christian beliefs Flashcards
1
Q
Inclusive Christians
A
- Other Christians believe you should only go to heaven by accepting Jesus and his teachings, but, some members of other religions and some non-Christians may be able to go to heaven
- God saved people before Christianity existed. God will save people who lived right lives as if the God they followed had been the right one
- When religious people die they will realise Jesus’ teaching was the right way and convert after death
2
Q
Problem with inclusive Christians
A
It goes against what Jesus said in the Bible (John 3:16)
3
Q
What is religious pluralism?
A
Accepting all religions as equally valid and correct and can all coexist
4
Q
Problems with religious pluralism
A
- Pluralist belief goes against the teaching of Jesus so is not always considered as truly Christian
- Most other world religions reject pluralism and are either inclusive or exclusive
5
Q
Exclusive Christians
A
- Some Christians are exclusive, this means they believe only those people who follow Jesus and live by his teachings will go to heaven
- Christians who hold this belief are inspired by the teaching “I (Jesus) am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father (God) except through me”
6
Q
Problems with exclusive Christians
A
- This is often seen as intolerant and discriminatory
- Would God not be cruel to say the majority of the population will no go to heaven?
- How could a loving God allow anyone to go to hell because they’ve been born into a non-Christian culture
7
Q
Christina beliefs - who goes to heaven?
A
- Some christians believe only christians go to heaven (exclusivists)
- Some christians believe all good people with faith, of any religion, go to Heaven (pluralists)
- Some people question whether a loving God would be capable of sending someone to Hell, although a fair judge would have to send to Hell those who had done very bad things
- Would a loving God send good people who were not christian to Hell? That seems unfair?
8
Q
Protestant beliefs on heaven and hell
A
- Protestants hold strongly that when Jesus died on the cross, he took upon himself the punishment for the world’s sin
- Therefore they believe that you can go to heaven by having faith in Jesus Christ, not through living a good life or belonging to a particular church
- Although Protestants believe that entering heaven requires one to have faith in Christ and that is all
- It is widely believed that people who have lived an evil life will be denied entry to heaven
9
Q
What does monotheistic mean?
A
A religion that believes there is only one God
10
Q
What does omnipotent mean?
A
Almighty, having unlimited power; a quality of God
11
Q
What does benevolent mean?
A
All-loving, all-good; a quality of God
12
Q
God as omnipotent
A
- This means all powerful with unlimited authority
- Christians believe that there is nothing God cannot do or achieve
- “Nothing is impossible with God”
13
Q
explain the christian belief of god as omnibenevolent
A
- For Christians, the idea that God is loving is very important, they believe that God loves all humans, and wants what’s best for them: “God is love”
- They believe that God created humans because he is all loving and desired to bestow love upon creatures: “the lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love”
- This encourages Christians to love each other in their daily lives by treating everybody with care and respect
- Christians believe that God’s greatest act of love was sending God’s son, Jesus, to Earth: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”
14
Q
Explain the concept of the Trinity
A
The belief that there are three ‘persons’ in the One God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are separate, but are also being
15
Q
Who is the Holy Spirit?
A
The third person of the Trinity whom Christians believe is the inspiring presence of God in the world
16
Q
Explain the belief of God as the Father
A
- Christians believe that the first person of the Trinity is God the Father
- He is believed to be the creator of the earth and all living things in it
- As creator of life, he acts as a good father would towards his children
- He is believed to be omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient and omnipresent
17
Q
What does omniscient mean?
A
All-knowing
18
Q
What does omnipresent?
A
Present everywhere
19
Q
Explain the belief of God the Son
A
- The second person in the Trinity is often referred to as the Son of God and became incarnate on earth and in history through Jesus
- Christians believe that Jesus was both fully human whilst on earth and also fully God at all times
20
Q
Explain the belief of God the Holy Spirit
A
- Christians believe that once Jesus had left the earth, God sent the Holy Spirit to influence, guide and sustain the earth and all life on it
- The Holy Spirit is believed to be the unseen power of God at work in the world in the past, present and future
21
Q
What is the ascension?
A
Jesus going up to Heaven after his resurrection
22
Q
What is atonement?
A
The death of Jesus restoring the relationship between God and humans
23
Q
Explain two Christian beliefs about the role of Jesus in salvation
A
Christians believe that salvation from sin comes from the life and teachings of Jesus - “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life”
24
Q
what is salvation?
A
being saved; belief that through God’s grace, Jesus’ death and resurrection brought about salvation for humanity. saving of the soul and being able to enter eternal life in heaven
25
explain the problem of evil and suffering
- the inconsistent triad is an argument against the concept of an all-powerful and all-loving god whilst suffering persists
- the existence of suffering alongside an omnibenevolent and omnipotent god are argued to be contradictory
- they raise the evidential problem of evil: the amount of evil and suffering in the world makes it seem improbable that an all powerful and all loving god exists
26
explain how christians respond to the problem of evil
- the Agustinian theodicy, suffering is a misuse of freewill, and punishment for disobedience
- iranaen theodicy, life is a test
- suffering is a form of education for our souls which allows us to grow spiritually
- suffering is a needed balance, we cannot appreciate good without being able to recognise evil
- suffering is a test of faith which if passed can achieve great reward from God
- the freewill defence, moral evil is caused by humans not God
27
explain the Augustinian theodicy
- evil and suffering entered the world with Adam and Eve's sin: "when Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned"
- they misused their freewill and by disobeying god, god brought evil and suffering into the world, the sin of Adam was passed to all humans
- evil is a privation, when we fail to live up to the good virtues god created humanity for
- god allows suffering because it is punishment for human sin and god is just
- god is still loving because he saves humans anyway through Jesus' death and resurrection
28
explain the Iranean theodicy
- evil and suffering exist to enable humans to develop into God's likeliness
- god does not intervene as this would limit human freewill, god loves us and wants us to have freedom
- humans are given suffering by god to help develop virtues e.g. courage, strength and compassion
- the world and all its suffering is like a gym for the soul, so we can become better
- "suffering produces perseverance"
29
what did John hick say in response to the problem of evil?
