IGCSE Paper 2

Question 1

Why is the Bible Important?

Answer 1

Contains the “Word of God” (teachings)

Shows Jesus’ life and how we can learn from it

There are prophets that are messengers of God that teach us how to live and how not to live. This shows us how God wants us to live and how not to live for the day of Judgement

Question 2

What are the different views towards the interpretation of the Bible?

Answer 2

Fideism - Kierkegaard

Neo-Orthodoxy - Karl Barth

Demythologisation - Bultman

Question 3

Strengths of Fideism as a way to interpret the Bible?

Answer 3

We can’t understand God because he is too advanced

Human’s are unable to find the true message as humans are morally corrupt after Genesis 3

The Bible is outdated and the History of it is unclear

Develops Costly Grace

Doesn’t challenge God

Question 4

Weaknesses of Fideism?

Answer 4

Fideism is not completely Subjective (argued by Barth)

Unnecessarily undermines the Confidence in the Bible

Underestimates the Role of Reason

Question 5

Weaknesses of Demythologisation?

Answer 5

Undermines the Word of God

People may get different beliefs (contradicting)

if there is a truth to be expressed, it should able to be expressed directly

it is disagreement over literal truths that separate religions (didin’t Jesus rise from the dead?)

Question 6

Strenghts of Demythologisation?

Answer 6

when the bible was written, myths were a common means of conveying meaning

Develops Costly Grace

Bultmann argues that it is only by understanding religious language in a mythological sense that modern believer will be able to square their scientific understanding of the world with miraculous events in the bible

Helps us apply it to the modern era

Question 7

Outline two forms of leadership in the church?

Answer 7

• Catholic Priests work in the person of Christ doing the work of Christ on earth
• The Pope is believed to be the successor of Saint Peter and therefore has supreme leadership of the Catholic church on earth