christian beliefs

Question 1

what are the main christian beliefs about the afterlife?

Answer 1

• the afterlife begins upon death, where the soul ascends to Heaven
• the afterlife begins upon the day of judgement, when Jesus will come down to judge the living and the dead
• this means that Christians will avoid sin and be more forgiving, so that on Judgement Day, they are deemed worthy of Heaven

Question 2

what was said in the apostles creed?

Answer 2

• Jesus will come back and judge the living and the dead
• this will occur on Judgement Day
• life is everlasting
• everyone will be resurrected - some will be deemed blessed, some will be cursed

Question 3

what is purgatory?

Answer 3

if a Christian has unrepented sins when they die, they can either:
- wait until Judgement Day to try and convince God to let them into Heaven
- while your soul waits in Purgatory, the Communion of Saints prays for your sins to be forgiven and for you to be let into Heaven

Question 4

what is the difference between exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism?

Answer 4

exclusivism: only Christians who fully believe and devote their life to Jesus will get to Heaven

inclusivism: Christians are guaranteed, and other people (e.g. Jews) can if they’ve repented all of their sins

pluralism: everyone’s able to get to Heaven, all that’s needed is a good life

Question 5

how does sin and salvation link together?

Answer 5

every time you sin, you open the gap between humanity and God. the gap is hell. God realised this, and so sent Jesus to be our salvation, bridging the gap between humans and God. therefore, now all humans have to do to get to God is to be a good person, follow Jesus’s teachings, and avoid sin.

Question 6

describe the relationship between the ideas of salvation and atonement:

Answer 6

atonement is the idea of the relationship between God and humans being healed, through humans’ acts of good, therefore God and humanity become united.
- Christians believe that Jesus’s death and therefore his salvation allowed humans to begin the process of atonement.

Question 7

what is said in the Sermon on the Mount?

Answer 7

• reinterprets 10 commandments - sins aren’t simply bad actions, they’re also bad thoughts. ‘you shall not commit adultery. but anyone who has looked at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’
• beatitudes - anyone who has wrongfully suffered their entire lives are immediately worthy of Heaven
• introduces Lord’s Prayer

Question 8

what is original sin?

Answer 8

the sin that we are all born with that tempts us to disobey God. this sin stems from the wrongdoings of Adam and Eve, as they chose to disobey God, despite having been given paradise.