- John Hick proposed a 'soul-making theodicy' that this work is a 'vale of soul-making' where we learn and grow in response to suffering
- we would not be able to perform the good deeds needed to enter Heaven if there was no evil and suffering, we develop compassion due to suffering
- therefore evil and suffering are needed as 'catalysts' for our spiritual growth, without them we would not develop the goodness and perfection required to enter Heaven
30
why is the crucifixion important to christians?
- Jesus' sacrifice on the cross gives hope to christians that their sins will be forgiven if they sincerely repent
- christians believe that God understands human suffering because Jesus, who is God, experienced it
- Christians accept that suffering is a part of life, just as it was of Jesus' life
31
give two christian beliefs about the trinity
- the trinity is the three parts of god
- the three parts of the trinity are God, as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- the father is the powerful creator of the world
- the son is Jesus, who came to earth in human form and died
- the Holy Spirit is the invisible part of god acting within the world
32
explain two ways in which belief in the trinity influences christians today
As the son, God was incarnate and lived and died among humans. Christians know that God can understand them and feel pain and misery like we do, which provides comfort and gives a sense of closeness to God.
As the Spirit, God is a source of spiritual strength, so Christians can feel the Spirit at work in their lives, this strengthens and supports them.
33
explain two ways in which belief in creation by God influences christians today
- teaches Christians that they have a responsibility for the world, influencing them to believe in and act on stewardship, as they value the natural world as it is God's creation
- Provides comfort to know that they were created with a purpose, emphasising the value of every human being. Therefore, the may also not commit deeds such as murder.
34
explain two ways in which Christians may understand the account of creation in the bible
Fundamentalist christians believe that the account of creation in the bible is literally true. They will accept that God created the world in six literal days and reject all scientific discoveries such as the Big Bang, as these are not found in the bible: "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth"
Liberal Christians will understand the account of creation in a metaphorical way, believing that science and religion can together explain creation. For example, they may believe that the Big Bang created the universe but God created the Big Bang
35
explain two ways in which christian beliefs about the afterlife influence christians today
36
what is the significance of the ascension?
- shows Jesus is with God in Heaven and therefore that he is the Son of God
- paves the way for God to send the Holy Spirit to provide comfort and guidance
37
what is the significance of the resurrection?
- shows the power of good over evil and life over death
- means christian's sins will be forgiven if they follow God's laws
- means christians will be resurrected if they accept Jesus, so there is no need to fear death
38
explain two ways in which a belief in resurrection influences christians today
- gives hope of life after death with Jesus
- inspires christians to live in the way god wants them to, so they can remain in his presence in this life and the next
39
explain two contrasting christian beliefs about resurrection
Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe in bodily resurrection. This means resurrection is both spiritual and physical: the physical body lost at death is restored and transformed into a new, spiritual body: "if there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body"
Other Christians believe resurrection will just be spiritual, not physical as well. They believe that a person's soul is resurrected soon after death.
40
what are some quotes about the incarnation?
"the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us"
"she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit"
41
explain two christian teachings about the incarnation
- Jesus was god in human form
- Jesus was born of Virgin Mary
42
explain two ways in which a belief in Jesus' crucifixion influences christians today
- they believe that the crucifixion was a sacrifice Jesus chose to make for them in order to give them the opportunity to be granted forgiveness by God, so they can live in confidence that their sins have been forgiven
- it helps and provides comfort for christians who are suffering because they know Jesus suffered as well
43
explain two christian beliefs about salvation
- one Christian belief about salvation is that salvation can be granted through good works. these good works may be following teachings such as the Ten Commandments and praying regularly: "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead"
- a second christian belief about salvation is that it is gained through grace. God gives salvation to people who have faith in Jesus, it is a gift for the faithful: "for it is by grace you have been saved..."
44
what is atonement?
removing the effects of sin and allowing people to restore their relationship with god
45
what are the three methods of salvation?
- through law
- through grace
- through the Holy Spirit
46
explain two christian beliefs about the role of Jesus Christ in salvation
- Christians believe that salvation from sin comes from the life and teachings of Jesus: ‘The wages of sin is death, but God’s free gift is eternal life through
Christ Jesus our Lord’.
- some Christians believe that salvation exists through Jesus Christ alone and nobody else, showing the essential role he plays in salvation: "there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved"
- many christians believe that through the sacrifice of his death, Jesus atoned for all the sins of humanity, which made salvation available for all humans
