Studied by 3 people
Beliefs
features of the nature of God
omnipotent
omnibenevolent
omniscient
creator
transcendent
immanent
ineffable
eternal
what does omnipotent mean
all powerful
how is God shown to be omnipotent
God created the world and everything in it, and continues to be involved in the world, sustaining it
exodus, God spoke to Moses and parted the Red Sea
Sent the 10 plagues to Egypt to help Moses free the Israelites
what does omnibenevolent mean
all-loving
quotes that show God is omnibenevolent
“but you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”
“for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son”
evidence that shows that God is omnibenevolent
he sent his only son as a sacrifice to make amends for the sins of mankind
strength of Gods love for humanity; God will ensure that humans will always have his love which cannot be conquered
what does omniscient mean
all-knowing and all-seeing
how is God omniscient
knows every action that humans take
knows the future and the past of all time
Holy Spirit all seeing
ten commandments given to humans
all-seeing for judgement in the afterlife
evidence that God is the creator
made the world
genesis creation story; created the first humans and heaven and Earth
what does transcendent mean
above and beyond everything
evidence that God is transcendent
Jesus performed miracles and rose from the dead
what does immanent mean
permanently sustaining the world; everywhere and all around us
evidence that God is immanent
the Holy Spirit is around everyone on Earth
ineffable definition
cannot put into words
evidence that God is ineffable
God cannot be described by humans as we cannot fully understand HIm
eternal definition
no beginning or end
evidence that God is eternal
God was there before the creation of the world, always and will always be there in the future
who is Epicurus and what is he famous for
ancient Greek philosopher who created the Problem of Evil
what is the Problem of Evil
if God is willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent
if God is able but not willing, then he is malevolent
if he is both able and willing, then whence cometh evil
if he is neither able nor willing, then why call him God
if God is omnipotent then what is he able to do about evil
he has the power to rid the world of evil
if God is omnibenevolent then what is he able to do about evil
he wants to rid the world of evil
if God is omniscient then what is he able to do about evil
knows that evil exists
Christian solutions to the problem of evil and suffering
God gave humans free will, therefore although God exists, he cannot interfere with any suffering humans experience as a result of their own choices
suffering not Gods fault; sin entered perfect world God created, but Adam and Eve used their free will to turn away from God
‘experiencing bad things a part of Gods plan; helps them become better people
balance essential- humans need evil to appreciate good
God is fair, so good people rewarded in heaven, even if they suffer during their lives on Earth
how does free will solve the problem of evil and suffering
although God exists, he cannot interfere with any suffering humans experience as a result of their own choices; gift of free will comes with guidance from God but up to individuals to choose
how is experiencing evil and suffering a part of Gods plan
help them become better people
why is balance between good and evil important
humans need evil to appreciate good
two types of suffering
moral suffering
natural suffering
what is moral suffering
free will
what is natural suffering
illness, natural disease
two philosophers with problems of evil and suffering
Epicurus
JL Mackie
what did JL Mackie create
the inconsistent triad
what is the inconsistent triad
if God is all-loving, he wants to stop evil
if God was all-powerful, he can stop evil
if God is all-knowing, he knows evil exists and knows how to stop it
if God is all three, evil would not exist
evil exists so God cannot be all three
what is a story in the Bible that shows why evil and suffering exists
Book of Job
who is Job
a good man who loves God
what did Satan challenge God to
Satan challenges God by saying that Job is only good as he has a happy life; God allows Satan to put Job’s faith to the test by causing him to suffer
what does Satan do to Job to make him suffer
Job loses his livestock, servants and all his children
he suffers horrible weeping sores all over his body
Jobs wife tells him to reject God and to accept that he is dying, but Job refuses
does Job stay loyal to God through this
yes; he is devastated but remains faithful and praises God
what does God to after Job goes through all of this suffering
God appears to Job and asks impossible questions that show Job how little he can understand about God’s ultimate plan; Job humbled by this
what does Job do as a result of Gods questions
Job is humbled at this encounter and at last appreciates that god’s unlimited power cannot be fully understood by humans
does Job ever find out why he suffered
no
what happens to Job after his interaction with God
God restores his health and gives him twice as much property as before, more children and a very long and prosperous life
solutions to suffering
free will
evil force in the world
God shares in our suffering
suffering a test
suffering a result of sin
how we deal with suffering gives us the opportunity to become better people
incarnation shows God as a human can understand suffering and identify with human suffering
ineffable
suffering a part of Gods divine plan
Christians responses to suffering
prayer
reading the Bible
studying the lives and responses of others who have suffered
through belief in an afterlife as a reward for those who suffer
believing suffering is part of Gods plan
through service to others; charity work, working with the less fortunate etc
what is the Apostles Creed
a set prayer in Christianity
what is a creed
a statement of faith
what does the apostles creed teach
God an all-powerful creator
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus crucified, buried and rose from the dead and ascended to heaven
Day of Judgement when God will judge how each person lived their life
only one holy and universal church
God will forgive our sins
