Rs- Christianity beliefs and teachings

• The nature of God:

  in christianity, there is only one God, an he is described as being:

  • omnipotent
  • omnipresent
  • omniscient
  • omnibenevolent
  • transcendent
  • timeless
  • eternal
• The Apostles' creed:

  This contains the most important christian beliefs about God. All Christians sign up to the beliefs stated in the creed, even if they are not Roman Catholic.

  The most important beliefs are:

  1. God is an all-powerful creator
  2. Jesus was born of Mary by the power of the Holy spirit
  3. Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead and ascended to heaven
  4. There will be a day of judgement
• Christian theodicies to the problem of Evil:

  1. Free will- people must make their own choices so evil must be possible
  2. There is a force of evil in the world, sometimes referred to as the 'devil' or 'satan'. E.g. Story of Job
  3. God shares in our suffering. Some believe that suffering is a way to participate in the suffering of Jesus
  4. Suffering is a mystery as in the story ofJob
  5. How we deal with suffering gives us the opportunity to become better people- it is strengthening and soul shaping (Irenaeus)
• The Holy Trinity:

  The three persons of God: God the Father, God the Son, God the holy spirit. Christians are often blessed in church services by a minister with reference to this belief, e.g. "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."
• Creation:

  For christians, God is the creator of the universe.

  The main events in creation are:

  1. Creation of the universe
  2. Creation of the earth
  3. Creation of Adam and Eve (humankind)
  4. Temptation of Adam and Eve
  5. The fall of humankind from grace
• How was Jesus divine?

  For christians there are many events or miracles from the life of Jesus which provide evidence that he was divine, such as:

  1. The miracle of the virgin birth
  2. The voice of God at the baptism of Jesus
  3. Jesus' ability to perform miracles
  4. The resurrection of Jesus
• Why was Jesus crucified?

  Jesus' teachings challenged the Jewish traditions and so he was seen as a threat. Some of his followers said that he was the Messiah (the chosen one), so he was suspected of claiming to be the King of the Jews. Claiming to be the king challenged the Roman's rule over Palestine, so they executed him as a threat to their empire.
• Word and spirit in creation:

  • John 1:1-5 " In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God"
  • Most Christians understand the 'Word' to be a reference to Jesus (the second part of the trinity)
  • Following this quote, Jesus or the "Word" was present at the beginning of creation and that he is God.
• How do Christians achieve Salvation?

  • Roman Catholics believe that by taking part in the sacraments, they will be able to achieve salvation and go to heaven. They believe that Baptism washes them clean of sin. Confession allows for the christians to be absolved of sins committed in life.
  • Protestants, e.g. Church of England, believe that they must have faith in Jesus to achieve salvation
• What is atonement?


  Some Christians believe that Jesus' life and death is an act of of atonement for the sins of the world and that salvation is offered to all who believe that Jesus paid for our atonement with his life.
• What is eschatology?

  It refers to the beliefs about the 'last things': death, judgement, heaven and hell.
• Christian beliefs/thoughts on eschatology:

  • Life is a preparation for an afterlife to be with God in heaven
  • In the Nicene Creed: "we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come"
  • Jesus' death and resurrection provides evidence that death is not the end
  • The physical body dies and the immortal soul lives on
  • In John's gospel, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, saying that anyone who believes will never die
  • The way to heaven is through faith in Jesus
• Judgement:

  • There will be a judgement Day where people will be judged by the quality of their lives
  • Jesus will separate the people who go to heaven from those who go to hell, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25;31-46)
• What is Heaven?

  • There are not many depictions of heaven in the bible
  • Most Christians believe that Heaven is where people go in the afterlife if they have led a good and for-filling life
  • Some Christians believe it is an actual physical place
  • Others believe that it exists in a more spiritual dimension
• What is hell?

  • Most christians believe the real torment of hell resides in absolute separation from God as he's not present in hell
  • To be in hell is to not be in the presence of God
• What is purgatory?

  • Catholics also believe in Purgatory, they believe some people cannot enter heaven straight away as they're stained by their sins
  • These people, go to purgatory as a sort of waiting room for heaven, where they undergo a process of cleansing and purification before eventually entering heaven