Christianith Beliefs Flashcards
Nature of God (6)
Omnipotent Omniscient Omnibenevolent Just Transcendent Immanent
What is the trinity made up of
The father, the son and the Holy Spirit
How do beliefs in the nature of god influence Christians today (4)
- The belief that God is all powerful might lead Christians to believe in miracles, such as miraculous healing. As a result they may pray for God to help people who are sick or dying.
- The belief that God is loving might lead Christians to follow his example and treat others according to agape love. This might mean they offer help and support to all people, not just those that they personally know
- The belief that God is just means that Christians believe that God will judge them fairly based on how they have lived their lives. They know that they will be punished for their bad deeds, and also rewarded for their good deeds
- The belief that God is just, and that God is loving, might mean that Christians volunteer for charitable organisations to help those who are less fortunate. This is a way of practicing agape, and also creating a fairer society.
How might the belief in the trinity influence Christians today (3)
- The trinity demonstrates unity between the different persons of God. Each is a part of a greater whole. Similarly, Christians believe they should show similar unity in their lives, and be respectful and loving towards others
- Belief in the Trinity influences worship – prayers, church services, and hymns contain references to it.
- Belief in the trinity also makes Christianity unique amongst world religions, and a Christian may take their faith more seriously as a result
Arguments against belief in the trinity (3)
- Not all Christians are Trinitarian. Some Christians believe the Trinity does not make sense and that there is only one God – two examples of these are Unitarians, and Jehovah’s Witness’. Some people think belief in the Trinity is so important that these groups are not denominations of Christianity at all, but a separate religion.
- Some religious groups believe that Christianity actually worships three separate Gods, who are linked. This is called tritheism.
- Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins, might argue that because the Trinity is a complex idea that does not make logical sense, that this confirms the view that religion is outdated and based on superstition, rather than factual evidence
How beliefs about the problem of evil influences Christians (3)
- If Christians believe that suffering gives them an opportunity to develop and grow spiritually, then they may take that opportunity to help others.
- Additionally, they may believe that it is their responsibility, not God’s, to fix the problems in the world. Most moral evils could be eradicated if people shared wealth more equally and were kinder to one another.
- If suffering is a test of faith then Christians will be more likely to pray for support and guidance
How an atheist might respond to the problem of evil (3)
- Why would an omniscient (all knowing) God need to test his followers? Surely he would know if they would remain good people without causing suffering
- If suffering is a punishment for sin, why do innocent people suffer? What about young children who have never had the chance to be bad?
- If suffering is a part of God’s plan, then that proves that he is not all loving – only an evil God would plan for millions of people to be affected by war and famine.
Moral evil
Moral evil = suffering caused by the choices of humans
Natural evil
Natural evil = suffering caused by the natural world. As this was created by God, many people feel God is responsible for this kind of evil.
Genesis is historic truth
o The Bible is the word of God. There are no mistakes in the Bible
o God is all powerful, and it makes sense for an all powerful God to create the universe this way
Genesis is religious truth
o The Bible needs to be viewed in a modern context – science has proven that the Earth is older than the Bible claims it is
o They may believe that religious truths about the relationship between humans and God are more important than the historic truths of what day God created each part of the universe
How beliefs about creation might influence Christians
- The creation story explores the idea that humans are made ‘in the image of God”. This is hugely important in Christian ethics. All humans deserve respect and fair treatment because all humans are made in the image of God. All human life is valuable, which has an impact on moral issues such as abortion, war, and capital punishment.
- As all humans are equal, Christians may work to promote social justice and equality in society
- Because humans have been given responsibility to care for the world, they may be more likely to work towards promoting environmental issues such as recycling or green energy.
- Because the world is made according to God’s structure and order, there is a purpose to everything that happens. This links with the ‘problem of evil’ topic. This can reassure Christians when things go wrong, that there is a plan behind everything that happens, and they will understand this one day
The particular judgement
Happens immediately after death. Most catholics believe that the dead either wait in peace or torment for the final judgement
Evidence for particular judgement
“Today you will be with me in paradise”
The final judgement
Occurs with the second coming of Jesus. The living and the dead will be judged, and they will live forever with god in heaven, or away from god in hell
