The Six Paths
This group prays regularly, attend religious services frequently, and feel comfortable talking about God.
The Path of Belief
Who were referred to as ”thinking believers”?
St. Thomas Aquinas
Moses Maimonides
Dorothy Day
Reinhold Nielbuhr
Fill in the blanks: Spiritual is taken to mean that, freed from __________ _____________, you can be _________ _______ _____.
1. unnecessary dogmas
2. yourself before God
Who reminded the Jesuits that part of their original work was with the poor and marginalized?
Pedro Arrupe
How old was Iñigo of Loyola when is leg was shattered by a cannonbal?
Thirty years old
A reignited curiosity about God, after having drifted away from religion.
The Path of Return
Fill in the blanks: “Religion is ________________ and ____________, stifling the growth of human spirit.”
1. Narrow-minded
2. prejudicial
What did Isaac Hecker say about religion?
It helps you connect and correct.
What does Ignatius say about God in Chapter two?
He is the center of everything, and provides meaning for our lives.
When recovering, what types of books did he read?
Books about the life of Jesus and the lives of saints.
The main danger for this group is a perfectionism, that sets up organized religion for failure.
The Path of Independence
What superlative was given to religion by some contemporary authors?
The most despicable of social evils.
Why are spiritualities, entirely focused on the self, problematic?
There is no place for humility, self-critique or a sense of responsibility for the community.
Fill in the blanks: According to Ignatius, God can speak _______ to with people in __________ ways.
1. Directly
2. personal
How did Ignatius’s idea that God speaks to us directly get him into trouble?
During the Inquisition, it landed him in jail.
People on this path have a knack for being religious-baloney detectors.
The Path of Disbelief
Since religions are human organization, what are they prone to?
Sin.
What did St. Ignatius of Loyola say about spirituality and religion?
The two go hand in hand.
Fill in the blank: The beginning of the path to finding God is ____________.
Awareness.
What is the far more controversial idea these days?
God would speak to us through religion.
For this group, finding God is a mystery, a worry or a problem.
The Path of Confusion
Who does the author mention was deeply religious but often challenged the religious conventions of his day?
Jesus of Nazareth
What example was given to convey religious communities getting things wrong, convinced that they are doing God’s will?
The Salem Witch Trials
What is the “leap of faith” required to find God?
Believing that the intimate experiences you have are ways God communicates with you.
Give an example of a God communicating with us.
No wrong answer! :)