Christianity Flashcards
What does it mean by God being eternal?
It means he lasts forever. For this to happen he must be outside of time - this means he can look at time and space from a distance and see everything that ever has and everything that ever will happen
What are some counter arguments to God being eternal?
Philosophers such as Richard Swinburne argue that is God is outside of time he cannot possible get involved or intervene inside time and therefore can’t have any impact on our lives he just passively observes
What evidence is there in the Bible that God is eternal?
“The everlasting God… will not grow tired or weary” (Isaiah)
What does it mean by God being omnipotent?
This means God is all powerful. He can do anything he possible could want to do
What are some counter arguments to God being omnipotent?
There is an interesting moral question of ‘could God create a rock that is too heavy for him to lift’
If he could, then he wouldn’t be all powerful because he couldn’t life it
If he couldn’t, then he couldn’t be all powerful as he couldn’t create the rock
Richard Dawkins argues that the idea of omnipotence is completely illogical
What evidence is there in the Bible that God is omnipotent?
“The thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job)
What does is mean by God being omnibenevolent?
This means God is all loving and is good and perfect in everything he does. Christians believe God loves them more than they could possibly imagine.
What are some counter arguments to God being omnibenevolent?
Many atheists take issue with thus idea as if he is perfect and loving in every way why do thing that are imperfect exist like the natural evil of natural disasters? And furthermore why would God chose to love those who sin or those who disobey him?
What evidence is there in the Bible that God is omnibenevolent?
“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works” (Psalm 145)
What does is mean by God being impassible?
This means that God cannot suffer or feel any pain.
This is a very old traditional belief.
What are some counter arguments to God being impassable?
Christians believe that God felt a huge amount of pain watching his son die on the cross and that he suffered for us.
What does it mean by God being the creator?
This means he created the earth and everything on it - he made everything out of nothing
What are some counter arguments to God being the creator?
Who made God? Did he just come from nothing?
The Big Bang and evolution are proven theories, how does God fit into these?
What is some evidence in the Bible of God being the creator?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis)
What does it mean by God being a judge?
This means God judges us and everything we do. He knows right and wrong and will judge every human. Christians also believe he has mercy and is willing to forgive.
What are some counter arguments to God being a judge?
Some philosophers believe that God cannot be a true judge is he ultimately decides to forgive people when they repent, they also don’t believe that an all loving God would ever punish so why even judge in the first place?
What evidence is there in the Bible for God being a judge?
“God is the judge” (Psalm 75)
Explain the Trinity
Christians believe that God is in three parts: The father, the son and the Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus (the son) is God ‘incarnate’ which means literally ‘in the flesh’. They also believe that the Holy Spirit lives in us all so God is part of everybody
Who created the idea of soul making?
John Hicks
What is ‘Image of God’ in Latin?
Imago Dei
Where in the Bible is it stated that ‘humans are made in the image of God’?
Genesis 1
What does being made in Imago Dei mean?
This means that there is something special about humans that animals don’t have - that we are similar to God
This means we have a special responsibiy and ability to relate to God on earth.
In what three ways are humans like God now?
Mentally, morally, and socially
In what ways were Adam and Eve like God?
The were immortal and perfect like God
Why are humans not immortal and perfect now?
Because of the ‘fall of man’. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world and it means humans are no longer perfect and evil now exists
What is the idea of free will?
That humans can make their own decisions and can decide whether to do right or wrong. It also means we are responsible for our own actions
What evidence is there in the Bible for humans having free will?
“God did the most loving thing by giving humans free will” (Deuteronomy)
What does Platinga say about free will?
He believes in free will and says it is the reason why people do wrong and the reason why sin exists in the world
What is the idea of predestination?
This is the idea that God’s omnipotence means he is control of all the decisions we make and will make. We are all predestined to one of two ends: life or death
What is determinism?
The opposite of free will - the idea that everything is fated and has been set out for us already
What is compatibilism?
The idea that God knows the decisions we will make but doesn’t make them for us - we have the free will to make them ourselves
What is the problem with predestination and determinism?
That if we don’t make our own decisions how can we ever be fully responsible for any of our actions good or bad
What is Hobble’s stance on free will?
He is a compatibilist
What does Calvin believe about free will?
That we don’t have it - he is a determinist