Field Research Paper (Religion)
There exist different religions in the world; each religion has a set of beliefs and guidelines that define the general conduct of its members. The prevalent and popular religions in the world include Christianity, Islamic, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Sikhism (Helland, 2013). To understand the beliefs of a given religion, it is wise to study through interviewing its members, personal involvement in the religion’s activities, and through books about the faith. Careful study is essential in understanding how a given religion operates, and what is permitted or not permitted in that religion based on their beliefs and guidelines. During my research, I visited Saint Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas, where I had an interview with several priests and church members (Patrick, 2012). The main aims of the research were to understand Christian beliefs and guidelines within the Christian religion.
To begin with, the mission of Saint Patrick Cathedral states, “We the parishioners of Saint Patrick Cathedral, a diverse community united in faith & tradition, are called by the Holy Spirit to love, serve and proclaim the Gospel of Christ.” The mission identifies the members of Saint Patrick Cathedral as united by faith and tradition to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christianity can be traced back to the beginning of the 1st century during the lifetime of Jesus. After Jesus died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, Christianity continued spreading throughout the Roman empire, Although Christians were heavily persecuted during the early days of Christianity, the religion spread to other parts of the world thus becoming the dominant religion. Just like the Muslim religion, Christians believe in the existence of supreme, omnipotent, and omniscient supernatural-being called God to whom they are all accountable and must obey His commandments. Christianity values the role played by both adults and children in the spread of the gospel or spiritual well-being of a person. Saint Patrick implements that by basing their programs into four central doctrines: God, man, Christ, and union. These doctrines make it easy for both children and adults to understand Christianity as the concept of spirit.
In Christianity, God talks to His people through the bible, prophets, and the holy spirit. According to Christian beliefs, sacraments are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church. Sacraments renew God’s covenant with His people; therefore, the role of sacraments is to sanctify human beings, build up the Body of Christ, and give worship to God. In Saint Patrick Cathedral, just like all other catholic churches in the world, there are seven sacraments that a Christian should partake. The sacraments include baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, Holy Orders,and Matrimony (Patrick’s Cathedral Melbourne, 2015).
It is the role of a priest to give a homily, which explains more about the scripture. Just like in the Muslim setting, the priest or pastor plays a role in giving out the sermon and offering prayers to God on behalf of the believers. There exist different ministries within Saint Patrick Cathedral, such as music ministry, alter society, youth ministry, Knight of Columbus, and youth-adult ministry. All these ministries work together as one body in spreading the gospel, thus promoting love and unity, which are necessities in Christian beliefs (O’Loughlin, 2014).