RE PAPER 1 Flashcards
Omnipotence
The belief that God is all powerful
Transcendance
Existing outside of space and time.
God exists in a way that makes him nothing like anything else that exists, above and beyond creation.
Creation ex nihilo
Creation out of nothing.
Before God created the universe, nothing existed.
Only God can create out of nothing
Evolution
The process of mutation and natural selection which leads to changes in species over time to suit particular environments.
Imago Dei
In the image of God.
The belief that human beings are uniquely a reflection of God’s personhood.
Unlike the other animals, human beings are rational, free and moral
Inspiration
“God breathed”
The belief that the Spirit of God guides an individual to act or write what is good and true.
Revelation
The word used to describe all of the ways in which God makes himself known to human beings.
Christians believe that God does this finally and fully in the person of Jesus Christ.
Stewardship
The duty to care for creation responsibly, as stewards rather than consumers.
To protect the world for future generations.
Conscience
Human reason making moral decisions.
The knowledge we have of what is right and wrong given by God
Suffering
Pain or loss which harms human beings.
Some suffering is caused by other human beings (moral evil); some is not (natural evil).
Privation
The loss or absence of a quality or something that is not normally present.
Evil is a privation of good
Free will
The decision making part of a person’s mind is called the will.
A will is free if a person is able to choose right from wrong without being controlled by other forces.
Goodness
The quality of being like God
Seeking the well-being of others selflessly.
Evil
The absence of good and the impulse to seek our own desires.
This is often at the expense of the good of others which often results in suffering.
Natural Law
The moral laws of right and wrong which are universal and not dependant on human laws.
The belief in natural law is the belief that the moral law is discoverable by every human being.
It is the same for all human beings at all places and at all times.
Incarnation
“Made flesh”
The Christian belief that God became man in the person of Jesus, fully human and fully divine.
Catholic View of Genesis
Believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Therefore the creation accounts are not literally true but symbolic.
Catholics interpret genesis alongside scientific theories of how the world began.
Fundamentalist/ Literal Christian View of Genesis
Believe the Bible is the actual, direct Word of God so they believe that the creation accounts are true.
Creationists think that God created each creature individually so this rules out the theory of evolution and they don’t believe in science.
Jewish belief about creation
Celebrate the sabbath which reminds them of how God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh.
God is the creator and source of all life
Orthodox = true stories, no science
Reform = stories which shouldn’t be taken as historical facts, religion and science
Big Bang
Universe was infinitely small and hot.
All matter was originally concentrated into a tiny point which suddenly expanded 15B years ago.
Caused formation of stars and planets
Stephen Hawking quote on Big Bang
“Universe can and will create itself out of nothing”
Catholic response to Big Bang
Accept it
First suggested by Catholic Priest Georges Lemaitre in 1920s
Believe Genesis is symbolic
Catholic response to Evolution
“there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith”
Genesis stories are symbolic so God was responsible for evolution
Richard Dawkins view on evolution
There is no immortal soul
There is no creator God with a plan for the universe
Humans are a lucky mutation
Humans are an advanced animal
Humans aren’t more important than animals
Sanctity of life
belief that life is a gift from God and therefore it is sacred. If life is sacred it means that life should be valued and preserved.
Jewish beliefs on sanctity of life
God is creator and he is the only one who can give or take life.
Genesis teaches humans are made in Gods image so life is precious.
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”
“Do not kill”
St Catherine of Siena messages on Imago Dei
Love - God creates out of love as humans are made in God’s image.
“By love indeed you created her”
God gives life - We are not random beings, we are from God
“God is the creator of life”
Humans come from God and have dignity
Imago Dei means that life is sacred both in its origin and its destiny
Imago Dei means humans are above animals
Catholic View on abortion
Sanctity of life
Life begins at conception and its is wrong to take a life so abortion is wrong.
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”
Liberal Protestant Christian Views
on Abortion
Permitted in certain circumstances
Discouraged but not banned
Allow abortion for social reasons
Life doesn’t begin at conception
Humanist attitude to abortion
Choice of mother comes before life of foetus.
