Christianity: beliefs and teachings

Question 1

Basics

Answer 1

• There are about 2.2 billion Christians in the world
• Jesus and his disciples were Jewish

Question 2

Denomination

Answer 2

A group within Christianity

Question 3

the Edict of Milan

Answer 3

Signed in 313AD by Constantine and Licinius. It proclaimed that Christianity would be tolerated within the Roman Empire and Christians would no longer be persecuted

Question 4

Catholic Church

Answer 4

A centre of power based in Rome led by the Pope

Question 5

Orthodox Church

Answer 5

A centre of power based in Constantinople led by the Patriarch

Question 6

The Great Schism (1054AD)

Answer 6

The split of the church into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Question 7

Martin Luther

Answer 7

A German priest known for nailing a document of protest to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral

Question 8

Bible

Answer 8

The holy book of the Christians that contains scriptures divided into the Old Testament and New testament

Question 9

Fundamentalist Christians

Answer 9

Believe that the Bible is literally true and every word was spoken by God

Question 10

Conservative Christians

Answer 10

Believe that the Bible was not dictated but rather inspired by God

Question 11

Liberal Christians

Answer 11

Believe that the Bible isn’t a factual account and only tells us a symbolic message

Question 12

Omnipotent

Answer 12

All-powerful - his power is immense and beyond measure.

Question 13

Omnibenevolent

Answer 13

All-loving - God’s love is universal and unconditional

Question 14

Just

Answer 14

Fair - God acts in a way that gives everyone equal value and rights

Question 15

The three symbols of The Trinity

Answer 15

Triquetra, Shamrock, Borromean rings

Question 16

The Trinity

Answer 16

God the Father - the creator and sustainer of the universe
God the Son - the saviour who became incarnate and lived, died and rose again
God the Holy Spirit - the source of strength which Christians find at work in their hearts

Question 17

The Creation Story

Answer 17

Day 1 - God separated light from darkness
Day 2 - God made sea and sky
Day 3 - God made land (the Earth) and vegetation
Day 4 - God created the sun, moon, and stars
Day 5 - God created fish, birds, and sea monsters
Day 6 - God created animals and humans (Adam + Eve)
Day 7 - God rested

Question 18

How the Creation Story affects Christians

Answer 18

• Some Christians will work to protect the environment because they have a special responsibility to look after God’s creation
• Some Christians might think it is important to rest on Sunday because this is what God did in the story
• Some Christians might feel comforted and believe that everything happens for a reason because the universe is God’s creation

Question 19

God the Father quote

Answer 19

“We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth”
- Nicene Creed

Question 20

God the Son quote

Answer 20

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
- John

Question 21

God the Holy Spirit quote

Answer 21

“Now the earth was formless … and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Question 22

Atonement

Answer 22

reconciliation between God and humanity through Jesus’ actions

Question 23

Resurrection definition

Answer 23

The physical return of Jesus on the third day after he died. Christians believe this proves that there is life after death

Question 24

Ascension

Answer 24

Jesus being taken up to heaven on the 40th day after resurrection

Question 25

Judgement

Answer 25

Christians believe that a just God will decide their destination after they die and that Jesus will offer every human the opportunity of salvation

Question 26

Heaven

Answer 26

An idyllic place where there is no sin, sadness, or suffering. It is a paradise where you spend eternity with God

Question 27

Hell

Answer 27

Where unrepentant sinners go after death. It is a place of pain and suffering, without God. This separation is caused by people deliberately rejecting God.

Question 28

Responses to the Problem of Evil

Answer 28

• The Book of Psalms offers reassurance that evil and suffering has a purpose
• The world is a “vale of soul-making” according to John Hick - suffering educates our souls

Question 29

Jesus as fully God

Answer 29

• Omnipotent and omniscient
• Immortal (resurrected)
• Performed miracles

Question 30

Jesus as fully Human

Answer 30

• Born to a human mother
• Died
• Can experience human emotion and temptation
• Aged and experienced the fear of death

Question 31

Jesus’s last days

Answer 31

1. The Last Supper - Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples and predicted that one disciple would betray him
2. Betrayal and arrest - Judas betrayed Jesus and told the soldiers where he could be found. Jesus was arrested.
3. Crucifixion - Jesus was tried and found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death on a cross
4. Resurrection - Jesus was brought back to life three days after his crucifixion
5. Ascension - Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after his resurrection

Question 32

Resurrection beliefs

Answer 32

• Spiritual resurrection: our souls will be resurrected, but the physical body will be gone
• Physical resurrection: we will be raised back to life in a physical form

Question 33

How resurrection influences Christians

Answer 33

• Comfort: death is not the end
• Belief in physical resurrection may mean Christians reject cremation
• Knowing about their eternal afterlife gives Christians’ lives meaning and purpose
• Confirms that God is omnibenevolent and will always look after them

Question 34

Sin

Answer 34

Any action or thought that separates humans from God. Christians believe that all humans commit sins.

Question 35

The Original Sin

Answer 35

The result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God when they ate a forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden

Question 36

Salvation

Answer 36

Saving the soul from sin; being granted eternal life with God.

Question 37

The Three Ways of Salvation

Answer 37

Works - doing good works, having faith in God, and obeying God’s law
Grace - an undeserved and unearned gift for those who have faith in Jesus
Holy Spirit - the spirit gives grace to Christians and guide them in their daily lives to help them achieve salvation

Question 38

How do Christians believe Jesus has ‘saved’ them

Answer 38

• Jesus’ death removes the barrier created by human sin
• Jesus’ resurrection makes it possible for all who follow his teachings to gain eternal life
• Humans can now receive forgiveness for their sins

Question 39

Salvation quotes

Answer 39

• “Salvation is found in no one else…” - Acts
• “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” - John
• “…he will save his people from their sins” - Matthew
• “…he is the Messiah, the Lord” - Luke

Question 40

Incarnation quote

Answer 40

• “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” - John

Question 41

Jesus as fully God and fully human quotes

Answer 41

• “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son” - Isaiah
• “and after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry” - Matthew
• “Jesus is inseparably true God and true man.” - Catholic Church Catechism

Question 42

Purgatory

Answer 42

A catholic belief of an intermediate state where souls are purified before entering heaven

Question 43

Creation story quotes

Answer 43

• “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” - Genesis
• “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” - Genesis
• “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” - Genesis
• “…and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air” - Genesis

Question 44

Resurrection quotes

Answer 44

• “I am the resurrection and the life” - John
• “He is not here; he has risen!” - Luke
• “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him” - Romans