C belief

• Christianity

  The main religion in Great Britain
• Main traditions of Christianity

  • Catholic
  • Protestant
  • Orthodox
• Monotheistic

  Christians believe in one Supreme Being, God
• Even though Christianity has different denominations, they all share the same belief in God
• What Christians believe about God

  • There is only one God
  • God is the creator and sustainer of all that exists
  • God works throughout history and inspires people to do God's will
  • People can have a relationship with God through prayer
  • God is spirit (John 4:24) - neither male nor female - but has qualities of both
  • God is holy (set apart for a special purpose and worthy of worship)
  • Jesus is God's son - the true representation of God on earth (Hebrews 1:3)
• Christianity is a major influence on people's lives
• Omnipotent

  Almighty, having unlimited power
• Benevolent

  All-loving and all-good
• Just

  The perfect judge of human behaviour who will bring about what is right and fair or who will make up for a wrong that has been committed
• Some qualities of God

  • Omnipotent
  • Benevolent
  • Just
• God

  The Supreme Being who is all-powerful, uses his power to do good, and shows his love by creating humans and caring for them
• If God is benevolent

  Why does God allow people to suffer, and to hurt others?
• If God is omnipotent

  Why does God not prevent evil and suffering, such as the suffering caused by natural disasters?
• If God is just

  Why does God allow injustice to take place?
• Christians believe a just God treats people fairly, so they trust God even when things seem to be going wrong
• Trinity

  Christians believe there are three persons in the one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• Each person of the Trinity is fully God
• The persons of the Trinity are not the same
• God the Father

  The creator of all life, acts as a good father towards his children, is all powerful (omnipotent), all loving (omnibenevolent), all knowing (omniscient) and present everywhere (omnipresent)
• God the Son became incarnate through Jesus who was both fully human while on earth and fully God at all times
• God the Holy Spirit


  The unseen power of God at work in the world who influences, guides and sustains life on earth
• Christians believe in creation by God, the act by which God brought the universe into being
• The Holy Spirit was active in the creation (Genesis 1:1-3)
• The Word, God the Son or Jesus, was active in the creation (John 1:1-3)
• The Trinity, therefore, existed from the beginning and was involved in the creation
• Genesis 1:1-3: 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light'
• Many Christians believe that the story of the creation in Genesis, while not scientifically accurate, contains religious truth
• Some Christians believe that God made the world in literally six days
• God created everything out of choice and created everything 'good'
• Christians believe that God continues to create new life today
• John 1:1-3: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made'
• Christians believe that the Son of God, the Word of God, was involved in the creation
• Incarnation

  Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form
• Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God, one of the persons of the Trinity
• Mary conceived Jesus without having sex, which is evidence for the Christian belief that Jesus was the Son of God, part of the Trinity
• Through the incarnation, God showed himself as a human being (Jesus) for around 30 years
• Son of God, Messiah, Christ

  Jesus was fully God and fully human, which helps explain his miracles and resurrection (rising from the dead)
• Most Jews expected a Messiah who would come to save Israel and establish an age of peace, but do not believe that Jesus was that person
• Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but a spiritual rather than a political one
• Jesus was sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate, a death by crucifixion (fixed to a cross)