Category: Church

The Catholic Church is a worldwide religious organization with a large number of believers. The number of Catholic Christians constantly rises worldwide: the reason for that is the prevalence of psychological and spiritual problems around the globe, and the Christian belief system helps people cope with them. Many people encounter a lack of belief and lose any sense of life. Depression and suicide rates are high, especially in developed countries; anxiety and apathy are widespread. The Church is one of the solutions: it provides a strong belief system and an extensive worldwide supportive community.

In my opinion, the Church is well suited to cope with all those psychological problems widespread in the modern world. Modern Catholic Church is much more tolerant than in previous centuries, and it is open to all people. When one loses the sense of life, depression, and anxiety begin; those depressed can find the sense of life in God, and the Church will help them find Him. Those who lost their ways in life will find the support of fellow believers and church priests. People will develop their mental health through prayers, individual spiritual work, and conversations with fellow believers. In church confessions with the priest, believers can better understand themselves, their hidden motifs, feel relief after their improper actions, and lose motivation to perform them again. Thus, the experience with the Catholic Church will lead to better, more fulfilled, and less sinful lives.

I remember my experience of visiting Catholic churches: those are vivid and beautiful memories, full of purity and kindness. During the church service, there are choral singings charged with strong and really divine emotions. Catholic priests are people, and they all are different, but those I have met were kind and understanding people, ready to help and support. The confession with a good priest is similar to psychotherapy: one reveals darker sides of the psyches, confessing in their actions and swear not to perform evil deeds, releasing the negative feelings and intentions and letting them go. After choral singings and confessions, I always felt purity, relief, and easiness; sadness, guilt, and other hard feelings left me. I also saw that the church community was ready to support its members: if some of them had no money, other members got together and donated money for this member. I can conclude that the Church creates an environment that makes people better and supports everyone who comes into it.

Churches are maintained by their communities costs: they accept donations and use them to build, develop, and promote churches. Charity is crucial for the Catholic Church: one of the primary points of Christianity is the principle of mutual aid and support. Christianity considers people as sisters and brothers and claims that they should support each other to provide a better life for everyone. Due to that, charity organizations are often based on Christian churches, as a genuine following the principles of Christianity makes people ready to help others. I believe that it is another important mission of the Catholic Church: to promote charity and mutual aid around the globe.

Thus, the Catholic Church remains an important social and spiritual organization, which helps people find their ways and maintains a strong and supportive worldwide community. Its strong organization and belief system, proven by centuries of existence, is ready to accept those who feel lost and help them find the meaning of life in their belief. In addition, it promotes charity and the principles of mutual aid, and its communities are ready to help their members with money and psychological support. In my opinion, if one wants to help people who are in trouble, one should consider donating to the Catholic Church: its purposes are similar, and the Church communities will use this donation to help people around the world.

Although the realm of the Christian community and, particularly, the Christian Church, might seem as entirely unclouded, several underlying conflicts have developed over years of interpreting the Word of God and implementing theological research. In his book The Word and Power Church, Dough Bannister (2009) expresses the concern that the inclination to choose between the Word and the Spirit rather than embrace the two has been reducing the spiritual potential of the Christian Church. Although Bannisters argument might be overly reliant on anecdotal evidence and subjective personal experiences, his coherent argument concerning the rift between conservative evangelicals and cessationists makes the book very compelling.

Although a significant number of arguments that Bannister (2009) makes are rooted in his personal experience, the reading interacts quite closely with the anticipated ministry context. Namely, Bannisters (2009, p. 17) statement articulates the presence of a brewing conflict and the resulting increasing tension within the Christian community: Yet the text was leading me into beliefs that many evangelicals in those days didnt agree with. The described problem stemming from the lack of agreement on several issues, including different interpretations of the Biblical text, has been affecting the Christian community for a significant amount of time. Therefore, it is anticipated that the concerns expressed in The Word and Power of Church will find their way into the future ministry environment as well.

Indeed, the argument presented in the book is coherent and compelling, with a plethora of anecdotal pieces of evidence to support it and establish a clear pattern of interactions observed within the Church. Moreover, despite incorporating mostly unique experiences of the author, the book was also very compelling from the personal perspective of the reader: Our nation is at a critical juncture and is poised to reject the Christian faith forever (Bannister, 2009, p. 21). As I read the book, I realized that my worldview involved a unified Christian community and that my spiritual expectations did not align with the observed state of affairs. Specifically, the book revealed quite a lot to me about my perception of the role of a minister, the interpretation of the Bible, the idea of cooperation between Church members, and other crucial details about my stance on the issue. Particularly, I realized that, even as an individual, I had the power to prompt change and start the transformation that would allow for the further unification of the Christian community and the resolution of the existing conflicts. Specifically, the imbalance between the Word and the Spirit, as Bannister (2009) described it, could be addressed.

Therefore, even though I did not agree with all the points that Bannister made in his book, most of the arguments were quite convincing. For example, even though the statement concerning the need to incorporate the Spirit into the current Christian practices involved a significant number of subjective opinions, the general point that the author was making appeared quite coherent and reasonable. Thus, the book has left a noticeable impact on my perception of the role of a Christian leader, as well as the current state of the ministry.

Despite the abundance of personal opinions, anecdotal evidence, and subjective statements, Bannisters (2009) The Word and Power Church provides a very accurate description of the nature of the current conflict within the Christian Church. Therefore, the book needs to be seen as a guide to building a stronger and more unified Christian community. Moreover, Bannister has offered important insights into how the ministry can be improved by offering different interpretations of the Scripture by emphasizing the role of the Spirit along with that one of the Word.

Reference

Banister, D. (2009). The word and power church: What happens when a church seeks All God has to offer? Zondervan.

Introduction

In his book Turning Points, historian Mark Noll attempts to trace significant events in the two-millennium history of Gods New Testament church. Noll (2012) examines the key theological and historical topics that drove the churchs development. While Noll provides a general picture of church history, he also allows the reader to focus on specifics. In this essay, I will address three emerging ideas. The first two include Jesus divinity and identity (Christology) and Protestantism, which emerged from the content essays. The other is the issue of the Trinity doctrine and the rise of anti-Trinitarians, which I identified from Nolls text.

Insights from the Content Essays

The idea of Jesuss true identity features prominently in the essays. The essays generally suggest Chalcedon was concerned about more than just Jesus being God and man. The Chalcedon Councils ruling defined true trinitarianism (Pillay, 2017). From the essays, I discovered that the most contentious issue was whether Jesus was who he claimed to be and how this might affect Christianity as a whole. However, the authors of the essays could still have carried their insights further. It will be interesting to see how they tackle the question of how the dispute over Jesus identity affected the church reformation and Protestantism.

Another idea that I found interesting in the essays was Protestantism. One of the essays that caught my attention argues that Protestantism is an offshoot of the Catholic Churchs faults. I agree that protestants are the progeny of a Protestant Reformation schism over church corruption and the sale of indulgences. However, I feel that the author did not look at how disagreements over the identity of Christ could have also contributed to the rise of Protestantism. Indeed, there is substantial evidence on the internet indicating that reformists disagreed with the Catholic Church as well as among themselves on the identity of Christ (Pillay, 2017). For instance, Martin Luther argued that because Jesus divine and human natures were intertwined, any statement about him extended to both. Calvin held that Jesus had died on the cross and that he now sat at the Fathers right hand as a glorified person.

Another important idea is that of the significance of the Trinity and the rise of anti-Trinitarians, which I identified from Nolls (2012) text. Noll asserts that anti-Trinitarians reaffirmed a Christology that had been rejected as heretical in early Christianity. They were essentially Arians because they rejected the traditional Christian view that God exists in three forms and that during the Incarnation, He took on human form as a human being. I learned that the doctrine of the Trinity does signifies the pre-existence of Christ, which has also always been a central tenet of the Christian faith. Understanding this concept is the foundation for all Christian ideas surrounding Christology.

