Teacher Notes

The first few topics in the Beliefs module explore the articles of the Apostles’ Creed not from a deeply theological or philosophical point of view but from the point of view of how each article of the Creed has been commonly understood in the Church and of its significance for us now. Useful links are embedded in a text that explains each statement of the Creed in simple non-theological language. These links are chiefly to accessible articles and papers which reflect on the meaning of the Creed for believers today. Later on, other aspects of the Catholic faith will be explored in further depth and topics added which reflect efforts to understand and clarify the faith claims and stance of the Church in the present time.

The method by which each topic is examined is less structured than the approach taken in other modules of RESource but attention is paid in each

• to the fundamental contribution of Scripture to Catholic belief,
• to the tradition and teaching of the Church through its two thousand year history
• and to present day thought about the topic.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is both the basis for teaching on the belief of Catholics and also a very useful compendium and summary of the faith and is indispensable as a teaching tool.

Creed

St John in the Wilderness parish in Canada has a useful introduction to the Creed while the same site hosts a series of Power Point presentations based on the Nicene Creed by Luke Timothy Johnson which provides lots of helpful background. Both sites are intended for engaged adult learners rather than school students so are principally useful as a teacher resource.

References

A dated but dependable and detailed source of information on Catholic belief is the Catholic Encyclopedia while the Theology Library contains an enormous number of Church documents and articles on many aspects of Catholic life organised under helpful headings.

Internet Religious Studies Tutorial

Finally an Internet Tutorial on Religious Studies could help you and your students use the Internet more efficiently.