Catholic Christianity : Beliefs and teachings Flashcards
What do Catholics believe about the trinity
Father - in the same way a parent might create and nurture a life, God cares about his Creation and wants to protect it
Son - the life of Jesus demonstrates that sacrifice and suffering are important parts of the human experience
Holy spirit - the idea that God is always present
How is the Trinity reflected in worship
Nicene Creed is said during Holy Communion
Sacraments are performed in the name of the Trinity
Sign of the cross when they enter the church
What do Catholics believe about the creation of humans
God created humans in his image - “God created mankind in his own image” (Bible) - don’t have the physical appearance but have characteristics that they share with God, e.g.loving
God gave humans free will - if they sin they turn away from God, but by living a good life they can become closer to God
What do Catholics believe about stewardship and dominion
The world is a gift from God - “put him in the Garden of Eden to take care of it” (Bible) - humans should look after it
Humans have control over the Earth - humans were given the power to rule over all other creature
What are the events of the Paschal Mystery
Life - Jesus was the Son of God, who was born to the Virgin Mary and lived his life in human form
Death - Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion and died on the cross in order to save humans from their sins
Resurrection - Jesus was raised from the dead and came back to life three days after his crucifixion
Ascension - Jesus rose up to Heaven after having been resurrected
What is the significance of the Paschal Mystery
Teaches Catholics that living, dying and rising are a part of their experience as Christians
Reminds Catholics that there may be times when they struggle and are in pain but that, if they follow Jesus’ teachings and have faith, they will reach Heaven
How does salvation link to the life of Jesus
The Resurrection of Jesus is itself a gift, given from God to humanity - fulfils God’s promise of salvation by showing that death can be defeated
God has given humans salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus “for God loved the world he gave his only Son” - God did everything he could for humanity
What is the significance of grace and salvation
Grace and salvation remind Catholics that God is all powerful and all loving and that he is prepared to sacrifice his only son for the good of humanity - “for God loved the world he gave his only Son”
Jesus’ presence on Earth and consequent death allowed God and humanity to be reconciled - Christians believe humans have a duty to also try to reconcile with each other
What do Catholics believe about life after death
When Catholics die, they would be judged - “we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ” (Bible) - they would go to one of these places:
Heaven - souls which have achieved salvation
Purgatory - souls with unforgiven sins
Hell - souls which have not achieved salvation
Some Catholics think that Heaven, Purgatory and Hell are physical places, whereas others consider them more like ‘states’, e.g. hell is eternal separation from God
What are divergent views about life after death
Protestants - do not believe in Purgatory. Some Protestants believe there is no such place as Hell, only levels of Heaven
Evangelical Protestants - the resurrection of the body and the idea that everyone will be raised on the Day of Judgement to be judged by God
Liberal Protestants - the soul lives on eternally after death in a spirit world. They believe that the soul’s afterlife will depend on how the person lived their physical life on Earth
