Christianity - Key Terms - Beliefs - GCSE (copy)

Catholic church

Catholic church

Christians which follow the pope and believe the bible is open for personal interpretation. Take the word of the church over the bible.

Protestant church

Christians which believe that the bible is exactly God’s word and less open to interpretation. Don’t follow pope.

Omnibenevolent

All loving

Omniscient

All knowing

Omnipotent

All powerful

Transcendent

Above all, independent of the universe

Immanent

Within all

Omnipresent

Everywhere at the same time

The Father

Creator of earth and living things, acts as a good father to his children (christians), first part of trinity

The Son (Jesus)

Crucified and died for our sins, became incarnate on earth, fully human whilst on earth and fully God at all time, completed miracles, second part of trinity

The Holy Spirit

Guides and sustains all life on earth after Jesus left, unseen power of God in past, present and future, depicted as a dove

The Trinity

The Christian belief that God is made of three parts of the same God which are all ways God exists. (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)

Liberal/Non-Literal Creationists

Believe God is responsible for creation but can interpret how, can accept geological and cosmological theories. (Catholics, Quakers, Salvation army)

Literal Creationists

Believe bible creation story is a historical account and cannot accept theory of evolution and the Big bang. (Evangelicals, Fundamentalists)

Immaculate conception

Catholic teaching Mary was sin free to allow Jesus to be born sin free and died for our sins as a sacrifice.

The Resurrection

Jesus came back to life after the crucifixion where he died for our sins.

The Ascension

Jesus ascended to join God the Father up in heaven and left Christians to spread the message of Christianity and Jesus’ teachings.

The Judgement

After death people will be judged by God and will either ascend to join God in heaven or suffer in hell.

Heaven

A state of eternal happiness in the presence of God, the place of eternal peace ruled over by God.

Hell

The place of eternal suffering or the state of being without God

Purgatory

Roman catholic teaching of the intermediate state where souls are cleansed in order to enter heaven.

Salvation

Saving of the soul, deliverance from sin and admission into heaven brought on by Jesus.

Atonement

Restoring the relationship between God and people through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God - dying like our scapegoat

Salvation

Forgiveness for Adam’s original sin through Jesus’s dying for our sins. The ability to join God in the kingdom of heaven in the afterlife and restore our relationship with him through Jesus’ actions.