Christianity Flashcards
“God created humankind in his image”
Humans are made with the qualities of God
Humans are made special as they are made in God’s image and likeness
“Thou shalt not kill”
That life is holy (Sanctity of Life) and should be protected
Humans should not take life so Christians will be against murder and death penalty
Christians may be pacifist (against violence) as war involves taking life
“Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did to me”
When a Christian helps someone else (the ‘least’) they are helping Jesus (‘you did it to me’)
The ‘sheep’ helped the needy by giving drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the needy etc while the ‘goats’ ignored the needy
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of god”
Jesus calls Christians to have an attitude of peace
Peace is one of the signs of God’s kingdom (God’s world to come)
“Be fruitful and multiply”
That humans are called to reproduce
The purpose of sex within marriage is procreation
Humans have a creative nature like God and so humans are made in God’s image and likeness
“You have heard it said an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…”
“… but i say if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other cheek also”
Jesus quotes the Old Testament, the Old Law, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ which shows that retaliation should be equal and not extreme
Christians are told by Jesus to show forgiveness, rather than retaliating – to ‘turn the other cheek’
“The lord is our god, the lord alone”
Christians believe there is only one God
Christians are not permitted to worship other Gods
“Love your neighbour”
Christians should show love to others
This may mean giving to charity, helping others, giving drink to the thirsty/food to the hungry
“Love your enemies”
Christians should love their enemies
This is also shown in the Parable of the Good Samaritan:
Samaritans and Jews are enemies, but the Good Samaritan helps the beaten Jew despite their differences, and goes the extra mile to care for them by taking them to an inn and paying for their care.
“The two shall become one flesh”
In marriage the purpose of sex is to unite the male and female
For a marriage to be valid it must be consummated and the husband and wife are united as one
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
That God (‘the word’) is in the beginning. God creates the world “In the Beginning” Genesis 1
The Word and God co-exist and are co-eternal
‘The Word’ and God are the same
“The Word became flesh”
That God (‘the word’) becomes ‘flesh’ as Jesus
Jesus is God incarnate, (God in-the-flesh) in human nature
“Consubstantial with the Father”
Jesus and the Father are both God
Jesus is of same substance as the father
Consubstantial- with same substance
Con= with substantial= substance
“For this is my body…Do this in memory of me”
They are the words of Jesus at the Last Supper
Jesus commands Christians to do the Eucharist to remember the sacrifice, to ‘do this in memory of me’
It reminds Christians of the sacrifice on the cross, the bread and the wine are the Body and Blood of Jesus, just as on the cross Jesus gave his body
“God is love”
The nature of God is love
God is omnibenevolent- all loving (omni=all, benevolent=loving)
Grace is God’s love
St Augustine said God’s love can be seen in the Trinity- the father is the lover, the Son is the beloved and the Holy Spirit is the love that binds
Catherine LaCugna said God’s love can be seen in the Son sent as the Incarnation and Spirit who helps believers in the world
God’s love can be seen in the world (Sacramental Nature of Reality)
“In sickness and in health”
“Till death do us apart”
The marriage vows are until death
The Catholic Church does not agree with divorce because marriage is until death
The couple in marriage should remain committed together through challenges such as in sickness and in health
“Jesus is the meeting point between God and humanity”
Through becoming human God enables humanity to understand God’s nature
God experiences human nature as Jesus
“Act justly,
Love tenderly
Walk humbly”
Christians should act fairly, show love and be humble
“The church strives for peace but does not preach radical pacifism”
The Church teaches and wants Christians to work for peace
It is not for total pacifism, as according to the just war theory there are times when a war may be an unavoidable
“The Holt Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life”
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Trinity
The Holy Spirit is God, the creator and giver of life
The Holy Spirit was involved with creation
“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church”
That Jesus gives Peter authority
The Pope has authority today as the successor to Peter
“Honour your father and mother”
In the 10 commandments Christians are told to show respect, honour, and obedience to their parents and elders
“The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life”
The Eucharist is important to Catholics it gives strength
It is the highest form of prayer (the summit) as it represents the sacrifice of Jesus
“Full and active participation”
Vatican II wanted involvement of the laity (‘ordinary people’ who are not priests)
Some of the changes in the Mass to allow people to join in included:
- use of local languages
- people participating as altar servers/reader/ministers
- people joining in with prayer postures, hymns and responses
“Prayer is the raising of the heart and mind to God
That prayer is a communication with God
Christians should offer themselves totally to God in prayer both in ‘heart and mind’
Traditional prayer are formal set words which have been passed down through the generations e.g. Our Father, Hail Mary and the Rosary
Spontaneous prayer as no fixed words, and with the personal words and needs of the believer, guided by the Holy Spirit.
