The Existance of God 4.1 - 4.11 Flashcards
What is Unitarianism ?
Christian belief that states that God is one being. It teaches that Jesus was son of God but no literally God
Why do Jehovah’s witness reject the teaching of the trinity ?
They say that Jesus was created by Jehovah and because he has beginning , unlike Jehovah , he is not eternal
What is the Nicene creeds view on The trinity ?
The spirit coms from both God the farther and God the Son
What is the Eastern orthodoxy’s view on The Trinity ?
The holy spirit comes from the Farther
What is the Orthodox view on The Trinity ?
God the Farther is the source of all things and therefore rejects the teaching of the western church
What is the Christian belief about the relationship between God and the world ?
Came from the account of Genesis. In this account God speaks and causes things to come into existence
How is Gods relationship seen ?
In Genesis
God says “ let us make man in our image , in our likeness “
This separates humans from the rest of creation
What was the role that God gave us in the creation story ?
Stewardship over his creation
Genesis 2:7 how is it significant ?
When God creates Adam he breathes into his nostrils to give him life
This demonstrates Gods close relationship with Humans
What do Christians believe if they support the idea God is everlasting ?
If God was outside of time and unchanging then he would not be able to relate to his creation
What is the everlasting belief ?
That God is in time , without beginning or end but with Humans each and every moment
What is the Catholic belief about the relationship with God ?
When a priest is ordained the Church teaches that he is acting in the power of Christ , not his own power. The priest can therefore act as the link between Humans and God
Protestant Church belief ?
They believe they do not need a mediator between humans and God.
Jesus has enabled all people who truly believe in God to pray directly to him and have a relationship with him
Gods goodness revealed through creation
In the accounts in Genesis say when God creates the world and all that is in it , everything that he creates is described good
God’s goodness revealed through his provisions of law
According to the bible , God desires that people choose to do what is right.
God has given rules to humanity. These laws demonstrate that God wants people to act in a moral way.
God allows free will , he does not force goodness upon them
Gods goodness revealed through judgement
Christianity teaches that God will judge all humans when they die and that this will determine what happens to them after death.
Gods goodness revealed through salvation
God chooses to offer forgiveness
He sent his son , Jesus , to die and cover all human sin.
People believe if they repent Jesus then God will forgive and they will be able to go to Heaven
What did St Augustine teach about evil ?
Evil is the responsibility of humans beings for making wrong choices.
Based on the account of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden.
What did the Monk Iranaeus teach ?
Man was created immature not perfect.
Man needs to grow and develop to perfection , as planned by God
What other Christian beliefs are there about evil ?
Necessary to understand goodness
Test of faith for believers and punishment for the wicked
Eg Job , God allows the devil to bring evil and suffering on Job to see whether he will remain faithful to God
State the analogy that William Paley used to illustrate the design argument
A watch found on a heath
The watch shows complexity and purpose that indicate it also been designed
Describe how Tennant used evolution as evidence for the design argument ?
evolution has a purpose and that purpose is to develop increasingly complex life forms
They become more intelligent and ultimately in the forms of humans. Also posses moral answers
What did Cardinal Newman link our sense of guilt to ?
When we do something wrong or right we here the voice of God ( conscience )
God was the one who taught us right and wrong
Why did Kant teach that there must be a God and a afterlife ?
Believing in God and his justice after death is the only reason why people would commit to living morally good lives.
How did Hick link our lives to the afterlife ?
Humans must have to make decisions about what is right to do in any given situation.
Suffering and evil is the perfect way to learn from mistakes
Why do some Christians reject Hicks view on the afterlife ?
It does no fit with the idea that God judges you once you die
For Christians , who is it that guides them and able’s them to make good decisions ?
Listening to their conscience and being guided by the Holy spirit within them they are better able to make good decisions and live lives that will be judged positively by God
What do fundamentalists believe about the bible ?
They believe that God is infallible , unlike Humans
Many protestants and charismatic Christians believe this idea
They also believe that the Bible is the literal word of God
What do the Conservative Christians believe about the Bible ?
