Christianity beliefs and teachings Flashcards
(36 cards)
what are the three qualities of God evidenced in the bible
- omnipotence
- omnibenevolence
- just
discuss god as being omnipotent
- means god is all powerful and god can do anything because of this power
- it does not mean that god could do the impossible such as create a mountain that god could then not move
- evidence includes creation of the world (genesis) and miracles performed by Jesus for example, calming a storm on the sea, raising Jarius’ daughter from the dead, the resurrection of Jesus which shows power over death
discuss god as omnibenevolent
- god loves all without exception and without prejudice
- even a bad person is loved by god which suggests that even bad people can be redeemed and reconciled to god
- evidence includes sacrificing his own son to make atonement for the sins of humans, the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and Jesus’ teachings for (example a Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5:43-45,48)
discuss god as just
- god is fair and will not act unjustly
- god will give everyone equal value and rights without prejudice or favour
- for Christians it is important to believe god is just because they believe all will be judged after death
- in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Mathew 25:31-46), Jesus talks about that just judgement
- in the book of Job it states that god will not act unjustly, “God is fair and just” (Psalm 25:8)
what other characteristics does god have excluding the main three, Omnipotence, omnibenevolence and just
- he is omniscient (all-knowing)
- god is the supreme being so must be omniscient
- St Anselm said that if god exists he must be the ‘greatest conceivable being’ which means the most intelligent
- he is also the creator because he is all knowing and all powerful
- God is eternal
- he created the world so must have existed before it did outside of space and time controlled by neither so must be eternal as time does not impact on god
- this also makes him transcendent which emphasises how different god is to humans and how humans cannot hope to really understand the nature of God
- god is immanent - involved in the world
- Jesus is an example of this as are miracles which are a sign of god at work within the world
what is the problem of evil and suffering
Christians believe god is omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent and absolute and that as a fact god exists. Christians from their experience and knowledge realise there is suffering in the world.
some suffering is caused by humans (deliberately and accidentally) which is moral evil. But some is caused by nature as a part of the world we live in and is natural evil
the problem is why if god exists he allows humans especially seemingly good and innocent ones to suffer
he must know about it - omniscient
he as the power to prevent/end it - omnipotent
and loves humans unconditionally - omnibenevolent
so why does god allow the evil which cause suffering
what are the potential solutions to the problem of evil and suffering
- moral evil - the devil tempts people like he did to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and humans have free will which they abuse and so hurt others
natural evil - suffering is allowed as punishment for wrong-doing
- it is a test of faith for example the story of Job
- it is needed so that we ca appreciate good
- it is an education, we learn to help others and look after our world by seeing/experiencing suffering
no attempt at solution solves problem fully. most Christians say that humans should just accept the suffering as humans cannot possibly understand god and his purposes
god is just to the fairness of all will be made clear at the end of days
most important is that humans respond positively to suffering for example by helping others like Jesus taught in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Mathew 25:31-46)
what is the trinity
Christians believe there is only one god however Christians fundamentally differ from other religions in believing that God has three persons and distinct ways]- trinity or god head
- god the father is loving creator and sustainer of universe
- god the son is saviour who became incarnate (human), lived, was crucified, then resurrected namely Jesus Christ
- god the holy spirit who was a source of strength which Christians find at work in their hearts
the trinity is referred to in all Christian ceremonies for example baptism (I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit)
it is a part of basic statements of belief such as the Apostles’ Creed
many hymns and prayers mention it
why is the trinity important
it is god and the religion is based on that concept
symbols such as shamrock and triskelion demonstrate the concept
it helps Christians gain some understanding of god who really is beyond the understanding of humans and it makes best sense of what is written in the bible
how does the trinity influence Christians today
as a Christian believing in the trinity influences my life because I have a way to visualise god in my mind when actually god is a really hard concept to describe. Also the act of god sending his son - showing this ultimate love encourages me to always try to show love to others even when it may put me at a disadvantage
the trinity was always here and helped god create the world
discuss the genesis creation story
- god prexisted outside of space and time (transcendent)
- he created the world ans is not controlled by it
- Genesis describes the creation 1:1 - “in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth”
- John 1:1-3 opens with “in the beginning was the word and the word was god”
- god created through his word “let there be light”
