meat as the animals were given by God to ‘enjoy’.

Food and Fasting• In many religions, fasting – going without food – is an

important religious discipline. Many people believe fasting is important because it is a form of self-denial and discipline.

• It leads the worshipper to realise some things are more important than physical needs.

• Fasting is not a widespread or important discipline for the vast majority of Christians today.

• A few people may give up some luxury during Lent, but this is not real fasting.