Christian Beliefs and Teachings Paper 1

Religious Studies.

Name some denominations of Christianity

Roman Catholic

Greek Orthodox

Anglican

Methodist

Baptist

Protestant

Quakers

What is the Holy Trinity?

The concept that God exists in three parts: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each one represents different characteristics of Him.

What is the role of the Father in the Trinity?

The creator of the Universe, the Judge of people’s sins and good deeds, all powerful, all knowing, all loving.

What is the role of the Son?

Also known as the Word

Incarnated to Earth to spread the message of God, how to live properly and offered his life for the salvation of humanity. Shows God’s agape

What is the role of the Spirit?

An aid in creation

Allows omnipresence and the personal relationship between God and every person

What were the titles of Jesus?

King - people called him the King of the Jews

The Son / The Word - role in the Trinity

Messiah - means saviour for the crucifixion and salvation he brought

Lamb of God - gave himself as a sacrifice

Alpha and Omega - start and end

What is the literalist view of the Bible?

That everything in the Bible is true and is the word of God. E.g. they think the world was created in 7 days

What is the fundamentalist view of the Bible?

That there are hidden meanings / morals of the Bible stories, and that the Bible isn’t the true word of God.

What is the Protestant source of Wisdom?

Mainly the Bible, they think that there shouldn’t be a need for vectors to communicate with God.

What are the Catholic sources of Wisdom?

Bible, Pope, other priests, Roman Catholic Catechism

Why do Christians believe that only God can judge their sins?

Because God is omniscient, He knows everything about everyone and therefore is the only fair judge

Why do almost all Christians believe in the Trinity?

It is supported several times in the Bible

It helps to explain several of God’s characteristics, including His omnipresence, his incarnation and His power.

Why wouldn’t some Christians believe in the Trinity?

They see it as polytheism, hence why some denominations of Unitarians such as the Christadelphians refuse to acknowledge the Trinity.

What are some symbols that represent the Trinity?

Three leaved Clover (shamrock)

Borromean Rings

Triskelion

Why do Christians see benevolence, personal nature and immanence as God’s most important traits?

It shows how God is a loving being and provides Christians with hope and reassurance. Generally more commonly emphasised among those in more liberal denominations.

Why do Christians see God’s role as a Judge, his omniscience and forgiveness as his most important role?

So that those Christians know that they will receive fair judgement at the end of their lives and that God will pay them back for their hard work on Earth. More commonly emphasised in conservative denominations.

Why do Christians see God’s omnipotence, transcendence and eternity as his most important traits?

They respect and fear God’s power, inclining them to do more good for the world. More common among more literalist Christians.

What are the different accounts of Creation in the Bible?

Genesis 1 - Creation of the Universe

Genesis 2 - Creation of Adam and Eve

Genesis 3 - The Fall and the Original Sin

What are the steps of creation in Genesis 1?

Day 1 - Light

Day 2 - the Sky

Day 3 - Land and Plants

Day 4 - Light

Day 5 - Birds and Fish

Day 6 - Land animals and humans

Day 7 - Rest Day

What does Genesis 1 show about God?

He is very powerful

Part of Him is the Holy Spirit which ‘hovers over the waters’

What is the role of human beings?

As stewards of the Earth

They are in the image of God

Rule over Earth and be its leaders

Reproduce and populate the whole of Earth

What shows the relationship between God and humans in Genesis?

We are made in His image

He has a personal relationship with us, he brought Adam to life by his nostrils

What happens in the Fall?

The perfect relationship between God and humanity is broken, and they are sent to Earth. Eve is given the pain of childbirth, Adam is given the pain of provision.

What is the Original Sin?

The sin which Adam and Eve committed, which some denominations like the Roman Catholics still think stays with us since birth

What does John 1 say about the Word?

The third member of the Trinity, proves that Jesus is part of the Trinity, the Word suggests that He was brought to spread the message of how to live properly

What is the literalist view of the story of Genesis?

That God really did make the world in 7 days, and that the Original Sin etc are true. These people therefore base their beliefs and practices on these, e.g. not letting women participate as ordained clergy, baptising babies. Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox Christians hold these views.

What is the fundamentalist view of the Genesis story?

That they are metaphors of God’s influence. They believe God as a metaphor for the driving force and luck that Earth came to be, and they will practice gender equality and live ethically, like how God supposedly suggested, but they don’t believe that this role was actually assigned to them.

What is natural evil?

Things that cause suffering which occur naturally, e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, floods.

What is moral evil?

Something that causes suffering as a result of human action. E.g. Theft, murder, terrorism.

Where do Christians believe evil is from?

The first example of evil is the Fall, where Adam and Eve committed the sin and were cast to Earth and given different punishments. This break between the relationship of God and mankind is why they believe sin exists today.

Why do some Christians see Satan as a source of evil?

Satan causes temptations, which result in human sin. Sin generally results in evil happening to the offender later (like in the Fall), so the devil causes sin.

What is Mackie’s Inconsistent Triad and what does it question?

It is an argument for why God isn’t just. It has three points: God is omnibenevolent, God is omnipotent, and that Evil exists. If God was omnipotent and omnibenevolent, then He would stop all evil. All 3 can’t exist at once.

What is the Irenaean Theodicy?

An argument to prove the justification of God and the existence of evil. It states that evil is there as a test for us, and that our soul is developed as a result. It also proves free will and therefore justifies why it may seem as if God is not involved in the world, as it would affect free will.