Application of What Has Been Learned

While I am a believer, I had little understanding of how the Trinity doctrine came about. In fact, it is a concept that I did not find relevant as a believer. This has changed. Nolls text and the essays on Protestantism and Jesus identity have given me a biblical understanding of the Trinity. I can apply what I have learned to real-world scenarios where the Trinity is disputed. There are still millions of Arianism adherents today, despite the Churchs attempts in the fourth and fifth centuries and beyond to eliminate the faith. One of the most popular groups is Jehovahs Witnesses, a modern-day Arian sect (Pane, 2021). They believe that Jesus was not the eternal Son of God, but rather a human being formed in the image of the Father.

Nevertheless, I do have experiences that illustrate the points made by other students in the essays. Personally, I have always believed in Jesus multiple identities. I once broke into a dispute with a Muslim cleric who refuted the idea that Jesus was God in human form. Nolls book provides convincing perspectives that strengthen my belief in Jesus multiple identities. I came across some sources on the internet that strengthen Nolls (2012) arguments. This is in respect to the questions of how Christology focuses on Jesus identity (Pillay, 2017). Christology has had a huge impact on Christian doctrine throughout history.

Major Questions That Arise

The major questions that emerged after reading the content essay on Chapter 3 are: What is the significance of the Council of Chalcedon to fundamental Christian beliefs? How did the question of the true identity of Jesus Christ contribute to the split of the church? And how did the ruling of the Council of Chalcedon contribute to the rise of fundamentalist beliefs in contemporary society?

I also took issue with the failure to recognize that identity is at the heart of every part of the Christian life. I feel that it is a complex concept, and the essays failed to convey it sufficiently, considering Jesuss identity and Protestantism. They also failed to explain how the reformers attempted to distinguish between those who claimed to be Christians and those who were not.

How My Understanding of Religion Has Changed

As a believer, a lot has changed in my life. Nolls text and the essays have strengthened my belief in the Trinity. I now understand that when our predecessors were converted to Christianity, they put on new minds and new hearts, and that is what we must do today as men and women transformed by the gospels transcendent power. I feel that Chalcedonians Definition sums up this fact, and it will never be changed or replaced if Christianity is alive and well.

Reading the work of other student learners has taken me on an intellectual journey. I now see the Bible as a guidebook for defining ones own identity. It makes the identity of God or Christ clearer, but the goal of such explanations is never to present us with a general understanding of God. The identity of God or Jesus is used to show what people made in Gods image should be like (Little, 2017). I learnt that everything in the Scripture comes down to one question: Who am I? The goal of every religion, philosophy, denial of religion, and ideology is to help people discover their true selves.

Conclusion

The readings elicited three ideas. These include Christology, Protestantism, the Trinity, and the growth of anti-Trinitarians. Reading the essays, it appears that Christians have always been concerned with portraying Jesus Christs divinity. Protestantism was another theme that I found intriguing in the articles. One of the studies that drew my attention contends that Protestantism is a result of the Catholic Churchs flaws, which reformists identified. Another key concept I discovered in Nolls text is the importance of the Trinity and the growth of anti-Trinitarians. Overall, my life has improved dramatically after becoming a Christian. My faith in the Trinity has been enhanced by Nolls text and thoughts. I now see that when our forefathers became Christians, they had to put on new minds and hearts, and that is exactly what we must do now as men and women transformed by the gospels transcendent power.

References

Little, W. (2017). Introduction to sociology  2nd Canadian edition. BCampus.

Noll, M. (2012). Turning points: Decisive moments in the history of Christianity. Academic.

Pane, E. (2021). A study of the preexistence of Christ according to the Jehovahs Witnesses and its evaluation. Journal Koinonia, 13(2), 89-43. Web.

Pillay, J. (2017). Reformation and transformation today: Essentials of reformation tradition and theology as seen from the perspectives of the South. Theological Studies, 73(3), 1-6. Web.

Introduction

Effective church leadership is important in the numerical growth of congregants. As such, the management strategy adopted by a church minister will have a bearing on the growth of membership. Poor administrative practices can lead to a drop in the followership of churches which even started with a large number of devotees. There are many different styles of stewardship that a leader can adopt in controlling church activities. The most common styles are autocratic, despotic, democratic, and Laissez-Faire rules. Indeed the aforementioned techniques used in the handling of church projects are advantageous and, at the same time, disadvantageous because of the evolving nature of religion within the societal context.

Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership strategy in church management strictly relies on the doctrines which are entrenched in the biblical teachings as understood by the church. The beliefs are then used in governing all the processes and procedures within religious organizations. Autocratic leadership design is advantageous for the whole church as it enables quick decision-making by the followers and leaders (Mwenje, 2016). In addition, the autocratic leadership model enables effective management of crises because it always places the church leader in charge of every situation (Mwenje, 2016). The management style also reduces team incompetence among the followers by directly gaining from their leaders knowledge, skills, and church doctrines (Mwenje, 2016). Therefore, autocratic leadership produces a positive impact on church management.

Aside from the advantages that are associated with autocratic leadership, there are also weaknesses of the model. Firstly, the administrative paradigm that is represented by autocracy does not give any room for consultations between the followers and the leaders (Mwenje, 2016). In essence, this may allow for dictatorship to thrive within the church. Secondly, mistrust is easily fanned by the possible assumption by the church ministers that the devotees may underperform without his direct supervision (Mwenje, 2016). Drawbacks of the autocratic style of leadership clearly show that the method is efficient when the church requires quick and reliable decisions from a competent leader.

Despotic Leadership

The despotic style of leadership focuses only on the leader whose personal control over the decision-making process is highly regarded. Though viewed as a negative leadership, this kind of strategy has its own merits. Most importantly, the despotic stratagem of leadership reduces the impact of mistakes if they occur (Mwenje, 2016). This is because the leader is always forced to create a framework for every church project he undertakes. Additionally, this leadership model dictates that the followers must emulate the actions of their leader; therefore, consistency in the management of religious affairs is maintained (Mwenje, 2016). Undoubtedly, this leadership model is beneficial in situations that call for the application of specific doctrines and guidelines.

Since decision-making is based on the personal moral code of a leader, the despotic leadership technique is bound to have its demerits. One such disadvantage is that, in most cases, negative feedback is given by the followers (Mwenje, 2016). Many followers may feel that they do not conform to the modus operandi prescribed by the church leader, and they can decide to leave their fellowship centers. Furthermore, the followers are not allowed to have any form of ownership of the work they do in the church of the dictatorial style (Mwenje, 2016). In the long term, the morale of the devotees is significantly reduced. Certainly, the despotic style makes the methodology more effective in providing short-term solutions to a problem.

Democratic leadership

Democratic leadership style is a shared or participative leadership because it encourages both the followers and the leaders to take personal responsibilities for decision-making. Democracy encourages creativity among members in the church setup because everyone is allowed to participate in any church project. Again, followers who work with democratic leaders tend to build strong relationships in other social spheres (Mwenje, 2016). Besides, the democratic leadership paradigm tends to inculcate the positive value of honesty and commitment in church devotees. As evident from its numerous advantages, a democratic leadership strategy can be adopted by church managers who need to see growth in church membership.

