Christianity Paper 2 Flashcards
(32 cards)
The nature of God
Christianity is a monotheistic religion
God is:
Omnipotent (the 10 plagues of Egypt) (creation)
Omniscient
Omni benevolent
(God so loved the world that he sent his only son so that people could have eternal life - John 3:16)
Saint Paul writes of how gods love is more powerful than anything else ‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord’
Omnipresent
Eternal
Transcendent
Immanent
Creator - ‘In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth’
God is the uncreated creator, – the first cause
Designer - Aquinas
Theodicies
• evil exists as a test of faith in God, as seen in the book of Job. Those who remain loyal, and strong, will be rewarded in heaven with God.
• the book of Job also shows that gods ways are beyond human understanding (transcendent) and we are not meant to understand the complexities of such a powerful God
• God has given each person free will, and people must make their own choices
• there is a force of evil in the world known as the devil
• God shares in our suffering
• suffering is a result of sin
• how we deal with suffering gives us the opportunity to become better people – it is soul shaping
The Apostles Creed
- proclamation of faith/statement of the most important Christian beliefs about the nature of God, including the role of the Trinity and key beliefs about the after life
recited in church services and baptisms
oneness of God and the trinity - God is experienced in three different ways, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
‘I and the Father are one’
‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me’
Six days of Creation
Day 1 - separates light and darkness
2 - separates the waters and creates the sky
3 - separates the sea from the land
4 - creates sun, moon and stars
5 - creates fish, birds, sea monsters
6 - creates animals and humans
Word and spirit in creation
‘In the beginning was the word. And the words was with God. And the Word was God’
‘Word’ is Jesus / others think it is God’s creative self-expression
Garden of Eden
Genesis 2, Adam lives in paradise and God creates a companion for him from his rib ‘Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man’
Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Jesus was God the Son born on Earth in human form
incarnation - ‘the Word (Jesus) became flesh’
added a human nature to His divine nature
not conceived via sexual intercourse (annunciation)
‘Son of the Most High’
Jesus is the Second person of the trinity
Life of Jesus
Born Jesus of Nazareth was born a Jew c.7-4 BCE
he began preaching at about the age of 30
regarded as a rabbi
many of his followers believed he was the Jewish
Claim of Messiah troubled the Roman authorities
Resurrection
Arrested and crucified
After his death his tomb was found empty by Mary Magdalene
many of his followers claimed to have experienced meeting the resurrected Jesus.
Christians believe that after a period of forty days Jesus returned to the Father. This is known as the ascension.
Miracles of Jesus
Natural miracles
Casting out demons (exorcism)
Healing the sick
Raising the dead
Final miracle was raising the dead
What broke the relationship with god and humanity?
Sin
Sacrifice, salvation, redemption and exemplary
Sacrifice - the Israelites sacrificed animals in the Temple in Jerusalem to try and pay for their sins. Christians believe that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice who died once and for all for everyone’s sins
Substitution - all humanity is under condemnation of death because of sin. Christians believe that out of love God sent Jesus to die on the cross in humanity’s place
Redemption - Jesus died on the cross and has paid the price for humanity’s sin and brought humanity back from hell and death
Exemplary - Jesus set a good example by being obedient to God even giving his life by his death on the cross
Atonement
The belief that Jesus death on the cross healed the rift (separation) between humans and god
‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’
Liturgical Worship
ritualistic form of worship that often follows a set pattern
public church worship
set prayers or service book
Church of England Service book comes from Thomas Crammer (from the Reformation) who set out how church services should take place
most denominations include the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle’s Creed (during Catholic Eucharist)
Catholic Eucharist also includes sermons, prayers of intercession
Types of prayer
Adoration
Confession
Contemplation
Penitential
Praise
Thanksgiving
Supplication
Importance of Prayer
heart of Jesus’ lifestyle
‘Yet the time has come where the true worshippers worship the Father in The Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipper the father seeks’
developing a special and personal relationship with God
Protestants - during reformation, no longer need a priest to access God. Bibles were published in English, encouraged to speak to God themselves
Individual worship
importance of personal relationship with God
pray alone, or with family
‘Go to your room and close the door, and pray to your father in Heaven’
Bible instructs Christians to do both public and private worship
attendance at church services declined to its lowest in 2016 , influences the future of public church buildings
Informal Worship
No set structure or liturgy
Modern charismatic and evangelical has distanced itself from ritualistic worship
importance of Holy Spirit and spontaneous action
appears modern, much closer to early forms of worship before rituals were established
believe worship doesn’t have to be in a church and can happen wherever Christians gather, ‘where two or more gather, I am there’
‘All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them’
Sacraments
Baptism - rite of initiation into the church.
Baptism
Catholics believe it washes away sin - water is either sprinkled or poured over child’s head to show cleansing
Parents make promises on the behalf of the child - public confession of faith and laying foundations for the faith of the child, God parents are chosen to help the child with their faith and life
Initiates them into church
‘No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit’
Believer’s baptism
done by pouring or immersion
person being baptised can choose to make promises to God, true faith
Jesus was baptised as an adult
‘No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again’
more liberal approach
Confirmation
The rite of confirming one’s faith involving evoking the Holy Spirit. Follows infant baptism to confirm promises made by parents/God parents.
Eucharist
service of thanksgiving and remembrance, re-enactment of the Last Supper with bread and wine
Reconciliation
Confession or Penance, an act of seeking God’s forgiveness. Catholics are required to seek forgiveness of sins to be absolved (or freed) from them by the priest.
They must show they are sorry through actions such as prayer or fasting.
