Christian Practices: Worship & Celebrations (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies A: Christianity): Flashcards

False.

As well as Pentecostal churches, some Protestant and Roman Catholic churches worship in a charismatic way.

Quakers sit together in silence because they believe stillness gives them space and time to listen, reflect and connect with God.

Worship lets Christians express love and honour to God, creates unity among believers and strengthens their faith.

Communal worship (also known as collective worship) is worship that Christians share together as a group, mostly on a Sunday in a church.

Private worship can include silent prayer about a personal concern, meditation, reading the Bible and expressing thanks to God.

A sacrament is a rite or ritual through which a believer receives a special gift of grace. For Catholics, Anglicans and many Protestants, it is an outward sign of inward grace.

A sacrament must have form (words and/or actions), matter (physical objects such as water) and intention (of the person to perform the sacrament).

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that there are seven sacraments.

Most Protestant Churches recognise only Baptism and the Eucharist because they believe these are the only two that Jesus instituted.

False.

The Salvation Army and Quakers do not recognise any of the sacraments. They see them as unnecessary symbols for the inward acceptance of God’s grace.

Most Christians believe sacraments strengthen their relationship with God and help them grow in goodness and faith and become more like Jesus.

Matthew 28: 19 records Jesus’ command: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".

A believer’s baptism is a baptism that takes place when a person is older, because some Christians, such as Baptists and Pentecostals, believe a person should have a choice.

Lighting the candle symbolises that the child has received the Light of Christ.

Christians who baptise babies usually also hold a confirmation service so the person can declare their faith when they are old enough to understand.

Leaving the pool symbolises the end of an old life of sin and separation from God and the start of a new life serving God.

Some Christians point to John 3: 5: "No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit".

The Eucharist remembers the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples, as well as his death, his sacrifice and the miracle of his resurrection.

False.

Baptists see the bread and wine as symbols. They believe God is present through Christians coming together.

Catholics believe in transubstantiation, and that the bread and wine give worshippers the saving power of Jesus.

Metousiosis (or trans-elementation) teaches that the bread and wine change in a mysterious way into the body and blood of Christ, while keeping their outward form.

Prayer is communicating with God, in silence or aloud, with others or alone.

Intercession is a form of prayer in which Christians ask God to help other people.

In a prayer of confession, Christians admit their sins and ask for forgiveness.

Adoration is a form of prayer in which Christians worship God and acknowledge His goodness and greatness.

Prayers of supplication remind Christians that they cannot do everything themselves and that they need someone greater than them.

False.

Christians believe private worship is just as important as public worship, and many feel a better connection with God when they worship privately.

Informal prayer is when Christians talk to God in their own words; some Christians call these prayers extempore.

The Lord’s Prayer is based on the words Jesus used when he guided his disciples in how to pray.

The Lord’s Prayer refers to God as The Father, which links to the Trinity.

False.

Many Christians believe God communicates back, guiding them with important decisions through the Holy Spirit.

Christians draw comfort from prayer because they believe God is listening to them.

The Bible often shows Jesus praying, so when Christians pray they follow his example.

False.

Some denominations emphasise formal prayers with specific structures and liturgy, while others encourage spontaneous prayer.

Catholics might use the Rosary while praying, or they might focus on the Stations of the Cross.

Christians who believe in predestination may view prayer as a way of aligning their will with God’s plan.

Christians who emphasise free will may see prayer as a way to influence outcomes.

A pilgrimage is a journey by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons.

False.

Pilgrimage is not compulsory in Christianity, but special places can help to build a Christian’s spirituality.

Christians may want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and his parents, who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Bible.

Protestants may visit places where they can find peace to study the Bible and pray, for example Iona.

Catholics believe that a 14-year-old girl called Bernadette Soubirous had 18 visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes.

Many Roman Catholics visit Lourdes to seek healing, because they believe miraculous healings have taken place at its spring of water.

False.

Other Catholics go to be cleansed from sin, to bathe in the water to symbolise baptism, to pray at a holy site or to praise God.

Columba arrived on Iona in 563 AD with 12 followers, built his first Celtic church and established a monastic community.

Iona is a symbol of Christian unity, as it shows that different Christian groups can live, work and worship together.

Roman Catholics might visit Rome because it is where the Pope lives.

Some Christians visit Taize in central France to join the monastic order or to share in the community’s way of life.

Some Christians argue pilgrimage helps people realise that material things won’t make them happy and breaks their dependence on technology and social media.

True.

They may see praying to the Virgin Mary or worshipping relics as idol worship, because they believe only God deserves worship.

They believe the internal spiritual journey matters more than any external visit, and that God can be encountered anywhere.

Martin Luther said, "All pilgrimages should be stopped. There is no good in them".

The name Christmas comes from the old English term "Christ’s Mass", a celebration of the Eucharist.

The Incarnation is the Christian belief in God in human form, in the person of Jesus.

False.

The actual date is not known. The date of 25 December became fixed during the 4th century.

Christians give presents because Jesus was God’s gift to the world.

One theory says Christians chose 25 December because it was close to the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which fell after the winter solstice.

The date of Easter varies according to the date of the Jewish festival of Passover, so it falls in March or April.

Lent is a time of spiritual preparation that begins on Ash Wednesday and recalls that Jesus faced testing by the devil before he started his ministry.

On Palm Sunday, Christians remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

On Maundy Thursday, Christians commemorate the Last Supper, which Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before he died.

False.

Good Friday is a time of grief and reflection. Some Christians fast, and Catholic churches strip their altars bare and muffle their bells as a sign of mourning.

Orthodox Christians walk around the church at midnight on Saturday, then enter the darkened church with lit candles or lamps.

At the Saturday night vigil, Catholics and Anglicans light a large Paschal candle to symbolise the risen Christ.

At Easter, eggs symbolise new life.

Christians believe that without the birth of Jesus, there would be no Christianity.

False.

Christians believe Jesus’ suffering gives them strength to cope with suffering in their own lives.

Christmas shows the importance of family because Jesus was born into a human family.

Easter celebrates Jesus’ victory over death and evil through his resurrection.