Jesus relevant to creation - “the word became flesh and loved amongst us”
the holy spirit was involved in creation - “the spirit of god hovering across the face of the waters”
all parts of the trinity were involved in creation so it all must have pre-existed and Jesus, God and the holy spirit are one
discuss the alternative creation story
the Big Bang
the world was created by a scientfic explanation
what is the importance of genesis
Chrisitans believe the message within genesis 1 is true - the world was planned, ordered and sustained by God
human lives have purpose and meaning because god created those lives and humans are made in the image of god so all humans are of value
humans have a responsibility to treat each other equally and to look after the world because we were made stewards of it
what is the difference between john and genesis
john is more the trinity being present in creation whereas genesis is more simple
what are the different interpretations of genesis
fundamental christians believe that genesis is literally true - every word is the word of god and god dictated the book and it is literally correct
liberal christians think that genesis does contain truth but it was not dictated. god inspired writers so if there are errors they re human errors
the point of the story is to show that god loves us, we have a place in the world and the world is a good place and was written by a human writer. it is a myth with an important message
what is the afterlife
death seperates life on earth (temporary) from life with god (eternal) - it is not something to be feared
christians believe they will be reunited with the dead thus easing the pain of bereavement
the book of revelations says god will wipe every tear- there will be no more death or crying or pain
belief in the ressurection is important to Christians
the dead will be raised to life because of the teachings of Jesus and that he himself overcame death
st paul said this was central to Christian belief
what do christians mean by resurection
christians believe god will resurect them before Judgement Day
Jesus told people that the new mode of existence would be different from the earthly one
on earth it is perishable and raised imperishable (a spiritual body)
there is continuity between the person’s earthly life and resurrected life
roman catholics believe in purgatory a state between death and the afterlife. after death of the body the soul goes to pugatory if its destined for heaven where it is purified enough to enter heaven
there are different views about resurection
many Christians say that humans have no answers - only to trust in God
without scientific evidence it is a matter of belief based in Bible teachings and Jesus’ words
how does the afterlife influence Christians
know that God will be their ultimate judge
if they live a Christian life and believe in Jesus and his teachings then heaven is open to them
it gives hope that this is not the end and god is waiting for me
eases the pain of bereavement
discuss judgement
- Jesus taught God’s mercy and love was unconditional
- at the end of time of the day of judgement all souls Christian or not will be judged by Jesus
- The parables - the Rich Man, Lazarus and the Sheep and the Goats are all judgement teachings
- Jesus will come to judge both the living and the dead
other reject the idea of a second coming of Christ saying Jesus was jut trying to express something that humans simply cannot understand. Humans will account for their actions but no one knows how or when
discuss heaven and hell
Heaven:
- Christians use earthly images to explain their understanding of heaven
- it is a state of being rather than a physical place
- being with god outside time and space
- people often see heaven in a way they see their present lives and is often described in a way that would appeal to them now for example a poor person may describe it as a land of milk and honey and plenty
Hell:
- the bible paints a picture of hell via the metaphor of an unquenchable fire
- this idea was historically used into frightening people into obeying church rules
- hell is now seen as a eternal separation from god
- it is neither decided by god nor what god wants for us but humans choose it by turning away from god
- some Christians embrace universalism - they believe everyone will eventually respond to gods love having repented and been forgiven
what is the incarnation
central to Christian belief is the belief in the idea that God took on human form as Jesus
John 1;14 - “the word became flesh and lived amongst us”
Christians believe Jesus was fully god and fully human - truly the son of god
If Christians acknowledge Jesus as the Son of god then god lives in them
discuss Jesus as the Son of God
- the title son of god is used about Jesus in the new testament
- Mary was a virgin who conceived through the power of the holy spirit
- Some Christians accept the virgin birth as true whereas others suggest it is more of a metaphor to show that Jesus was both human and divine
discuss the knowledge of Jesus
- if fully divine Jesus should have had full knowledge of what was happening yet at times his knowledge was limited e.g he said he didn’t fully understand about the end of the world
- this can be explained by saying that to become fully human he had to give up most of his divine knowledge - a great sacrificial act
- he came as a servant but was still fully god in his relationship with and understanding of god
discuss the importance in the belief in incarnation
- helps Christians understand the extent of god love for humanity
- it shows how Christians should live - as god loves us so we should love one another - 1 John
- Many Christians have taken on this act of selfless love like Mother Theresa
