Unit 2 - The Nature of God Flashcards
What is monotheism?
The belief that there is one god
What is polytheism?
The belief that there is more than one god
What does immanence mean?
The idea that God is involved in the world and present in his creation
What does transcendence mean?
The idea that God is beyond and outside the universe
What does omnipotence mean?
The quality of being all powerful
What does omniscience mean?
The quality of being all knowing
What does omnipresence mean?
The quality of being everywhere in the world at once
What does omnibenevolence mean?
The quality of being all good
What does anthropomorphic language mean?
Describing something as though it is a human eg. describing God as a father or shepherd
What does infinite/eternal mean?
Being outside of time and unbound by its constraints
What does tawhid mean?
The oneness of God in Islam
What does the concept of the Holy Trinity in Christianity mean?
- God has three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- These three persons share the same Godly substance but perform different roles - they are all God and yet they are distinct from each other
- The Father is the element of God that created and sustains the world
- The Son is the human element of God that took bodily form and died for our sins
- The Holy Spirit is the element of God that is active in the world today and comforts and guides Christians
Which three Hindu gods make up the Trimurti?
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
Which three goddesses make up the Tridevi?
Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati
Why do Muslims believe it is wrong to make images of Allah?
- The Quran condemns making images for worship and states that you will be punished by Allah for doing so
- It is believed that making images reduces Allah to the level of humans
- Allah is more superior than human images can ever show
- Allah is a spiritual being so physical images are meaningless for Muslims
