Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Religion for Secondary education

Hello class, my name is Felix, and today I'm presenting: Uruguay's vision of death.

Death is a topic of immense concern for humankind because it will sooner or later affect everyone. Often it comes very suddenly and unexpectedly and can therefore be very tragic; in other cases, it may simply be a relief. Every culture has a different way to approach and deal with death. What are the different funerary rituals, burial practices, and strategies for body disposal? Do all people belonging to a certain culture deal the same way with death and the funeral? How does religion influence a culture with death? These are questions that pique my interest, and for this investigation, I will mainly concentrate on the Uruguayan culture's view of death.

Firstly,...

The Historical and Intellectual World of St. Augustine

Historical Context: The Decline of Rome

St. Augustine, born around 354 CE, lived during an age of profound upheaval. The Roman Empire began its marked decline during this period, spanning the reigns of emperors like Julian and Theodosius I. It was Theodosius I who, in 380 CE, declared Nicene Christianity the official religion of the empire (via the Edict of Thessalonica), effectively neutralizing polytheism and forcing all imperial structures to adapt to a new way of thinking.

This shift led to complex relations between philosophy and religion:

• Philosophy: Seeks to explain human dilemmas rationally and through common sense.
• Religion: Bases solutions to human dilemmas in faith and belief statements

Baldomero Lillo's Subsole: Realism and Profound Humanity

The collection Subsole groups thirteen powerful stories, set primarily on the plateau under a bright and burning sun. This setting, reflected in the title (meaning 'under the sun'), provides the backdrop for addressing diverse and profound social and human issues. Lillo is widely regarded as a master of the short story in South America.

The Thirteen Stories of Subsole

The stories included in the collection are:

• The Abduction from the Sun
• Unredemption
• The Wheel
• The Eternal Snows
• Eve of the Dead
• Gold
• The Trailer
• The Soul of the Machine
• Quilapán
• The Tramp
• Iname
• The Trap
• The Drowned

Themes and Literary Style

Subsole combines intense realism with subtle emotional depth. The book is not limited to mere description...

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Early Life and Conversion

August 28th - Memory of Augustine, Bishop and eminent Doctor of the Church

Saint Augustine of Hippo, after a youth concerned with doctrinal issues and moral freedom, converted to Catholicism and was baptized by Saint Ambrose of Milan. Upon returning home, he joined some friends and adopted an ascetic life dedicated to the study of the Scriptures. Later chosen as Bishop of Hippo in Africa, he served as a model for his flock. He instructed them with abundant sermons and writings, bravely fought against the errors of his time, and illuminated the true faith with wisdom.

The Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity

The Era of the Roman Empire

• Constantine's Reign: Constantine served as governor of the

Church

The Catholic Church soon realized that it needed to occupy a significant role in the feudal world.
Thus, clergymen came up with the Theory of the Three Estates (or the Three Orders), which divided the feudal society into:

• Bellatores (warriors): privileged noblemen and knights who defended the society by means of war.
• Oratores (prayers): privileged churchmen and churchwomen who prayed for the spiritual salvation of the world. They were the Pope, his bishops and millions of priests, monks and nuns.
• Laboratores (labouring people): non-privileged peasants who provided material sustenance to all three groups.

Pyramid

• King: top nobleman.
• High Nobility: dukes, marquises, counts.
• High Clergy: the Pope, his cardinals and bishops.
• Low Nobility: barons,

Celestina: A Dramatic Analysis

Celestina: A dialogical work (without voice-over), dramatic in character, though probably not intended to be represented, but read out in 25 acts. It is also known as El alta. It is divided first by the other anonymous author, then written by Fernando de Rojas, a Toledan convert.

Structure

Approach: Act 1

Argument: Calisto loves Melibea and is rejected by her. He expresses despair to Sempronius, his servant, who suggests using an old bawd whose name was Celestina. Sempronius and Celestina, who is later joined by Parmeno—another servant of Callisto—are associated for the economic benefit of the young man.

Development: Acts II-XVIII

Argument: Celestina, through a spell and her ability to persuade, awakens love in...

A Praying Church: Reform and the Pilgrim

The Reform of the Monasteries

Benedictine monasteries exerted an important role in both religious and social life and culture. They taught farmers to cultivate land and were the guardians of traditional culture but lost to the abuse of power and, therefore, needed a reform that occurred in the 11th century. Two lights were the main reform:

• The Abbey of Cluny (910): The monks began to restore the great principles of the Rule of St. Benedict to become independent of time and reformed the customs.
• The Cistercian Abbey of Cîteaux: The Cluny monks were falling because of some mistakes committed by their predecessors. After two centuries, Roberto of Molesme tried to return to the primitive rigor of Cluny and

Saint Teresa of Ávila

Saint Teresa was born in Ávila in 1515. Her father, Alonso Sánchez Cepeda, and her mother, Beatriz de Ahumada, were noble Castilians. She was the 6th of 12 siblings. Her father sent her to the convent of the Augustinian nuns in Ávila. Her brother Rodrigo and she had a special sensitivity to loneliness and prayer. At age 20, she ran away to join the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation. A year later, she made her religious vows. Shortly after, she had a serious illness that almost led her to death. She was bedridden for almost 3 years and lost the movement of her hand during that time. After this period, she regained her health. With the economic aid of her brothers, she founded the convent of Saint Joseph in 1562. Teresa...

William Blake's *Infant Joy*: Analysis and Interpretation

Context

Infant Joy is often interpreted by critics as an imaginary dialogue between a newborn baby and its mother. The baby asserts that its name, and therefore its nature, is joy. The mother wishes that joy will continue to characterize the infant's life.

Many critics view the poem's dialogue as a lullaby a mother is singing to her newborn child, assuming both their voices. The child's words celebrate the baby's present innocence and joy (“I happy am”). Her response, “Sweet joy befall thee,” is both a blessing and a recognition that what may befall the baby will include other, less joyful, experiences.

Some critics also remind us that Blake wrote at a time of very high infant mortality....

M7 - Anglicana Currens (1453)

1 - Item, the said little house draws not 5,000 tiles, which after 16 pence the thousand

2 - Should draw 6 shillings, 8 pence. Notwithstanding, if Sir Thomas thinks that he should be allowed

3 - He shall be. And you must remember in this new work how that he, for the said work, noble

4 - Has received 6 shillings, 8 pence of you, and 8 shillings of Robert Tolle before Michaelmas, as appears

5 - In his account, 8 shillings. And what he has received of Tolle since Michaelmas, 5 shillings, 4 pence.

6 - Tell you, I suppose it is 10 shillings. And then by this reckoning, he should be 13 shillings, 4 pence ahead.

7 - Hand, which I would you should gather up in this new work as well as you might.

8 - For I am beholden to do him...