With almost everyone included in the decision-making process, a democratic leadership style can be disadvantageous at times. In cases where one members decision is consistently implemented, other individuals may tend to grow resentful of democracy as a form of administrative practice (Mwenje, 2016). Not only does democratic leadership strategy lead to procrastination by leaders in making important decisions, but it also requires a lot of time to reach a consensus on matters that require urgency in the church (Mwenje, 2016). The diversified ideas make it possible for the best solution to be ascertained, but that is not always guaranteed because the majoritys choice is upheld even if it may not be the best decision.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

An important form of leadership strategy that encourages delegation of duties by leaders to their followers is the Laissez-Faire model. Although this leadership style promotes low levels of productivity in many organizations, it has some advantages worth noting. Most importantly, the leadership practice permits the followers to maximize their leadership prowess (Mwenje, 2016). As team members are delegated duties by their leaders, the methodology allows for the most experienced and skilled devotees to shine, thereby bringing out the best in them (Mwenje, 2016). With divergent perspectives offered, the differences among the views of the members can be discussed, which ultimately makes the church and the leadership stronger.

Whereas there are situations in which Laissez-Faire may be considered appropriate, some circumstances in the church render the strategy ineffective. The leadership practice tends to downplay the role of a leader in a church setting (Mwenje, 2016). Due to a lack of guidance by the leader, some individuals may step in to take leadership roles even if they are unqualified to do so. Laissez-Faire also reduces the cohesiveness of the church members because sometimes the leaders can be portrayed as either disinterested or withdrawn from their duties (Mwenje, 2016). This style is also prone to abuse by the members who have been assigned duties by the leaders as there is a lack of proper oversight from the managers (Mwenje, 2016). The freedom that is created by the delegation of duties to the followers can be used to the advantage of either the leader or the follower at the expense of the church.

Conclusion

In summary, the most common four types of leadership models of autocracy, despotism, democracy, and Laissez-Faire have their strengths and weaknesses because of the nature of religion in evolving society. The advantages and disadvantages of autocracy are grounded on the premise that the leadership depends on the doctrines of the church for their implementation. Effective despotic leadership also relies on the moral code of the individual leader because it is his decisions that are important. Impressively, democratic rule in the management of church affairs can be better managed when the time for decision-making is shortened. Lastly, the Laissez-Faire approach exhibits many demerits, and its application should only be limited to specific situations. None of the other three leadership models fails. Therefore, no single leadership style should be applied to every circumstance in the church, as every administrative rule has its own merits and weaknesses.

Reference

Mwenje, J. (2016). An investigation of the leadership styles of Pentecostal church leaders in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Business Management, 10(3), 55-74. Web.

On Sunday, the 1st of February, news emerged that a suspected suicide bomber who infiltrated the premises of a Winners’ Chapel branch in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna State was apprehended with explosive devices. Social Media users celebrated his arrest and expected to hear some staggering details about his motivation and sponsors. Many sections linked him to the regular culprits, the Boko Haram sect, although this terrorist group has been relegated to some parts of the Northeastern part of Nigeria.

As for his religion, many had already concluded that he is a Muslim and they were even quick to give him the name, Mohammed Nasiru Sani which reflected his religion. Rather than hear of his sponsors and motivations, his name and religion stole the show. While being paraded by the police in Kaduna, he explained that his name isn’t Mohammed Nasiru Sani as speculated on Twitter but Samuel Nathaniel. He also claims to be a Christian who had ambitions of being a pastor and had undergone a pastoral training under the same ministry he targeted. His revelation has sent shock-waves across the social media space with Nigerians notably the former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani Kayode accusing the police of a cover-up.

The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna, Rev. John Hayab has also disputed some revelations. He claimed that the church nabbed the suspect and handed him over to the police and that the police didn’t get to him first. He also claimed the 30-year old suspect gave his identity as Mohammed Sani on arrest and interrogation although that doesn’t make him a Muslim. According to him, some Christians bear Muslim names and vice versa.

This suspected suicide bomber seems different from the ones we have seen in the past. He understands English language and sounds eloquent compared to others who always seem to lose their voice and brains on arrest. Many Christians are not buying the story; they believe everything is being staged to serve an unfavorable purpose against them. The issue has taken a very religious dimension with Muslim getting relieved after constantly getting the stick due to stereotypes about terrorism.

On paper, terrorism can’t be ascribed to one religion alone even though the most popular terrorist groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, ISIS, Al Qaeda and others are associated with Islam. There are also Christian terrorist groups namely the Eastern Lightning, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), The Army Of God, Concerned Christians. The only difference is that they are not as ruthless and dominant as the Islamic ones.

As for the case of the Winners’ Chapel suspect, I feel we are missing the point by being divided across religious lines. A crime is a crime and he attempted to take lives and maim others. We should be more concerned about the safety of lives and properties not religion. The police should get to the root of the matter not just for the sake of knowing his religion but to gather leads about him and foil future attacks if there is one. What if he is an aggrieved member of the church who just wants to draw blood for vengeance or he is just an actor playing out a script to divide the people? There are many questions that need answers here.

I will also recommend a check of his mental status to ascertain if anything is amiss. We need to protect our society from dangerous individuals like him who are out to inflict pains and destruction without any just cause.

Introduction

Throughout the course of history, music has continuously demonstrated its significant influence on humanity by virtue of its ability to evoke emotions and feelings in humans’ life. Consequently, singers and songwriters have embraced music to reach far beyond the limits of quotidian words in order to extensively convey ideas to the depths of humans’ heart. In the same vein, songs can be utilized to address an ample array of societal issues. Owing to its powerful message as well as its distinctive lyrical features, “Take Me to Church,” a song composed by Irish singer/songwriter Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, known professionally as Hozier, rapidly attained widespread global popularity upon its release in September 2013. The song occupied #1 position on the Irish iTunes singles chart and #2 in the official Irish singles chart, later crossing over to the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at #2 in December 2014. Although the discordance between homosexuality and religion has existed since ancient times, it has become more evident in recent decades as the advocacy of Human Rights has been progressively covering more ground within society. Through this lyrical composition, Hozier confronted the Church institution for its discrimination against homosexuality, and to a greater extent, its restrictions upon human behavior. It is not intended to attack faith, rather denounce specific religious norms which have inhibited individuals from relishing inherent elements of human nature such as love and sex. Hozier manifested that “[t]he core of the song is about an organization that teaches people to be ashamed of themselves, based just on their natural being” (Chow, 2014, para. 8). He sought to condemn the church’s intent to “undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation” through its doctrine. Said norms established by the Church institution have been dominating the outlook of society while imposing limitations to humans’ behaviors in regard of their sexuality: who to love and how to love.

Love, sex and sexuality

Ever since the origin of humanity, love and sex have seemed to concertedly constitute a pivotal source of contentment to the life of human beings. In fact, one may argue that love and sex represent a divine gift to humankind. Hendrick and Hendrick (1987) concluded that “[l]ove and sex are inextricably linked, with love as the basis for much of our sexual interaction, and sex as the medium of expression for much of our loving” (p. 159). Simply put, the act of sex constitutes the undeniable expression of the sentiment of love. In his song “Take Me to Church”, Hozier reiteratedly emphasized the narrator’s adoration towards a female lover which constitutes in actuality one of the pillars of the aforementioned lyrical composition. Moreover, he highlighted that said adoration may be deemed untraditional before the eyes of religion. The above becomes evident in his lyrics when he sings “My lover’s got humour / She’s the giggle at a funeral” (Hozier, 2013, lines 1-2). Given the dismal ambience of funereal ceremonies, laughter is perceived as inappropriate. In light of this, the singer intended to portray an unorthodox idea where he does not contemplate untraditional love as a synonym for immorality. Furthermore, in the lyrics “She tells me ‘worship in the bedroom’ / The only heaven I’ll be sent to / Is when I’m alone with you” (lines 11-13), Hozier (2013) reinforced his eccentric religious tendencies by accentuating the idolization of the narrator’s lover as she becomes his god who is “worship[ped] in the bedroom.” This statement is further corroborated when he sings “If I’m a pagan of the good times / My lover’s the sunlight.” (Hozier, 2013, lines 27-28) where the lover, in the form of an idolized god, is analogized to the Sun whose association with paganism has remained present since time immemorial. Having said this, Hozier conveyed that, in spite of religious constraints, humans must be permitted to experience the delight of love as well as the pleasure of sex in an unrestricted manner rather than being subject to judgment by cause of their sexuality.

