Catholic Christianity Flashcards
Which one of the following gives the meaning of sacrament?
[1 mark]
A a religious journey to a holy site
B an outward sign of inward grace
C the belief that Jesus is the Son of God
D the duty to take care of God’s creation
Answer: B an outward sign of inward grace
Give two reasons why redemption is important for Catholics.
[2 marks]
Redemption is important as it is the belief that humanity can be saved from sin / redeemed through
the action of Jesus / Jesus broke the barrier between God and humans when he died / atoning for
the sins of humans / it helps to build a stronger relationship with God / repairing the broken
relationship between God and humans / through Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, resurrection and
ascension forgiveness is achieved
Explain two ways that beliefs stated in the Nicene Creed influence Catholics today.
[4 marks]
The Nicene Creed influences Catholics today as it is a statement of their faith / it is extremely
important as it is part of their tradition that goes back to the Council of Nicaea in AD325 stressing
that they should believe in one God / as it summarises what Catholics believe in it may influence
them to go out and spread these beliefs to others in their everyday lives.
* It is said out loud at Mass on Sundays and holy days after the homily / it is a formal prayer giving
structure / this may remind Catholics why they go to Mass / it influences them to try to live a Christ
like life.
Explain two Christian beliefs about the importance of the sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick.
Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in
your answer.
[5 marks]
The anointing of the sick is important as it is received when a person is seriously ill, facing an operation, demonstrating signs of weakness or old age
It is important as the anointing gives hope of a new life / restoration to full health in this human life
/ or promise of eternal happiness in Heaven with God, etc.
Sources of authority may include the following:
* ‘Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and
the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.’ James 5:14-15
‘The most important aim for a Catholic is to achieve a place in Heaven.’
Evaluate this statement.
In your answer you should:
* refer to Catholic teaching
* give reasoned arguments to support this statement
* give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
* reach a justified conclusion.
12 marks]
[SPaG 3 marks]
Arguments in support
* The Catholic Church teaches that ‘Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness’ CCC 1024, etc.
* Heaven is one of the ‘four last things’ for Catholics / it is believed to be a place of total eternal happiness in the presence of God / in Heaven all cares and worries are removed by God / / ‘Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever
with Christ. They are like God forever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face’ CCC1023,etc.
Arguments in support of other views
* Although for Catholics Heaven is an important belief about life after death it is not the only important belief, Christ rising from the dead gives Catholics a reason to believe that they too will experience an afterlife through salvation / the resurrection of Jesus is a crucial historical fact because it confirmed for the disciples that Jesus was indeed no ordinary man / it not only proved that there was life after death and that Jesus is God but that salvation, through him, made life after death possible for humans too / belief in the resurrection is central to Catholic teaching / it is a reason to live out Christian values and make the world a better place as well as affecting a person’s afterlife, etc.
* Judgement is also an important teaching for Catholics / the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31) demonstrates Catholic belief that how people live their lives on earth will ultimately affect their afterlife / there is a warning that they will be judged by God
and that the use of wealth and in this life will affect a person’s afterlife e.g. Heaven or Hell / if people become consumed by wealth at the expense of the poor in this life judgement will be based on whether they have cared for the needs of others during life on earth / the parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) also reflects the belief that a life worthy of the reward of Heaven must actively involve helping those in need / demonstrating no empathy or care for others moves people away from God and away from eternal life with him, etc.
Explain two Christian beliefs about the duty to ‘Love your neighbour’.
Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in
your answer.
[5 marks]
In the New Testament Jesus declared love of neighbour to be the ‘greatest commandment’ (Matt 22; Mark 12; Luke 10) / this is linked with the ‘Golden Rule’ of Leviticus 19:18 and Matt 7 and Luke 6 / therefore this can be seen to be the most important moral principle of Christianity / many of the 10 Commandments focus on the duty to love your neighbour / it is stated in the Bible which is one of the main sources of Christian teaching and authority, etc.
* ‘The duty to love one’s neighbour is emphasised in Church teaching/ the encyclical Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the Modern World) deals with issues relating to e.g. family, political and social life / this links strongly with the command to love your neighbour / to take responsibility for the welfare of others / for stewardship of the world / for responsiveness to the challenges of modern living / this demonstrates that the Church and Jesus’ teaching is not separated from the world, but works in and through the lives of all humanity / ‘God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them.’ (Genesis 1:27), this stresses that because all humans are made in ‘imago dei’, they are all holy and should be respected and protected, etc.
Sources of authority may include the following:
* ‘Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but
thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.’ Leviticus 19:18
‘Which one of these do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of
robbers?’… The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ (Luke 10:29-37)
‘Informal (spontaneous) prayer is the best way to communicate with God.’
Evaluate this statement.
In your answer you should:
* refer to Catholic teaching
* give reasoned arguments to support this statement
* give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view
* reach a justified conclusion.
[12 marks]
Arguments in support
* Christians may prefer to use spontaneous prayer as they feel that it is more personal / the words in spontaneous prayer are personal to the individual / the prayer in their own words will have more meaning for them / will come from the heart / will bring them closer to God / they can state any personal concerns or worries that they may have / they can relax and reflect without the worry of having to remember certain words or phrases, etc.
* Some Christians also pray spontaneously in a community setting / e.g. Quakers do this regularly rather than using formal prayer / they may pray in their own words with others when they are moved to do so by the power of the Holy Spirit / although Jesus gave his disciples
the Lord’s Prayer he did not say that this was the only way to pray / when Jesus states that ‘where two or three are are gathered together in my name, I am there among them’, (Matthew 18:20) he does not say that those gathered should all say the same word simultaneously, etc.
Arguments in support of other views:
Prayer is the raising of the heart and mind to God / many Christians like to pray using formal
prayers as they are traditional / they have been passed down through the generations / an
example of formal prayer is the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) which Jesus himself taught his
disciples when they asked him to teach them how to pray / formal prayers have set words and
therefore people do not have to worry about thinking of what to say / this may allow them to open
up to God’s presence, etc.
* Christians may also pray using formal prayer when they are praying with others e.g. during services or Mass / the use of formal prayers may bring Christians closer together as a community / they may use formal prayers together in a particular situation to support others or to bring comfort to themselves / formal prayers said together in a particular situation may be comforting because of their set pattern / formal prayers are also used in all the sacraments which are significant moments or stages in the lives of Christians / Jesus states that ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them’, (Matthew 18:20), this may support the use of formal prayer in a community situation where people say the same words together, etc
