Bachelor Of Arts Religious Studies

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THE RELIGIOUS ATTITUDE OF THE CONGOLESE YOUTH TOWARDS GOD Resistance to Models and Methods of Christian Religious and Pastoral Education: A Pastoral Response
(Tangaza University College, 2005) MAZENGA, KADJIM ALPHA
From statistics alone. it would seem that Christianity in DRC is in a good situation and there is a multiplicity of favorable signs: there is an active participation of the faithful. a growth in the number of the Christian communities, a high level of religious activities, a plethora of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. This impression seems to be confirmed on the spot there is an abundance of associations: celebrations are fervently attended: sacraments are well frequented: there is the conviction and commitment of a large number of believers: there are admirable examples of devotion. Christians in Congo allegedly form 85% of its population (Catholics 50.6% spread over 47 dioceses: 28 millions of the faithful. 53 bishops. 3261 diocesan priests. 3356 men-religious and 6487 women-religious: Protestant 25%. and Kimbanguists 100/0)1. This is the impressionistic coming from Congolese Christianity. Nevertheless, the promise for the future. as established during our work among and with the youth. is less certain because there are also disfallorable signs. The most disturbing of the latter is the religious attitude of the youth towards God. In Congo today. the religious attitude of most youth in urban areas towards God is largely functional. Thus. God is viewed as one who substitutes for human deficiencies. Put differently. the relation with God is not really a living one but made for one's living interest. In other words, the encounter between God-humans crops up at the time when one is stuck in difficulties, danger. stress. distress. death. struggle. hardship. tribulations and trials, among others. • him. ..s . ,sk‘s.cougopline.com_geo,litm . 30.08 2004. See also. Le Clerue Seculier du Zaire. (Krnshasa• SCIFZ. 19811 From our own pastoral experience of working among and with them. it is rare to find youths who affirm belief in God during joyful and successful circumstances of their life. One can of course generalize that this is a universal trend today. Be this as it min: the trend does not seem to have the same meaning in the other parts of the world as in Congo. This is because its extent and its consequences seem to be more serious: the loss of Congolese deep rooted religious consciousness and life. Careful analysis of this trend seems to portray that for a large number of Congolese youth, it has become increasingly unpopular to identify with the life, work and mission of the Church. The Religious Attitude of Congolese Youth Towards. God is a sounding of opinions realized from our discussions and sharing with a group of fifty young people during our pastoral experience 2002-2003 when we were asked to accept the responsibility of building up a youth group at le:u Kristu ?''to-Lunngu- Parish (hereinafter YKTL. ) in Bundundu3 (hereinafter BDD). In general. a good survey is legitimately realized on a big number of subjects. The present group of youth seemingly reveals some tendencies, which can be spotted in some other areas of Congolese youth populations. In the present essay. our major argument is primarily that of the contemporary youth. if God exists, it is not in the first place for our benefit. Instead, it should be that 2 One of the four parishes of BDD. the County Town of the region of BDD served by the SVDs since 1963. Is the County Town of the province of BDD. one of the eleven provinces of DRC. BDD is at the same time the name of the administrative province and of its County Town. It is situated in the western pan of DRC. 400 km away from KIN It is located in the lower part of the river Kasai and it is built on the shore of the river Kwilu in a big savannah area. few miles from the equatorial forest. BDD is the youngest of the county towns of DRC since 1971. At the eve of the independence (1960). BDD was a hug village made of fishermen whose population was only 15.000 inhabitants. Today. it has 120.000 habitants. BDD has few activities. The onk activity of the town is concentrated around its fishing port. BDD is an important agricultural region. It resupplies KIN with oil. manioc. fish, meat and raw materials. we might he of set:\ ice to Him. That is to say in order that we may sere Him.' Secondarik . to encourage and bring a little light to the heralds, teachers. catechists. preachers and all ministers of faith who deal with young persons. in their search for the path leading to true Christian faith. To can out this study. we have chosen the analytico-descripive method and this within the theologico-missiological framework. It is made of opinions of the youth collated during spiritual directions, discussions and sharing with them. After each and every talk and sharing, we noted their responses and reactions to the matters and questions discussed. The fundamental question in writing this essay is that of searching how to reevaluate and introduce other methods and models that we believe can turn the attention of our young people to true Christian faith and toward the spiritual treasures of the Church. Our study is structured in four chapters: the first will present the background of the situation of the youth in the parish. We will present the clear details of the situation, our arrival over there and our concrete experience with them. The second chapter recalls the main themes of our encounter with the youth. It is the question to know the how and the why of such a wrong attitude towards God. Chapter Three expounds our own Christian faith: the correct idea of God in Christianity and the relationship between Christian faith and them. The fourth chapter suggests ways through which young people can be empowered in order to help them to grow in the true Christian faith. Lastly. conclusion crowns all that we have studied, described, and analyzed in this work
