Download What Do You Believe? - St Mary Magdalene Church Mayne Island

St Mary Magdalene
Spiritual Reflection
January 22, 2016
What Do You Believe and What Don’t You?
Belief
1. an opinion or conviction;
2. confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible
to rigorous proof;
3. confidence; faith; trust in someone or something;
4. a religious tenet or tenets; religious creed or faith.
There is a discussion going on right now on reputable theological web sites about
what is essential to Christianity and what is not. Over the centuries there have
been many ideas and doctrines that have been developed that have been
embraced by the church, and many others that have been labeled heretical (that
is, not what the church believes).
1. Some writers have said that beliefs are not about things that are provable;
and that logic and proof do not come into the question of what we believe.
Do you agree? Does something have to be logical to be believable, or is
there another way of “knowing” for you?
2. An “elevator speech” is what you would say if you were on an elevator and
had only a few floors to go before stepping off, and someone asked you a
question. What would your elevator speech be if someone asked you
“Why are you a Christian?” Or “What do you believe?”
3. Can you describe who you believe God is? How is your God different from
the gods of, say, Greek, Roman or Egyptian mythology?
4. Do you believe there is a difference between Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus
the Christ? If so, what are they? When we say, “In Jesus’ name...” which
of these do you believe we’re talking about?
5. What do you believe is happening when you participate in the Eucharist
(communion)?
6. Do you pray? If so, what is happening when you pray? If not, is there a
belief system that keeps you from praying, or is there another reason? Do
you believe God answers prayer? How do you know; what do you believe
an answer looks like?
7. If you pray, to whom do you pray? God the father, God the Son, or God
the Holy Spirit? Or some other manifestation/ way of thinking of God?
8. When we say “God loves you”, what do you believe that means, in
concrete terms? What does His love look like?
9. When you feel blessed, do you believe that blessing is from God? If so,
does that mean God chose to give you a blessing, and decided somehow
not to give someone else a blessing? Another way of asking this is
whether you believe God is fair and loves us all equally?
10. Do you believe that people are basically good or basically bad, or neither?
What do you believe about the “Fall” (Adam and Eve)?
11. Are your beliefs static- once and for all, or do they change as you go
through life? If your beliefs change over time, how can you rely upon your
present beliefs to bring you comfort and succor? What is the point of
them?
12. Do you believe in a heaven? If so, what does it look like? If not, what
happens when we die?
13. What do you think is essential for a person to believe in order to be a
Christian? Is there room for variety? Who gets to decide what is
essential?