Catholicism: Beliefs and Teachings Flashcards
Describe three beliefs about the trinity.
- there is only one god
- the father is god
- the son is god
- the holy spirit is god
- the three persons of the trinity are different
State one quote from the CCC that proves the trinity.
“The Trinity is One. We do not confess three gods but one God in three persons.” - CCC 253
Quote the part of the Nicene Creed which proves the belief in the Trinity.
“I believe in one God, the Father almighty… I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages… I believe in the Holy Spirit… who proceeds from the Father and the Son”
List 4 places from the Bible where God’s nature as a Trinity is taught.
- in the Shema prayer (“Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord”)
- Lord’s prayer (“Our Father who art in heaven”)
- “the Word was God… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
- Jesus’ baptism (“spirit of God descending like a dove”)
- the creation accounts
Why is understanding God as a Trinity important for Catholics today ?
- reveals some of mystery of God
- allows understand how God connects to humans in different ways (outside them, beside them and inside them)
- each person of the Trinity’s different love for humans teaches Catholics about love in their own lives
How is belief in the Trinity demonstrated in worship ?
- baptism in the name of the Trinity
- Eucharist
- Eucharistic prayer
- doxology (glory given to Father through the Son with the Son and in the Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit after the Eucharistic Prayer)
- mass
What is a doctrine ?
teachings about God approved by the Church
Why was Arius of Egypt excommunicated by the Bishop of Alexandria and his successor ?
believed in the heresy that Jesus was not truly God
What is an ecumenical council ?
A council containing all the bishops around the world and the Pope (or with his approval).
What did the first council of Nicaea do ?
- produced the Creed of Nicaea
- decided definitively that the Father and Son are consubstantial, not just of similar substance
What did the first council of Constantinople do ?
- produced Nicene Creed
- reaffirmed Creed of Nicaea
- affirmed that the Holy Spirit is God
- taught that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine
Outline 3 Catholic beliefs found in the Nicene Creed.
- God is the Father
- Jesus is consubstantial with the Father
- the Holy Trinity is three persons in one God
What is the difference between creating and making in the eyes of Catholics ?
- creating = giving existence to a new thing
- making = giving new form to a thing already in existence
Which chapters of Genesis detail the creation accounts ?
chapters 1-3
- 1 = creation of universe (7 days)
- 2 = detailed account of 6th day (creation of humans)
- 3 = account of Adam and Eve’s disobedience
What is God’s nature shown to be in the Creation accounts (with quotes) ?
- Creator (“Let there be light; and there was light”)
- benevolent/loving (“God saw that the light was good” + creates humans as free)
- omnipotent (“God… can do everything” - CCC)
- eternal (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”)
Explain the Catholic Church’s interpretation of Creation.
- the Creation accounts are myths which contain sacred symbolic meanings and metaphors to help humans understand God as the Creator
- religion goes hand in hand with scientific principles such as the Big Bang Theory
- science explains how creation unfolded whilst religion explains why
What is a Creationist ?
a Christian who interprets the Creation accounts as literally true.
Why are the Creation accounts significant in understanding the nature of humanity ?
they set out God’s intentions for the human race.
What does it mean for humans to be created in Imago Dei ?
- human beings have certain characteristics of God and have a special relationship with God unlike the rest of Creation
- human beings are rational
- humans have free will and conscience (to follow God)
- humans yearn for God (and often mistake this feeling for yearning for something material or an idol)
- humans can give and receive love
- humans are answerable to God
- humans have dominion
- humans have stewardship
Give a quote that describes humans as rational.
“By his reason [a person] is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator.” - CCC
Give a quote that describes humans as having dominion over Creation.
“let them have dominion over the… sea and over… all the earth.”
Give a quote that describes humans as in God’s image.
“let us make man in our image”
Give a quote that describes humans as having free will.
“By free will, [a person] is capable of directing himself towards his true good.” - CCC
Give a quote that describes humans as having a conscience.
“His conscience is man’s most secret core” - Gaudium et Spes 16
Why did God make humans the pinnacle of Creation according to Catholics ?
to care for Creation (steward)
Describe the secular understanding of stewardship.
- humanists believe there is moral responsibility to care for the planet as it is in the best interests of humanity
- atheists generally agree with this sentiment
How is Jesus presented as fully human and fully divine in the Bible ?
- Jesus “wept” (experienced human emotion
- “became flesh”
- uses wording like “I am” when speaking, echoes Old Testament God
- “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”
- forgives all sins (only God can do)
How is the Incarnation important for Catholics today ?
