SKILLS to be LEARNED

• analyse challenges to religion generally
• explain stances adopted by religion generally in the face of challenges and why
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A comprehensive explanation of stances taken generally by religions and why.

1. Explain the types of challenge that might be faced by a religious tradition.
2. Explain the possible stances that might be taken by a religious tradition to a challenge.
3. Explain how the aspects of religious traditions may be used to support the stance taken be a religious tradition generally.​

​Religious traditions may be confronted by a variety of challenges. The analysis of these is about the relationship between different types of challenge their affect the aspects, stance and responses of religious traditions.

Some challenges go to the heart of the belief system calling into question the very essence of what it means to be an adherent of the faith. The central teachings about ultimate reality, doctrines about the nature and purpose of life and shared understandings about the ways in which human should be in relationship with ultimate reality may be demeaned or threatened by insiders or by persons external to the tradition. These are theological challenges. When the theological assumptions of a religious tradition are challenged, the tradition must take a stance, a principled perspective on the challenge. Challenges to the shared affirmations of the faith may be able to be ignored for a time but cannot easily go unanswered in the longer term. Faithful adherents look to the leaders of the tradition for ways to approach theological challenges. There are many possibilities. Aspects of the tradition can be used to respond to the challenge and to support the faithful in a time of crisis of belief. Prayer and rituals can be developed and invoked to suit the situation. The faithful may be invited or summoned by authorities to gatherings at sacred places to hear about the threats and seek solace in the place and in the group of believers. The symbol system of the tradition may be appealed to inspire faith. Official statements in defence of the faith by authorities of the tradition are another possible line of response.

Some challenges are essentially ethical in nature. These challenges bring into question the practices and attitudes, actions and explanations of the tradition in the area of relationships and associated human behaviours. The relationships challenged are typically between humans but can also be between humans and the natural world. The ethical criticism will be directed at generally agreed religious attitudes to what counts as good and evil behaviour. Ethical challenges can be trained on the internal processes the tradition, for example, its liturgical frameworks or the morality found in sacred texts. Equally, ethical challenges can focus of the social attitudes of the tradition to justice, equality, membership and participation. Stances taken by authorities of the traditions in the area of ethics can vary. Often, the stance will be in opposition to the challenge. Religious leadership may speak out in favour of traditional ethical teachings, reiterating the ongoing goodness of the existing approaches. Various aspects of the tradition, including sacred texts, symbols and stories, will be incorporated into statements by leaders to support the existing stance of opposition to the challenge. In more extreme circumstances this can even lead to religiously legitimised public demonstration and has even resulted in the preaching of war. On occasion religious leaders may seek a review of the challenged behaviours to find new and enlightened approaches to accommodate changing circumstances. In this case the sacred texts and stories of the tradition or its long held mythical structures may require re-evaluation or reinterpretation.
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There are some challenges that so dramatic in nature that the very existence of the tradition is placed in jeopardy. These are challenges to the continued existence of the religion. Such challenges will often be confined to a particular region but throughout history there have also been massive movements in religious and cultural affiliation. This type of challenge can come from aggressive proselytization by another religious tradition (the process of mass conversion), from significant cultural shifts, from fear and forced conversion as part of the aftermath of wars and colonisation, and it can be the outcome of significant natural disasters, including famine or epidemics. Where there is a chance to anticipate the potential devastation of the challenge, the religious authorities of the tradition will feel the need to respond swiftly. It will take a stance that is about survival. The protection of believers, sacred objects, sacred texts, sacred places and special artefacts become central tenets of the stance. Historically, the call to arms by civil leaders has often been supported by religious leaders. Even when this religious response was in support of defence in times of perceived dire threat, later history has seldom judged this decision favourably. Preaching violence is abhorrent in the mainstream contemporary religious mindset. The path of interfaith dialogue through the twentieth century has created an understanding about the importance peace that religious traditions are not likely to walk away from. However, the use of religious language to preach war is not beyond many governments and national leaders, even if this is not accepted by religious authorities.

• analyse and compare challenges to specific religious traditions or denominations
• analyse and compare stances and responses to challenges taken by a specific religious tradition or denomination
• interpret, synthesise and apply primary and secondary source material.​

A comprehensive analysis and comparison of a range of significant challenges to one or more religious traditions or denominations.

1. Give examples of both internal and external challenges that have been faced by the religious traditions or denomination you have studied​
2. Explain two instances of distinct stances that have been taken by the religious tradition that you have studied and give reasons for the stance taken.
3. Define three of the aspects of religious traditions and explain how each of the aspects might be challenged
4. Explain how the specifics of a challenge (era, dates, people and places) effect the nature of the response?
5. Discuss how the impacts of some challenges are still at work in the modern Church?

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A highly developed analysis and comparison of the stances and responses to the challenges taken by the religious tradition/s or denomination/s.

1. What is the difference between an effective and an ineffective stance taken toward a challenge? Give an example of each.
2. Which aspects of the religion that you have studied appear to be most affected by the challenge-response process?
3. Compare and contrast the stances and responses taken by the Roman Catholic church to two separate challenges
4. Are the responses of a religious tradition always effective in supporting the stance taken?