'There are more important things for Christians to do than to go on pilgrimage.' Do you agree?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

‘There are more important things for Christians to do than to go on pilgrimage.’

Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought

about different points of view.

There are both reasons which could agree or disagree with this statement. I agree with this statement because there are more important things for Christians to do than to go on pilgrimages to other countries. The main things Christians should always do are to go to Church on a regular basis to show their devotion to God and to help others. Christians should also help those who are less fortunate than themselves and should help those in their local community. By helping them they might help them have a better quality of life. If they were to help out in an old people’s home the residents would be happy because they probably would not have many visitors and having some visits from the younger generation would bring joy to their lives. Christians should not just help those who are less fortunate but those who are close to them whether they are sick or not.

Jesus told his followers to help others and to treat others, as you yourself would like to be treated. This is said in the Sermon on the Mount. So if you help others and treat them with respect and nicely they will be grateful and treat you nicely in return. Jesus did not tell Christians to go on pilgrimage to help others. He just wanted people to help each other and be devoted to their religion. Pilgrimage may not always be seen to be a good thing as pilgrims spend much of their time looking at sites and churches ...

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The pilgrimage could also possibly divert away from its purpose and become a holiday of looking at the sites and this would defeat the purpose of travelling there in the first place. Christians should help more at home for those who are in need at old people’s homes or homeless shelters or helping out in charity shops as this was what Jesus asked them to do.

However, pilgrimage is a very important thing for Christians to do as it shows the belief and devotion they have for their religion. Going on a pilgrimage is very important because it enabled Christians to interact with each other and share stories of why they are there. It may help them to strengthen their religion and learn of new ways to help people just as Jesus had asked them to do. Going on pilgrimage helps Christians to feel closer to God and have a greater understanding of him.

Going to the places where these special and unique events have happened. For example walking the 14 Stations of the Cross, the journey that Jesus took before he died may make them able to believe that these stories and events really did happen and it may help them understand them more. They would also hear stories of miracles, which would teach them never to give up in life and that anything is possible. Going on a pilgrimage would encourage others to believe in God and to show their belief by visiting various sites of pilgrimage.

Pilgrimages are important parts of religions and they show devotion and dedication towards God. It also shows discipline that people are willing to travel to different countries and express their belief in God and their religion. Going lets Christians honour and respect Jesus and all that he did for the Christian faith. Pilgrimages also let Christians appreciate life and to live it to the full when they return home.

Overall, I believe that it is important for Christians to go on pilgrimages to express their faith and devotion to God and Jesus but that at the same time they should not forget their responsibilities at home and should always look after others just as Jesus asked them to.