Good And Evil Flashcards
(21 cards)
Forgiveness
Anthony Walker case
Jesus said, ‘Forgive 70 x 7’
Ghandi said, ‘Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong’ and ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’
Bible says, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’
Original sin
Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent (Devil) in the Garden of Eden
Adam must work/Labour for food
Eve experiences pain in childbirth
This is why evil exists - God gave Adam and Eve free will
Epicurus paradox
God cannot be omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent and evil still exist - but if He is not one of these things, how can we call him God?
Problem of evil - Irenaeus
Believes evil is ‘soul making’
Evil exists to help humans grow morally
There would be no good if there was no evil
Choosing to have faith in God is more valuable than if we had no challenges
Problem of Evil - the Devil
Devil’s three roles are to tempt, test and punish
Liberal Christians believe the Devil represents our potential to choose good or bad
Book of Job - problem of evil
• test of faith - will be rewarded
• lost all blessings, still had faith in God, ‘God has given, and God may take away’
• got everything back and more
• evil is a test of faith
Problem of Evil - Stephen Fry
• God could have created a peaceful society
• God would be evil if he created a world with unjust suffering
• happier when you don’t believe in God - there is no evil
Good in Christianity
God is the Supreme Good - all loving and all powerful (omnipotent and omnibenevolent) because:
he created the world for people to live in
his creation was perfect - its was ‘all good’ until Adam and Eve disobeyed him and let evil and death in
he saved the israelites (his chosen people) when they were in slavery: the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea
he came down to earth in the form of Jesus to die on the cross and atone for people’s sins, so we can go to heaven
he sends miracles to help people in need
he is people’s strength and comfort in times of trouble
Christians get conscience from God
Bible contains good teachings - ‘love thy neighbour’ or ‘turn the other cheek’
If Christians do good things and follow the ten commandments, they will go to heaven
believe that at the end of time, evil will be conquered once and for all by the goodness of God
Evil in Christianity
Moral and natural evil
Evil causes suffering - you can have religious, mental, emotional or physical suffering
Christians believe evil can be satan
Some see him in physical form - Medieval Church used the Devil as a way to frighten people into behaving (threatened in eternal torture in Hell if they misbehaved)
Bible says Satan is a ‘fallen angel’ - physical being whose sole purpose is to lead people away from God, eg the snake in Adam and Eve
Also tried to tempt Jesus in wilderness
also symbolic to represent evil in everyone
can be an inner weakness in a person - pyschological force
evil has been described as ‘an absence of God’
Reasons why Christians follow a moral code
God is a judge - decide whether they go to Heaven or Hell
want to worship God because he is all-good
want to follow God’s rules because they know they were made to live in a world of justice
Coping with suffering
God is all loving and forgiving, so use prayer and repentance as a way of accepting suffering
Atonement
• God came to earth as Jesus to die on the cross so that Adam and Eve’s original sin could be forgiven
• this conquered sin
• resurrection conquered death
In order to be ‘at-one-with’ God Christians will:
Repent their sins
Confess their sins
Follow God’s commandments or rules in the Bible
Look after others/love thy neighbour
Follow/listen to their conscience
Atonement SOW
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life’ John 3:16
Parables which show God’s forgiveness
• the parable of the Lost Son and the Lost Sheep shows that God forgives anyone who repents
• the Lord’s Prayer shows that Christians must forgive others for their wrong doings before they can be forgiven themselves
‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who sin against us’
• parable which shows that if you do not forgive others then God will not forgive you is the Parable of the unforgiving servant
Right way to behave
• pray to God and ask him
• follow the Ten Commandments and teachings within the Bible
• Listen to their conscience (voice of God)
• ask a vicar/priest because he/she is seen as God’s representative on Earth
• read the Bible
• go to church to listen to sermons which give advice on how to behave
• follow the example of Jesus (‘what would Jesus do?’)
• follow the example of good Christians, eg Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King
Justice - criminals
Christians believe in forgiveness/loving their enemies
God will judge people for their sins (Jesus)
Forgive 70x7
Jesus said when the woman was about to be stoned for adultery, ‘those without sin cast the first stone first’
(John 8:7)
Jesus taught to look at your own faults first before criticising others ‘don’t look for sawdust in someone’s eye when you have a plank in your own’
Prison visitors
Some Christians become prison visitors to try and help the prisoners
Social injustice
Treat refugees well, ‘When an alien lives with you in your land, do not ill treat him’ - Leviticus
God has no favourites, treat everyone equally
Wrong to mistreat the poor because everyone is made in the image of God
SOW about poverty
‘When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord and the Lord will pay you back’
‘If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them; but kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship’
Christians will support such organisations such as MENCAP, Christian Aid/CAFOD
Amnesty International
• not Christian
Works against social injustice
Against torture and wrongful imprisonment
Get people to write letters to those who are wrongly imprisoned
Send petitions to unjust Governments
Liberation theology
Christian movement which tries to make everyone ‘free’ (same rights)
Oscar Romero (peaceful) and Camillo Torres (violent) are examples of Christians who tried to stop social injustice
