New Religious Expression;

a. Define the features of new religious expression and spiritualities. For example, charismatic
leadership, focus on personal fulfilment rather than communal expression, relationship with
nature,

b. explore what is human fulfillment under the following headings:

 bodily (health, procreation and post-mortem survival)
 psychological (emotional well-being, satisfaction and purpose in life)
 intellectual (education, making sense of life, seeking explanations)
 interpersonal (companionship, love, support)
 spiritual (recognizing the Other in poetry, art, music, nature)

c. List examples of new religious expressions:

New interpretations and adaptations of Traditional religions – Feminism, Youth movement,

Indigenous integration

New Age religions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age

Eclectic religions, for example Baha’i.

d. Identify the ethical areas for which religions have given guidance. For example, sex and
sexuality, gender role, diet, social relationships, medicine, science.

e. Discussion: Why do people seek ethical guidance from religions? For example, acceptance
of the principal paradigm of the Tradition, historical continuity of teachings, authority, access
to guides and models.

f. Explore the needs of various age groups in regards to their relationship within society:
children – parents/family; family and local community; youth culture; work relationships; the
aged.
Develop a table listing the identified needs of the groups and indicate the ways religions
address each need – social welfare, education, community based support, ethical
guidance.

g. Explain what is meant by:

- the rise of materialism
- scientific progress
- growth of ecological awareness

See To Know, Worship and Love - Catholic Studies: Chapter 10 ‘Science and Religion’.

h. Explain how these have contributed to the growth of new religious expressions and
spiritualities. For example, conflict of ideas with traditional religions, sense of alienation and
impotency, breakdown of human relationships (family), inability to assimilate the speed of
change, destruction of traditional values (the human person, purpose of life, et

i. Debate: ‘The developments of materialism, modern science and technology threaten to

reduce the human person to a commodity.’

j. Discuss how traditional religions might have failed to address the rise of materialism,
science and ecological awareness and the reasons for such a failure. For example,
 defensiveness, self-preservation, inability to adapt to and adopt new ways of thinking, re-
presenting anachronistic interpretations (eg Intelligent Design)

k. Discuss how new religious expressions and spiritualities satisfy the disenchantment with
traditional religious expressions or meet the needs of those who may not have had a
connection with traditional religious expressions