christian beliefs Flashcards
proof of gods qualities
omnipotence- sent the ten plagues, parted the red sea, jesus can walk on water and rise from the dead
omnibenevolence- god is compassionate and gracious, “for god so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but instead have eternal life”, “forgive us our sins”, jesus cured the lepers
timelessness- god was there before creation, he is the creator (genesis)
causes of evil
traditional christians (original sin of adam and eve, passed down as inherited sin from the fall, all humans have an inclination to sin)- st augustine
lib prots (less literal reading, humans are innately selfish so will give into temptation if it benefits them)
st augustine
- god was perfect and created a perfect world, “god saw what he had made, and he said it was good”
- evil is an absence of good, not a creation
- god gave humans free will
- the fall caused an imbalance in nature and thus natural evil
- everyone now born with inherited sin and now have inclination to abuse their free will
- human suffering comes as a consequence of this, and it is also a punishment from god
- god would be justified to send all humans to hell, but instead he showed grace by sending jesus for atonement
- those who turn to jesus go to heaven, those who dont go to hell
ireneaus and hick
- god wanted humans to become like him
- humans must be free, which was an act of love by god
- some humans abused free will- moral evil
- irenaeus believed god created natural evil to help build virtues
- those who use free will to become gods likeness will go to heaven, those who abuse will not
- agreed in ‘soul-making’ process
- god has to stay an epistemic distance or it is not truly free will
- all humans will grow into gods likeness after a series of rebirths
other beliefs on suffering
suffering is a test from god- similarly to the book of job
- suffering is a punishment from god from the fall
- if evil did not exist, people would not be able to do good from them/appreciate the good which has come from it
- the devil causes evil
- god gave humans free will to choose to love him rather than be like robots
the story of job
- god allows the devil to test job to see if he will turn from god
- jobs flocks, servants and 10 children die, he is cursed with skin sores
- his wife along with 3 friends told him to curse god
- he recognises he did not deserve the suffering, but keeps faith in god
- he decides gods ways are beyond human understanding and that he needs to keep faith in god
- shows that the devil wants to turn good people from god, test of faith
the trinity
- tri (three) unity (in one)
- god is three persons in one
- the father, the son, the holy spirit
- the father is the creator and provider
- the son is the redeemer, sent as a sacrifice and ransom for sin
- the holy spirit sanctifies, answers prayer and provides gifts
- it is in the nicene creed and apostles creed
- “i and the father are one” John
- “anyone who has seen me has seen the father” Jesus
- holy spirit as a dove, jesus being baptised, god says “this is my son with whom i am well pleased” - all present at baptism
genesis 1
- god created the world in 6 days
- he rested on the 7th
- night and day > heaven > land and plants > sun moon and stars > bird and fish > man
genesis 2
- god creates adam to live in garden of eden
- he creates eve out of his rib as a companion “it is not good for man to be alone”
- he tells adam and eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
genesis 3
- the fall
- tempted by the serpent to eat from the tree
- tells them that god only wants them to avoid the fruit because he doesnt want them to be as knowledgeable as him
- eve eats the fruit first
- they confess to god and he punishes them
- man is punished by having to work
- women have pain in childbirth
interpretation of genesis
- fundamentalist- actually happened
- conservative - written as myths containing truths
- liberal - the bible needs updating, but take that god is creator
the incarnation
- jesus is god in the flesh
- he was born of virgin mary, who was told that she would give birth to the “son of the most high”
- he is spiritually perfect (divine)
- he is physically human (man)
proof of the incarnation
- “son of the most high”
- “you will become pregnant and give birth to a son”
- “the word became a human being, full of grace and truth, lived among us. we saw his glory, the glory which he received as the fathers only son”
- miracles (walk on water, cure the blind)
- jesus rose from the dead, witnessed by disciples, showed wounds and ate with them
- had perfect emotion (turned tables, forgave, resisted temptation) spiritual perfection
- taught others how to be saved and live a good life (lords prayer, treat others)
importance of incarnation
- god could understand human suffering (he felt human pain, crucified, he felt betrayal, judas)
- god could judge humans fairly
- jesus takes the punishment of sin and atones “he was pierced for our transgressions”
- showed that death could be defeated “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and i will raise them up at the last day”, “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
- role model of life and worship (lords prayer)