Hypocrisy within the Church institution

Albeit religion may have evolved as a product of humans’ need for finding significance of life as well as mitigating existential anguish whilst contributing towards the development of society, the Church institution has practiced hypocrisy yet has continued to exert its influence on human beings’ behavior in a vigorous manner. Having been dismissed from the diocese’s roster of ministers due to his sexual orientation, Anglican minister James Ferry (1989) declared that “[h]ow can one say that one accepts people regardless of sexual orientation and then not allow any possible expression of that orientation?” He added that “I know bishops who have gay clergy couples over for dinner. I know bishops who have been to their homes. Everything is fine as long as no one explicitly states anything.” The Church institution has pertinaciously claimed to favor the promotion of unity and love among humankind. In Christianity, this act of promotion constitutes in fact one of the two greatest commandments established by God. Said institution, nevertheless, has seemed to be contradicting itself whenever it comes to accepting homosexuality as one considers its repudiation towards same sex relationships. Furthermore, the Church institution has instituted norms aimed at dominating human behavior in an attempt to seemingly govern who to love and how to love. In his lyrics, Hozier (2013) referred to the above when he sings “I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies” (line 18). “Shrine of your lies” constitutes a direct attack to the hypocrisy of the church for disseminating abhorrence towards different individuals. In the same spirit, in the lyrics “I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife” (Hozier, 2013, line 19), the singer condemned the Church for castigating sinners upon the confession of their sins, rather than forgiving them as God may desire. The singer further reinforced this statement when he sings “Every Sunday’s getting more bleak / A fresh poison each week / ‘We were born sick’, you heard them say it” (Hozier, 2013, lines 7-9) in allusion to the continuous reiteration of the prejudice towards homosexuals, who are said to “be born sick”, in every dominical service by Church leaders. Besides, Hozier (2013) mentioned that “We’ve a lot of starving faithful” (line 36) as a reference to the number of individuals who wish to believe in God yet refuse to do so because of the existing hypocrisy within the Church.

Take Me to Church: Narrative

“Take Me to Church” was written with an eye towards conveying a message in such a subtle manner yet potent enough to make an impact in the hearts of all its listeners. The above constitutes an innate characteristic of open reading and defined narrative songs. In his article “So What Does ‘Set Fire To The Rain’ Really Mean? A Typology for Analyzing Pop Song Lyrics Using Narrative Theory and Semiotics,” Randle and Evans (2013) described the aforementioned concepts as lyrical compositions which “offer a nondescript or ambiguous narrative containing a lot for the listener to interpret ‘between the lines.’” This being so, “Take Me to Church” constitutes a prime example of this type of lyrical compositions whose lyrics possess the tendency to be open to interpretation. Hozier made use of this technique so as to encourage listeners to explore the underlying meanings and messages of such a profound song as “Take Me to Church” is. Hozier was capable of addressing the contentious issue of homosexuality in society in an effective manner which led to the spread of its song to a large number of people. Likewise, he composed the song in such a way that the conveyance of his message would not represent any offense to its listeners. The lack of a storyline also contributes to the liberty granted to its audience members to develop their own interpretations without deviating from the central focus of the song. Expressions such as “Offer me that deathless death” (Hozier, 2013, line 20) as well as “There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin” (Hozier, 2013, line 51) mandate a more thoroughgoing analysis of the song lyrics in order to scrutinize satisfactorily the most concealed yet influential meanings behind it.

Conclusion

“Take Me to Church” has once more demonstrated the far-reaching influence of music on human beings’ life. Through this lyrical composition, Hozier has been able to effectively tackle a very polemical issue in modern society. Religious principles and homosexual practices have remained in dispute for centuries where the former criticizes the latter’s acts of immorality, and in like manner, the latter condemns the former’s acts of discrimination, hypocrisy and manipulation of human behavior as to who to love and how to love. The open reading and closed narrative of the song positively contribute towards the formation of an adequate lyrical environment which enables the listeners to interpret in an open manner, without diverging from the central focus, the profound significance of the conveyed messages. Notwithstanding the current polarization between the Church institution and the LGBTQ+ Community, society seems to be gradually following the trend of a more liberal collective mindset which promises to favor a more harmonious relationship between the aforementioned parties for the benefit of humankind.

References

1. Bergman, B. (1992, Feb 17). Sex, gays and religion. Maclean’s, 105, 16-17. Retrieved from http://ez-proxy.methodist.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/218475975?accountid=12408
2. Chow, A. R. (2014, November 21). Protesting Injustice, Accepting Fame. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/arts/music/hozier-on-protest-pop.html?_r=0.
3. Hendrick, S. S., & Hendrick, C. (1987). Love and sex attitudes: A close relationship. In W. H. Jones & D. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: Vol 1 (pp. 141-169). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
4. Randle, Q., & Evans, K. (2013). So what does ‘set fire to the rain’ really mean? A typology for analyzing pop song lyrics using narrative theory and semiotics. MEIEA Journal, 13(1), 125-147. Retrieved from http://ez-proxy.methodist.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1519295745?accountid=12408
5. Take Me to Church Lyrics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/31135728/Hozier.

A big controversial topic that has boomed in the most recent years is abortion. Abortion has become so controversial because of the two set standpoint categories. The standpoints being prochoice and prolife which is also considered antiabortion or antichoice. People might ask, ‘what is abortion?’, an abortion is stopping the pregnancy in the female by terminating the fetus, most happening within the first 28 weeks of being conceived. Abortion is viewed in many ways, yet no matter how many times and ways it is viewed it is still unacceptable to kill innocent life.

The past recent years prolife and antiabortion supporters have made a change in “the political landscape of the united states” (Todd Peters 130). Antichoice campaigns grow for political candidates for state-level legislation. These groups of the prolife movement range from a political action committee to public interest law and policy groups to an activist organization were the public faces in the united states (Todd Peters 130). The faces of the movement represented antiabortion leaders from previous years. Most of them being Christian political and religious leaders who worked toward religious-cultural legislation of abortion (Todd Peters 131).

The profile has had some difficulties throughout the road all over the world. Ireland had voted for whether abortion should be removed from the constitution on May 25, 2018. The voting ended with the republic voting with removing abortion. The voting was specifically to remove an amendment that supported and provided the babies and their pregnant mommas the same protection (Kaveny, Cathleen 10). People understood from the amendment that abortion wasn’t going to be accepted or allowed unless the women are endangering her own life. The majority voted for that to change, people were coming around suggesting not to follow the catholic habits and traditions. The voters that wanted the change were the liberals and conservatives. They all wanted the rise in democratic values. Be the end the Irish had agreed with the liberals and conservatives (Kaveny, Cathleen 10).

The thoughts of the Irish making the right decision was being the second guess. The thought of the reason the agreed was because of the lawsuit Roe v. Wade that happened years before (Kaveny, Cathleen 10). If you are unfamiliar with the case it was a case that made it to the supreme court in 1973. This case allowed abortion throughout the united states, taking down all signs, posters, and statutes that were prohibiting abortion. It was stated that the right to abortion was protected by the 14th amendment (Roe V. Wade). The ruling had been considered very controversial. There is still no equal amount of people supporting one or the other side, it is still very divided for choosing the women’s right to abort (Roe V. Wade).

When ruled the United States, all over was granted legal borderlines for abortion. Meaning women within their first and second trimester, approximately 24 weeks could terminate the baby.” Roe v. Wade was a watershed legal ruling. But it also helped to turn abortion into the great foe of American consensus” (Prager, Joshua). To this day, Roe v. Wade is one of the most known case rulings from the supreme court in America (Prager, Joshua).

