Seven Dimensions of Religion

Understanding a human phenomenon

The Seven by Ninian Smart

Practical and Ritual Dimension Experiential and Emotional Narrative or Mythic Dimension Doctrinal and Philosophical Dimension Ethical and Legal Dimension Social and Institutional Dimension Material Dimension

Practical and Ritual

Practices such as– Worship, Praying,

Regular Gatherings, Rites of Passage

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Experiential and Emotional

People react when they have encountered something which they believe is very profound.

Religion without emotion is said to be cold and dry.

BUT…..we must understand a tradition to try and enter into the feelings it is supposed to invoke (e.g. the Mass).

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Material

An outgrowth of religious experience/encounter.– Music– Art– Symbol– Architecture

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Doctrinal and Philosophical

Provides rational for many of the practices and ideas of the religion.– The Trinity

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Ethical and Legal

Ideas and laws that shape behavior.– 631 Jewish Laws– Ten Commandments– Beatitudes http://minimediaguy.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/tn_question.jpg

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Narrative or Mythic

Stories which explain and inspire.

All faiths hand down some vital stories.

– Catholicism = the story of Jesus life, death and resurrection as presented in the Gospels of the New Testament.

Mary MacKillop called on, and used scripture references in her life, schools and order.

She followed Jesus’ words from the Gospels(the narrative dimension of Catholic faith) in her life.

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Social and Institutional

Social outgrowth of religious experience.– Temple– Church– Synagogue– Mosque

Every religious movement is embodied in a group of people so the social dimension is inevitable in every faith.

Social and Institutional & Mary MacKillop

Mary is one of these ‘people’ that stood out within the group of people of the Catholic faith as an exemplary person of faith and ultimately someone that Australians’ wanted to see as a Saint.

WHY …..

Mary MacKillop as a Precedent for Values in Australian Identity

The First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788, and Australian Federation occurred in 1901, so……

Mary’s (1866) order, its work and charism was therefore at the forefront of Australia’s identity forming process, it would therefore have an impact on how morals and Australia’s values were formed.

Mary MacKillop as a Precedent for Values in Australian Identity

Consider some the terms already connected to Australian identity:– Bush Pioneer– Larrikin– Battler– Egalitarianism– Fair Go– Mateship– Volunteering Culture

Does Mary’s life, her order and schools reflect these (did they help form these??)

Social & Mary MacKillop

Bush Pioneer:– St. Mary was charismatic and had the ability to inspire both

Catholics and Non-Catholics; she was able to persuade and convince others to join her good works; in the words of Ninian Smart “charismatic or sacred personage, who’s spiritual power glows through their demeanor and actions…whose words and example stir up the spiritual enthusiasm of the masses.”

– The above mentioned point is evident by some of the statistics at the time of her death in 1909:

Establishment 109 charitable houses; 117 schools consisting of 12 400 pupils; and staffed by 650 sisters across Australia and New Zealand.

Social & Mary MacKillop

Bush Pioneer:– She had a genuine passion to help those in need and was the first

Australian born woman to set up a religious order. The Sisters of Saint Joseph was a uniquely Australian order of nuns as it was one of the first catholic religious orders to go outside city areas and set up schools and missions in the country areas.

By 1871, these 'Josephites' were running thirty-five schools in the Adelaide diocese.

By 1880, there was a total of 815 sisters from all orders teaching in schools. By 1910 the number exceeded 5000.

– Their efforts, with almost no money and in the face of considerable hardship, were nothing short of heroic.

Social & Mary MacKillop

Digger & Larrikin: – She did not succumb to strict ‘Irish model’, which often envisaged

a cloistered, contemplative existence for women religious instead St. Mary had an adventurous and free spirit who went out to the people worked and talked with them.

– This spirit was particularly useful to life in Australia due to the large geographical and often isolating conditions of the continent within the Australian Catholic Church at that time, showing her ‘digger’ work ethic.

Social & Mary MacKillop

Egalitarianism & Fair Go & Mateship:– The schools she set up were an excellent example of

egalitarianism as she maintained that her schools would be for all. Even refusing the Governor of Adelaide's son to be given special treatment. This shows rejection of the unofficial class system evident in British settlers at that time (e.g. wowsers).

Social & Mary MacKillop

Egalitarianism & Fair Go & Mateship:– The Sisters of St. Joseph themselves through their vow of

poverty showed they were not elitist members of society but in fact in the same situation as many people they helped. This quote from Mary MacKillop shows that:

“The vow of poverty obliges us to be poor indeed…but it is not always the poorest dressed and poorest housed who are the poorest before the searching eyes of God…..everything must be poor in keeping with what poor people use.” HENDERSON 1997

Social & Mary MacKillop

Egalitarianism & Fair Go & Mateship:– Mary helped not only the uneducated but others in need

visiting prisons and asylums – echoing the egalitarianism of Australian identity.

– Mary did not discriminate against other faiths and other faiths assisted her. E.g. Jewish members giving her a house to live in after excommunication. This shows the mateship amongst in ecumenism.

Institutional & Mary MacKillop

She remained faithful to God and the Catholic faith (the Institution) throughout her entire life (even in excommunication).

She was unique in her faith and prayer life; she persevered and never lapsed into bitterness and regularly spoke well of her opponents.

She had a large heart which was able to forgive those who wronged her & she showed great loyalty to the church leadership, which did not always treat her well. She always did this in a spirit of humility and obedience to God’s will.

Institutional & Mary MacKillop

St. Mary was a faithful catholic who had great respect and love for the Pope, bishops and priests; she did not support any dubious or dissident theological positions and sought Papal intervention and protection rather than opposition.

In other words St. Mary worked cooperatively with the hierarchy of the Church, but at the same time responsive and docile to the promptings and movement of the Holy Spirit in her soul.

St Mary of the Cross loved the Catholic Church and devoted her life to it despite injustices from Clergy because of her strong love for Jesus Christ the ultimate foundation and source of the Church.

Why Australian’s Like to Claim Her…….

A story that Australians feel proud to relate to and call her their own as she was a strong leader with all of the qualities we like to call ‘Australian’. Her story is a positive example as opposed to the stolen generation story or other settlement stories.

Australia and Mary – then & NOW

“Yesterday Mary MacKillop was canonized at St. Peter's Basilica here in Rome by Pope Benedict XVI as Saint Mary of the Cross, the first Australian-born saint in the two thousand year history of the Catholic Church.  We are delighted and grateful. The Australia of today which welcomes this canonization is very different from the separate British colonies where Mary spent most of her life before the Commonwealth of Australia was established in 1901.  In most ways Australia is now a better society, due to the wisdom and hard work of our predecessors, women and men like Sister Mary.  The Australia which was and is Protestant or irreligious has made room for Catholics and we are grateful for this too.”

Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney.

Sources

Seven Dimensions of Religion are from The World’s Religions by Ninian Smart