Ultimate Reality (1.5) Flashcards
what are the Christian teachings on the Trinity and what is the Apostles’ Creed
- Christians are monotheists, meaning that they believe in only ONE God
- However, Christians also believe that the person of God is three in one as the TRINITY
- The Apostles Creed was composed by early Christians so that there was no confusion about their beliefs.
- the Apostle’s creed is therefore a set of beliefs based on the teachings of the Apostles. MOST Christians believe what it says in the Apostles’ Creed
What are the beliefs about the nature of God from the viewpoint of Christianity
- Christians believe that God is one because the Nicene Creed starts with ‘we believe in one God’
- Christians also believe that God is the three persons of the Trinity. This is because Jesus was baptised and the three parts of the trinity were present, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- In the Apostles Creed it describes God as ‘Father almighty and creator of Heaven and Earth’, showing that God is a powerful father figure and creator of everything that exists.
- Christians believe that God is omnibenevolent (all-loving) because he sent his only son to die for the salvation of all our sins
Why are some people monotheists
- Christian’s believe this because the Nicene Creed starts with ‘we believe in one God’ and explains that this God has three different parts which make up the Trinity
- when Jesus was asked in the New Testament what the most important commandment was, he answered that it was to Love God, for he is One
- after they escaped from Egypt, the Israelites were reprimanded by God for worshiping a golden calf, because this was an example of believing in more than one God
- after this God sent Moses the ten commandments telling them that they must worship only one God. Christians live by this today
what are the religious beliefs and teachings about the ultimate reality which do not include reference to God
- Hindus believe that the soul (atman) is reborn many times in a cycle of reincarnation or rebirth (samsara).
-What or who you are reborn as is dependent on your karma, which are your actions in your lifetime. - If you fulfill your dharma (duty) in your lifetime then you will gain positive Karma which will allow you to be reborn into a higher Varna (class).
- The last stage of rebirth is Moksha where your soul escapes the cycle of samsara altogether. Since life contains suffering, Hindus believe that they escape suffering when they achieve Moksha.
what are the non-religious attitudes to the idea of an ultimate reality
- Humanists, such as Stephen Fry and the philosopher A C Grayling do not believe in the existence of anything that cannot be proven by science
- Humanists are physicalists because they believe that nothing exists other than the physical world. They believe that once our physical body dies we are gone and there is no soul or self that continues to exist
- The philosopher A.J Ayer also argued that talk about things that we cannot experience or test scientifically is “meaningless”, including God or the after life
- Richard Dawkins is a physicalist and an atheist who believes that there is no God who created the universe. Instead, the universe just came about by chance
why are some people polytheists
- more comforting to know there are different gods looking out for different parts of your life
- the Romans and the Greeks were polytheists and believed that there were gods for different parts of nature, because they did not have the scientific understanding of the world that we have today
- if there are many gods then people can choose the gods that they can relate to most in their lives
- some people believe that the world is too complex and diverse to be created by one God
- if there are many gods this can explain the good and the bad things that happen in the world, e.g. if there is a god of war and a god of peace
why would some people agree/disagree with the statement polytheism is outdated
Disagree:
- in some cultures, where they don’t have as much knowledge of science, they believe in different gods to explain events in nature, e.g. a god of rain and a god of sun
- some people find it comforting to believe in gods for different parts of life. They also find is easier to relate to different gods
Agree:
- since the start of the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) most people have believed in one God
- humans also have a better understanding of science today so we don’t need to rely on supernatural powers to explain nature
