RE UNIT 2 REVISION Flashcards
2010
- Outline the Christian idea of the Trinity.
2010
- Christianity is a monotheistic religion
- This one God is make up of three distinct persons (like a triangle with three sides, a shamrock with three leaves or water in three forms)
- The three persons are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- The three persons of the Trinity are eternal
- Jesus refers to the Trinity in The Great Commission in Matthew 28.
- Explain, giving examples, how some religious believers think of God as both transcendent and immanent. [5]
Christianity- the concept of the Trinity enables Christians to think of God being both transcendent and immanent. God the Father is the transcendent creator of the universe. God the Son took human form in the person of Jesus – an immanent God. Christians believe God is active (immanent) in the world through the Holy Spirit.
Islam – The Qu’ran teaches that God is transcendent “…Allah is eternal and absolute…” (Surah 112). At the same time Muslims pray five times a day believing that Allah hears and answers prayers (immanent) and is active in the world.
. Explain what some worshippers believe about polytheism. (2018) (5)
Answers may include:
Hinduism
- Hinduism accepts the Trimurti Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu.
- Hinduism can be described as both polytheistic and/or monotheistic.
- There is one central deity Brahman who has many forms.
- Different characteristics of God are portrayed through different gods and
goddesses.
Islam
- Islam rejects the concept of polytheism.
- There can only be one God Allah.
- Monotheism is a key part of the Shahadah.
- Islam asserts the concept of tahwid.
- Allah alone is the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Christianity
· Rejects polytheism
· There is only one God – 1st commandment
· Monotheism is key to the Christian view – God is three persons but one substance (Trinity)
· God is the creator of all things – the Alpha and Omega (beginning and end)
- “It is essential to believe in an all-powerful God” Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. (5) (E) (2018)
Agree:
- Monotheistic religions assert this concept.
- Omnipotence is a central feature of the God of Classical theism.
- A God who is not all powerful is not fi t to be worshipped.
- God’s power is clearly seen though the creation and sustaining of the
universe.
On the other hand:
- Not all believers are monotheistic and assert the concept of a single all
powerful God.
- Some theists believe God is developing with humanity and is not yet all
powerful.
- Other features of God are equally important and valid such as God’s benevolence.
- “Worship is pointless because humans can never know or understand what they are worshipping.”
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. [10]
Agree
- God is transcendent that it is difficult to know how to respond to him
- Human worship is indifferent and irrelevant to a God who is removed from creation.
- Humans cannot have a relationship with a transcendent God – worship is meaningless.
- It is difficult to worship something with no physical form.
Disagree
- People can identify and worship God appropriately through Jesus Christ.
- Hindus can learn about and worship Brahman through the many gods and goddesses.
- The fact that we cannot fully understand God does not mean that God does not receive our worship.
- All the major world faiths consider worship to be appropriate.
- Outline teaching from one sacred text about the nature of God. [5]
- Christianity – The Bible
– God is the creator of the universe
– God is described as a loving Father
– God took human form in the person of Jesus Christ
– God punishes evil– God is love
– God is Spirit.* Islam – The Qur’an and Hadith
– Islam emphasises the absolute “oneness” of God
– God is the creator of the universe
– The Qur’an reveals 99 names of Allah. Each of these reveals something of Allah’s character, e.g. The Compassionate, The Merciful.
- Explain why some religious traditions teach that it is wrong to make images of God.
Answers may include:
- reference to the teachings of Judaism or Islam which both condemn the making of images for worship. This rule is set out in the Ten Commandments. Muhammad also forbade the making of images and removed all images from the Kab’ah
- making images reduces God to the level of the human imagination
- God is a spiritual being, physical representations of God are therefore meaningless
- God created everything in the material world. Nothing we can create would be good enough.
Accept valid alternatives
- “All religions are false as they have different beliefs about God.”
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. [10]
AGREE:
- Beliefs about God from different religions do seem to cancel one another out, e.g. Muslims emphasise the “Tawhid” (or “unity”) of God, while Hindus understand God in many thousands of different forms
- Many religions teach that heaven is reserved for people who understand and worship God in a particular way. Surely this excludes alternative beliefs. Not all these religions can be right
- If there is one God then it makes sense that God can only be understood in one way and that there is only one way to worship
- Humanists would accept the statement that all religions are false.
DISAGREE:
- Most religions share common beliefs about God, e.g. God is both immanent and transcendent; God is good; God is omnipotent; God is omniscient; God is the creator of the universe
- Different religions may simply be different paths to one God
- God is bigger than human understanding can ever hope to grasp. God transcends all religions and so all are equally valid/invalid.
Accept valid alter
- Outline teachings about the nature of God from one religious tradition you have studied. Name the religious tradition you have chosen. (5)
Christianity:
- Christianity is a monotheistic religion – there is only one God
- This one God is made up of three distinct persons, in the same way that one triangle is made up of three distinct sides, or one shamrock has three distinct leaves
- The three persons of the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit * the three persons of the Trinity are eternal
- Reference may be made to passages from the Bible which refer to the three persons of the Trinity, e.g. The Great Commission of Matthew 28:16–20.
Islam:
- “Tawhid” – The oneness of God
- Allah – “The God” – God has no gender. The word has no plural form
- Something of God’s character is revealed through the 99 Beautiful names. Examples may be given
- “Allah is eternal and absolute” (Surah 112).
Hinduism:
- One God (Brahman) in many forms
- Reference may be made to specific gods/goddesses and what each reveals about the nature of God.
Accept v
- “There is no point in worshipping an unknowable God.”
Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer. (10)
AGREE:
- For some people God is so utterly transcendent and “other” that it is difficult to know how to worship or respond to God appropriately
- A transcendent God is distinct and removed from creation and so human worship is irrelevant. It will make no difference to God
- It is not possible for human beings to have any kind of relationship with a transcendent God and so worship is meaningless
- It is difficult to worship something which has no physical or definable form.
DISAGREE:
- the Christian idea of God taking human form in the person of Jesus Christ means that people can identify with God and so worship appropriately
- Within Hinduism religious believers can learn about Brahman (The Great Power) through the many different gods and goddesses who represent different aspects of Brahman’s personality. They are also able to direct worship to Brahman through these gods and goddesses
- The fact that we cannot fully understand God does not mean that God does not receive our worship and respond to it* Some form of religious worship is considered valuable and appropriate by all the major faiths of the world.
- “It is wrong for religious believers to think of God as a human being.”
Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer showing that you have considered different points of view. (10)
AGREE:
- If God is transcendent and unknowable then it is not appropriate to give God earthly/human characteristics
- describing God in this way limits God to the level of human understanding
- If God created the universe and created human beings then God is clearly different from/greater than everything on earth
- Hinduism acknowledges multiple God images.
DISAGREE:
- It is the tradition in many different religious traditions to use personal language to describe God
- Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form
- Within Christianity Jesus instructs his disciples to pray “Our Father in heaven…”
- The Genesis account of creation says human beings were created in the image of God
- Giving God human qualities helps humans to relate to God.
Accept valid alternatives
