God Flashcards
Describe Monotheism
- christians believe in one god, the god of Abraham
- ‘you shall have no other gods before me’
-only one god exists and is worthy of worship
explain how monotheism in the bible is ethical monotheism
- in ethical monotheism, individuals choose one God because that is the God whom they need and can adore. that god for them becomes the one and only god, who provides the guidelines for human morality
- god is believed to guide humanity through ethical principles. ethical monotheists believe that all ethical standards are derived from God and are therefore dependent on the divine
describe the belief in god as omnipotent creator
many believe that if only one god exists, he must also be omnipotent - the creator of everything that exists and the controller of all things
- since god is the only god, he can’t be challenged by any other power, so he must be omnipotent
describe Christian disagreements over god’s omnipotence
10 some argue god’ omnipotence means he can do even the logically impossible
2) others see this as logical nonsense - his omnipotence means he can do anything LOGICALLY possible
- many christians believe it is important to accept 2) as the right definition because of the PoE because if 1) is true, why doesn’t God control evil?
- Hick and Plantinga support no.2 - it isn’t logically possible for God to allow humans to be truly free and also get rid of evil
Describe disagreements over the creation of the universe by God
- most christians agree that if god is omnipotent he must be the creator of everything that exists. most christians accept this, but disagree over the method of God’s creation
- some believe the universe comes Ex Deo (from God) but most reject this as it would mean God and his creation are the same, whereas most christians hold that god is transcendent
- most christians argue god created the universe ex nihilo
- process theology disagrees, arguing that there is a mistranslation and his creation involved bringing order into chaos - he therefore isn’t omnipotent
describe the belief in god as controller of all things
- links to his omnipotence - he is both creator and controller
- references to God as ‘King” in the New Testament highlight that he controls his subjects/kingdom/ many christians believe God sustains the universe, preserving it from destruction
‘god set the earth on its foundation so that it should be never shaken’ - however, this doesn’t account for natural evil, and also suggests omniscience, including about the future, which raises questions about free will
- aquinas responds by suggesting that god’s nature is timeless therefore evil is the result of the misuse of freedom
describe the nature of god as transcendent and unknowable
- above and beyond our space and time, not a made being
- ‘I am who I am’
- Otto describes God as the wholly other who is knowable to an extent but only through religious encounters and not scriptural analysis
describe a a belief in the Trinity
-almost all christians believe in the trinity - this doctrine sent directly in scripture, but scripture is interpreted to suggest it
- Jesus is conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit which then descentdds upon him as a dove at his baptism. in the ongoing life of the church, god is experienced in all three persons
-n in the NT writings, the concept of the trinity is percieved - go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit’
- Jesus = god incarnate ‘I and the father are one’
- god’s presence and action as the Holy Spirit is evident at pentecost
- father son and Holy Spirit - one god, three persons
describe a pericherotic understanding of the tirnity
perichoresis = the relationship between the persons of the Godhead at the centre of the shield. John’s gospel shows a perichoretic understanding of god’s glory
describe the importance of a belief in the Trinity for christians
- it is a way of experiencing god without him fully revealing himself to humanity
- a way to personally understand god and his nature
- shows Jesus’s divinity and that he wasn’t simply a prophet or messenger, but god incarnate
- the passion and resurrection of christ has a greater importance and significance, linking to LAD
- reaffirms the importance of Holy Spirit, because after Jesus’s death it guided the apostles to continue his mission - his authority is therefore clearly equal to that of jesus
describe the implications for non-trinitarian christians
- it may be more difficult to have a personal understanding or relation with God if Jesus is merely considered a human prophet
- however it does remove the difficulty of understanding gfod as three persons in one
- believing that Jesus is god incarnate affects the understanding of some of his key attributes
- Trinity undermines the monotheistic nature of the faith
- by accepting the faith, you are potentially making relating to Jesus on a human level more difficult, as it means he isn’t simply human, but also divine
describe the issue of the vlieef that Jesus is the son of god
- of Jesus is the son of god taken in the trinitarian sense, Jesus’ authority is god’a authority - but if taken in the ‘liberal’ sense, Jesus’ authority is merely human
- this thus impacts his moral authority - it is one thing to follow Jesus’s ethical teaching id he commands them as the son of god, but it is another to follow them if they are merely his teachings as a human being
Describe the significance of John 10:30
‘I and the father are one’
- trinitarian christians argue this is evidence of Jesus as God incarnate, and they reference other parts of John’s gospel: ‘…before Abraham was, I am’.