THE PARADOX OF EVIL AND SUFFERING: "A LIFE IN CHRIST THROUGH SUFFERING AND ENDURANCE
(Tangaza University College, 2005) OMORO, SAMWEL ODERO
...My heart is sorrowful even to death... The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Mt 26:38,41). Like Jesus, every human person finds himself or herself sometimes in such a concrete situation when confronted with the pangs of suffering. Though the intellect would want to make out its meaning and purpose in order to overcome i, the body the medium through which this suffering is encountered and expressed is always weak. vil events such as earthquakes and floods have always have left many people confounded in silence with fear, loneliness and anxiety. Though they are an iceberg of many silent sufferings and deaths, they have always provoked within man a sensation of pain that man is short of completeness in life. Such consciousness evolves into uneasiness and concern, worry or dread, lack of fulfilment, but above all heightened feelings of inner emptiness, isolation and intense longing to overcome suffering. Suffering may be transient, or long lasting. It is common to all, the young and the old, the poor and the rich alike. From the standpoint of human history, suffering is a legacy that is as old as humanity. When we switch on our radios and TVs and read newspapers, the most dominant news is about suffering in the world. Summits, conferences, councils, seminars are always held to forge ways on how to diminish, alleviate or to prevent suffering. Though suffering and pain seem to be an integral and unavoidable part of human existence on earth, man upon failing to establish a rapport between suffering and life, ends in posing basic questions: Why suffering? Is there meaning in suffering? Can suffering be totally abolished from the earth? Does God create evil and suffering? Why suffering in a good world? These questions summarise my motives and aims in writing this essay: there is a necessity to develop and cherish a firm positive attitude towards evil and suffering in the world. The notion that God is a good God and he is the creator of the good universe magnifies the horror and dread of suffering. This is because man cannot comprehend a good God creating or allowing evil in a good universe! The question about the origin of evil and suffering is not an afterthought in man's intellect. Thus, comes the problem of evil in the world. The ravaging effect of suffering, of which the human in cannot exactly situate the origin, plunges man into a flight from the reality of life. Many a times man in his wisdom attempts to rationalise the problem of evil and suffering so as to attain comfort, but all in vain. On the contrary, man's flawed attempts to evade evil and suffering have always propagated loneliness and anxiety in life. In any case, human philosophy should aid us in making out how evil and suffering profoundly fit into the divine plan for humanity and into the probationary nature of life; philosophy should help to develop a healthy attitude that will influence right actions towards evil and suffering, thereby removing the misjudgement about evil and suffering. Again it should help us to see that suffering is not irrational, purposeless and meaningless and that it is not the end of life. This is the basic stream of thought in Chapter One. Man with his intellect in confronting the problem of evil and suffering, engages in an earnest, modest and endeavouring &Tutuila to offer a solution appertaining to this problem. The pure human rationality that has led to a tussle to comprehend the meaning and purpose of suffering in the world is full of conjectural arguments. Baffled by the fact that evil and suffering are indiscriminately affecting all persons, even other animals, the human mind has unfortunately occasionally wandered away from the truth that there is a good God in control of the universe. The supernatural revelation purports to found the fact that even though evil and suffering are inherent in the world, the good God has triumph over them and that they are only a fleeting reality. Chapter Two is a move to locate the origin of evil and suffering and its relation to God's presence. Ilowever, we will only deal with the New Testament in this chapter in order to see how Jesus, who is the paradigm of Christians in front of suffering, understands and lives the problem of suffering and evil. "...affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint..." (Rom 5:3-5). In these verses Paul reiterates our vocation to authentic living amid suffering. Theology as a rational method of establishing the truth of revelation, bears the responsibility of giving a rigorous and exact exposition of the doctrines of faith pertaining to evil and suffering. As such, theological reflection should offer Christians a spirituality that is completely useful in nourishing and strengthening faith. This is the core message of Chapter !Three: how to face suffering squarely with the purpose and meaning as a way to God. Christ on insisting on the carrying of the cross as a way of discipleship to him, offers an overhaul in the meaning of the cross: a new meaning that embraces suffering as a necessary component on the way to new life, In Chapter Three we also establish this new meaning of the cross.
