Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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    Prayer in World Religions A Christian Understanding with Special Focus on the Question of Interreligious Prayer
    (Tangaza University College, 2001-03-03) Fernando, Domingues
    The present sociological situation — a highly mobile world where people of different cultures and faiths are living in close contact — has brought an increase in dialogue and relations. These can take many forms, one of which is exchange at the level of religious experience.' This exchange often includes the desire of praying together, for prayer is one of the deepest expressions of the human heart and believers are never more truly themselves than when they are at prayer. However, fulfilling this desire is not as simple as it looks. Prayer is intrinsically linked to a belief system and a religious tradition: lex orandi, /ex crecienti An obvious question thus arises: can people who profess different belief systems pray together? Is interreligious prayer really possible? Some Christians see this question as having received a final answer from St Paul: "What fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar?" (2 Cor 6:14-15). Such a position could have been somehow justified in the past, when the other religion was, in practice, the religion of a completely different cultural environment. The last century, however, has seen an explosion of knowledge among Christians concerning the other religious traditions of the world. Stereotypes have increasingly been replaced by more accurate knowledge. The immense spiritual riches of the religious traditions of humankind do not allow us to continue believing — at least not without damaging our common sense — that non-Christian religious practices are all aberrations due to superstition and unbelief. The growing contact among believers of different faiths makes the question of common prayer pertinent in the extreme. Christian engagement in interreligious prayer is still very sporadic although it is becoming increasingly common. The occasions for such prayers may be informal such as family events or common misfortunes, or they may be national days or events at an international level. From the Catholic perspective, the Day of Prayer for Peace, held in Assisi in 1986 at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, has had a strong impact. It conferred legitimacy to Catholic initiatives towards interreligious dialogue and in particular the search for sensitive and appropriate ways of interreligious prayer. Several questions are raised regarding interreligious prayer: is it only as a sympathetic observer, or can there be a fuller Christian participation in such prayer? Does prayer mean the same in all religions, so much so that interreligious prayer can be seen as prayer to the same God? Is interreligious prayer just an expression of social harmony? Does interreligious prayer suppose a compromise in one's own beliefs? These are some of the questions addressed in this paper. Chapter one bears the general title, Christian understanding of Prayer. We look first at prayer as the central act of the religious attitude and try to define its limits from the perspective of the phenomenology of religion. This prepares us for examining what distinguishes Christian prayer from the prayer of other religious traditions, the so called proprium Christianum. After looking briefly at the biblical teaching and practice on prayer, we focus our attention on the prayer of Jesus himself and his teaching about prayer. Next we explore St Paul's view about the indissoluble link between prayer and the Holy Spirit. We finish the chapter by reviewing what recent Church documents have said about the nature of Christian prayer. Chapter two extends the discourse to religious traditions in general. It presents a brief survey of the phenomenon of prayer in Islam and African Traditional Religion. The choice of these traditions is determined by the African context from which this reflection is written. It is not possible to do justice to any religion in a few lines. A comprehensive treatment would require a separate book for each religion. We shall however make the attempt, while recognising that many things must remain unsaid. On the basis of these two concrete examples of prayer traditions outside Christianity, chapter three attempts a theological understating of prayer in world religions. We turn first to Scripture and ask the question whether the Bible contains significant indications of a prayer relationship between God and non-Israelites. We then look at the liturgical tradition of the Latin Church and study an interesting text from the Roman canon which can help us in view of an assessment of the prayers and rites of the various religious traditions. It follows a concise presentation of Pope John Paul II's contribution to a theology of religions, both in his doctrinal teaching as well as through his apostolic actions. In particular we review his initiative of inviting leaders from the world religions to Assisi in 1986 to take part in a Day of Prayer for Peace. Finally, chapter four considers the question of interreligious prayer: Can we pray together? We examine the occasions and the different approaches that common prayer takes; the fundamental question of the motivation in interreligious prayer, and the necessary limitations of such a prayer. We conclude our reflection by examining the place and role of common prayer in the overall practice of interreligious dialogue.
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    Exegetical Analysis Of Jesus'prayer on Mount Of Olives (Lk 22: 39-46) Applied To The Poor in Tanzania.
    (2001-02) B. Kiwori, Josaphat
    The life of a human being is a journey. The end of this journey is to be in communion with God. Human beings are different from all other creatures because they were created in the image and the likeness of God. Despite being created in the image and the likeness of God, human beings are limited and because of this, they have a tendency of wandering away from God looking for independence, autonomy, power, and at the same time trying to be equal with God. When people turn away from God, they inflict pain and sufferings upon others. Love is lost and hatred prevails. In the midst of suffering, the human being unlike an animal is able to reflect. For example, the Zebra that finds itself in the jaws of the lion does not ask 'why me? The Zebra is incapable of thinking 'if only I had taken the last right turn or had been a little more cautious.' Only human beings give meaning to the grizzly sight of a lion feasting on the Zebras carcass. The ability to find meaning in suffering is one of the human persons most mysterious blessing. Explaining a tragic accident or an untimely death by declaring or saying, 'that is life' has a hollow ring. It provides neither comfort nor hope. The human person needs a better and bigger answer. Human suffering is caused by a variety of factors; some can be controlled and others are beyond human capacity. Human sufferings can only find meaning in the context of faith. Prayer is a great help for someone faced with suffering.
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    Worship Of God the Creator Among The Agikuyu And Christian Worship
    (Tangaza University College, 1997-02) Gikonyo, David
    As a student in the Seminary, I have had chances of participating in pastoral activities during the holidays. I have attended various masses in the parishes where I visited and talked with many of Christians living there. What I noticed is that apart from the funeral masses there was a decline in the number of Christians attending. There was virtually no attendance at weekday masses. The priest in Matiri parish told me that even public prayers particularly devotional which used to draw quite an attention had declined. Interviewing the Christians on the situation a number were uncertain whether it was necessary for them to come to the church to pray. Many were indifferent about public worship and preferred sometimes to remain at home on Sundays. This is what attracted me to research on worship, not to give answers to current problems but to be aware of the underlying causes. Another phenomenon that drew my attention was the observation that people were comfortable with a kind of double life; being fully professed Christians yet easily lured to cultural practices incompatible with the Christian Faith. The parish priest of Pawaga Parish in Iringa, Tanzania, complained that the Gospel message was not readily accepted by the people once the traditional healing systems were condemned. With the Synod of Africa the theme of inculturation was featured significantly. It encouraged the incarnation of African values that are compatible with the Christian faith. This has in fact challenged theologians and students in theology to put research in this field as a priority. The Church to called to re-discover the peoples relationship with God as expressed in their worship and with the guidance of the Spirit has to venture into the field of peoples experiences. In my essay I am raising a general question: Does the Agikuyu way of worshipping the Creator have anything of value, confronted by the Christian approach to God? I will research on the Agikuyu origin (creation), their conception of God the Creator and how they arrived to it. Then I will look into some elements in Christian Worship. Finally there will be a discussion on some aspects of influence the two ways of worship have on a Kikuyu converted to Christianity. This will be looked at from the standpoint of improving his or her way of worship.