- however, what jesus was saying is ambiguous. ‘one’ = hen, and some argue that jesus is claiming to be in essence with God, whereas others simply claim that he is saying they are just in harmony about god’s mission. However, his questioners in John 10:30 clearly thought that he was claiming to be God so accused him of blashpemy.
- there are too many different possibilities to be sure of any one interpretation - translation/interpretation issues
Describe the significance of 1 corinthians 8:6
‘yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live, and there is but one Lord, jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live’
1) highlights monotheism of christianity, in line with the doctrine of the trinity
2) shows divinity of jesus as ‘one lord’, the one through whom all things came, aligning with the christian belief that jesus is not justa prophet/teacher, but fully divine and part of the Godhead.
3) shows jesus’s role as creator and sustainer, along with god
describe anthropomorphic language being used to describe god
the language of talking about god in terms of both fully god and fully human (transcendent, immanent ect) requires us to talk about him anthropomorphically - the practice of attributing human qualities to non-human entities
describe what Hume says about the challenge of understanding anthropomorphic language about god
- hume argues that we cannot draw analogy between that which we know to be limited and imperfect, and that which we claim is unlimited and perfect.
- god’s characteristics and qualities are so closely removed from the divine distinctiveness that the believer surely wants to preserve - for example comparing god to a human designer only serves to emphasise his limitedness, changeabiliy and fallibility - removing his omnipotence/omniscience/omnibenevolence
- therefore comparing god to humans serves only to limit his power as humans cannot have those qualities that god supposedly has
describe the idea that God is personal , and what does Alister McGrath say
- a personal god is a deity who can be related to as a person instead of as an impersonal force, eg Absolute/all/ground of being/ God is described as being a personal creator, speaking in the first person and showing emotion such as anger and pride
- Alister McGrath argues there are good reasons to suggest a ‘[personal god’ is integral to the christian outlook - but it is an analogy. ‘to say god is like a person is to affirm the divine ability and willingness to relate to others’
- for christians, it is important to have a personal relationship with od - but this is generally meant that christians feel that they can communicate with God whenever they want and he will listen. it also suggests that God has specific qualities in order to do this - eg some people believe that God is patient, and we can make mistakes and receive forgiveness through. his omnibenevolence
describe the idea of god as love - and what is Matthew Henry’s commentary?
- god’s plan and [purpose for human salvation is to offer all humans the opportunity to become his own sons and daughters in His own family. God is love, love is the fundamental essence of his nature/character/ He is perfect in love and his love is manifested by His absolutely pure desire to care for, share and give.
‘whoever does not love does not know god, because god is love’ - Matthew Henry: the spirit of god = the spirit of love. it is in god’s nature to be kind and give happiness. the law of god is love, and all would have been happy had they obeyed. the provision of the gospel for the forgiveness of sin and salvation of sinners is consistent with god’s glory ad justice and shows that god is love
why is understanding god as love important?
- for many christians understanding god’s love helps them to show love to others
- as Irenaeus and Hick suggested, god made humanity in imago dei but freewill is what allows them to grow in his ‘likeness’, further showing that god is love requires love to be the basis of human relationships
- Jesus also preaches the importance o love - love your neighbour
describe the belief in god as father
- in mainstream trinitarian christianity, god the father is regarded as the first person of the trinity, followed by the second person (god the son) and then the HS
- there is a deep sense in which christians believe that they are made participants in the eternal relationship between father and son via christ. christians call themselves adopted children of god.
- god reveals in the NT that we can have a loving relationship with him that goes beyond just acknowledging him as our creator - this reinforces the ida in genesis that god desired to make humans in his image and likeness. the image of a human father stands as a metaphor for qualities like stenght/power/authority, but the idea of god as father isn’t merely a familial metaphor although it is male antrhopomorhism.
- as the god of Israel his role is described in the OT as that of the patriarchal father. in the NT he becomes incarnate in Jesus
- apostles creed: ‘the father almighty, creator of heaven and earth’, followed by ‘Jesus Christ, his only son our lord’
- Jesus also frequently uses ‘father to refer to god - eg in teaching the disciples the lords prayer, that form of address reflects the whole range of reverence/repsecr/love christians have for him. there is a sense in which christians share the father-son relationship of Jesus when they pray
- Aramaic = abba = father. suggests god’s approachability - Paul contends that when christians cry ‘abba father’ they become adopted sons of god, therefore the emphasis on god’s fatherly nature is intimate, powerful and all-inclusive
describe the belief in God as King
- bible is full of god’s kingly titles, ‘sovereign’ ‘majesty’
- in Isaiah, god is describe was sittig upon a throne
- for christianity, the most important feature of royal imagery is that it is used to portray Jesus as the messiah (king/annointed one)/
- the jews were expecting a warrior king to get rid of the romans, but Jesus’ role as messiah was to bring about the kingdom of god. the kingly reign of god is announced by John the Baptist: ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’
- ‘the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our lord and of his christ, and he shall reign forever and ever’. the differing interpretations on the kingdom, of heaven can be summarised as both a present and a future reality for all those who believe in him
describe the challenge of understanding anthropomorphic/gender-specific language about god.
