Christianity #2: The Nature Of Humans

Question 1

Christian belief about humans is too negative (4)

Answer 1

1. Free will means people can make bad choices, but it alsoenables us to make good choices which are real and meaningful.
2. Free will means that when people choose to worship or follow God, it is real and meaningful, because we aren’t just like programmed robots. This is much better than the alternative.
3. Paul said, “There is no-one that is righteous – not one”, but this is too pessimistic because there have been many good people in history who could reasonably be seen as righteous.
4. Eternity in hell as a punishment for sin seems out of proportion with most people’s lives which last for a relatively few years, and include plenty of good things.

Question 2

Christian belief about human beings is not too negative (4)

Answer 2

1. Christians believe everyone is made in God’s image. This gives human beings special importance and dignity, so not negative.
2. The Christian story is about the lengths God goes to in order to restore his relationship with human beings, by sending Jesus to die for them. This shows how valuable they are to him.
3. Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God shows that people have the potential to live good, compassionate lives and to transform the world.
4. Jesus treated people who were seen as outcasts or unclean with dignity and agape love and criticised hypocrites who felt they were better than others. This shows that Christianity has a balanced view of human beings, recognising both the positive and negative.

Question 3

Describe what Christianity teaches about the nature of human beings (4)

Answer 3

1. Created in the Image and Likeness of God
2. Humans are stewards of Creation
3. Free Will - the ability to make a real choice between genuine alternatives
4. Sin - an inherent part of being human, the urge to do bad things and disobey God

Question 4

Describe what Christianity teaches about free will (4)

Answer 4

1. The ability to make a real choice between genuine alternatives
2. Christians believe it is a gift from God, given to us at creation
3. all misuse their free will. No one is perfect. This is because we all give in to temptation
4. Means we can be he,d responsible for what we decide to do

Question 5

Describe what Christianity teaches about Sin (4)

Answer 5

1. It is an inherent part of being human, the urge to disobey God and do bad things
2. Some see as state of existence, not something that you do
3. Others see sinning as when we do bad things and act against God, damaging our relationship
4. Cannot cure themselves, only way to be redeemed is through Jesus

Question 6

How might beliefs about the nature of human beings affect Christians? (4)

Answer 6

1. Image & Likeness of God – This helps Christians to feel that they are important and have meaning and purpose.
2. Stewards of Creation – Christians may feel that their lives have meaning and purpose because they are called by God to look after creation and make a positive difference in the world.
3. Free Will – Christians will have a better understanding of the way in which actions have consequences that can affect them and others. This will make them act more responsibly.
4. Sin– If Christians understand sin better, then they can do something about it. They are able to overcome the consequences of original sin and be better people, making responsible moral decisions.

Question 7

Being created in God’s likeness may affect Christians in the following ways: (4)

Answer 7

• may give Christians meaning and purpose in life because they are special
• may seek ways to develop and perfect their own moral character
• they would see all human beings as equal
• they would see life as sacred and want to protect it by opposing euthanasia

Question 8

A Christian’s belief in free will may also affect them in the following ways: (4)

Answer 8

• they might find it demoralising/worrying that they will not always use their free will in the right way
• free will means that people really have the ability to change for the better
• they might approach decisions thoughtfully, maybe by looking at the guidance in scripture or by asking ‘What would Jesus do?’
• they might ask for God’s help to keep out of temptation’s way.

Question 9

Belief about sin might also affect Christians in the following ways: (4)

Answer 9

• it may make Christians seek redemption for their sins, they may repent and seek forgiveness from God
• they may feel love and gratitude to Jesus for his sacrifice to redeem us from sin, and work to become a better Christian, living by Jesus’ example and following his teaching
• it may make Christians feel closer to God as they know that through his grace they can be forgiven for their sins
• they may look for ways to help others to find God’s forgiveness, eg. through spreading the Christian message.

Question 10

Free will and judgement are connected (4)

Answer 10

• Christians believe that after death, God will judge them too for the way they used their free will
• for some judgement is about whether they decided to live a good or bad life, following the guidelines found for example, in the Bible
• for others judgement is about whether they decided to put their faith in Christ and accept his forgiveness, or to go their own way
• free will is essential for judgement to make sense, because it could only be seen as just where people are truly responsible for their decisions.