God and Humanity Flashcards
What is the fall
What happened when Adam and Eve disobeyed
Ate apple from tree of life
What is the meaning of the Fall
- We have God given free will, we have the power to disobey God if we choose to
- Shows the repercussions that come with disobeying God, what happens when we give into temptation
What do the characters in the fall represent
Snake - temptation
Apple - gods trust / our desires
tree - gods power and boundaries
god - the correct path
What are the results of the fall
- thrown out of garden of eden
- painful child birth
- man has to work hard
- ruined relationship between man and god
- humans will die
Quote from Genesis about how humans are going to die
‘you are dust, to dust you shall return.’
Differences between Genesis one and two? (3)
- Eve made from Adam’s rib as partner and helper in genesis 2
- Man made first in Gensis 2
- Genesis 1 more like story, Genesis 2 more like poem
What did augstine think about the fall?
- God condemned humans to eternal damnation because of Adam’s sin
- Humanity is chronically flawed
- Woman’s only use is child bearing, passed contagion of sin
What is Concupiscence
Desire to take pleasure in creatures instead of God, we are polluted with desire
What are the three interpretations of Jesus’ death
- Cross as victory
- Cross as satisfaction
- Cross as moral example
What is cross as victory
Christ defeats powers of evil capturing humans and frees them
Strengths of cross as victory (2)
- shows the power of evil
- assures god’s victory
Weaknesses of cross as victory (1)
misleading if taken literally because it reduces humanity of christ
what is satisfaction theory (3)
- Jesus was a sacrifice to please god
- suffering as being way that humankind is redeemed
- humans must provide satisfaction
strengths of satisfaction theory (3)
- seriousness of sin
- humanity of christ made clear
- in context for medieval times - presents to kings
What is cross as moral example
shows gods love so that we respond with gratitude and wonder
Strengths of cross moral example
shows gods unconditional love
weaknesses of cross as moral example
underestimates the power of evil
What happened with jesus’ resurrection
Body put in tomb, then disappeared, appeared to disciples and women. Could appear and disappear.
Jesus defeated death
What did Paul think about resurrection
it was an eschatological event which affirmed the new age
What did Paul say about new age
- God would appear from clouds
- dead would rise first
- those alive would rise
- new imperishable body
What did book of revelations say
Future divided into heaven and hell
hell - firey lake
heaven - new Jerusalem
Who will be saved when new age comes? (3)
A - ALL - universalism, everyone goes to heaven
B - BELIEVERS - only those with faith
C - CHOSEN FEW - God chooses
How can the resurrection and future be interpreted
- as a historical event
- as a symbolic myth
- reality but not to be taken literally
what do protestants think about death
just heaven and hell
need faith in jesus and bible
What do roman catholics think about death
we go to purgatory then heaven or hell
need faith sacraments and good deeds to go to heaven
Aquinas view (2)
- ‘cause in esse’
- relationship of dependence. Depend for initial and complete existence. Efficient cause of the universe.
- can be compared to electricity and TV, supply must be there continuously needs to be there as a constant presence.
John Hick view (3)
- world created imperfectly so that every imperfect being can develop in a soul making process into a child of god.
- god created us with an epistemic distance. God wants us to be genuinely loving so he gives them free will. If God interfered we would not be able to make a genuine decision.
- Vardy analogy –> king loves peasant girl, could force her to marry him. Disguises as peasant and he falls in love with him so that the love is genuine.
John Clavin view (3)
- predestination. God determines who will be saved.
- Doctrine of divine election. Some people are destined for a relationship with god and some are not.
- Double predestination - chosen to save some and not other. God acts in the life of some
Problems with John Calvin’s double predestination (2)
- not okay with idea that some are chosen to have relationship with God irrelevant of how they lived their lives. Someone who lives morally could go to hell.
- prefer the idea of God as a judge who choses whether they go to hell or heaven depending on how they have acted.
Freud’s view - guilt (5)
- ‘totemic religion arose from the filial sense of guilt.’
- Idea of primitive men is hordes who were ruled by powerful father. Father god jealous of sons because wanted all women for himself.
- Drove sons away. Had mixed feelings, admiration and bitterness, so they killed the father.
- felt very guilty, created totem animal to worship as a father substitute. Animal is sacrificed each year as a tribute.
- this is where religion came from. Father eventually gained divine significance.
Freud view - helplessness (4)
- no proof for god yet sensible men and women still have faith so God contains the wishes of those men and women, which are so important that they cancel any doubts about the truth of the religion itself.
- God helps us to deal with helplessness, teaches that he is watching over us and will make up for our suffering.
- feeling helpless during childhood, comforted by protection of father, in adulthood we dont have this protection so respond by turning to god.
- god is nothing more than wishful thinking/ illusion.
Emile Durkheim (5)
- ‘a unified sytem of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things.’
- religion unites groups of people in a moral community who share a set of beliefs. Religion is a reality which exists in society and cannot be separated from society.
- religion is a ‘mode of action’ it unites society, like a glue
- Abriginal society - beliefs linked with totemic object, treated as sacred thing. Totem was symbol of tribe.
- Challenges religious beliefs because claims origin of religion is not divine, instead its a product of society, if there was no society the idea of god would not have been invented.
Marx (3)
- religion is the creation of society. An illusion that provides reason and excuses to keep society functioning in a certain way.
- people put up with the suffering and oppression in hope of a spiritual reward. ‘opium of the poor’.
- lets the rich keep their money and power without the poor rebelling.