- it limits god, as he becomes a being with human characteristic/emotions/powers, which is not fitting with the qualities of the god of classical theism. such language could be seen to merely reflect the human desire for a god who protects/forgives/heals.
- anthropormorphic language about god is also distinctly-gender specific, god is male/king/father
describe the use of gender-specific language to describe god - argument for using male language
CCC: ‘‘god is neither man nor woman: he is god’
- in the bible the tiles given to god denote a masculine quality eg male pronouns
- he is described as god the ‘father’, and christian creeds include affirmation of this
- there is a deep sense in which christians believe they are made participants in the eternal relationship of father and son - adopted children
- classical western theology also states that god should be referred to as masculine by analogy - pointing to god’s relationship with the world as begetter of the world and revelation
describe the evidence of female/non-gender specific language being used in relation to god
- Hebrew ‘ruach’ is used to refer to the HS - feminine noun, potentially challenging gender of HS
- ST Catherine of Siena: ‘the Soul’s dignity is that of her creation, seeing that she is the image of god’
describe the challenges of using gender-neutral language to describe god
- in the 1980s, feminist pushed for gender neutral language to define god eg ‘godself rather than god himself’
- issue with implementing this into bible translation - patriarchal structure of original Hebrew and greek texts, with bible frequently using masculine nouns/pronouns generically. narratives also focus on men. this reflects the cultural norms of the time and reflect the patriarchal culture of the original audience - laws act were intended at men. it therefore represents a challenge to translators without distorting the original meaning
give the christian feminist theologians approach generally
- feminist theologians critique the patriarchal structures and male-centred perspectives that have historically dominated religious traditions
- they argue for a dismantling of these biases to create a more equitable theological framework
- they advocate for the reinterpretation of religious texts to highlights the contributions and experiences of women - involving uncovering/reclaiming the overlooked role of women in scripture
- they advocate for inclusive religious language - eg feminine metaphors, and pronouns for the divine, and emphasising attributes such as being nurturing and compassionate
- they place an emphasis on the experiences of women
- ideas about social justice/liberation
- ecofeminism - connects women/enviromental expolitation
-interfaith dialogue
What does Daphne Hampson say about gender-specific language to describe god
- feminist theology can be gender-inclusive or non-gendered but the language of the bible is clearly masculine - god is the male patriarch carried to the extremes
- she sees christianity as problematic as it claims the events around Jesus were true in the society in which it took place
- much of the problems with christianity in Hampson’s view is that its truths are fundamentally flawed, and all the patriarchal ‘baggage’ true of first century must be accepted now in order for christians to believe in these biblical ideas - Hampson argues it is no longer relevant in an increasingly less patriarchal society
- ‘I have concluded that fundamental to the abrahamic religions is the will to subvert women and establish men as the norm…these religions are a form of fascism’
feminist critique of gender specific language
- some christian feminists argue the language must be changed as it is irrelevant to half the population - women are forced to read the bible as if they were men as it was written for a male audience
- there is also a view that the traditional perception of god as male must be challenged because of the sexist/patriarchal background it comes from
- was Jesus a feminist? he never refers to god as mother, and there is nothing to suggest that he sees women as equal to men , and his portrayal of god the father and son only adds to the perception of maleness existing around god
evaluate the debate about gender-specific language
- gender-neutralising the bible arguably takes it too far away from its original meaning
- we should instead acknowledge the inherently patriarchal context and seek to interpret the bible in a modern-day context. furthermore, anthropomorphic language is therefore flawed, human and arguably inadequate
describe the concept of god in process theology as neither omnipotent nor creator
- griffin rejected the idea of creation ex nihilism as a mistranslation , he rather brought order to Chaos rather than creating the world out of nothing -the universe is therefore uncreated/eternal. god used divine persuasion
- this is supported by the discovery of quantum mechanics that at a sub-atomic level reality is a chaotic process of flux and change
- god’s lack of omnipotence in process theology is perhaps a strength as it solves the PoE - but some contend if it were true he wouldn’t be worth worshippig
