catholic + fundamentalist christian beliefs about the bible

Question 1

what do catholics believe that the bible is?

Answer 1

a direct form of revelation

Question 1

what is revelation?

Answer 1

it is the way which god has made himself known to the world

Question 2

what does catholics also believe that the bible is?

Answer 2

the inspired word of god

Question 3

how did god made use of specific people who wrote in what?

Answer 3

those who wrote in a human language and did so at a particular time and place in history

Question 4

what would everything that they wrote considered?

Answer 4

might have been historically or literally accurate

Question 5

what must catholics work carefully to do?

Answer 5

to determine exactly what a sacred author is saying to be true

Question 6

why might an author write metaphorically?

Answer 6

to help bring out the truth more clearly

Question 7

what does the catholics believe the Holy Spirit gave to the believers?

Answer 7

inspiration - those who respond by accepting the message and sharing it with other people

Question 8

why does the believers believe the bible has a great authority?

Answer 8

as the message is from god, it is impacting how they live their lives

Question 9

what does christians believe that they should be guided by?

Answer 9

the teachings in the bible

Question 10

how is the bible divided?

Answer 10

into two main parts: the Old Testament and New Testament

Question 11

testament

Answer 11

an agreement or a promise

Question 12

what does the Old Testament deal with?

Answer 12

how god looked after the jewish people

Question 13

what does the New Testament deal with?

Answer 13

how god sent his son, Jesus for the whole world

Question 14

what was the Old Testament written in?

Answer 14

mainly in Hebrew, the Jesus language

Question 15

what was the new testament written in?

Answer 15

Ancient Greek

Question 16

what is the Old Testament made up of?

Answer 16

types of writing (literary forms)

Question 17

the old testament: torah
1. what is the laws (torah)?
2. what does it deal with?
3. what does these books tell?
4. what does it teach about Moses?

Answer 17

1. first five books of the bible
2. how the jews became god’s chosen race an how god taught the how to live
3. creation + lives of the patriarchs, like Abraham
   4, on the laws given to the people of Israel like the 10 commandments

Question 18

the old testament: history
1. how many historical books are in the bible?
2. give 2 examples
3. what does these books show about god?

Answer 18

1. 12
2. Joshua and judges
3. how god guided his people but they were not always ready to listen

Question 19

the old testament: wisdom
1. what is the psalms?
2. what are the books considered?
3. what book contains sayings about many aspects of life?

Answer 19

1. the prayer book of the jewish people
2. religious + moral teachings
3. book of proverbs

Question 20

the old testament: prophets
1. what did god do from time to time?

Answer 20

1. sent inspired figures to challenge the jews to remain faithful to god

Question 21

what is the new testament based on?

Answer 21

based on the life and teachings of Jesus and the apostles to whom Jesus taught god’s message

Question 22

New Testament: the gospels
1. who are the 4 gospels?
2. why are they the most important books of the bible?
3. what does “gospel” mean?

Answer 22

1. Matthew, mark, Luke and John
2. they tell Jesus’ story
3. “good news” - the good news about Jesus

Question 23

New Testament: the acts of the apostles
1. what is this the sequel to?
2. wear does the story tell?

Answer 23

1. luke’s gospel
2. the story of the early church, after Jesus’ resurrection

Question 24

New Testament: the letters
1. what are the letters also called?
2. who was these mainly written by?
3. who were the other four that wrote letters?
4. why were they christian leaders writing to christians?

Answer 24

1. epistles
2. Paul
3. Peter, John, James and Jude
4. gave advice on how to put Jesus’ teachings into practice and explaining what it means to be a christian

Question 25

New Testament: the book of revelation
1. what is this considered as in the bible?
2. what does it deal with?

Answer 25

1. last book
2. john’s vision of heaven and the defeat of evil

Question 26

what took about 350 years of the bible?

Answer 26

for the books to be accepted as authentic records of christian beliefs

Question 27

who decided which texts should be included in the bible and when?

Answer 27

the council of hippo in 393CE

Question 28

what were the 4 rules for books to be accepted into the New Testament?

Answer 28

1. had to be accepted by all christians
2. the work had to go back to the apostles
3. it had to have an early date
4. it had to be agree with other presentations of Christians beliefs

Question 29

what has the words of the bible been considered?

Answer 29

been carefully preserved over the centuries

Question 30

how were the first bibles done?

Answer 30

hand written and copes were made so other people could read them
today, christians has copes or parts of it which go back almost to the time when the book were first written

Question 31

views on genesis: why do some christians believe that the bible is the literal word of god?

Answer 31

they believe that god created the world in a single week and that everything was made perfectly at the time

Question 32

views on genesis: what would someone christians reject?

Answer 32

theory of evolution

Question 33

views on genesis: what do some christians believe the holy spirt did?

Answer 33

dictated the bible
so no one should question anything that the bible teaches because it cones from god

Question 34

dictated

Answer 34

to give orders, or tell someone exactly what they must do, with total authority

Question 35

views on genesis: what do some christians believe if there appears to be contradictions?

Answer 35

this shows that people do not yet have enough understanding

Question 36

contradictions

Answer 36

the fact of something being the complete opposite of something else or very different from something else, so that one of them must be wrong:
You say that you’re good friends and yet you don’t trust him. Isn’t that a contradiction?

Question 37

views on genesis: what does the approach christians have rejects?

Answer 37

any kind of compromise with science

Question 38

views on genesis: why does some catholics believe the bible should not be read as literally true?

Answer 38

genesis 1-3 has to be considered as a myth
it is a story whilst not being true but contains great truths
this means, they have no problem accepting evolution and the Big Bang as the bible is not a science book

Question 39

views on genesis: what links to pope John Paul II’s teaching on the compatibility of science and religion?

Answer 39

the creation story in genesis is a poetic reflection on the significance of god as creator

Question 40

jewish views: the torah
1. what is the torah considered as?
2. what is the torah?
3. what is the torah believed to be?
4. what is Moses believed to have received?

Answer 40

1. the Hebrew bible
2. the jewish written law and is the first five books of the tanakh
3. believed to be the holiest and most important part of scripture for jews
4. Moses is believed to have received the torah from god on mount sinai

Question 41

jewish views: the torah
1. what does orthodox jews believe the torah was given by to who?
2. what do they believe the torah must be taken as?
3. what will they seek to obey?
4. what do they believe if society changes?
5. what do they believe that can never be changed?
6. what does the jewish scholar Moses Maimonides put forward?
7. immutability

Answer 41

1. given by god to Moses
2. literally and not changed
3. the 613 mitzvot as duties in life
4. even if society changes, the jewish teachings don’t
5. the torah given entirely to Moses
6. 13 principles of the jewish faith
7. that it cannot be changed

Question 42

jewish views: the torah
1. what does reform and liberal jews believe about the torah?
2. why?

Answer 42

1. it is not necessary to take the scriptures literally
2. because they have to be adapted for modern life