Foetus doesn’t become a person with feelings and rights until well after conception.
Depend on what is the best situation for the mother.
Catholic attitude to stewardship
God made humans stewards of the earth
Laudato si describes the damage the humans have done to the Earth as an “immense pile of filth”
The common good - everyone has the duty to contribute to the good of society.
Jewish view on stewardship
God is the creator of the world so it should be looked after
God gave humans a duty to take over nature and they must make the world a better place by not damaging the environment.
Humanist view on stewardship
Should be stewards because they should look after humans and animals and not because God told them.
Leads to a happier and safer society
Crucifixion
Jesus on the cross. The cross paves the way for Christians to have eternal life with God.
Creation of Adam features
Humans are made in the image of God: God is painted here as a similar physical being to Adam (imago dei)
God is the Father: Bearded God and youthful Adam shows the difference in generations
Humans are stewards: Man is placed on the earth to rule over it and is out of proportion to it showing he has dominion over it
God is omniscient: God is in a ‘brain-shaped’ cloud which indicates his knowledge and that he is passing some of this onto humans
God is the creator and transcendent: He is above earth as he made it
Alpha and Omega (beginning and end)
Shows God and Jesus are eternal as alpha is the first letter in greek alphabet and omega is the last
Chi-Rho
a monogram of chi (Χ) and rho (Ρ) as the first two letters of Greek Khristos Christ, used as a Christian symbol when christians would be persecuted
The apostles and the lamb of God
- There is reference made to the twelve Apostles who were specially chosen by
Jesus to continue to spread the Good News once he had left them. - The apostles also lived a sacrificial life; they gave up their homes and families to
follow Jesus and spread the word after his death. St Peter quite literally lost his
life – he was executed in Rome. This is why they are also depicted a lambs.
The Apostles
the apostles appear as doves surrounding Jesus on the cross. In catholic faith, doves are symbols of peace and is a sign of the Holy Spirit filling the earth on Pentecost
Gaudium et Spes
Outlines how humans were made in the image of God and therefore have dignity.
What does CST teach
Put the poor first
Respect everyone because everyone is made in imago dei
Care for the planet
The common good - everyone should be responsible for their community and everyone should benefit
Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD)
Provides emergency aid after natural disasters
Promotes sustainable education and development
Fund raises and raises awareness in the UK
Work with people of any race, religion or gender
Try to end poverty
Inspired by “love you neighbour as you love yourself”
Inspired by Imago Dei
Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP)
Support homeless and asylum seekers
Visit socially isolated
Help families who are struggling
Offer advice on debt and financial problems.
Offer numeracy and literacy training
Inspired by “love you neighbour as you love yourself”
Inspired by Imago Dei
Interfaith Dialogue
Engagement between those of different faiths and no faiths to bring about positive outcomes such as respect and tolerance.
Pope Francis washed the feet of Christians and other faiths to show that other faiths should be respected.
Pros and Cons of Interfaith Dialogue
+Greater understanding and tolerance
+Correct misconceptions
+Events can unite communities
-Minorities experiencing discrimination
-Terrorism and Violence created from fear
Vatican II on Interfaith dialogue
Form better relationships with Jews and Muslims
Finding similarities brings people together and helps to avoid conflicts
Moral evil and Natural Evil
Moral - Evil that is the result of human actions
Natural - Events that cause suffering but are not the result of human actions.
Original Sin
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit which was the first sin.
God made a perfect world but human beings sinned, damaging themselves and the world.
St Augustine belief on Evil
We are led to evil because of the misuse of free will.
We need free will, otherwise God would be a benevolent dictator
Adam and Eve misused their free will leading to an absence of good.
Catholic ambivalence towards suffering
Suffering as a sign of love - loving another person means doing anything for them, even if it means sacrificing your own pleasures
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life to one’s friend”
Suffering as a mystery - God has reasons for suffering but we as humans cannot understand why and we shouldn’t question God.
“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?”