Bible writers were inspired by God but those writers were Human and as such the Bible may contain mistakes
The bible needs to be interpreted for what is relevant today.
Interpret stories as a myth but has meaning to teach us
What is the liberal belief about the Bible ?
The Bible is mythical and symbolic .
Christians usually accept that scientists have a far better understanding of the World than anything recorded in the Bible.
The Bible is written by Writers who have encountered God
Who did come down as ?
Came down as Jesus This was a way to show other Humans what he was like
He was also demonstrating his great love for Humans
He took limitations of a Human body in order to teach people.
Absolute love for Humanity
How did people come to know about Jesus ( God )
The Gospels
In Jesus , God shows himself in a way that Humans can understand
Define Miracle
A wonderful event or act that cannot be explained by the laws of nature
List three miracles in the Bible ?
The splinting of the red sea
Healing a person from leprosy ( Jesus performed the miracle )
calming a storm , demonstarting his power over nature
How can meeting a inspirational Christian have a significant affect on you ?
As they hear the way that God has worked in and through the life of that inspirational person , they may feel a sense of God’s presence
Why do Christians look back at historical people ?
They study their lives to understand how God has worked through people in the past.
The positive impact that they have had on the world is a source of revaluation to many people.
Name a Christian figure from History whose life helps others to understand their faith better ?
In 1738 In England there was a revival in the Methodist Church. John Wesley preached in open fields to thousands of people and large numbers became Christians .
Define Revival
A time of increased numbers of people converting to Christianity
Define religious experience
When people claim to have had some direct encounter with God
Define conversions
An occasion or event that causes a person to adopt a Belief in God
Define mystical experience
An overwhelming awareness of the presence of God , leading to feelings of awe and wonder
Define religious ecstasy
A period of intense religious feelings
What do Christians believe about conversions ?
A convert will have a new sense of direction in their lives with God at the centre.
This may cause the convert to change their behaviour and the choices that they make.
Christian belief about Mystical experiences ?
Leave the believer with peace and a oneness with God
no doubt that God is real
Often occur when a person is meditating
Christian belief about visions ?
During a vision the person claims they can see something supernatural ( Not visible for other people )
accompanied with voices as a message is given to them
christian belief about charismatic and ecstatic experiences ?
Become less aware of things around them and experience intense emotional and spiritual feelings about God
Enter a trance like sate and have visions
What is meant by “ Slain in the spirit “ ?
It describes a persons religious ecstasy
This usually happens when a minister lays hands on people , generally on their forehead , and then they fall backwards
Define prophecy
God - inspired prediction about a future event
Define speaking in tongues
Speaking miraculously in a language unknown to the speaker, as the holy spirit enables them to
What is Pentecostalism based on ?
Largely based upon the coming of the Holy spirit to the twelve apostles during the festival of Pentecost after Jesus ascension to Heaven.
What happened when Pentecostalism occurred ?
The Apostles became more confident in their preaching , they went on to carry out healing and they spoke in new languages ( Tongues )
What is Pentecostalism ?
A form of Christianity that emphasises the work of the Holy spirit and the believer’s direct experience of the presence of God.
What do Pentecostal Churches believe in ?
They believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The believer gives control of themselves to the Holy Spirit.
What do Christians believe when they participate in worship ?
They are praising to God and that he is able to communicate with them in some way
What do the Catholic and Orthodox Churches teach during Eucharist ?
They teach transubstantiation
Through the practice Catholic and Orthodox believers feel they become united with Christ
What does the Church of England teach during Eucharist ?
Teaches Consubstantiation
What is the Belief in Protestant and non-conformist Churches on Eucharist ?
They believe that the Eucharist is just Symbolic
The taking of the bread and wine is an act of remembrance of Jesus’s death and Resurrection
What is the Sacrament of penance ?
It involves the confession of sins to a priest in the catholic Church.
The priest provides absolution to the person so that their sins are forgiven.
This enables Catholics to draw close to God and relives them of their Guilt.
