Christianity

• The key belief in Christianity is salvation.

  Quote: "Jesus died for our sins." (St. Paul).
• God as omnipotent:

  • All-powerful
  • "Anything is possible with God" (Angel Gabriel tells Mary)
  • Examples of omnipotence - e.g. creating the universe, Jesus's miracles, Jesus's resurrection
  • INFLUENCES Christians to worship God, pray for a miracle
• God as benevolent:

  • All-loving
  • "God is love" (Bible)
  • Example of benevolence - e.g. sent his son, Jesus, to Earth to die so humans could gain salvation
  • INFLUENCES Christians to be loving to each other, to support charities which show love e.g. Christian Aid
• God as Just:

  • A fair judge on humanity
  • "He is a God of Justice" (Psalm 50)
  • Examples of justice - e.g. God judges people on Judgement Day and sends them to heaven or hell
  • INFLUENCES Christians to obey God's laws, campaign for justice e.g. Martin Luther King
• Explanations for the problem of Evil and Suffering:

  1. Free will - God lovingly gave us free will, however suffering is caused by our own choices, not God's fault. QUOTE: "A runaway horse is better than a stone" (St Augustine)
  2. The Devil - tempts us into going against God and committing sins
  3. It is part of God's plan - we need suffering in order to become good QUOTE: "Suffering produces perseverance" (Bible)
• Christianity is a monotheistic religion, meaning it believes in one God.

  QUOTE: "We believe in one God" (Nicene Creed)
• Trinity:

  • God the Father
  • God the Son
  • God the Holy Spirit
• The Father is the powerful creator of the Earth.
• The Son is Jesus, who came to Earth in human form and died.
• The Holy Spirit is the invisible part of God acting within the world.
• How does the belief in the Trinity influence Christians?

  1. Teaches Christians that God is present in the world today through the Holy Spirit - source of comfort
  2. Teaches Christians about their unique identity - it "fundamentally distinguishes" Christianity from any other religion (Karl Barth)
  3. Helps Christians to understand what God is like/how they can connect with him
• During creation, all 3 parts of the Trinity were present:

  1. God the Father - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth" (Genesis 1)
  2. God the Holy Spirit - "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1)
  3. God the Son - "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God" (John 1)
• Creation beliefs - fundamentalists:

  • They take the story of Creation literally
  • God created the Earth in six literal 24-hour days and then rested
  • Don't except theories such as the Big Bang because they are not in the Bible
• Creation beliefs - liberals:

  1. They take the story of Creation in a metaphorical way
  2. They believe science and religion together can explain Creation
  3. God created the world, but science tells us HOW God actually created everything
• How does the belief in the Creation influence Christians?

  1. Christians will care for the world/live sustainably
  2. Christians believe they are here for a reason, not random chance
• How does belief in the incarnation influence Christians?

  1. Gives Jesus' words and actions great authority because they are the words of God. Christians will follow his teachings
  2. They celebrate Christmas, which remembers when God became human (the incarnation)
• Beliefs about the crucifixion:

  1. It was part of God's divine plan for Salvation
  2. A sacrifice to pay the price for human sin (Adam and Eve)
  3. QUOTE: "For our sake he was crucified in order of Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried." (Nicene Creed)
• How does belief in the crucifixion influence Christians?

  1. Gives them hope that they can now have a relationship with God and reach eternal life
  2. Suffering is part of human life, just as it was a part of Jesus' life
• Beliefs about the resurrection:

  1. Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after he died
  2. Over the next 40 days, Jesus appeared to his disciples
  3. QUOTE: "On the third day he rose again, in accordance with the scriptures." (Nicene Creed)
• How does belief in the resurrection influence Christians?

  1. Death is not to be feared. Proves there is life after death
  2. Proof that Jesus' sacrifice atoned for human sin, bringing us back in a relationship with God and granting us eternal life
• Beliefs about the ascension:

  1. 40 days after the resurrection, Jesus met with his disciples one last time
  2. He then physically rose into Heaven and returned to his Father (God)
  3. QUOTE: "He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." (Nicene Creed)
• How does the belief in the ascension influence Christians?

  1. Shows that Jesus is with God. Provides comfort and guidance for Christians
  2. It explains why Jesus' resurrection appearances stopped after 40 days. Gives Christians no reason to doubt the story
• After death, there are 3 stages:

  1. Resurrection
  2. Judgement
  3. Heaven or Hell
• 2 beliefs about resurrection:

  1. Some Christians ie. Catholics think it is bodily. QUOTE: "We believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." (Nicene Creed)
  2. Other Christians think it is spiritual. QUOTE: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Jesus to the criminal)
• How does the belief in Heaven/Hell influence Christians?

  1. Believe in God and Jesus and follow the Bible so they can be rewarded with Heaven
  2. Less likely to do bad things, out of fear of punishment in Hell
• 2 beliefs about salvation:

  1. Some Christians ie. Catholics believe that faith on its own is not good enough. You must do good deeds and follow God's law. QUOTE: "Faith, if it is not accompanied by good deeds, is dead." (Bible)
  2. Other Christians think it is a free gift from God to all who have faith in Jesus. This is known as Grace. QUOTE: "By grace you have been saved, through faith... it is the gift of God."