Catholicism was not too happy with this decision being the fact that its not the way Catholics practice. The fact that women were intentionally taking the life of an unborn child was disapproved by the catholic church. “The embryo is a human person from the time of its conception.” (Zalot 207) They believe for Catholics is that it is wrong to take away a life that Is so innocent and that sacred from at the point of conception to the point of natural death (Saunders, William Fr.). The church teaches, “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being'(Saunders, William Fr.). The church believes in the science that the embryo is its oneself and by itself, it’s a person and not part of the mother’s body. In science everyone knows that a person has cells that hold DNA, which holds a person’s genetic makeup. ‘the embryo is its unique genetic makeup from conception.’ (Zalot 206)

Catholicism and the beliefs they have brought many supports for democrats and their thought on abortion being disapproved. The rise of antiabortion and antichoice have grown so much through Catholicism and its wide range in people throughout the world. However, the Democrats have their company with the republicans. As the democrat group grows, so does the republic side. As the democrat’s route for abortion not being allowed, the republican side is different. They respect the aspects of abortion. Catholicism is not going to stop practicing the practices of the faith to please others. Especially growing up as a strong catholic, it is much harder to come around for the side of society.

The difference between prolife and prochoice have their big separation, being that abortion is wanted or approve while the other is not wanted and disapproved. The believers of pro-choice believe that women have the right to decide if she is ready to commit to the motherhood. If not ready, the women have the right to terminate the baby (Parenthood, Planned). Profile believe the opposite; they disapprove of the aspect of abortion. “Does a human embryo have any moral standing and, if so, should it be afforded the same dignity and rights as other human persons?” (Zalot 205) Profile supporters believe that a woman should not be able to abort the baby due to the baby’s life being a human life, and any life is sacred (Saunders, William Fr.). The respect towards anyone and their rights is appreciated by anyone. Why not are the embryos growing to be a new person in the world? What makes them so different? Most antiabortion pushes for an overturn of the case of Roe v. Wade in 1973. Therefore, that has brought a lot of tension between the antiabortion and the pro-choice movement.

There is a lot of misinterpretation of the Catholic church teaching against abortion. That often causes problems in the long run. The church can be presented as bad because of all the misrepresentation that others propose about the church. Prochoice supporters clam that prolife prohibits the act of abortion even if the women are endangering her own life. That is a misconception on the side of prolife. “Catholic doctrine does not prohibit life-saving medical procedures that result in the death of fetuses” (Stoker, Elizabeth). This is saying that Catholics do not disapprove of any medical procedures that are granted to save the women who endanger just to save the baby. Under the circumstance of the women being in danger, abortion is not disapproved. Another thing is that Catholics don’t have hatred toward anyone who is for abortion or against Catholicism. It is very open to hearing people out and sometimes suggesting a different approach to certain things. But not under ant circumstances is the church teaching for hatred to be upon anyone pro-choice.

Through all the research assessed and putting together, many standpoints are known. Both sides were presented with their data explaining themselves, trying to prove a point upon both sides. Pros and cons were presented, and facts were acknowledged. The world can view both sides however they pursue. Through all the research presented my view and belief will not change. Abortion is viewed in many ways, yet no matter how many times and ways it is viewed it is still unacceptable to kill innocent life.

What I have learned in my upbringing in the catholic teachings, if I could make a law, I would not allow abortion to continue. The church teaches that life begins at conception therefore, the task of abortion is killing which is a sin and illegal. In the world in which you kill someone, you suffer the consequences and go to jail. In abortion, you are terminating the human in the wound but there are no consequences. What the difference between the murders? Why is one considered illegal and the other one isn’t? There is no difference. Murder is happening in both situations but the consequences for nowhere near the same. Since abortion is allowed with no consequence and killing an adult shouldn’t have consequences either. The same act of killing but one is taken as okay and the other isn’t.

Work Cited

1. Kaveny, Cathleen. ‘What It Means for the Pro-life Movement.’ Commonweal, no. 13, 2018, p. 10.EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=ed gov&AN=edsgcl.550518039&site=eds-live&custid=swtexas
2. Parenthood, Planned. “What Do the Terms ‘pro-Choice’ and ‘pro-Life’ Mean?” Planned Parenthood, www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens/ask-experts/can-you-explain-what pro-choice-means-and-pro-life-means-im-supposed-to-do-it-for-a-class-thanks.
3. Prager, Joshua. “Tracing the Life of Norma McCorvey, ‘Jane Roe’ of Roe v. Wade, and Why She’d Favor an Abortion Ban.” The Hive, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2015, www.vanityfair.com/news/politics/2013/02/norma-mccorvey-roe-v-wade-abortion
4. “ROE V. WADE.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/womens rights/roe-v-wade.
5. Saunders, William Fr. “The Catholic Church and Abortion.” Catholic News Agency, Catholic News Agency, www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/abortion/catholic-teaching/the catholic-church-and-abortion.
6. Stoker, Elizabeth. “5 Misconceptions about Catholics and Abortion.” The Week – All You Need to Know About Everything That Matters, The Week, 12 Feb. 2014, theweek.com/articles/451191/5-misconceptions-about-catholics-abortion.
7. Todd Peters, Rebecca. “Considering Social Policy on Abortion: Respecting Women as Moral Agents.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion (Indiana University Press), vol. 30, no. 1, Spring 2014, pp. 129–138. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip, sso&db=hft&AN=1018024 2&site=eds-live&custid=swtexas.

Introduction

A. Background of the Study

For over 87 years, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) have recognized, and continuously lent support; protecting and conserving sites and structures that demonstrates historical significance. In keeping with its mandate, the NHCP shall focus on the significance of the site or structure being considered for inclusion in or delisting from the National Registry of Historic Sites and Structures in the Philippines.

In correlation to their principles, the state is responsible to deepen the understanding of, promoting, and popularizing our country’s history, both national and local, and safeguard our historical treasures in order to strengthen our people’s nationalism, love of country, respect for our heroes, and pride in our people’s achievements (NHCP, 2011). Possibly one of which to be considered is the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church, located at University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila.

Along the outskirts of Sampaloc District in the City of Manila is a unique Parish, for its seat is at the heart of the Catholic University of the Philippines. According to the article of the Varsitarian Publications (2012), the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church was established on March 21, 1942 and was canonically inaugurated on April 26. It was the venue for many religious activities and the home of Our Lady of La Naval from 1942 to 1954. Before it served as a parish church, it used to be the chapel of UST. The Chapel was among the earliest edifices in the Campus of the UST. It was completed on November 13, 1932. Since then, this chapel became the venue of the official and religious functions of the University (“Brief History of Santísimo Rosario”, 2018). When the parish was established in 1942, this chapel likewise became the center of the liturgico-sacramental life of the parishioners.

Moreover, it has become the venue for various university religious activities which include the annual Misa de Apertura, a decades-old tradition of officially opening the academic year with a Mass of the Holy Spirit and the delivery of the academic lecture called the Discurso de Apertura; the annual novena to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary for the La Naval celebration; and the Heritage Christmas Concert (University of Santo Tomas, 2016) — all of which are significant and strongly demonstrates properties associated with important historical events, and illustrious that are grounds for a historic site declaration.

B. DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) — undertakes the commemoration of significant events and personages in Philippine history and safeguard the blazoning of the national government and its political divisions and instrumentalities.
2. Nationally significant—historical, aesthetic, scientific, technical, social and/or spiritual values that unify the nation by a deep sense of pride in their various yes common identities, cultural heritage, and national patrimony.
3. History- refer to a written record of the past events relating to the Philippine history
4. Historical— people or places that existed in the past, or for things that relate to history
5. Historic – about people, places, or events that existed or happened in the past. Only things and people that have a prominent place in history are called historic.
6. Historical Significance-an important part of life and literature, and without it, memories, stories, and characters have less meaning. Historical context deals with the details that surround an occurrence. In more technical terms, historical context refers to the social, religious, economic, and political conditions that existed during a certain time and place.
7. Heritage Zone/ Historic Center-a historic space, unit, district or cluster of structures and their environs, with distinctive historical importance in its entirety.
8. Conservation- refers to the processes and measures of maintaining the cultural significance of a property, including but not limited to, preservation, restoration, reconstruction, protection, and adaptation of any combination
9. Culture—the set of ideas that coordinate the actions and construct the meanings of a group of people
10. Cultural Property – refers to all products of human creativity by which people and a nation reveal their identity, including churches, mosques and other places of religious worship, schools and natural history specimens and sites, whether private or publicly owned.
11. Built heritage- refers to architectural and engineering structures, such as but not limited to bridges, government buildings, houses of ancestry, traditional dwellings, quartelles, train stations, light houses, small ports, etc. and their settings with notable historical significances.
12. Ministry- an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith
13. Recognition- individual highlight of specific basis and criteria set by organizations.
14. Registry- refers to the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property which is the registry of all cultural property of the country deemed of significant importance to our cultural heritage.
15. Conservation—processes and measures of maintaining the cultural significance of a cultural property, including but not limited to, preservation, restoration, reconstruction, and protection, and any combination.

C. The Human Experience

The human experience involved in the study is the participation of the historical events to Philippine History, wherein, Santísimo Rosario Parish began to partake-in during the Second World War. From there, the researchers would also incorporate the foundation of the parish and the celebrations contextualizing the preservation of the traditions as the basis for self-identification, classification, and recognition of the parish as a historical site.

The historical events that will be covered in this study were those of during the Second World War. During the Second World War, the Japanese forces reformed the Sampaloc campus, the main location of the Santísimo Rosario Parish, into an internment camp for their combatants, mostly Americans, staying in the Philippines. More than 4,000 foreigners survived under difficult conditions in the internment camp for 37 months from January 1942 until February 1945 when American soldiers liberated the camp. During these turbulent months at the dawn of the Second World War, then Archbishop of Manila, the Most Rev. Michael O’Dougherty, DD (1874-1949) issued a decree on 21 March 1942, establishing the Santísimo Rosario Parish (“Brief History of Santísimo Rosario”, 2018).

The Battle of Manila was a major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944 -1945, during the Second World War that destroyed the Old Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros. On September 28, 1942, the image of Our Lady of La Naval de Manila, which was saved from the bombings was transferred to the University of Santo Tomás and was enshrined at the main altar of the UST Chapel (“Brief History of Santísimo Rosario”, 2018). Thus, resulting to the first fiesta celebration of the Santísimo Rosario Parish, dated on October 7, also known as the universal feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

However, after a period of 12 years, on October 10, 1954, the 412-year-old Marian image was placed back to the reconstructed Sto. Domingo Church at Quezon City. This did not serve as a hindrance to the people’s reverence to the image as a major festivity celebrated along with the Month of the Rosary every October was held in commemoration of the La Naval, (Varsitarian Publications, 2012).

Moreover, the events stated during and after the Second World War serve as the backbone of the human experience in this research. Branching from these occasions is the preservation of the traditions in the Church such as the celebrations done to commemorate specific sacred figures. The stated human experiences will further solidify the historical identity of the Church to be recognized in accordance to the NHCP Guidelines.

D. Scopes and Limitations

This study focuses on the qualifications of the Santisimo Rosario Parish in adherence to the guidelines set by the National Historical Commission formed under the republic act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, enabling the protection and conservation of national cultural heritage which in turn promotes the identification, preservation, and recognition of philippine historic sites and structures. This study will cover the sections and by-laws on the specific analyzation of needed requirements to fulfill the processes of the enlistment in the NHCP office and gather concrete evidences of the historical significance of the Santisimo Rosario Parish and its institution in Philippine History.

E. The Objective of the Study

The study aims to delve into the historical background and the milestones of the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church. For over 70 years, there had been numerous events held in the parish; some of which are the novena in honor of Our Blessed Virgin of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval, and parish fiestas celebrated every first week of October – significantly reflects the religion and distinct clarification that the parish withholds a distinct history.

In relation to this, that the researchers aim to secure its rightful place among the most progressive parishes of the country and this applies the NHCP accreditation for historical sites and structures as per the identification, classification, and recognition of the structure holding its historical upbringing aiming to deliver rightful preservation and conservation of the area with NHCP accreditation as a historical site, as well as the acknowledgement of the historical contributions and significant milestones of Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.

According to the NHCP Guidelines (2011), accredited historic sites and structures shall be classified according to the levels of recognition: (1) Declaration of a historic site or structure and installation of historical marker which entails within categories— Heritage Zone/Historic Center, National Cultural Treasure, National Historical Shrine, National Historical Monument/Memorial, or National Historical Landmark; (2) Installation of a historical marker, which entails the installation of a historical marker in a historic site or structure that is not declared a heritage zone/historic center, national cultural treasure, shrine, monument or memorial, or historical landmark, but nonetheless has some historical significance. Such a site or structure may later be elevated to Level I recognition pending further research and re-evaluation.

Furthermore, sites and structures recognized by the Commission, whether through a formal declaration and/or the installation of a historical marker, shall be recorded in the NHCP’s National Registry of Historic Sites and Structures in the Philippines— this would help in maintaining and protecting the marker and site it signifies and be known for its story; raising public awareness and value.

RESEARCH METHOD

A. Research Design

The study is a qualitative research, an approach to an in-depth understanding of situations and experiences through social science. According to Camara, Drummond, Jackson (2007), qualitative research is primarily concerned in understanding human beings’ experiences in a humanistic, interpretative approach. The human experience being studied in this case is the participation of the Santisimo Rosario Parish to Philippine history.

The research is a case study form. The goal of a case study research is to discern the complexity of a case in the most complete way possible. For this reason, a case study research often involves the use of several methods for gathering data. By using multiple sources of data in a qualitative way, the researchers may attain the most substantial data leading to the richest and most concise possible understanding of the case (Cohen and Crabtree, 2006). In addition, according to PressAcademia (2018), a case study research includes qualitative evidence and relies on multiple sources of evidence and benefits from the prior development of theoritical propositions.

In this case, the researchers are to utilize different readings and book sources where the different past activities and historical events in the church are recorded. These readings were provided by the current Parish priest, Fr. Paul Reagan O. Talavera, O.P., to serve as a primary source and to support their statements and claims.

PressAcademia also defines case studies as an analysis of persons, groups, events, decisions, periods, policies, institutions or other systems that are studied holistically by one or more methods.

Multiple statements that will be gathered from the different members of the church particularly those with concrete knowledge regarding the parish, apart from the priest, are lined up for analysis using a cultural approach under a case study.

B. Selection

To achieve a precise data, the researchers had set a criteria for the selection and identification of their co-researchers: (1) must be legally employed and/or assigned to give service at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church (2) may either be male or female, (3) spent at least 10 years of service in the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church through any field, (4) a person able to narrate what he/she had encountered and/or is aware of the events that had passed regarding the parish. The criteria set will be the grounds set for the gathering of information among the selected staff, office workers, and parishioners of Santisimo Rosario Parish Church. They are expected to narrate and allow the researchers to immerse to the different situations at their area.

Likewise, the participation of the parish administration would also be recognized, as information of legal and/or authorized documents regarding the history of the town should be assisted upon distribution. In addition to this, the researchers would also contact the office of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Historic Sites Education Division and the Historic Preservation Division, together with its executive offices to formally request a copy of the guidelines for their accreditation.

The data analysis should begin while the data are being collected so that the researcher can discover additional themes and decides whether to follow those leads for more intense investigation (Roper and Shapira, 2000). Therefore, the identification of additional significant individuals; such as, parish priest and office heads will be reached-out and related researches will be needed for further clarification.