THE EUCHARIST: THE ONE PERFECT OFFERING OF CHRIST
(Tangaza University College, 2005) DENNIS, NTABO GWARO
The Holy Eucharist is a mystery placed by God into the visible continuity of human history. As a genuine historical reality, its exterior shape has undergone development and variations from one epoch to another and from one place to another. The first six centuries after the death of Christ were undoubtedly the greatest periods of development, as far as the shaping of the eucharistic liturgy is concerned. The gathering of Christians to celebrate the Eucharist grew from simple domestic celebrations to elaborate papal liturgies. There was a lot of copying of elements from the imperial courts, and gradually the Eucharist took a more official character. Slowly, a fixed outline of rubrics emerged, so that the main line of the Eucharist as it is known today in the West solidified. This development in the liturgy of the West between the 6" and 7th centuries consisted of assimilation of liturgical forms according to the practice of the Roman imperial courts, for instance, the use of a ceremonial handkerchief (maniple), the adoption of the chasuble, the ritual procession for the entrance, the rank of sub deacon, and the origins of a fixed style of prayer and chant. In the midst of all of the evolutions and variations, one consistent factor emerges: the experience of the Eucharist as a communitarian event. The primary emphasis in eucharistic theology from its very beginning was that the Eucharist is both the image and source of the unity of the Christian 2 community. Another important point is that apart from the influence of the Roman imperial courts, further major influences came from the intellectual, social and architectural developments of the Middle Ages. These greatly affected the development and understanding of the Eucharist. I intend to present a systematic, that is, a step-by-step progressive unfolding of the Christian eucharistic liturgy, and whatever our understanding of the Eucharist may be, this presentation should give us exactly what the word meant originally. We shall see that in the eucharistic celebration God himself is revealing and communicating the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ through a specific type of prayer, a prayer that is a re-presentation of the Christ-Event in a sacred action. Beneath the divergent 'liturgical' practices in the Old and New Testaments, there is no doubt that there are some constants that have survived up to the present time, in the sense that there has been a general continuity with respect to the developments and changes of liturgy over the centuries. My aim in undertaking this research is to show how the Eucharist is rooted as an event in the Old Testament, a command at its institution in the New Testament, and the celebration today with its significance in Christian living. Having said this, the first chapter focuses on the origin of the Eucharist. It is a historical survey the objective of which is to serve as an instrument for the proceeding chapters under the titles: The One Perfect Offering of Christ, and the Significance of the Eucharist in the Christian Life.
THE DISCIPLESHIP IN LUKE: MARY AS THE PERFECT DISCIPLE
(Tangaza University College, 2005) MAROTTIPARAMBIL, JOSEPH
Luke, the author of the two-volume literary creation, which we refer to as Luke Acts, believes that God has a plan by which human beings can gain eternal salvation. This plan was revealed by God in the Old Testament by prophesies and promises and at last through the ministry of Jesus Christ. The Christian community of Luke includes of all people without having any partiality of religion, culture, family, economic status, language etc, and all those who follow Christ sincerely as true disciple of Him. According to Luke this discipleship of Christ is not an accidental, but rather the real plan of God for the salvation of all. Discipleship is an act of God, a miracle of divine grace (Job 10:12-13; Zech 8:5-8; Gen 18.14) and one can only receive it in obedience and surrender (Acts 9:1-22). The Lucan style in which he has arranged his discipleship texts in the journey narrative (Lk 9:23-27; 9:57-62; 14:25-35; 18:24-30) not only gives them a permanent and lasting value, but also makes one think of discipleship itself as a journey (Lk 9:51.53; 10:1; 13:22) a course (Acts 13:25; 20:24) and a way (Lk 1:79; 20:21). It is the course that Jesus has once entered and (Acts 13:24) and now finished (Lk 9:31). It is a course which disciples must follow now (Heb 12:1-2). It is an invitation and a challenge offered to all opening out unbounded opportunities to live and grow in the service of the Kingdom. But every one is free to accept or reject this costly commitment. Being such a fantastic story teller, Luke portrays the elements of discipleship in his gospel including women disciples. Bringing Mary into the scene, as the one exemplifies all of the disciples 'who hear the word of God, keep it and live it (Lk 1:38; 11:28, 38-48) in her life as a true follower. For the disciples of Jesus in the gospel of Luke Jesus mandates a response from the followers, by way of renouncing their possessions and sharing with the poor what they have and follow Jesus radically with a whole heart and mind. Luke orients his gospel towards arousing in the disciple an intense love for God and his people. He works systematically all through his teaching on discipleship that