Augustine Enchiridion
Existence of evil helps us appreciate the good. “For we enjoy and value the good more when we compare it with the evil”
Evil is just the absence of good. “For what is evil but the privation of good”
God allows evil because in his goodness and power he is able to bring good out of suffering.
Iranaeus and John Hick views on suffering
Humans are made in Imago Dei but God didn’t make humans perfect.
Humans need to grow towards perfection
To achieve perfection, they must use their free will to make good choices as bad choices will cause suffering.
David Hume’s Inconsistent Triad
Shows God cannot be both omnipotent and omnibenevolent
while evil exists.
It proves that, if evil does exist, then God is either lacking power to remove evil or love to want to remove evil.
In either case, this means God cannot exist
The Trinity
Christians believe in only ONE God.
However they believe that God exists as three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
They are all equal persons
Trinity in Nicene Creed
Makes it clear that Christians believe in one God who is three distinct equal persons.
“one God”
Son is “Consubstantial with the Father”
Holy Spirit is “adored and glorified” with the Father and the Son showing equality
Teaches the roles of the Trinity
God the Father is creator “maker of heaven and earth”
God the Son is the saviour “For our salvation he came down from heaven”
God the Holy Spirit is God’s invisible power on Earth
Trinity quote in Bible
“And at that moment, heaven was opened, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said”
Jesus as a Source of Moral Authority
Jesus spends his time with sinners - tax collectors, adulterers , prostitutes.
Jesus is an example to Christians as he shows that God always forgives those who sin.
He even forgave those who were crucifying him “Forgive them father”
Jesus spent a lot of time with the sick which is an example to Christians because it shows that he wouldn’t treat anyone as an outcast.
Golden Rule “Do to others as you would want them to do to you”
Why is the Incarnation important?
Helps humans to see what God is like as they cannot understand a distant and invisible God.
Shows God loved humanity so much that he sent his Son.
Salvifici Doloris (“The saving power of suffering”) aims
Suffering is a burden and a joy.
Those who suffer here on Earth are united in their suffering with Christ.
They share in the redemptive process with Christ.
Through suffering, an individual can follow the example of Christ and find their identity in Him.
Natural Law as a Source of Moral Authority
Humans already know what is right and wrong because God has placed a moral law in every person’s heart.
Natural Order to the world because it was designed by God
Natural law is what humans tend towards because:
accessible to all
universal
unchanging
Importance of statues
Catholics might be inspired by the life of Christ or the saint depicted
Statues are an aid to prayer and reflection, they help focus thoughts
Statues are visual aids which help Catholics to focus on the spiritual
Jewish View on statues
Do not use statues in worship as it goes against the Ten Commandments. “You shall have no other Gods before me”
Michelangelo’s Pieta features
Jesus’ face is peaceful which shows he gave his life willingly
Mary’s right hand doesn’t touch Jesus but it is covered with a cloth to show the sacredness of Jesus’ body.
Mary is depicted as a young woman to show she has not been corrupted by sin as she is the Immaculate Conception.
What can you do at Lourdes?
Drink and bathe in the spring water as it is believed to have healing properties. Those who need spiritual and physical healing do this
Yuu can go on a torchlight procession where a statue of Mary is carried, candles are lit and the Rosary is said.
Why are pilgrimages important?
Pilgrims can share their faith with other believers and come together as a Church community.
To pray for something, pray for others or pray for yourself
To thank God
Seek physical, spiritual or emotional healing
Popular Piety
Pilgrimage
Stations of the Cross
Eucharistic Adoration
The Rosary
Sorrowful Mysteries
The Agony in the Garden
The Scourging at the Pillar
The Crowning with thorns
Jesus is made to carry his cross
Jesus is crucified
Why is the Rosary important?
It is a calm time of prayer and meditation
Gives time to remember the main events in the life of Jesus
Gives time to remember and honour the life of the Virgin Mary
Brings blessings and grace.
Sorrowful Mysteries importance
Help Catholics focus on the meaning and importance of Jesus’ suffering and death.
They help Catholics understand that Christ knows what suffering is so when they suffer they aren’t alone.