- culmination of all revelation
- Jesus sent so humans can share in Jesus’ life through the Church
- Catholic Church seeks to continue incarnation through sacraments + the life of the Church
Why can’t Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah ?
- divine as well as human
- not a warrior
What is the Paschal Mystery ?
Jesus’ Passion (arrest, trial and suffering), death, resurrection and ascension.
What is redemption ?
metaphor used to describe how Paschal Mystery brought about salvation for humanity
Give a quote from the CCC about Jesus redeeming humanity via the Paschal Mystery.
“dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life.” - CCC
What is justification and how does it explain Jesus’ redemption of humanity ?
- concept that only a just (righteous) person can be in a relationship with God
- Jesus had no sin, so could pay the price of a sacrifice to God to redeem humanity
- humans then live by Jesus’ grace/are “justified by his grace” - CCC
Give 4 reasons for Jesus’ presence during his life (quotes).
- “to save us” - CCC
- “so that we might know God’s love” - CCC
- “to be our model of holiness” - CCC
- “to make us partakers of the divine nature” - 2 Peter 1:4
What does the Catholic Church teach about the death of Jesus ?
- Gospels relate spiritual battle between Jesus and ‘darkness’
- Jesus didn’t behave in the same way as the ‘darkness’ and responded with forgiveness
- Jesus erased the sins of the world with God’s mercy (“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”)
What does the Catholic Church teach about the resurrection of Jesus ?
- proves Jesus is God as only God can conquer death
- is a present event as in Bible says “Jesus IS risen”
- resurrected body of Christ was different to his body in life, so humans will also have a different body after death
What does the Catholic Church teach about the ascension of Jesus ?
- the ascension prepared the way for humans to follow Jesus into heaven
- the ascension does not undo the Incarnation
- was necessary so the Holy Spirit could go to earth at Pentecost and continue Jesus’ work in the Church
What is the Holy Spirit and what did it do ?
- expression of God’s grace and the means by which it’s experienced
- came down from heaven and entered apostles (beginning of Church)
- helps understand + live out the salvation that the Paschal Mystery brought
- came in place of Jesus
How is the Holy Spirit important for Catholics today ?
- makes Jesus bodily present in the Eucharist
- is God inside humans (consciousness)
- the most intimate connection between the Father and the Son
- helps understand + live out salvation more fully
How do humans receive salvation ?
- by choice to accept it from God
- by following and serving God through God’s and Jesus’ teachings (“if anyone serves me, he must follow me”)
- through the sacraments
What is eschatology ?
The study of Christian beliefs about life after death.
Give a quote showing that Jesus brings everlasting life through the resurrection.
“I am the resurrection… he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live”
What is Particular Judgement ?
- first judgement of an individual life
- the person may enter heaven immediately if they’ve died in a state of perfection
- may enter heaven after purification in purgatory
- may be sent to hell if demonstrated an unwillingness to love and are set in unrepented sin
What is General (Last) Judgement ?
- Judgement Day
- every person’s earthly body resurrected, transformed into a ‘glorified’ body and reunited with their soul
- judged by Jesus
- General Judgement is final and eternal
Give a quote from the parable of the sheep and goats explaining how General Judgement will take place.
“he will separate… the sheep from the goats… they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
What does the Catholic Church teach about resurrection ?
humans “will rise again with their own bodies… but Christ will change their lowly body to be like his glorious body” - CCC
What is heaven ?
The state in which anything that is not love passes away.
Why does no one know what heaven actually is (quote) ?
“no eye has seen… what God has prepared for those who love him.”
What is hell ?
The absence of God(‘s love).
How does the Catholic Church justify the existence of hell though God is benevolent ?
- humans have free will
- going to hell is the result of a person’s own actions that they chose
What is purgatory ?
where someone’s soul is purified from things that are not love/good through the pain of realising their mistakes in life.
Give one quote from the Bible that supports the idea of purgatory.
“himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
Why don’t other Christian denominations believe in purgatory ?
- there is little Biblical evidence
- after death God will cover all imperfections of those who are saved with the perfection of Jesus, so purgatory is unnecessary
Give one divergent idea about hell.
hell may exist but no one goes there as all may be saved by God
Give some divergent ideas about heaven.
- all may enter heaven eventually
- only Christians can go to heaven
- there are different branches of heaven
Who do Catholics believe can enter heaven ?
anyone who has lived a good life in Jesus’ example regardless of religion
Give some divergent views about resurrection.
- Catholic view
- only spiritual resurrection
- resurrection but no ‘glorified’ body as in Catholic view
Why is the afterlife important for Catholics today ?
incentive to live a good life