there will be resurrection of the body and an eternal afterlife
what does “one church” link to
ecumenism
why is the Apostles Creed important
it is a statement of faith that outlines the key beliefs of Christianity that make it Christianity
what is the trinity
the three persons of God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
does the Bible state that there is a trinity
no, but there is evidence that it exists
is there multiple Gods in Christianity if there are three parts
no, the three parts make up a whole, and is still monotheistic
do all Christians believe in the Trinity
no
which denominations don’t believe in the trinity
some liberal protestants
quakers
unitarians
what do these denominations belive
that Jesus isn’t God but was still the promised messiah
key features of God the Father
beyond us and entirely above the universe; transcendent
Jess taught followers to refer to God as the Father
omnipotent and omniscient
creator of the universe
caring and personal relationship with humans, like father and child
who is God the Son
Jesus
features of God the Son
God incarnate; God in human flesh
a real man in history; historical figure
through becoming Jesus, Christians believe that God revealed something of himself to the world
moral teacher for Christians; example to live by
personal and caring relationship with God
who do Christians believe sent the Holy Spirit
after Jesus’ resurrection, God sent the Holy Spirit or paraclete into world
features of God the Holy Spirit
guides Christians to live their life the best way
immanent presence
spiritual everything and everyone
spiritual not physical
omnipresent, especially during worship
helps to strengthen faith
gives comfort, courage and inspiration
how is God the Holy Spirit portrayed
as a dove
what do Charismatic Christians believe about the Holy Spirit
it empowers people to speak in tongues
quotes from Bible that support the Trinity
“I and the Father are one”
“No one comes to the Father except through me”
“anyone who has seen me has seen the father”
“I am the Father and the Father is me”
how is God the Father worshipped today and what do they believe he does
Christians believe the Father cares for the world as creator; pray to him in knowledge that he cares for them and is powerful
how is God the Father reflected in worship today
Lords Prayer
what is the Lords Prayer
set prayer taught by Jesus; recited in some church services
why do some people not believe in the Trinity
in the Bible Jesus prays to God the Father
Jesus shows human emotions when on Earth so cannot be God
not explicitly stated and therefore not fully true
what is worship about God the Son usually like
happy and joyful worship to express their thanks to God for forgiving their sins and to Jesus for the sacrifice he made
why is worship for Jesus usually happy and joyful
as its believed that the Son died to save humanity
do Christians perform animal sacrifice
no because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice so no animal sacrifice is needed
others ways in which Jesus is worshipped
Eucharist/communion
what is eucharist/communion
re-enactment of The Last Supper; last week of Jesus’ life, him and disciples celebrated Passover, where bread and wine consumed
what does bread represent
Jesus’ body
what does wine represent
Jesus’ blood
what do Christians believe the Holy Spirit does
is their comforter and guide; lives in their hearts and not only enables them to lead good lives and make moral choices, but also helps them praise and worship God
what are charismatic Christians
Christians who emphasise the presence and work of the Holy, Spirit, spiritual gifts and miracles
what churches are speaking in tongues found in
Charismatic and Pentecostal churches
what does the creation story include
creation of universe
creation of Earth
creation of Adam and Eve/humankind
temptation of A and E
fall of humankind from grace
quotations about the creation story and the Word
“in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
what is genesis 1
Biblical account of the creation in Chapter 1 of the Book of Genesis
how does the Book of Genesis begin
“in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth”
what is the order of what was created on each day
God created light
God created the heavens and the Earth, separating the waters
God created lands and plants
God created the sun, moon, and stars
God created birds and fish
God created living creatures, including humans
God rested
teaching about how humans were made
imago dei
what is imago dei
“in the image of God”- God created humans in his own image
what is Genesis 2
the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden- paradise
where do Adam and Eve live
in the garden of Eden; paradise
how was Eve created
created from Adams rib
what was the one command that God gave to A and E
do not eat from the tree of knowledge that grows in thee Garden of Eden
quote about not eating the fruit of the GoE
“you must not touch it, or you will die”
how does the Genesis story show that humankind is unique
they are made in Gods image
what is genesis 3
the fall and original sin
what is the nature of humankind
that humans are made in the image of God but are sinful and in need of Gods forgiveness
what is the fall
where A and E are tempted by the devil, in the form of a serpent, to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge against Gods will
what does the devil claim is the only reason God doesn’t want A and E to eat from the tree
as it would make them as knowledgeable as God
do A and E resist the serpent
originally they do, but eventually Eve gives into temptation and eats the fruit and then gives some to Adam
what do A and E do after eating the fruit
they confess to God
what is Gods punishment for A and E
he sends them out of the Garden of Eden to live somewhere else on Earth
not allowed to eat from the tree of life
what does not eating from the tree of life mean for humans
death enters the world
why is the fall very significant for Christians
it represents the point when the perfect relationship between humans and God was broken
why do Christians believe in original sin
the Fall
why was Jesus’ death on the cross necessary
his death paid for human sin and restored the broken relationship
