RE Christianity beliefs

• Christians believe that Jesus was sent by God as an example of how people can live their lives, and he died on the cross so that humans could be forgiven for their sins.
• Christians believe God is omnipotent, meaning all-powerful and nothing is impossible for God
• God only performs actions in accordance with his own nature
• The created universe and miracles are evidence of God's omnipotence
• Examples of Christian teachings about God's omnipotence:

  • Creation story: God creates the universe in 6 days
  • Noah's flood: God floods the entire earth for 40 days
  • 10 Plagues of Israel: God sends 10 plagues against the Egyptians
  • Marks Gospel: Jesus calms a storm, showing evidence of Jesus' divinity
• Some people might believe stories about God's omnipotence are made up by the Church to show God's power
• Christians believe God is omnibenevolent, meaning all-loving and the source of goodness and love in the world
• God's love is called "agape," meaning selfless or unconditional love
• God's love is universal, for everyone, Christian or not
• God's omnibenevolence is linked to beliefs about salvation and atonement
• Examples of Christian teachings about God's omnibenevolence:

  • John 3:16: "God so loved the world that He gave His only son"
  • The Parable of the Prodigal Son: an allegory for God's loving and forgiving nature
• Some people find it difficult to believe in God's all-loving nature due to the presence of suffering in the world
• Christians believe God is just, meaning fair, and does not discriminate
• Atheists might argue against God's justice due to undeserved suffering
• Christian teachings about God's justice:

  • The Decalogue or 10 commandments given by God to Moses
  • The Parable of the Sheep and Goats: all people will be judged based on how they have lived
  • The prophet Amos taught to encourage justice in the world
• Beliefs about the nature of God influence Christians in various ways:

  • Belief in God's omnipotence leads to belief in miracles and praying for the sick
  • Belief in God's love leads to treating others with agape love and offering help and support to all
  • Belief in God's justice leads to living a good life based on the 10 commandments and working towards a fairer society through charity work
• Christianity is monotheistic, meaning they worship only one God
• God's nature is understood in three ways:

  • God the Father: the creator and sustainer of the universe
  • God the Son: the saviour who lived, died, and lived again
  • God the Holy Spirit: the source of strength that Christians find at work in their hearts
• The Trinity is a way of understanding the complex nature of God, consisting of three 'persons' or aspects
• During the baptism of Jesus, all three persons of the Trinity are present: a voice from Heaven states 'You are my beloved Son', and the Holy Spirit descends 'like a dove'
• Jesus instructed his followers to baptise in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Christian prayer often references the Trinity
• The Trinity is a key part of the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed
• Belief in the Trinity influences Christians to demonstrate unity, respect, and love towards others
• Belief in the Trinity influences worship practices, including prayers, church services, and hymns
• Belief in the Trinity makes Christianity unique among world religions and may lead Christians to take their faith more seriously
• Not all Christians are Trinitarian, with some believing in only one God, like Jehovah's Witnesses
• Some groups argue that belief in the Trinity leads to tritheism, the worship of three separate Gods
• Atheists, like Richard Dawkins, may criticize the Trinity as a complex idea lacking logical sense, viewing religion as outdated and based on superstition
• Christians believe that God is all loving, all knowing, and all powerful
• Christians also believe that God is fair
• The problem of evil:

  • A powerful God could prevent suffering
  • A loving God would want to prevent suffering
  • An all knowing God would know how to prevent suffering
  • A just God would not allow suffering
• Suffering exists, which means either God does not exist or does not have the qualities Christians believe he has
• The 'Inconsistent Triad' states that suffering cannot exist if God is both loving and powerful, one of those three things must be false
• Moral evil = suffering caused by the choices of humans
• Some Christians believe the Devil tempts humans to make wrong choices, making the Devil responsible for evil
• Other Christians believe that God gave humans free will, so if they choose to do evil things, it is not God's fault
• Natural evil = suffering caused by the natural world, created by God
• Many people feel God is responsible for this kind of evil
• Christian teachings about suffering and evil:

  • The story of Adam and Eve: humans disobeyed God, leading to the entrance of pain and suffering due to sin
  • The story of Noah's Ark: God floods the world to remove sinful people
  • The story of Job: suffering is a test of faith, part of God's plan, and a form of education for the soul