god Flashcards
Monotheism is the belief held by all Christians that…
there is only one God
Ethical monotheism means that…
belief in one God includes also following the moral codes linked to that belief, e.g. the Ten Commandments
Some follow Descartes’ view that omnipotence means…
God can do absolutely anything
Creation ex nihilo refers to the belief that…
God created the universe out of nothing
Theological determinism is the doctrine that…
events are determined or necessitated by God
What is Aquinas’ view about God as the omnipotent controller of all things?
God simply sees and knows all things, including the free choices that humans make, but his knowledge is not causative
What is Swinburne’s view about God as the omnipotent controller of all things?
God exists within time and knows all that it logically possible to know. This means that he cannot be the cause of human future choices, because he cannot know them
What are Heresies?
Beliefs stated to be false by the leaders of the Christian Church, e.g. adoptionism
Who formally set out the doctrine of the Trinity that is held by most Christian denominations?
Heresies
Pope Benedict XVI, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, May 2005
“God is not solitude but perfect communion”
Jesus as the Son of God scripture
John 10:30
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one”
Jesus himself spoke _______ - what is the significance of this?
Jesus himself spoke Aramaic, so what he said might have been distorted in the translation into Greek
John’s Gospel was written probably over __ years after the ___________ - what is the significance of this?
John’s Gospel was written probably over 60 years after the crucifixion, which gives another possible reason for distortion
1 Corinthians 8:6
The notion that both Father and Son exist as one in the Trinity with the Holy Spirit - they are distinct in their roles and functions and yet still one
Anthropomorphic language refers to…
language describing God in terms of a human
The Bible often describes God in anthropomorphic terms - provide examples:
- God as Personal
- God as Father
- God as Love
- God as King
God as Personal
- God is immanent, i.e. involved in the world and accessible
- God hears and answers prayers
- This is seen in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the spirit of a believer
God as Father
- God is Father in the sense ofCreator
- God the Father of Jesus Christ
- God is referred to as the Father of the nation Israel (in the Old Testament)
- Setting standards of behaviour (Ten Commandments)
The Apostles’ Creed
A fourth century statement of Christian belief
The Apostles’ Creed refers to God as Father in two senses:
as creator of the universe and as the father of Jesus
God as Love scripture
John 3:16
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
God as Love
Love is an attribute of God - love is a core aspect of God’s character
1 John 4:8
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”
What Greek word denotes God’s selfless, self-giving, generous and unconditional love for humanity?
Agape
What is agape part of?
The nature of the Trinity
God as King
The “king” metaphor for God implies power - absolute authority
In his vision of the Temple, what did the Prophet Isaiah see?
He saw God seated on a throne and he feared he would die
Propher Isaiah God as King quote
“for my eyes have seen the King”
The kingdom of God meaning
- This is not a place but refers to God’s rule as King of the universe
- It is often understood as both a present and a future reality
What are the problems with anthropomorphic language?
Using this kind of language puts limits on a God who is believed to be transcendent - the confines of human rationality
The debate about gender-specific language
Women feel excluded by the use of gender-specific language that is found throughout the Bible, which is culturally conditioned and reinforces patriarchal stereotypes of male superiority
Daphne Hampson, Academy Conferences lecture, Oxford, April 2016
“I have concluded that fundamental to the Abrahamic religions is the will to subvert women and establish man as norm … these religions are a form of fascism.”
The gender-neutral term for god/goddess is…
deity
Conservative talk radio host on gender-neutral language
Ben Ferguson says if you “want to destroy” religion and the Church, using gender-neutral language when mentioning God is a way to do it
Why do some feminists think that attributing “female” qualities to the male God just compounds the problem?
What is needed is to see women and men, female and male, as equal
Panentheistic
The adjective used by process theology to describe the relationship between God and the universe. God and the universe exist together in the way that human minds and bodies exist together. Everything is in God and God is immanent in the universe.
What does process theology have support from?
quantum mechanics
