the problem of evil and suffering

If God is omnipotent, he should be able to

Stop evil

If God is omnipotent he should be able to stop evil- what is a teaching to support this?

“ nothing is impossible for God”- the Bible

If God is omnibenevolent,

He should want to stop evil

If God is omnibenevolent, he should want to stop evil, what is a teaching to support this?

“ God so loved the world”

If God was all loving, then why prepare a place like h___. God could have made us all perfect in such a way as we ______ that way

Hell

Remained

If God is omniscient, he should

Know what is happening

If God is omniscient, he should know what is happening- give a quote to support this

“ the eyes of the Lord are in every place”

It does not make logical sense that the God of c______ t_____ (with all of these qualities) can exist alongside - The _______ _____

Classical theism

Inconsistent triad

Agnostics

People who are not sure whether they believe in God

Atheist’s do not believe it makes logical sense for evil and suffering to exist alongside the…..

God of classical theism- this idea is known as the inconsistent triad

Christian Theist beliefs against the inconsistent triad

• Original Sin- changed the perfect order which God initially created and was initially “good”- this can account for natural evil in the world that became chaotic after original sin

• We have God-given free will, so we have the choice to do good or evil. If we choose to do evil, we will be punished with hell. God gave us this free will out of love.

• We can learn from suffering- early warning systems exist for tsunamis

The three parts of the holy trinity

God the father, God the son and God the holy spirit

What does god the father do?

• created us and the world

• Sustains and rules everything

• cares for us like a father

What does God the son do?

• born of the Virgin Mary and came to earth as Jesus.

• Performed miracles while on earth- influences Christian’s to have faith in gods power

• Saviour of our sins- influences Christian’s to have faith in Jesus’ stunning sacrifice & gods love

What does God the Holy Spirit do?

• invisible part of God which breathes new life into people

• Helps and guides people

• Post of God that works within the world

What are the four main stages in Jesus’ life?

Incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension

What is the incarnation?

• Jesus was born as God in human form.

• Conceived via immaculate conception

• Shows gods omnipotence & makes the start of the human faith

• “There word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”.

What was the crucifixion?

Jesus sacrifice on the cross- gives hope to Christian’s that their sins will be forgiven if they sincerely repent. God understands human suffering because Jesus experienced it.

Christian’s accept that suffering is a part of life- just as it were part of Jesus’- “father, into your hands i commit my spirit”

Jesus forgave his executioners

“Forgive them father for they do not know what they do”

What was the resurrection?

• 3 days after his death, Jesus rose from the dead.

• Shows the power of good over evil and gives Christian’s hope in the face of death

• Means Christian’s will be resurrected if they accept Jesus, so there is no need to fear death

• “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…so in Christ, all will be made alive”

What was the ascension?

40 days after the resurrection Jesus returned to God the father in heaven

Paves the way for god to send the holly spirit to provide comfort and guidance

“While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven”

In terms of the key events in Jesus’ life, some believe they are individually weak but…

Collectively strong

What happens in the Genesis account of creation?

Everything is created in 6 days with the seventh being a day of rest

Day 1

Day and night

Day 2

Clouds and oceans

Day 3

Land plants and trees

Day 4

Sun moon and stars

Day 5

Birds and fish

Day 6

Land animals and man

Day 7

Good rested

God created everything out of nothing- what is the term to describe this?

Ex nihilo

A quote from the Bible to show God created everything ex nihilo

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”

What do liberalists believe about the genesis story?

Although not scientifically accurate, it contains religious truth and is symbolic

What do fundamentalist Christians grieve about the Genesis story

It is literally true and did happen

In the Genesis account of creation, both Gid the father ahs God the ____ _____ t

Holy Spirit

In the John account of creation, everything was created through the

“Word”

In the John account, Christian’s believe God the ___ was involved. This can be supported with the teaching ________

Son

“In the beginning was the word and the word was with God”

Some Christian’s also see merit in scientific explanations such as the Big Bang theory and evolution, however, they see…

God as their cause- the cosmological and teleological arguments

Liturgical worship

Is a church service which follows a set structure or ritual

What forms does liturgical worship take?

