RE PPE2

• “The belief that the world was created by an omnipotent God is questionable” (John Stuart Mill)

   
• “An omnipotent God could  prevent intense suffering” (William Rowe)

   
• “I cannot persuade myself that a loving and powerful God would have created parasitic wasps with the  express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars.” (Richard Dawkins)

   
• “God is omnipotent; God is omnibenevolent; and yet evil exists. There seems to be a contradiction between these three beliefs” (John Mackie)

   
• In favour of suffering proving God doesn't exist and against

  
• Catholics believe that suffering is sometimes necessary. We have to suffer pain in order to know that something may be wrong. Likewise, suffering can make us stronger. When athletes are training for their events they have to suffer in order to become better at what they do. Suffering can prove your commitment to your faith. For example, the Bible teaches that Jesus suffered and died on the cross.
• Christians should follow the example of Jesus and accept that suffering is a part of their life and they might have to suffer as he did. Furthermore, suffering requires Christians to respond. When Christians see other people suffering they are taught that they have a responsibility to help those less fortunate.

   
• For instance, charities such as CAFOD and the SVP follow the teaching of Jesus to ‘Treat others how you would like to be treated’. When they see people suffering they can offer support through fundraising, raising awareness and providing education to try and prevent suffering in the future.
• , Christians are taught that they may have to suffer because they are expected to put the needs of other people first. The book of Isaiah teaches about the ‘suffering servant’. This is an example of a person who will suffer but they accept it for the greater good. For example, Christians are taught that the greatest form of love is to lay down your life for someone else.
• Jesus was the clearest example of this when he died for preaching his message. Moreover, Catholics believe that suffering is part of our free will. God created everyone with the ability to make decisions freely which can sometimes result in our suffering or the suffering of others. When we suffering it helps us learn and develop.
• Catholics also believe that suffering can be a sign of love. When we love someone we must put their needs before our own. This links to Jesus’ teaching of “Love your neighbour”.
• For Jews, suffering comes from two different sources – human made and natural. Often suffering has arisen because God has given free will to people to do good or to do evil. Jews see evil and suffering as a consequence of human beings’ wrong choices. Jews do not believe in original sin.

   
• For Jews, God is the source of all life and referred to throughout the Torah as the sole creator. He is the judge and he is merciful. He will protect and care for all that he has created. The goodness of God is shown by the creation of the world and the giving of the Torah.

   
• Jews have several solutions to the problem of suffering and evil. The biblical book of Job suggests that it is pointless for humans to try and figure out why God causes people to suffer. We don’t know why we suffer we just have to accept that it is part of human life. Other solutions include the idea that suffering isn’t really bad. The suffering servant in prophet Isaiah, shows that suffering can help people grow and develop their relationship with each other and with God.

   
• Nicene Creed:

  We believe in one God,

  the Father, the Almighty,

  the only Son of God,

  eternally begotten of the Father,

  For us men and for our salvation,

  he came down from heaven:

  by the power of the Holy Spirit

  he ascended into heaven

  and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

  He will come again in glory to judge

  the living and the dead

  He has spoken through the Prophets

  proceeds from the Father and the Son.

   

   
• The Incarnation: In the Bible

  “The word (God) became flesh and dwelled among us” (John’s     Gospel)

    “This is my Son with who I am well pleased” (Mark’s Gospel)

   “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues”

   
• “In the beginning was the Word (God). The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. “ (Philipians 2:5-8)

   ‘Made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a   servant’

  (Kenosis hymn) 
• Jews do not accept the belief in the Incarnation. They are monotheist and believe that God did not take human form in Jesus. Jews believe they can  experience God through the Shekinah.

   
• The main source of guidance for Catholics is the Bible, in particular the teaching and example of Jesus. The New Testament has many examples of Jesus teaching his disciples through his actions. For         example, Jesus socialises with tax collectors and sinners. He does this to show that his message was for all people. Likewise, Jesus is shown to have healed the sick on a number of occasions.
• In the Gospels we see Jesus show love and kindness to those on the fringes of society. Jesus states: “I have not come to call the good, but sinners.”
• Jesus gave the ‘Beatitudes’ which outlined the different qualities that Jesus expected from his followers. For example, Jesus said “Blessed are the merciful (forgiving)”, “Blessed are the pure in heart (just and fair)” and “Blessed are the peacemakers”.
• Gee Walker was willing to forgive the people who murdered her son by following the example of Jesus whereas Maximillian Kolbe gave up his life for another man.

   
• Jesus also gave the Sermon on the Mount. This is a teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus updates the laws of Moses in the Torah. For example, Jesus teaches that his followers should not only ‘love their neighbour’ but also ‘love their enemies’. In addition, Jesus also tells his followers to not take revenge but to ‘turn the other cheek’.
• Not only does Jesus guide Catholics on how to behave but also on how they should act. He tells them that when they pray and when they give money to charity that they should not announce this or show off about it. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets” and “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father”

   
• The rosary is a series of beads used by Catholics to help them concentrate during prayers. The rosary can be said as an individual or in a group. Each bead represents a prayer and the beads are arranged in a sequence of one ‘Our Father’, ten ‘Hail Marys’ and one ‘Glory Be’.  Most Catholics can recite these prayers from memory. The fact that they do not need to concentrate on what words to say means that they can think more deeply.
• Each sequence of beads is called a decade, and a set of rosary beads usually has five decades. As they progress through the decades, Catholics reflect on some of the important events in the life of Jesus and of Mary. It is a form of          meditation. These events, called mysteries, are in groups of five.  For example, the joyful mysteries are the Annunciation (Gabriel      announcing that Mary was pregnant with Jesus), Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, the birth of Jesus, the presentation of the baby Jesus in the   temple and the finding of Jesus in the temple
• The Agony In The Garden

  This is when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he died. He prayed to be spared the    suffering he knew was to come but in the end accepted God’s will out of  obedience and love.

   
• The Scourging at the Pillar

  This is when Pilate had Jesus whipped in an attempt to   satisfy those who wanted Jesus to be crucified. It didn’t do any good and Pilate condemned Jesus to death.

   
• The Crowning with Thorns

  This is when the soldiers mocked Jesus, twisting thorns  into a crown because he had been charged with claiming to be the King of the Jews

   
• Jesus is made to carry his cross

  This is when Jesus carried how own cross to Golgotha, the place of his crucifixion.

   
• Jesus is crucified and dies on the cross

  This is when Jesus is nailed to the cross and, after six hours, dies on the cross.