GCSE RE: Religious and Spiritual Experience

Worship

Christian Beliefs

• Worship - worthiness, act of love for God
• We develop spiritually through worship - getting closer to God
• Through worship, we praise and adore God

Communal worship

• Services, masses, funerals, sacraments, prayer groups
  
• Votive mass - on a particular theme e.g. lleavers mass - hymns and readings are different
• Holy communion - Catholics beleive Jesus truly becomes the body and blood - consecration
• Other christians believe it is just a symbol of the last supper and Christs sacrifice
  
• Hymns - express thanks and praise for God
• Readings, Gospels and sermons - word of God, relates to everyday life

Private Worship

• Alone in quiet prayer - own prayer, reading a prayer, saying the rosary
  
• Reading the bible
• Meditation

Symbolism in Worship

Objects, Sacraments and pictures

• Baptism - water symbolises cleansing of original sin, new life
  
• Candles - light of Christ
  
• Oil - Used to anoint with the sign of the cross
  
• Holy water - affirming baptism with a sign of the cross, purity, lifegiving
  
• Incense - prayers going up to God, sweet smell involves all the sences in worship
  
• Dove - peace, Holy spirit, Christs baptism
  
• Crucifix - Jesus sacrafice
  
• Cross - Christ overcoming death
  

Colours - Usually the colour of the priests vestments

• Purple - (advent and lent) times of penance
  
• White - (easter and christmas) purity, memory of resurrection
  
• Gold - (easter and christmas) celebrating important festivals
  
• Rose - (3rd Sunday of Advent and 4th Sunday of Lent) anticipation for the coming event
  
• Red - Pentecost, coming of the Holy Spirit, remembering Jesus' suffering
  

Use of Music and Art in Christian Worship

Music

• Communal singing allows people to worship as one body
• Hymns used to praise and thank God - organs, guitars, gospel choirs
• Lyrics in a song are sung directly to God
• Quiet instrumental used for meditation

Art

• Way to express beliefs about God
• Statues, needlework, paintings, stained glass
• Brings people closer to God - awe and wonder, beauty
• Important when people couldn't read - way of understanding

In Churches

• Stations of the cross - remind people of Jesus' suffering
• Icons - Mary, Jesus, God, Saints, Apostles - contain symbols
• Stained glass windows - explain stories in the Bible, light shows God's purity
• Some churches don't use art - distraction from God, doesn't fully represent God's greatness
  

Prayer and Meditation

• Way of communicating with God
• God wants us to pray often and listen his response, which will deepen our relationship with him.
• Quote - "The eyes of the Lord are apon the righteous, and his ears are attentive to thier prayer" (Peter)
• Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to pray
• He stayed awake to pray and encouraged the desciples to do the same
• He prayed on the cross before he died.

Types of Prayer

• Confessions - saying sorry for God for our sins
• Thanks and adoration
• Concern for others
• Asking for something - help, healing, guidance
• Private prayer
• Responses in church
• Well known prayers - our father, hail mary
• Meditation

Food and Fasting in Christianity

• Going without food or water, to get closer to God and remember Jesus resisting the devils temptation in the desert.
  
• Quote - "Man must live on bread alone, but by every word that come from the mouth of God" (Matthew)
• Jesus said fasting should be personal, not to baost about
• Christians believe, as 'stewards', we should eat food that was produced without cruelty or chemicals.

Lent

• Some Christians give up luxery things, such as chocolate, to remind them that they must rely on God and as a reminder of Jesus in the desert for 40 days
• Teaches us to resist temptation and have self -control
• Some do kind and genorous acts, such as donating or raising money for charity.

Communion

• In communion, the bread and wine turns into Jesus' body and blood, as it did at the last supper
• Quote - "This is my body, which is for you, do this in rememberance of me" (Corinthians)