Christian beliefs Flashcards
the nature of the trinity
Christians believe in one God. it is a monotheistic religion
Christians believe that there are three equal, yet distinct, persons in one God- the father, the son, the Holy spirit
belief in one god but three separate and unique roles
the trinity in worship and belief
Christians bless themselves by making the sign of the cross and offer prayers ‘in the name of the father the son and the Holy spirit
prayers such as the lords prayer, Nicene creed and apostles creeds refer to the trinity
some church hymns refer to the father son and the Holy spirit
the belief in the trinity is intended to be at the centre of each Christian’s individual daily relationship with God
the importance of the trinity
the trinity helps Christians understand the three ways that God can be understood- Father, Son, Holy spirit. Christians can understand God better by relating to those three aspects
the trinity and the Nicene creed
the Father is the powerful creator of everything- maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen
the Son is Jesus Christ, who came to earth as God in human form and was crucified to redeem humanity’s sins- ‘For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven
the Holy Spirit is the invisible power of God that works within the world today to guide and inspire us- ‘the giver of life, who proceeds from the father and the son
what do literalists believe about creation
the creation story as it is told n the Bible is literally true because the bible is the literal word of god
God creates the world in six 24 hour days
literalists do not accept scientific explanations about the world such as the Big Bang theory or the theory of evolution. They think these scientific explanations are wrong
what do non- literalists believe about creation
God created the world but not exactly how the story in the bible says. the Genisis story of creation is more myth than fact
science and religion together explain the creation. there is no conflict between religious and scientific explanations- the Bible explains why creation happened and science explains how
the importance of jesus
Jesus is seen by Christians as the incarnate son of God and is given great importance
his birth fulfilled the prophecy of Christ coming to earth as the savior who was promised by God- so God took human form to be present within the world
Jesus is the son part of the three ideas that make up the Christian understanding of God
Gospels in the new testament
information about the life of Jesus is found in the Bible in the first four books of the new testament Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Jhon. these books are known as the gospels
accounts in the new testament describe Jesuses birth ;life and death
How is Jesus divine
jesus is omnipotent and omniscient Jesus forgave sins Jesus performed miracles people worshipped and prayed to jesus Jesus was resurrected after death
jesus as Human
he was born to a human mother he had a human body Jesus got tired thirsty and hungry he showed human emotions such as amazement and sorrow he prayed to God he died
types of evil and suffering
moral evil/suffering- actions carried out by humans who cause suffering
natural evil/suffering- things that cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans
does God exist
how a loving and righteous God would allow people to do evil things
why people need to suffer
whether if God does exist he is all-powerful, he should stop evil and suffering
the problem of evil and suffering
if god is all good, he would want to remove evil and suffering as he cares for his creation
if god is all-knowing he would know how to remove evil and suffering
if God is all-powerful he would be able to remove evil and suffering
the bible on God
the bible says God is benevolent and cares for his creation. Christians believe that God would want to help his creation if it were suffering
what does the bible say about evil and suffering
Genesis says that God created a perfect world
the fall: adam and eve used their free will in the Garden of Eden to disobey God , which allowed evil and suffering to enter the world
Christians believe God sent Jesus to Earth to overcome the evil in the world and die for the sins of humanity on the cross
some Christians accept that evil came into the world through the devil, for example. when the devil tempted adam and eve in the garden of eden
christian response to the problem of evil and suffering
Book of psalms- this offers reassurance that evil and suffering have a purpose in the world: that they give people the opportunity to follow the example set by Jesus in order to live as God intended
Job- the Bible describes how Job endured many examples of suffering, including losing his family and physical pain, yet he did not lose faith. He trusted in God and believed that suffering was part of God’s plan for him. Christians believed that they may not understand why they suffer but they need to trust in God and will be rewarded for doing so
more Christian responses to evil and suffering
free will- God gave people free will and Christians recognize that humans sometimes choose to turn away from God. this explains the presence of many acts of moral evil
vale of soul-making- this is the idea that evil and suffering have a purpose, even if we do not know what it is. suffering can make a person stronger and help them appreciate the good things in their life. so evil may not always be a bad thing
prater- many Christians respond to evil in the word of prayer, so that God will give them the strength to cope with the problems they are facing. Christians believe that even if their prayers are not answered in the way that they want, God has a plan for everyone
charity- many Christians have been inspired by the suffering in their own lives to try to help others.