the path of love leads to a true union with God which is the ultimate goal of a disciple. The evangelist, who speaks about women disciples, does not hesitate to bring Mary as Jesus' first and perfect disciple. Luke gives enough exegetical evidence to stress his idea. Discipleship is a life long commitment for Luke; and if so Mary is the best ideal for discipleship. My task here is to depict the Lucan picture on discipleship. In order to do that, in the first chapter I will analyze the discipleship and its meaning in the Old Testament namely in the Jewish tradition. The chapter ends with the basic requirements of discipleship, especially in the New Testament. The second chapter mainly deals with the Lucan picture of Discipleship; where he portrays it as a journey. Also the chapter explains the characteristics of discipleship in the Lucan point of view, which helps us to understand the real flow of Lucan 2 theology of discipleship — as an ongoing response to the call of Jesus. The chapter ends with the Lucan idea on women's discipleship. The third chapter is the climax of our study where both first and the second chapters are heading to. It analyzes the discipleship of Mary the Mother Jesus. I try to analyze with Lucan background that how Mary becomes the perfect disciple of Jesus and how she challenges the modem women with the model of discipleship. Christians today look to Jesus and his disciples in Luke-Acts for examples to imitate in their own journeys with Jesus. We can fulfill the missionary responsibility in our community as well as in foreign lands by preaching the good news of God's salvation, by following Jesus and leading a life of humble service. By portraying Jesus as a model of compassion who is particularly attentive to the question of social and economic justice, Luke tells us that those who wish to do the will of God must place themselves at the service of others. This service ethic includes adopting a life style which, in many respects, is radically opposed to the standards of this world.
THE BI-KPACHLIB TRADITIONAL FUNERAL RITES AND ITS PASTORAL CHALLENGE
(Tangaza University College, 2005) KOTCHIRE, DITIME
In the northern part of Togo, people had seen and still have in mind that Christianity is a threat to social, religious and cultural values because of the negative attitudes that the first missionaries had toward the local cultures. Today there are a lot of efforts to use the local cultural values to promote Christianity. Firstly, it is in this line that I have chosen to investigate the funeral sacrifices in the Bi-Kpaciilib culture with the aim at using its cultural values to promote a process towards inculturation. Secondly, my choice is also motivated by the fact that these funeral sacrifices deal with the cosmic and social disorder caused by death and the restoration of communion among the living — on the one hand — and on the other, reflection upon the relationship between the living and the "living-dead"' can offer a possibility of constructive dialogue between the Church and the Bi-Kpaciilib culture. The funeral sacrifices that are being performed from the moment of the announcement of a death until the closing of the funeral concern an adult person who had children or at least one child. In the context of Bi-Kpaciilib culture, one should keep in mind that "death is the passage from life in this world to life in the world of the spirits, the world of the living-dead."2 The study of funeral sacrifices within the Bi-Kpaciilib culture is being carried out as a contribution to the inculturation process that allows "local cultures to discover those fundamental elements that must be purified, those which need substitutes, those which have to be rejected without a substitute and those which can be incorporated in Christianity and J.S. MBITI, African Religions and Philosophy, 58. 2 J. BRAGOTH, - al., We Pray and Sing w the Lord, 183. 2 without change."3 Somehow, I would like to contribute, at least in small way, to the Church's ongoing efforts to find a more suitable way of making Gospel values meaningful to the Bi-Kpaciilib by using the values found in their own culture. In my research, I interviewed some of the Bi-Kpaciilib in order to get to know more about the funeral sacrifices. My informants are female and male. I also read various books and articles dealing with African religions, sacrifices, and the inculturation process issue. Also, as a native and someone who has grown up in Bi Kpaciilib culture, I will use my own experience. I have structured my work into three chapters. hi the first chapter I discuss an overall view of the Bi-Kpaciilib cultural concept of death, funerals and sacrifice, and how the people relate to and understand the world in which they live, and their view of Christianity. The second chapter will focus on one of the Bi-Kpaciilib traditional funeral rites at the various ritual stages before and after the burial. I will show how these values and aspects can be used theologically as the means of promoting the Christian faith or can be purified in the context of the Christian faith. In the third chapter, I will deal with the pastoral challenge that lies in the burial of a Christian among the Bi-Kpaciilib. Secondly, I will see how to use these values found in the traditional funeral rites as channels to communicate the Gospel values to the Bi-Kpaciilib, in their own culture

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