Christian Beliefs Flashcards
What is a denomination?
-A branch of Christianity
-All have a common heritage of belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ and acceptance of him as the Son of God.
What is God like?
God is one
Thought to exist without restrictions of gender.
No physical human body - john 4:24 - god is spirit
“We believe in one God “ - The Nicene Creed
God as Just
God is believed to be the perfect giver of justice
- being a perfect judge
- deciding on right and wrong
- never support injustice, ill treatment, oppression or prejudice
Examples of God’s omnipotence
Creation of the universe itself
Wonders of the universe
Miracles performed by Jesus
Agape
Self-giving, self-sacrificial love
How God’s all loving nature is shown in the bible?
Parable of the Prodigal Son - Luke
One son claims his inheritance and wastes it all - he is welcomed home and forgiven
Omnipotent
All powerful
Moral evil
Human actions causes suffering or harm, for example, murder, stealing and lying
Natural evil
Natural events cause suffering: human beings have little or no control over the event such as earthquakes and diseases
The inconsistent triad - J.Mackie
God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent evil doesn’t exist
God is omnipotent but not omibenevolent; thus, evil exists by God’s will
God is omnibenevolent, but not omnipotent;
thus, evil exists, but it is not within God’s power to stop it (at least not instantaneousl
Problem of evil - God cannot exist
Inconsistent Triad
Suffering of some people is not justifiable
Natural disasters and disease cannot be by a good god
Problem of evil - God can still exist
Afterlife defence - the evil in this world is balanced by a greater good in the afterlife
Free will defence - the evil in this world is a consequence of a greater good = human free will
Soul-making defence - the evil in this world leads to a greater good = humans fulfilling their potential
God’s punishment = natural evil is a result of huma actio
Augustinian Theodicy
God created a world perfectly good and free from defect, evil and suffering
Evil is the privation of good
Evil came from human sin = the original sin
NATURAL EVIL came about through the loss of order in nature, due to human sin. It is a form/consequence of moral evil.
Moral evil came from the knowledge of good and evil which humanity had discovered through their disobedience.
Theodicy
Explanation of why a perfectly good, almighty and all-knowing God permits evil
Irenaean Theodicy
God created humans imperfectly in order that they could develop into perfection over time. Perfection has to be developed by humans themselves, through willing co-operation
Evil enables us to know what Good is
Vale of the soul making
A world without pain would not make us better people or develop our souls. We have to learn the struggles in life and how to become better within that
God wants us to have a genuine relationship which we can only have chosen freely
The story of Job
God gives us evil so we can stay with him through suffering and get us to heaven
Trinity - bible verse
Matthew 3:16-17 he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove. And a voice from heaven said “this is my Son, whom I love”
What does the Nicene Creed say about God the Father?
Maker of heaven and earth
What does the Nicene Creed say about God the Son?
Eternally begotten of the father
True God from true God
Begotten, not made
He came down from heaven
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end
What does the Nicene Creed say about God the Holy Spirit?
Giver of life
Spoken through prophets
Characteristics of God the Father
Creator
Parent
King
Judge
Characteristics of God the Son
Servant
Saviour/messiah
Teacher
Miracle worker
Characteristics of God the Holy Spirit
Guider
Power source
Peacemaker
Helper
How might belief in the Trinity influence Christians?
In baptism ceremonies, “I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
“We believe and trust in One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Influences them to be comforted by the knowledge that God is with is them in fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Influences Christians to believe that as Jesus was fully human they can emulate his actions on Earth and that God understands all of our problems and he incarnated
Imago dei
Human beings were created in the likeness and image of God.
Same mental, moral and social qualities of God
Humans are the only part of creation to have been made in the image of God. Humans have a higher status
What does “imago dei” mean for Christians?
Humans share God’s character and nature
- humans are representatives of God in Earth
Allows humans to be in communion with God
- gives responsibility over his creation
- given dominion over the world and stewards of the land
Literal creationist / fundamentalist
The world is created EXACTLY as it says in the Bible a it is the Word of God it is infallible
They do not believe in the Big Bang or Evolution
They say the Earth appears to look much older due to a great flood that God sent to Earth
Liberal creationism / compatibilist
Both the Bible and science are true
The order Genesis says God created the world is similar to how scientists teach us evolution took place
INSPIRED Word of God, not dictated story
Accept majority of geological and cosmological theories but believe that God is responsible for creatio
Symbolism
God did not tell the Bible to mankind
Inspired by the world around them and a sense of God.
Some believe the story is a symbol
it is fine to follow the Bible as well as believing that the Big Bang and Evolution were caused by God.
Dual nature
Christians believe Jesus is :
Fully divine
Fully human
The incarnation
Believe the Incarnation means that God became human by he power of the Holy Spirit
Wholly God and wholly man
Catechism of the Catholic Church - ‘ Jesus is inseparably true God and true man. He is truly the Son of God without ceasing to be God the Lord’
5 Key events told about the Life of Jesus
- His birth
- His baptism
- His crucifixion
- His resurrection
- His ascension