god

Question 1

Monotheism is the belief held by all Christians that…

Answer 1

there is only one God

Question 2

Ethical monotheism means that…

Answer 2

belief in one God includes also following the moral codes linked to that belief, e.g. the Ten Commandments

Question 3

Some follow Descartes’ view that omnipotence means…

Answer 3

God can do absolutely anything

Question 4

Creation ex nihilo refers to the belief that…

Answer 4

God created the universe out of nothing

Question 5

Theological determinism is the doctrine that…

Answer 5

events are determined or necessitated by God

Question 6

What is Aquinas’ view about God as the omnipotent controller of all things?

Answer 6

God simply sees and knows all things, including the free choices that humans make, but his knowledge is not causative

Question 7

What is Swinburne’s view about God as the omnipotent controller of all things?

Answer 7

God exists within time and knows all that it logically possible to know. This means that he cannot be the cause of human future choices, because he cannot know them

Question 8

What are Heresies?

Answer 8

Beliefs stated to be false by the leaders of the Christian Church, e.g. adoptionism

Question 9

Who formally set out the doctrine of the Trinity that is held by most Christian denominations?

Answer 9

Heresies

Question 10

Pope Benedict XVI, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, May 2005

Answer 10

“God is not solitude but perfect communion”

Question 11

Jesus as the Son of God scripture

Answer 11

John 10:30

Question 12

John 10:30

Answer 12

“I and the Father are one”

Question 13

Jesus himself spoke _______ - what is the significance of this?

Answer 13

Jesus himself spoke Aramaic, so what he said might have been distorted in the translation into Greek

Question 14

John’s Gospel was written probably over __ years after the ___________ - what is the significance of this?

Answer 14

John’s Gospel was written probably over 60 years after the crucifixion, which gives another possible reason for distortion

Question 15

1 Corinthians 8:6

Answer 15

The notion that both Father and Son exist as one in the Trinity with the Holy Spirit - they are distinct in their roles and functions and yet still one

Question 16

Anthropomorphic language refers to…

Answer 16

language describing God in terms of a human

Question 17

The Bible often describes God in anthropomorphic terms - provide examples:

Answer 17

• God as Personal
• God as Father
• God as Love
• God as King

Question 18

God as Personal

Answer 18

• God is immanent, i.e. involved in the world and accessible
• God hears and answers prayers
• This is seen in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the spirit of a believer

Question 19

God as Father

Answer 19

• God is Father in the sense ofCreator
• God the Father of Jesus Christ
• God is referred to as the Father of the nation Israel (in the Old Testament)
• Setting standards of behaviour (Ten Commandments)

Question 20

The Apostles’ Creed

Answer 20

A fourth century statement of Christian belief

Question 21

The Apostles’ Creed refers to God as Father in two senses:

Answer 21

as creator of the universe and as the father of Jesus

Question 22

God as Love scripture

Answer 22

John 3:16

Question 23

John 3:16

Answer 23

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

Question 24

God as Love

Answer 24

Love is an attribute of God - love is a core aspect of God’s character

Question 25

1 John 4:8

Answer 25

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”

Question 26

What Greek word denotes God’s selfless, self-giving, generous and unconditional love for humanity?

Answer 26

Agape

Question 27

What is agape part of?

Answer 27

The nature of the Trinity

Question 28

God as King

Answer 28

The “king” metaphor for God implies power - absolute authority

Question 29

In his vision of the Temple, what did the Prophet Isaiah see?

Answer 29

He saw God seated on a throne and he feared he would die

Question 30

Propher Isaiah God as King quote

Answer 30

“for my eyes have seen the King”

Question 31

The kingdom of God meaning

Answer 31

• This is not a place but refers to God’s rule as King of the universe
• It is often understood as both a present and a future reality

Question 32

What are the problems with anthropomorphic language?

Answer 32

Using this kind of language puts limits on a God who is believed to be transcendent - the confines of human rationality

Question 33

The debate about gender-specific language

Answer 33

Women feel excluded by the use of gender-specific language that is found throughout the Bible, which is culturally conditioned and reinforces patriarchal stereotypes of male superiority

Question 34

Daphne Hampson, Academy Conferences lecture, Oxford, April 2016

Answer 34

“I have concluded that fundamental to the Abrahamic religions is the will to subvert women and establish man as norm … these religions are a form of fascism.”

Question 35

The gender-neutral term for god/goddess is…

Answer 35

deity

Question 36

Conservative talk radio host on gender-neutral language

Answer 36

Ben Ferguson says if you “want to destroy” religion and the Church, using gender-neutral language when mentioning God is a way to do it

Question 37

Why do some feminists think that attributing “female” qualities to the male God just compounds the problem?

Answer 37

What is needed is to see women and men, female and male, as equal

Question 38

Panentheistic

Answer 38

The adjective used by process theology to describe the relationship between God and the universe. God and the universe exist together in the way that human minds and bodies exist together. Everything is in God and God is immanent in the universe.

Question 39

What does process theology have support from?

Answer 39

quantum mechanics