Christianity: beliefs content

Question 1

Omniscient

Answer 1

all knowing

Question 2

Omnipotent

Answer 2

All powerful

Question 3

omnibenevolent

Answer 3

all loving

Question 4

omnipresent

Answer 4

always present, in everything, all seeing

Question 5

judge

Answer 5

the one that defines good or bad

Question 6

eternal

Answer 6

present from the start of the world right up until the very end

Question 7

immanent

Answer 7

God is here right now, present in this moment watching over us

Question 8

Transcendent

Answer 8

beyond or above the range of normal or physical human experience

Question 9

personal

Answer 9

within us for some, knows us, speaks to us

Question 10

impersonal

Answer 10

vast and beyond human understanding

Question 11

forgiving

Answer 11

allows humans to make up for when they have sinned

Question 12

The Nicene creed

Answer 12

a creed written by christians in 325 AD, a statement which outlines what christians believe about God. used predominantly by catholic church however all christian denominations have it with their foundations

Question 13

The Trinity

Answer 13

father, son, holy spirit

Question 14

Catholic view on the trinity

Answer 14

focus mainly on the father, and his sacrifices for mankind. focus heavily on confession and praise to God.

Question 15

Church of England view on the trinity

Answer 15

focus predominantly on Jesus and his teachings of acceptance and love while on the earth

Question 16

quaker view on the trinity

Answer 16

focus a lot more heavily on the impersonal nature of God, fascinated by the Holy Spirit. very rarely focus worship on Jesus

Question 17

Christian beliefs about God and ‘good’

Answer 17

• God knows what is good.
• God’s actions are good.
• God’s commands are good.
• God is the source of all goodness.

Question 18

The problem of evil

Answer 18

An argument written first by Epicurus and then developed further by J.L Mackie, a huge thorn in the side of christians. “The Rock of Atheism”- David Hume

Question 19

Natural evil

Answer 19

evil and suffering which is NOT directly caused by human actions. eg. earthquakes, Disease.

Question 20

Moral Evil

Answer 20

evil and suffering that is a direct result of human action. eg. war, bullying.

Question 21

The Inconsistent triad

Answer 21

If God is all loving (meaning he doesn’t want us to suffer), and all powerful (meaning he can control anything), why does evil still exist?

Question 22

Theodicy

Answer 22

A christian theory that attempts to contradict the problem of evil.

Question 23

St Augustine’s Theodicy

Answer 23

focuses on Adam and Eve story or ‘the fall’. states that evil and suffering entered the world when the humans disobeyed God (ate the apple). therefore, moral evil is the fault of human’s free will. natural evil is supposedly the fault of angels who are being naughty and disobey God (rubbish IMO), and so none of it is God’s fault!!!

Question 24

St Irenaeus’ theodicy

Answer 24

Argues that suffering and evil is a test for humans. states that humans cannot truly reach a state of goodness without having to suffer first. calls suffering ‘soul building’. says it is a worthwhile pain, a few decades suffering for a chance of eternity in paradise.

Question 25

‘Creationist’ approach to the genesis story

Answer 25

They believe the story word for word, that God created the whole world in 7 days, via the methods mentioned in genesis. they believe blatantly that the big bang theory is WRONG, and that the bible is inerrent (without error) and so it shouldn’t be questioned.

Question 26

The Catholic church view on the genesis story

Answer 26

They believe that the genesis story is simply a symbol of God’s power, put in a dramatic way. the catholic, (and generally the majority of christians’) viewpoint is that they back the science that is available, and claim that it was God that made things like the big bang happen.

Question 27

Logos

Answer 27

the word of God, this is why jesus is often called ‘the word’.

Question 28

God, the fathers, role in creation

Answer 28

created order, ensured goodness, gave purpose, gave natural order to creation.

Question 29

God, the son, role in creation

Answer 29

As the Logos, caused creation to happen through God’s words

Question 30

God, The spirit, role in creation

Answer 30

creates a connection between man and God, brings life and animation into creation.

Question 31

The parable of the sheep and the goats

Answer 31

A parable told by Jesus. states not to be a sheep, following others actions, but to be instead a goat, who helps others and goes away from norms to live a truly good life. also states that there will be a day of judgement on which the sheep and goats will be separated, the sheep sent to hell, the goats to heaven.