C. Data Collection

The researchers will coordinate with the administration and parish servants of Santisimo Rosario Parish Church to assist in the data collection process; gathering and requests. In addition to this, the researchers will contact the office of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for further clarifications regarding the standards for the declaration of a potential historic site.

According to Angrosino (2007), there are three modes of data collection: first is observation which he (2007) defined as the act of perceiving the activities and interrelationships of people in the field setting; second, is interviewing defined as the process of directing a conversation to collect information; and lastly, archival research which is the analysis of existing materials stored for research, service or other purposes officially and unofficially. All of which will be used for thorough analyzation of the information from the co-researchers.

With this, the background of the study together with the related articles and researches regarding the history of Santisimo Rosario Parish Church will be used first to garner evidences to support the observations. The researchers will be contextualizing the relevant aspects of interaction with the people who experienced the history of the church through immersion.

As cited by Gill, P., Stewart, K., and Treasure, E. (2008), focus groups are used for generating information on collective views, and the meanings that lie behind those views. They are also useful in generating a rich understanding of participants’ experiences and beliefs. Thus, the researchers will conduct a focused group discussion with the staff, parish servants, and parishioners, to gather and understand their collective insights regarding the church and their lived experiences and insights in the church, and its history.

Moreover, the researchers will be securing documents that will help support the statements of the co-researchers. The outliers—cases, situations, events or settings that are not relevant with the rest of the findings are to be identified. On the other hand, patterns or connected findings that are related to theories in order to make sense of the rich and complex data collected shall be generalized as existing literature would also be reviewed.

REFERENCES

1. National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Congress of the Philippines Republic Act No. 10066: National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009: 14th Congress, Article I- XI, Section 1- 52
2. Naidoo, L. (2012), Ethnography: An Introduction to Definition and Method, An Ethnography of Global Landscapes and Corridors, page 2-7, Available on: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221927953_Ethnography_An_Introduction_to_Definition_and_Method
3. Sangasubana, N. (2009). How to conduct ethnographic research. The Qualitative Report, 16(2), 567-573. Available on: http://nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR16-2/sangasubana.pdf
4. The Varsitarian Publication, University of Santo Tomas (2012), Article: Santisimo Rosario Parish Church Celebrates 70th Year, [ONLINE] https://varsitarian.net/news/20121109/santisimo_rosario_parish_church_celebrates_70th_year
5. Brief History of Santísimo Rosario Parish-UST (2018, March 26) [ONLINE] Retrived from http://santisimorosarioust.blogspot.com/2018/03/brief-history-of-santisimo-rosario.html
6. S. Crowe, K. Cresswell, A. Robertson, G. Huby, A. Avery, and A.Sheikh (2011) The case study approach, BMC Med Res Methodol [ONLINE] Retrieved on: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3141799/
7. Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E. (2008), Methods of Data Collection In Qualitative Research: Interviews and Focus Groups. [ONLINE] Retrived on: https://www.nature.com/articles/bdj.2008.192#Sec6
8. National Historical Commission of the Philippines (2011), Guidelines on the Identification, Classification, and Recognition of Historic Sites and Structures in the Philippines, [ONLINE] Available on: http://nhcp.gov.ph/resource/guidelines/nhcp-guidelines/

The Church teaches that the dignity of the human person is at the heart of all Catholic social teaching. Sacred scripture teaches us that God created all human beings in His likeness and image. “Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Social justice issues happen in our society by violation of peoples’ human rights by those who exact power and control over weaker members of society. In our world today we see examples of human dignity under attack in the form of abortion, euthanasia, poverty, and acts of violence. In our parish today we address some of these issues head on. For example, in our parish we have a ministry of Respect Life, which is responsible for human dignity issues related to abortion and euthanasia. The Respect Life ministry works to make St. Gilbert parish a center of life, a place where parishioners understand the issues and how meeting the needs of those who are most vulnerable is important, such as mothers and their unborn children, the elderly, and those who are seriously ill or dying. For those who are in need and struggling to make ends meet, St. Gilbert offers support through the St. Vincent de Paul ministry and the St. Gilbert Food Pantry. But what does our parish do for the human dignity of our parishioners who have succumb to acts of violence, particularly, domestic violence. In a 2015 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 25% of women in the US has experienced some form of domestic violence from their spouse. Today, St. Gilbert has no ministry or outreach programs for those men or women whose human dignity has been violated due to domestic violence. Discussing domestic violence can be difficult, but as the numbers show it is real and happens to our loved ones in our parish today. In this article I will discuss the Catholic Church views and teachings on domestic violence and the actions our parish can do to further foster a culture of human dignity in our community.

St. Gilbert parish has approximately 2,400 registered families. Given the statistics from the CDC 2015 study, we can say that about 600 of our families in the parish deal with a form of domestic violence. According to the same study, 85% of women are victims of domestic violence, as well, it crosses all socioeconomic statuses. The US Catholic Bishops have made clear that “violence against women, inside or outside the home, is never justified. Violence in any form- physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal is sinful; often it is a crime as well.” (When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women, 2002). Often the victims of domestic violence believe that the teaching of the Catholic Church requires them to stay in an abusive marriage. The US Catholic bishops emphasize that “no person is expected to stay in an abusive marriage” (WICFH, 2002). The marriage covenant is broken by the abuser through his or her actions. Canon Law 1153 addresses this situation, “If either of the spouses causes grave mental or physical danger to the other spouse or to the offspring or otherwise renders common life too difficult, that spouse gives the other a legitimate cause for leaving, either by decree of the local ordinary or even on his or her own authority if there is danger in delay.” The Church also acknowledges that some abusive men may quote scripture to justify the abuse. For example, in Ephesians 5:22 we read, “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.” The US Bishops condemn any use of the Bible to justify any form of abuse as both men and woman are made in the likeness and image of God. As such, they are to treat each other with mutual respect.

Domestic violence violates the human dignity of all who are abused. In Pope Francis 2016 reflection on the “The Joy of Love.” he acknowledges that domestic violence exists in our parishes, and as a Catholic community it is something we cannot ignore. At St. Gilbert there are ways in which we can grow our commitment to human dignity by addressing the need for more openness and awareness about domestic violence in our faith community. For example, the Archdiocese of Chicago has many resources such as the Domestic Violence Outreach (ACDVO) website, www.domesticviolenceoutreach.org, that St. Gilbert could use to start its own Domestic Violence ministry. Knowing that domestic violence exists in our St. Gilbert family, we could bring the ACDVO mission of Awareness-Services-Prevention to our parish. Awareness shines a light and gives hope to the abused and gives a voice to the victim’s silence. We could have trained lay ministers who would be available to provide support, recommendations and perhaps find shelter to those in crisis. As well, they could be a resource to the abusers to help educate and get them the help they need to stop the violence. We could provide resource, support hotlines phone numbers, and other information in the parish bulletin, as well as, promote and have educational activities for October Violence Awareness Month. Another option would be to provide information in our bathrooms so that parishioners could learn about the ministries discreetly. Finally, we could promote awareness and support from our pastor during the liturgy. The US Bishops encourage, “Just a simple and pastorally sound reference to domestic violence in a homily lets people know that it is okay to approach you about the matter for help.” The Universal Prayers could be used to pray for all those affected and hurt by domestic violence.

“The Catholic Church teaches that violence against another person in any form fails to treat that person as someone worthy of love. Instead, it treats the person as an object to be used” (USCCB) and is a violation of one’s human dignity. Coming to the aid of those in our St. Gilbert family who are affected by domestic violence will not only help stop and prevent acts of violence but also foster a culture of human dignity throughout our community.

Thesis Statement: The Church between c. AD 300 to c. AD 800 grew within the Roman Empire due to both positive and negative occurrences, assessments, and divergent religious sects. The growth of Christianity outside the Roman Empire in that same period is indebted to missionary journeys to eastern countries, monasticism, and support from leaders of high status.

