Canada – World Religions

Commandments of the Church

Did you know that in addition to the 10 commandments there are an additional 5 “Commandments of the Church”. But there used to be more, or less.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commandments_of_the_Church

Read about the history of the “Commandments of the Church” and write a short post emphasizing your understanding of the current commandments, make mention of any other details in the article you find relevant.

Bonus: see if you can find a source online that specifically lists the holy days of obligation in the Canadian Catholic Church. In Canada, only two holy days of obligation sometimes do not fall on a Sunday. What days are these?

Angel of the North

In this painting, The Angel of the North by Ojibwa artist Blake Debassige, we can see how some First Nations artists are integrating the spiritual traditions of their own people with those of the Christian tradition. The painting also reveals the connection between the natural world and the spiritual world.

What familiar symbols can you find?
What elements in the painting show the importance of the natural world to Aboriginal peoples?

Reflection:
Note the wings of the angel in the painting. They are shaped like the wings of an eagle, a spiritual symbol often seen in Aboriginal art. Placing the wings of an eagle on the shoulders of an angel symbolizes a merging of Aboriginal spirituality and Christianity. the angel is drawn as a two-dimensional, transparent figure, revealing the spiritual nature within – a style that is common among the Woodland school of artists made famous in Canada by Norval Morrisseau. The rays from above suggest the presence of the Great Spirit or God. The angel has released one of her sacred feathers as a gift to those who live on the Earth for use in their sacred rituals. The eagle is one of the most sacred spiritual symbols for Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Angel of the North and other similar paintings illustrate the way in which some peoples have integrated their spirituality with their Christian faith.

Isaiah 40:31

The Basics of the Christian faith

Is there more to life than this? (previously Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?)
Who is Jesus?
Why did Jesus die?
How can we have faith?
Why and how do I pray?
Why and how should I read the Bible?
How does God guide us?
Who is the Holy Spirit?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
How can I resist evil?
Why and how should I tell others?
Does God heal today?
What about the church?
How can I make the most of the rest of my Life?

Baptism

In the 1970s, the United Church reached an ecumenical agreement with the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches in Canada that baptisms within these churches are mutually recognized as valid. Further to that, the United Church recognizes the validity of any baptism by another denomination that was performed with water and in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.^[1]

RS 25/35: Remember the Titans Assignment

Introduction:

Read Unequal Access: Canadian Race Relations

Canadians tend to think that racism is more prevalent in the United States, but not so much in Canada. The above report seems to say otherwise.

Questions: (answer three of the following)

What is your reaction to the above information? Did anything surprise you? If so, what? If not, why not? Do you agree with the information presented in the report? Take a position on the report (believability, reliability, etc) and provide support for your position from your experiences or research. If you do not deem these statistics convincing and valid, then what other explanation is there besides racism that might explain the information provided in the report?
Read Galatians 3:26 – 28 and Matthew 20:1-16. You can use oremus Bible Browser to help you. Explain what implications these texts have regarding racism. Explain how the statistics reported in the above article Canadian Race Relations might change if these scripture texts were taken seriously.
What can the story of the 1971 Titans teach us about our world today, especially in relation to race relations in the wake of 9/11 or even more recently the ISIS (ISIL) threat? Since the events of 2001, does our country treat Muslims according to Christians values? Read the article CBC Discrimination poll to find out how Muslims are treated in Canada.
Gerry Bertier tells Julius in the hospital after being in a car accident, “I was afraid of you, Julius. I don’t understand what I was afraid of. Now I only know I was only hating my brother.“ Does prejudice stem from fear? Explain your response providing evidence. Is racism and/or prejudice and/or bigotry a learned behavior? Explain your response providing evidence from personal experience or from research. Here is an interesting article (Children learn attitudes about race at home) about racism as a learned behaviour.
At the beginning of the film, before training camp, we hear the line; “He’s just another blessed child in God’s loving family.” At the end of the film, we are told to “Trust the soul of a man, not his look.” Both of these are good sentiments, if they are spoken with sincerity. However, in the film, the first is spoken sarcastically. Even though it is spoken using sarcasm, is this a truth according to Galatians 3:26 – 28 and Romans 8:14? You can use oremus Bible Browser to help you find out. What exactly does, “Trust the soul of a man, not his look”, mean? Explain.

The rubric titled Movie Study Assignment Rubric located on the pages at the left will be used to grade this assignment.