Christianity

Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

Matthew 25:31-46

‘Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you will have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good peoples to do evil things, that takes religion"‘

Richard Dawkins

‘And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.’

Genesis 1:3-4

‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - has been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.’

Romans 1:20

‘There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.’

Ecclesiastes 3:1

‘He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the Earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.’

Psalm 147:8

‘For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth’; and to the shower and the rain, ‘Be strong.’

He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning.

They turn round and round by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them.’

Job 37

‘Let us make mankind in our own image, in our likeness…’

Genesis 1:26

‘The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth.’

Exodus 34:6

‘He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.’

Psalm 9:8

Euthyphro Dilemma

Plato. Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it’s good?

If not, good must exist independently of God. Why need him as middle man?

Noah’s Ark Quote

‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the Earth is filled with violence because of them.’

‘For the word of god is alive and active.’

‘It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’

Hebrews 4:12. Old Tes

‘3 days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’

Joshua 1:11

Richard Dawkins about God in the Old.Tes

‘The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction.’

‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’

John 1:14

‘God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’

Romans 5:8

William James

Passive - comes from force outside of yourself

Noetic - believe you have had spiritual truths revealed to you

Ineffable - Impossible to describe in everyday language

Transient - Experience temporary effects, longlasting

‘and be not drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the spirit.’

Ephesians 5:18

Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer:

Positive

Thanksgiving

Celebrate

Luke 6:12

Prayer:

Meditate

Inner Peace

Dedicate time with God

Intimate Connection

James 5:15-16

Prayer:

Intercession

Confession

Open with God

Selfless

Matthew 6:5-8

Prayer:

Don’t pray for reward

Pray Individually

Genuine - don’t say meaningless

‘God is not a magician’

Pope Francis

‘Go and make disciples of all Nations, baptising them in the name of the father and of the son and of the HS.’

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:19

‘Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened, and the HS descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my beloved son; in You I am well pleased.’

Luke 3:21-22

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9-15

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil….”

Shows presence of all Trinity

Nicene Creed

“You shall have no other God’s before me”

“For I the Lord your God am a jealous God.”

“But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me”

Exodus 20

Parable of the Prodigal Son

‘His father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

Luke 15:11-32

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

Matthew 25

The Judgement of the Nations

‘He will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.’

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Stephen Fry

Bone cancer in children, etc

Cruel, Capricious

Atheism - not just believing God doesn’t exist, but if he exists, why would he make such decisions."

Brian J Ford

WW2 lead to many developments

(Counter: Good outweigh bad??)

Augustinian Theodicy

Made the world perfect

Free will

Evil entered through the Fall

Provides opportunity for salvation

Irenaean Theodicy

Created world will good and evil

Free choice to choose good

Suffering - grow

Doesn’t intervene - violates free will

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-16)

Means blessings

Describes attitudes God wants his followers to have

Jesus and the Law (Matthew 5:17-48)

10 Commandments

Thoughts as bad as actions, eg lust, adultery

Love enemies not just neighbours

True Discipleship (Matthew 6:1-8)

Dismisses outwards acts of religion for show

Keep fasting and charity private

Prayers straight and to the point, eg Lords Prayer

True Righteousness (Matthew 7:3-5)

Spiritual treasures can’t be stolen

Either God or worldly wealth (money)

No one perfect, no one position to judge

If person judges, God uses that standard to judge them

Focus on how to be closer to him instead

The Narrow Gateway (Matthew 7:13-23)

Broad Pathway: Easier, no attention to God’s laws, not lead to blessing in Heaven

Narrow Pathway: Challenging, difficult, persecution, rewards in heaven - eternal

Building on solid foundations

Those who listen will always have God’s love and support

Death of Jesus, Luke 23:44

‘Darkness came over the whole land until 3 in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.”

“And the curtain of the temple was torn in two”

“Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father in your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he said this, he breathed his last.”

“For it is by grace you are saved - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no-one can boast.”

• Protestant view

Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus Last Words - Gospel of St John

“It is finished” - mission on earth???

Catholic view of salvation

Baptism, belonging to church. Deeds

Parable of sheep and goats, charity, narrow gateway

Fundamentalist/ Protestant / Evangelical View of salvation

Faith in Jesus alone is enough

“For about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

about the end. judgement day

living in last days of world - eschaton

Matthew 24:36

“Hell, where the fire never goes out".”

Mark 9:43

“… Shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Revelation 20:10

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier… and he will purify.”