The Rise of Christianity: c. 4th century AD to c. 9th century AD

Nearly three hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the work of the disciple and apostles, the Christian faith continued to spread swiftly and silently. Between the fourth and ninth century, Christianity spread widely throughout the Roman Empire against all elements that would serve as hindrances, the most unexceptional being frequent and, often times, ruthless persecution, another being false doctrines and practices. Beyond the influences of the Roman Empire, the Faith grew due to an acquiescent response from the local people, the instigating of several practices, such as monasticism, and the support of influential leaders whose ethics kept Christianity alive during their reigns.

The authorization of evangelism in the Roman Empire varied from Emperor to Emperor. Up until persecution began due to unjust distribution of blame for The Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD under Emperor Nero, Christians fared quite agreeably in their daily walk and local ministry, keeping in mind the fact that Rome was already a Pagan Nation that considered the Faith contraband. Though the persecution was brutal, Christianity grew and by 300 AD about 10% of the Roman population consisted of Christians. Under Emperor Diocletian, in 303 AD, through influence of his successor Galerius, The Great Persecution took place and continued for eight years until, in 311, the Edict of Serdica was issued, ironically, by Galerius. Emperor Constantine 1 personally embraced the Christian faith in 312 and a year later wrote up the Edict of Milan that not only cemented the legality of the Christian religion but also gave it a positive, public situation

Most of the growth took place among the common people. As Christians interacted with the societies they dwelt in, others were drawn to them and would yearn to hear about and accept the love of the God the believers risked their lives for. The early Christians met in homes and secret places, hence the “church” at that time did not refer to a building but a gathering of people, similar, in definition and practice, to the Jewish Synagogue. In fact, the first church building wasn’t built until around 231 AD at Dura Europos on the Euphrates and even then home meetings went on. Their ministry was not just heard through spoken teachings but also seen in the lives of the people and deaths of the martyrs of the faith.

People of all classes were now learning more about the faith but some theological questions arose concerning new fabricated doctrines from all over the world. One in particular, very popular with an extensive influence, troubled the church in Rome. From Alexandria, Egypt came Arianism, based on the teachings of a scholar named Arius. To settle the dispute between clergy and Arians, Constantine called for The First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. In brief, Arianism depicted the godhead in hierarchical terms. Jesus Christ, the Son, was created by God but, inferiorly, did not share the eternal nature of God, the Father, but was held superior to the Holy Spirit, whereas in true Christian doctrine the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of equal importance and magnificence]. Even after this council was held, Arius and his adherents still clung to the doctrine and spread it to the Germanic tribes until it was overtaken by Catholicism in the Frankish community in 496 AD.

As well as Arianism, many heresies arose around the world due to false interpretation of Scripture, the addition of other beliefs and practices into Scriptural teaching, and even false “callings of God”. These deviations from true doctrine stirred much dispute between church leaders and caused many people experiencing the bloom of Christianity to go astray. Gnosticism, which emerged from the 2nd century, is a belief that claims that salvation is only attainable through a mythical mythological, ‘mystical revelation’, and is based on principles of Dualism, the world being divided into the physical and spiritual realms. The created, material world being evil, and therefore in conflict with the spiritual world, and that only the spirit is good, thus making God unfathomable. This notion clashes with Christianity’s conception of a personal God who longs for a relationship his people.

Manichaeism, also a dualistic religion, was birthed in Persia by a Babylonian man named Mani around 200 AD. He considered himself ‘ordained’ as the ultimate successor of a line of prophets that includes Buddha, Adam, and Jesus. His goal was essentially to form a universal religion that incorporated the best revelations of several religions prior to it such as the Iranian and Indian religions, Christianity, Buddhism, and Taoism spreading it to China, Egypt, Rome, Turkistan, Armenia, Bulgaria, and even France. Taught by Pelagius in early 400 AD in the Roman Empire, the Christian unorthodoxy, Pelagianism, denies sin as a natural human weakness inherited from Adam. This religion teaches that good and evil are a God-given choice and human beings cannot do anything in their power to try and achieve righteousness but are fully dependent on God’s grace making people believe there were no actions they could take toward the advancement of their salvation.

Among the number of heterodoxies, third century Sabellianism, the belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different branches of God, as opposed to a Trinitarian view of three distinct persons within the Godhead, was formed by Roman minister Sabellius and met consideration and later denunciation from Pope Calixtus in 220 AD. This doctrine died down until its emergence in 375 AD at Neocaesarea and was carried on to the 18th century by Emanuel Swedenborg who founded the New Church that stands to this day. Also in the line of heresies was Montanism that lived on from around 156 AD to around 800 AD throughout Asia Minor Montanism was based on transcendental prophecy and revelation that was contrary to the words held in Scripture and as such faced much criticism from the church. Such doctrines made ministry and evangelism quite conflict-filled both inside and outside the church and Roman Empire. Needless to say, the work went on.

As missionaries ventured to different parts of the world, those they ministered to realized the world of sin they lived in and sought more Spiritual fulfillment. As expected, this was difficult in many areas of the world. The solution was a life of Monasticism. The concept came about from Egyptian hermits who were called Desert Fathers around 200 AD. It was only until the 4th century that Monasticism reached Europe when John Cassian founded an Egyptian-style monastery in Gaul. The monastic lifestyle follows the principle of Asceticism, the practice of the denial of physical or psychological desires in order to attain a spiritual ideal or goal. The Scriptural basis is Jesus Christ, who embodied the evangelical counsels of poverty, celibacy and obedience, and invited his followers to give up everything for His name’s sake.

By the 3rd century, the catholic church had been established in most of the known eastern and western world and its influence was not just present among the common people but also among emperors and kings, some of whom worked with the church to spread Christianity throughout their territories. In the Frankish nation, Clovis, king of the Franks from 481 AD to 511 AD was an influential figure in the Catholic church. Because of influence from his wife, Clotilda, in 496 AD Clovis and 3000 of his soldiers were converted into Catholicism and baptized. Clovis even gave gifts to the church and regularly prayed there. He dealt tactfully with the Catholic bishops, some even served in his court as advisers before his conversion. Clovis’ upkeep of the faith was rather difficult because most in his kingdom and even family were Arians, many others were still pagan. He protected the rights of the church and the clergy in hopes that the church would further its reach in his kingdom.

Charlemagne, king of the Franks from 771 AD to 813 AD, was a militant leader whose main objective was the expansion of his kingdom. He was also very intent on making everyone under his rule Christian many times even by force. He planned meetings at which his royal religious responsibilities were conveyed after a series of synods, religious meetings, attended by both ministers and regular citizens summoned by royal order to consider a schema set by the royal court. The enactments of the councils were backed by the law in royal command, which all officials, especially bishops, were expected to impose. This law was inspired by the certitude that the means necessary for the correction of the deficiencies hampering Christian life in the 8th century had already been outlined in Scripture by earlier church councils and religious authorities. Charlemagne expanded the reform effort of the church, while strengthening the church’s power structure, advancing the dexterity and moral quality of the clergy, normalizing liturgical practices, improving on the basic principles of the faith and moral, and uprooting paganism.

References

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/christianityromanempire_article_01.shtml
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_4th_century
3. https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/the-spread-of-the-early-church-11629561.html
4. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arianism
5. https://www.britannica.com/event/First-Council-of-Nicaea-325
6. https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-gnosticism-700683
7. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manichaeism
8. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pelagianism
9. Stokes, G. T. (1887), “Sabellianism,” “A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines”. London.
10. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sabellianism
11. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/Monasticism
12. https://aleteia.org/2013/04/22/what-are-the-origins-of-monasticism/
13. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clovis-I
14. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charlemagne/Religious-reform]