Is Faith Personal, Communal or Both? Argumentative Essay

Is Faith Personal, Communal or Both?
An argument that faith is both a personal and communal matter.
# 153299 | 1,450 words | 7 sources | MLA | 2012 | US
Published on May 19, 2013 in Religion and Theology (Christianity) , Religion and Theology (General)


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Description:

This paper questions whether faith is a personal matter or a communal matter and uses Saint Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan friars to argue that faith is both a personal and communal matter. The paper explains that faith should be a personal choice, and others' opinions cannot be the sole reason for choosing one's faith, yet, one should celebrate that faith in the community. The paper therefore concludes that faith is a a personal matter but should also be lived in the community.

From the Paper:

"Faith has to be a personal matter before it becomes a communal matter. While the faith should also be a communal matter, anxiety to become a certain faith can arise if faith is a communal matter, whether it is strictly or first a communal matter.A person does not truly have faith if the decision to a faith is made due to this anxiety because the person most likely does not even know if he or she truly believes in it. Therefore, devoting oneself to a particular faith is a serious decision and should not be made out of convenience, comfort, or anxiety.For example, a person should learn about all aspects of the faith before making a final decision. Another example would be the hundreds of men who were interested in becoming a Franciscan friar as part of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. A man should not apply to become one of the friars simply because he likes the idea of the Catholic Underground, for example. The man should understand the many rules that the friars have to follow, such as prayers he must say a day and that he must practice fasting and abstinence, which is laid out on a table. For example, all Franciscan friars must practice fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesdays, the vigils of Pentecost and of the feast of St. Francis, and Fridays and Saturdays of Lent."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Cork, Nicholas. Fast and abstinence in Franciscan legislation. Rome: PontificiaUniversitasGregoriana, 1943.
  • "Faith - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faith (accessed March 31, 2012).
  • "Chapter III: The Divine Office, Fasting, and How the Brothers Should Go About in the World." In In the Saint Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vol. 1. New York: New City Press, 1999. 64.
  • Mitchell, John. "Monks who Play Punk." New York Times, April 22, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/nyregion/thecity/22monk.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all (accessed April 1, 2012).
  • Villondo, Clarissa. personal observations of Franciscan Monastery, April 1, 2012.

Cite this Argumentative Essay:

APA Format

Is Faith Personal, Communal or Both? (2013, May 19) Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/argumentative-essay/is-faith-personal-communal-or-both-153299/

MLA Format

"Is Faith Personal, Communal or Both?" 19 May 2013. Web. 28 May. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/argumentative-essay/is-faith-personal-communal-or-both-153299/>

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