christianity Flashcards
what is the nicene creed ?
the statement of christian belief accepted by most christians
what is the catechism ?
the official teaching of the catholic church
what is the eucharist ?
a sacrament commemorating the last supper of jesus
what is holy communion ?
the christian service of thanksgiving using bread and wine
also called eucharist or mass
what is monotheism ?
belief in one god
what is salvation ?
the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
what is sin ?
an act that is against gods will
what is the holy trinity ?
the way christians believe god shows himself to the world
who makes up the trinity ?
the father
the son
the holy spirit
what does god the father represent ?
gods power and creativity and his care for the world
what does for the son represent ?
the love of god, the salvation of sin and the promise of eternal life
what does god the holy spirit represent ?
the presence of god in the world
it is also how christians communicate with god
how do christian’s express their belief in the trinity ?
- repetition of the nicene creed before every service of communion
- cross themselves before entering a church
- mass usually begins in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit
- baptism and marriage performed in the name of the trinity
which christian groups do not accept the trinity ?
jehovah’s witness and mormons
what is the big bang ?
the explosion which scientists believe began the universe
what do conservative christians believe about creation ?
the bible is the word of god but not a true recount of creation. it is not scientific fact BUT creation happened how it was said in the bible with each day representing billions of years.
what literalist christians believe about creation ?
they believe that the bible is the word of god and creation happened the way that is stated in the bible.
genesis 1 gives the overall picture and genesis 2 + 3 give details about specific days.
what do liberal christians believe ?
they believe the bible is words about god and not the words of god. the bible is a metaphor for gods power and actions.
why are beliefs about creation important ?
- they show the world is good
- god created humans in his image
- god have people human dignity and responsibility for his creation so they have stewardship over the earth
- how people perform as stewards will determine how they are judged by god after death
what is knowing who you are and why you are here is ?
self knowledge
christian’s who believe the bible is gods word are called ?
literalists
being able to choose between good and evil requires ?
free will
christian’s who believe the bible needs re-interpreting in light of the modern world are ?
liberal
what did god do with jesus ?
god became a human being in jesus
what is the biblical basis of the incarnation ?
- mathews gospel says mary’s husband to be joseph was told about the conception by an angel
- likes gospel says mary was visited by an angel
- johns gospel records the incarnation in theological language - jesus was with god at the beginning and then became flesh
what is moral suffering ?
suffering caused by humans
what is natural suffering ?
suffering that has not been caused by humans
how does evil and suffering cause people to question god ?
an omnibenevolent god would not want to cause pain
an omnipotent god would remove evil and suffering
an omniscient god would have known evil would come from the universe
christian attitudes towards marriage
- marriage was created by god
- should be between one man and one woman
- is the only acceptable was for people to have sexual relationships
- is the way to have children and start a family
- was established by god to preserve society
which denominations believe that marriage is a sacrament ?
catholic and orthodox
humanist and atheist attitudes to marriage
most believe that marriage is up to the individual
catholic and conservative protestants churches responses towards changing attitudes about marriage
condemn premarital sex
condemn cohabitation
condemn same sex marriage
liberal protestant response to changing attitudes towards marriage
accept new attitudes to marriage but encourage christian’s to marry if they want to start a family
christian teachings about sexual relationships
- sex is a gift from god
- to be enjoyed by one man and one woman in a marriage
- for the procreation of children
christian teachings about sexual relationships outside of marriage
- premarital sex is a sin condemned by the bible and church teachings
- all christians are against adultery
humanist and atheist attitudes to sexual relationships
accept sex before marriage
sex should be consensual between people of age
catholic attitudes towards same sex relationships
being homosexual is not a sin but being in a homosexual sexual relationship is a sin
it is sin to harass homosexuals
sexual relationships should be unitive and creative which gay sex is not
evangelical protestant beliefs about homosexuality
it is a sin
the power of the spirit can change peoples sexual orientation
the bible condemns homosexuality
liberal protestant beliefs about homosexual relationships
long term are acceptable
the bible reflects ideas of the time rather than gods will
what do christian parent have a duty to do ?
- meet all the physical and material need of the child
- instil moral values in their children
- bring up the children in good christian faith