• formal posters with set responses

• Takes place in a church

• Lead by a priest and may perform symbolic actions

Examples of liturgical worship

Eucharist

Why is liturgical worship important to Christian’s?

• Rituals passed down through generations to give a sense of tradition

• Bible readings follow the Christian calendar ahs teach Christian history and faith

Non liturgical worship

A service which does not follow a set text or ritual

Informal worship

A type of non liturgical worship that is spontaneous or charismatic in nature

What form does non liturgical worship take?

• takes place in a church

• Often focused Bible readings followed by a sermon

• May include prayers or hymns but there is no set order

What is sin

Any action that separates humans from God including thoughts and actions

What is salvation?

To be saved from sin and its consequences To be granted eternal life in heaven with God

Heaven

The state or place of eternal happiness in the presence of God

Hell

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

Purgatory

An intermediate place where souls are cleansed in order to enter heaven- this is a Catholic belief

Reconciliation

Forgiveness and rebuilding relationships

Christian’s want to be reconciled with

God & eachother

Christian’s believe that when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he saved human beings from Sin and through his ____ made it possible for humankind to be _______

Grace

Forgiven

Churches around the world believe it is their job to help people

Reconcile with God and eachother

Quote to show that Jesus atoning sacrifice reconciled our relationship with God

“While we were Gods enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son

Hi communion quote about body and blood

“This is my body, this is my blood, do this in remembrance of me”

Three reasons eggy holy communion could be seen a as most important

• brings a community of believers together in unity by sharing the bread and the wine.

• Many churches collect money on a dish during the service for those in need

• Holy communion acts as a call to love others in practical ways

“Baptism is the most important sacrament” this point is string for….

Those who believe in the importance of starting life afresh.

“Eucharist is the mist important sacrament” this is a strong point due

To their beliefs in Transsubstantiation- taking part in Jesus’ sacrifice

“Reconciliation is the mist important sacrament” this could be a strong point because

It is an important teaching and links to common ethical issues today (try give example)

Baptism quote which reflects being cleaned off sin and entering a new life with Christ

“I baptise you in the name of the father, son, and Holy spirit”

Baptism could be seen as the most important sacrament as Jesus gave the great commission- what was this?

“Go and make disciples of all nations and baptise them in the name of the father, son, and Holy Spirit”

Through baptism a person….

• becomes a member of the Christian church.

• Becomes a child of God.

• Receives god’s saving grace and Holly spirit.

Is cleaned from sin- “i baptise you in…”

How does the church respond to poverty?

Christian’s try to help those living in poverty because Jesus taught that it es important.- “love thy neighbour”

Which two parables could be used to show how Christian’s respond to poverty?

• the parable of the Samaritan

• The parable of the rich man and Lazarus

Christian organisations responding to poverty

• Christian aid

• Tearfund

• CAFOD

What does Christian aid do?

Provide emergency relief such as shelter, food, water, and sanitation

What does Tear fund do?

Works with 90000 churches world wide to help lift people out of poverty

What does CAFOD do?

Works with local organisations to train, supply, and support communities to work their way out of poverty

Alpha is an example of _______ in Britain

Evangelism

Evangelism

Spreading the word to people they meet in everyday life, usually by public peacing

What is missionary work?

Going to other countries and doing humanitarian work among the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged

Christ for all nations

A Christian organisation promoting evangelism

What were the four sights?

A holy man

A sick man

An old man

A dead man

As soon as he was born, Siddhartha could …

Walk and talk

After seeing the four sights, Siddhartha left the palace and began his

Ascetic life

Dependant arising

The idea that everything arises in Dependance upon conditions

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he gave them

The Lord’s Prayer

The belief that the bread and wine are literally parts of Jesus

Transsubstantiation

The belief that the bread and wine are symbolic

Consubstantiation