Question 1-

The reading and the supplemental video of the Sermon on the Mount talk about the foundations of Christian ethics. As noted, Christian ethics are founded on the Ten Commandments and on the Great Commandment (Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself). Both of these sets of “rules” come from the Jewish context. Jesus adds to this with the Beatitudes; a list of blessings that sometimes seems paradoxical: those with the least shall receive the most. After watching the video, and looking up a list of the Beatitudes, how do the Beatitudes, and in general, the Sermon on the Mount relate to the Ten Commandments and the Great Commandment? That is, can you see a connection between the actions called for in the Beatitudes (actions such as humility and peacefulness) and the actions called for in the Ten Commandments/Great Commandment? What do the Beatitudes add to Christian ethics beyond the Ten Commandments?

Question 2-

As noted in the reading, Christianity is made up of many different denominations. I have asked you to read a supplemental article at the end of the chapter on the different types of Christians. The author of this article has five adjectives that describe Christians. He notes that those Christians who are “Liturgical” include Roman Catholic and Lutheran denominations. The first two “types” he lists are “Active” and “Professing” Christians. Given what you have read about the different Christian denomination, which denominations would likely fit into these two categories of “Active” and “Professing?” The final two categories are “Private” and “Cultural” Christians. The author seems to suggest these groups are worrisome to Christianity in general; why is that? Why do you think so many young people are classified within these two groups?

response

1-Active and Professing are the most devout group of Christians – committed church goers for the most part, regularly reading the bible, feeling obligated to share their faith, believing the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, what society might simply refer to as “preachy” Christians. That being said – the denominations that fall into those categories are the Evangelical and Orthodox branches of Christianity. Dedicated to their faith and spreading the word of Jesus Christ. These types of Christians are most likely to be conservative in their beliefs and less likely to adapt to society in a progressive manner (same sex marriage, abortion / women’s rights, etc)

Private and Cultural Christians are the most worrisome since they are the least vested in the religion and only hold the most basic beliefs. What my parents growing up would call “Chreasters” – the Catholics who only show up church for Christmas and Easter – the two biggest events in Christianity. These are also worrisome to many of the more devout Christians because they represent the dwindling age of traditional full on Christianity. They were most likely the generation that had religion pushed upon them by their parents – oftentimes against their will – and are now in a way rebelling against the religion. I speak about this because I consider myself to be in one of those two groups – private or cultural. Probably a combination of the two. This also poses a threat to the continued spread and overall growth of Christianity, it isn’t being passed down from generation to generation like it used to be. I think we can attribute this to the public perception of the Catholic church, specifically with their past decades of abuse coverups. Many younger people find the hypocrisy and the “human” aspects of the religion to be a turnoff.

2-I believe those of the Protestant and Pentecostal denominations are more of the “Active” and “Professing” categories. These groups tend to attend services regularly, invest in a personal relationship with God, read their Bible, and believe that following Jesus is the key to achieving salvation. The “Private” Christians are those that reflect the loss of the upcoming generation to the Church, which are those who have become the self-reliant spiritual people. The “Cultural” Christians show the loss of the context of Christianity, which means that anything and everything can be seen as a Christianity. These groups show the lack of faith that is present in society, which can lead to extreme forms of religion that are not Godly or complete disbelief in any form of Christianity. I think so many people are classified in these two groups, because they never had guidance in their faith life, or they were more likely raised in a faith tradition that did not align with their personal values. I think they fall away due to the institutional elements and the dissonance they experience, but they may never find a way back to their faith when they fall away from it for a long time. If more people fall away from Christianity, this can threaten the leaders of the Church as a whole, because there will not be as many people participating in the Church. This is happening specifically in the Catholic Church and I am starting to understand why people fall into this category, but thankfully I am starting to see that there’s not only one religion to follow to believe in God and achieve salvation. It’s the whole this is our way and this is how we do things that causes people to be forced into a religion. Instead of finding something that they believe in, they take a passive back seat and “follow” what they are supposed to most likely in order to please someone else.

Please post your reflection “nugget” for the readings from week 1. Pick one point of interest to reflect on for 100-150 words. The purpose of the reflection is for you to begin organizing your thoughts in preparation for the final research paper/presentation

For Thursday’s discussion board-view the following:

1. Chapter 11, Chapter 11 RELG3: World YouTube Channel, Chapter 11

Jesus of Nazareth – The Sermon On The Mount (Links to an external site.)

2. Chapter 11, read article on types of Christians and beliefs/practices:

5 Kinds of Christians.pdf

Click on the link below for the Week 5 lecture:

Week 5 Lecture_cbm.docx

Week 5 Lecture_bsn.docx