Malachi 3:2-4

Bryan Wilson + Steve Bruce

Religious organisations no longer heavily respected

People rely on material comfort for happiness

Religion more private matter

People increasingly less committed to values

Become a leisure pursuit rather than deep committment

Stephen Fry - Humanism

Life is an adventure, nobody knows answers

also eg. Michael Rosen

‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’

Galatians 3:28

‘Ask for the ancient paths and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls.”

Jeremiah 6:16

‘Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak but must be in submission’

St Paul in the New Testament

Corinthians 11

Equal Pay for Genders, with the excpetion of priests, monks, nuns, ministers of religion

Equality Act 2010

Thinks abortion is a basic human right

Peter Singer

Doctors duty to preserve not end life

Hippocratic Oath

‘If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.’

Romans 14:8

‘In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind'.’

Job 12:10

‘Do unto others as you would them do unto you’

Matthew 7:12

Evangelical but Pluralist

John Hick

Catholic Inclusivist

Karl Rahner

Exclusivist Example

John Calvin

‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."‘

(Exclusivism)

John 14:6

‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit."‘

Matthew 28:19-20

‘For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of god.’

Ephesians 2:8-9

‘The righteous will go into eternal life… For when I was hungry you gave me food and when I was thirsty you gave me drink.’

(Inclusivism)

Matthew 25:31

‘My fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?’

(Pluralism)

John 14:2

‘We are all children of God. Everyone. Everyone.’

Pope Francis

‘There will be no peace among the nations without peace between the religions.’

Hans Kung

The Irenaean Theodicy

Human suffering is a part of soulmaking, and once we’ve learned from our mistakes, we are closer to God + can go to heaven

God deliberately created evil so humans could decide the option to take

evil is necessary for free will and is a learning experience

The augustinian theodicy

evil is the lack of good

through human free will evil can exist

god doesn’t intervene as evil is necessary for us to have free will and for us to have control

how did john hick defend god

“the harshness of life gives us character that wouldn’t be possible without an imperfect world”

how is free will a defence of god

god could stop evil but there is more good from us being free than everything being good

Families : Christianity

Duties, support, caring for the sick, educate children

Parent & child relationships : Christianity

Children respect parents, children are sacred gifts

Marriage : Christianity

Unity under God, to fulfil the sacrament from God, covenant, in the bible

Divorce - Jesus : Christianity

Jesus taught that divorce is only right when adultery has been committed - Matthean exception

Divorce - RCC

Divorce isn’t recognised

Divorce - Anglican church

Allows it if marriage had failed

Adultery : Christianity

‘you shall not commit adultery’

Homosexuality : Christianity

God created men and women to procreate (POWER), most churches against it

Sexual relationships : Christianity

Chastity, sex only during marriage prevents unwanted pregnancies, A relationship shouldn’t be built upon ‘eros’ love (lust)

Gender roles : Christianity

Women: look after house and children, provide for husband, be faithful and marry

Husband: Provide for family, remain faithful, work

Gender equality - against : Christianity

Men and women have different roles in life and church - women can’t lead and should be quiet, Jesus’ disciples were all men

Gender equality - for : Christianity

Jesus’ world was very different to our own - the reasons for gender inequality were more political than religious, men and women were both created in God’s image

Families : Islam

Best way for children to be educated as muslims, roles for family members, strong bonds between members

Types of family : Islam

Nuclear families are ideal, with extended families also widely accepted, single parent families aren’t ideal and the parent should remarry as both parents are necessary for the child, same-sex families are against Allah’s will

Marriage : Islam

Follow’s Muhammad’s example, prevents casual relationships, symbolises religious and social unity

Marriage teachings : Islam

Many are arranged, Nikah is a sacred social contract of proposal and acceptance, men can have up to 4 wives, commitment sexually

Nature of sex : Islam

Expression of love, procreation, provides spiritual and emotional comfort

Adultery : Islam

Adultery is a severe sin with heavy punishment, premarital sex is considered close to adultery by many

Homosexuality : Islam

unnatural and sinful, can’t procreate, attitude stems from the story of the prophet Lot, in some conservative countries, homosexuality is a sin

Gender roles : Islam

Men: should marry, responsible for income and caring for family

Women: should marry, run the home and educate children of Islam, can work but are not obliged to share their wealth

Gender prejudice : Islam

During Muhammad’s time : Incest and womanising was common, female infanticide, females were inferior

Modern day : Female political leaders like Benazir Bhutto in Pakistaan, women more involved with mosques, gender prejudice is against Allah

Contraception: Christians

RCC forbids use of contraception a s it is against natural law

Original sin : Christianity

Many Catholics believe that evil is the result of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, that happened during Genesis - according to this belief, all humans are born with a tendency to sin

Reasons for forgiveness : Christianity

Just war theory, Pacifism, Jesus’ teachings, reconciliation