What is the Augustinian Theodicy?

The idea that our sins and bad usage of free will result in evil, as God’s perfect creations become imperfect due to their own decisions. Therefore, evil is result of human sin. If God didn’t give humans free will, then there wouldn’t be a unique relationship between us and them, and Jesus would have no reason to come to Earth.

What is an issue with the Irenaean Theodicy?

It rewards suffering through things while avoiding sin to develop the spirit, but how does getting killed by a natural disaster make you a better person? Some good done isn’t necessarily good, so people shouldn’t be rewarded for it, and their spirit won’t grow.W

What is an issue with the Augustinian Theodicy?

It does not account for how natural evil comes to place. If God’s creations, like Earth, are all perfect, why do they kill people in things like Earthquakes? The theodicies really only explain moral evil rather than natural evil.

Who was Jesus Christ?

The Son / Word of God, He is an example of how a Christian should live.

What was Jesus’s three main significances in Christianity?

He had three main events:

He showed people through his words and actions how to live the perfect life

He sacrificed himself and died on the crucifix to allow mankind to be forgiven of their built up sins

He rose from the dead, showing God’s power, the legitimacy of his teachings, and the win of good over evil.

What are the Beatitudes?

They are characteristics described by Jesus as those which will get people into Heaven. These include being humble and down to earth, willing to put their spiritual life over their other lives, and to love God and others sacrificially.

What are the Ten Commandments?

You shall have no Gods before me

Do not make false idols

Do not misuse the name of the Lord

Keep the Sabbath Holy

Honour your mother

Do not kill

Do not commit adultery

Do not steal

Do not tell lies

Do not covet

Jesus and Sacrificial Love

Jesus taught that the best way to express agape for God and others was in sacrificial love. You would be rewarded for your suffering. For example, Jesus gave his life and suffered to forgive our sins, showing His sacrificial love.

Incarnation

When Jesus was given human form in Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit. Shows Jesus’s unique nature of a miraculous birth

Accounts of the incarnation and what they show in the Gospels

The Gospel of Luke shows Shepherds invited to witness the Birth. All people, no matter the material gains, are invited to be Christian.

The Gospel of Matthew shows three wise men from afar invited to witness the birth of Jesus, showing how widely accessible Christianity is.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

A Samaritan helped a robbed man who would be normally hated by the Samaritans, gave him food and some money and set him off, even after a priest had walked past. Shows agape and how you should love your enemies

Crucifixion

When Jesus willingly gave up his life and suffered to repair the relationship between God and humanity. Shows agape and sacrificial love.

Resurrection

Jesus came back to life, a miracle celebrated in Easter. Shows the prevalence of good over evil, and God’s power

Ascension

When Jesus returned to Heaven. Literally, he went back to being the Word with God. Fundamentally, it shows the success and prevalence of good, and suggests the spiritual reward of living like Jesus.

Jesus’s example

Jesus’s words and examples set a role model example on how to live properly, to have a good relationship with God and to do things like love sacrificially. This is considered another form of Jesus’s salvation, showing us how to save ourselves from hellfire.

Literalist view on Jesus

When people believe that Jesus actually came to Earth. This makes them feel extremely safe as their original sin is removed, and Jesus becomes a greater part of their worship e.g. Eucharist and especially Transubstantiation.

Fundamentalist view on Jesus

They see Jesus as the allegory for the perfect person, so will simply try to follow his example of good, while seeing the miracles as metaphors for things like the prevalence of good.

How is Jesus considered the cause of salvation?

Jesus sacrificed his life to pay for the weight of human sins. He also gave is His example, allowing us to avoid sin and meet with God in heaven.

What are other Christian beliefs about how to achieve Salvation?

Roman Catholics believe that baptism and being accepted into the Church are how you are saved, others such as evangelical churches believe that faith and literalism towards Jesus Christ will grant salvation, and many denominations believe that the only way to achieve salvation is through your own good actions and lack of sin.

What is repentance?

Asking God to forgive your sins. Boosts your chances of salvation as former sins are absolved of you.

What is the Parousia?

When Jesus will come back to Earth without limitation, a sign that the end of the world approaches

What is the Eschaton?

When everybody is killed on Earth and their souls are judged for their good and bad deeds

What are some views on the Parousia?

Some take it literally, awaiting Jesus’s revival onto Earth, and will therefore perform acts such as Sacraments to show their devotion to God. Others see it as a metaphor for God’s plan, so will live ethically in the hope of a better afterlife

Beliefs about life after death

All Christians believe that you have a soul which lives on independently from your body. They believe that this soul holds the good and bad you did, and will be judged

What is H*ll?

A place where sinners are punished for eternity. If your bad deeds outweigh the good, you will be punished there

Different attitudes to H*ll

Some Christians see it as a metaphor for the punishment and guilt felt when you do wrong, so is an encouragement to do good. Others see it as an actual punishment, so will try very hard to avoid it by being good and repenting.

Heaven

Sometimes called the Garden of Eden, eternal reward for good deeds. Similar attitudes to Christians with H*ll, most take it literally while others see it as encouragement to do good. It also serves as a comfort for those grappling with the loss of a loved one.

Purgatory

Exclusively Roman Catholic belief in which some Christians don’t go to Heaven or H*ll, but if they have a small amount of sin left they can purify themselves of it.

What is a Sacrament?

An outer and visible sign of an inner and spiritual change.