Christian Beliefs Flashcards
Agnosticism
Not being sure whether God exists
Atheism
Believing that God does not exist
Denomination
A distinct group within a religion with its own beliefs and traditions
Monotheism
Belief in one God
Moral evil
Suffering caused by humans by misusing their free will
E.g. murder, racism
Natural evil
Evil caused by nature
E.g. volcanoes, floods
The logical form of evil
If God is all-powerful and all-knowing why does suffering exist
The evidential form of evil
The amount of suffering in the world
Extreme suffering
Suffering is not distributed fairly
Reasons for God not existing due to the problem of evil
Moral and natural evil exists with examples
Evidential form of the problem of evil with examples
Epicurus’ formulation of the logical form of the problem of evil
RR = original sin
Reasons against God not existing due to the problem of evil
Ideology of free will
Suffering is punishment for our sins
Suffering teaches us lessons and brings us closer to God
Satan is responsible for evil, not God
The original sin (Adam & Eve, the first humans disobeyed God)
RR = the story of Abraham & Isaac
RR for the Trinity
RR = Nicene Creed (A.D. 325)
The analogy of The Trinity
The Clover leaf analogy -
Just like a clover is made of three leaves, so is The Trinity made up of The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit
Qualities of The Father
The creator of the earth and all living things on it
He guides and protects, as a good father does towards his children
Omnipotent
Omniscient
Omnibenevolent
Qualities of The Son
He is God in flesh (incarnation)
He came for our salvation (to save us from our sins)
He is fully human and fully God
He will come again to judge everyone (judgement day)
Qualities of The Holy Spirit
Present everywhere (omnipresent)
Witnesses everything, guides us and empowers us in our spiritual path
God’s presence on earth
RR for The Creation
‘God created the heavens and the earth’
Genesis 1 - creation story
Describes the creation of the world from nothing in 6 days.
Genesis 2 - creation story
Describes the creation of the first humans, Adam and Eve
St John’s Gospels account of The Creation story
Says that The Son of God was present during The Creation
RR = ‘In the beginning was the Word’ - John
Jesus is referred to as the Word
Genesis’s account of The Creation Story
That The Father and The Holy Spirit were present during The Creation, no Jesus
RR = ‘The Spirit of God was hovering over the water’
RR for literal creationists
RR = ‘And God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light - Genesis
RR = ‘Nothing is impossible for God’ - Bible
Progressive creationists
Accept the story metaphorically and say it was inspired by God
The Bible contains religious truth, not scientific facts
Jesus’ parables are also interpreted and appreciated for their deeper meaning
Scientific discoveries are also accurate
RR for incarnation
RR = ‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’
Jesus’ key events
Born is Bethlem
Grew up in Nazareth
Crucified & resurrected in Jerusalem
Returned to heaven in Bethany
RR for crucifixion
RR = ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’
Importance of crucifixion
Out of love for humanity, God sacrificed his own son, Jesus, to reconcile with us
His death was necessary because Jesus atoned (made amends) for humanity’s sins
Jesus understands human suffering
RR for resurrection
RR = ‘He is not here; he has risen’ - Luke
Importance of resurrection
Means that Christian’s sins will be forgiven if they obey God
Means Christians will be resurrected if they accept Jesus, so there is no need to fear death
It marks the beginning of Christianity as a world religion
Ascension
The event when Jesus returned to his Father, in heaven
The Great Commission
‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them’ - Matthew
Heaven
A state of eternal happiness in the presence of God
Hell
The state of eternal suffering without God
Purgatory
The intermediate state where the soul is cleansed fully in order to enter heaven
Believed by Catholics
RR for day of judgement
RR = ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ’
Good actions in the eye of God
Obeying The Decalogue (the 10 commandments) - Exodus
The Parable of the Sheep and the Goat – Matthew
Original sin
The sin committed by Adam and Eve when they ate the fruit from the forbidden tree
Salvation
Saving the soul
Forgiveness
Showing grace and mercy to someone when they are in the wrong
Atonement
Restoring the relationship between Christians and God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Reconciliation
Act of healing a broken relationship
Grace
When God shows love and support to humans which they don’t need to earn
