christian beliefs #2 Flashcards
definition of evil
something that is bad immoral or sinful
definition of good
something that is possible moral or deemed as a holy action
the presence of god in the world
something that society judges to be moral
natural evil-
is evil which occurs naturally without human involvement or without humans causing it to happen for example hurricanes
moral evil-
is evil which is caused by mankind, it is evil that mankind does an example killing innocent people
problem with evil
many athiests do not believe in God because of the problem with evil. this is the argument which says that god cannot omnibenevolent or omnipotent because there is evil in the world
the philosopher jl Mackie evidenced this argument through the inconsistent triad argument. this argument says if god was omnipotent he would be able to stop all evil because he loves mankind, if god was omnipotent he would be able to stop all evil because he has absolute power he can do anything
however there is still evil in the world we see moral and natural evil everyday
Augustine theory
argued that the bible shows that god is wholly good and that according to genesis 1 created a world perfectly good free from defect evil and suffereing,
evil is just an absence of goodness
evidence to back up Augustine theory
god saw all that he had made and it was very good (genesis 1;31)
weaknesses of the ausgustine theory
schliermacer argued that it was a logical contradiction to say that a perfectly created world had gone wrong. either the world was not perfect to start with or god made it wrong, if so then it is god and not humanity who is to blame
Irenaeus theoadicty on evil
he suggested that evil could be traced back to human free will. Irenaeus said that god did not make a perfect world and that evil has a valuable part to play in gods plan for humanity. he thoufht that god created humans imperfectly in order that they could develop into perfection over time.
what are parables
a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical poitn
parable of the good samaritan
‘Christians should love thy neighbour’
Christians should love thy neighbour because everyone is made imago dei. this means humans have characteristics like god such as being capable of love whilst god is omnibenevolent therefore Christians should love thy neighbour.
evidence for this can be found in the bible in genesis 1:26 it states god made mankind in his image in his likeness
therefore Christians should act as like god as possible and love everyone including their enemies
what does the parable of the lost coin teach
in luke (15)
teaches that god will always forgive you no matter how much you have sinned. This is evidenced in the scripture rejoice with me as I have found the lost coin’
this scripture means that god rejoices when a sinner is found
a Christian would read this parable and know that god will always give forgiveness. it shows Christians should always show agape to others and be like GOD
can heaven be reached by everyone
this statement makes the assertion that everyone can reach heaven this is debateable some would say that if you do not accept Christ or follow Christ teachings you cannot reach heaven. this raises questions such as if you are someone who has never had the opportunity to learn about Christ do u have a chance to go to heaven.
who agrees with the statement everyone can reach heaven
universalists would agree with this statement as they belive that everyone goes to heaven no matter what, their view with the fact that god is omnibenevolent and therefore god loves everyone no matter.
who also agrees with the statement everone can reach heaven
rc catholics agree with the statement because they would say that jesus died for our sins and therefore everyone has the chance of redemption. as long as you follow Jesus’ teachings and asked fro forgiveness for sins you commit everyone could go to heaven
however they would also believe that if you commit mortal or unforgivable sins such as rejecting Christ or commiting crmes such as murder you could not get into heaven
where is the sermon on the mounut recorded
mattthew 5-7
what is the sermon on the mount split inot
the beatitiudes jesus and the law true discipleship true righteousness the narrow gateway building on solid foundations
what are beatitudes
means blessings- in this passage jeusus describes the attitudes or qualities that god wants his followers to develop and which he will bless
what is in the first three beatitudes
jesus is helping his followers to see that by honouring his followers to see that by knowing their needs they are able to become better truer people they are in turn able to share gods love
what is the the last 4 beatitudes
all focus on searching for god truth and righteousness, the final beatitudes concentrate on suffering because of doing what is right in the eyes of god
jesus and the law
jesus is teaching that obedience to the law must come from a persons heart jesus tells his followers in this section not just to love their neighbours but to also love their enemies
true discipleship
focuses on what it means to be a true follower
he dismisses outward acts of religion that are just for show
he requires true disciples to be sincere in what they do, keeping their fasting and charity private. in this way they are not doing things to receive praise from humans
true righteousness
wealth- in this section jesus requires his followers to take seriously their commitment to faith
he wants people to understand that you cannot worship god and money
judging others
jesus wants people to understand that no person is perfect and so no person is in any position to judge
narrow gateway
in this section he uses the picture of a narrow gate and pathway compared with a broad and wide gateway
the broad pathway leads to destruction this represents life that is lived without any attention to the laws of god while this may be an easier way of living it doesn’t lead to gods blessing
the narrow pathway is difficult but itll lead to rewards in heaven which will be eternal.
building on solid foundations
jesus uses the analogy of a house built on sandy foundations compared with one built on solid rock.
the one built on sand is washed away in storms but the one on rock stands firm in the worst weather
jesus teaches that a life built on faith and trust in god will enable a person to get through the toughest times in life unlike a life without such faith
