Catholic Christianity

• Creation story

  God created everything, acting through the holy spirit
• Genesis 1 says "So God created mankind in his own image"
• Humans

  • They are special because they are created in God's image
  • They should behave like God by being loving and fair
  • They are important to God and should be treated with respect
• Christians

  • They believe they have stewardship of the Earth and God expects them to take care of it
• God


  • He is eternal, omnipotent, and benevolent
  • He created the universe through words and gave humankind life and the world
• Evil and suffering

  • They entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge
  • Every human was born with a flawed nature, capable of causing suffering, which is the idea of original sin
  • God gave humans free will, so it's up to them whether they commit evil deeds or not
• Evil and suffering exist

  Some people might question their belief in God, as a all-loving and all-powerful God wouldn't allow it to happen
• Christians' reactions to evil and suffering

  • Suffering is often seen as a test of faith and God has his reasons even if we don't know what they are
  • God is with people in suffering and it brings people closer to God
  • Life on Earth isn't perfect and the main focus should be on reaching heaven
  • They should try and help people in suffering by praying or giving charity
• Jesus: 'Whatever you did for these brothers and sisters of mine you did it for me'
• Afterlife (Christianity)


  The soul lives on after death and the body is resurrected on judgement day
• Christian beliefs about afterlife

  • God will judge you whether you go to heaven or hell
  • Some Christians don't believe heaven or hell are real places, they think it's a state of mind
  • Pope John Paul II said hell was just a metaphor for people who've rejected God will feel
  • Some say God wouldn't punish you for eternity
  • Some say people God finds unacceptable will be annihilated
  • Some say a loving God wouldn't allow anybody to go to hell
  • All of humanity will be judged on the last judgement, those God finds acceptable will go to heaven and the rest will go to hell
• Incarnation


  When God became human
• An angel came down to Mary and told her that she would have a son and that "the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God"
• Christians don't believe that Jesus was half God and half man, he was fully both
• Jesus's time on Earth

  God's way to show how much he loves the world
• Original sin

  Everyone is capable of sin
• Jesus's death and suffering

  Won forgiveness and freed them from sin
• Jesus was perfect and God placed all the sins on Jesus at his crucifixion
• Atonement


  Jesus's actions brought reconciliation between God and humanity
• Salvation

  The soul being saved from death and sin, allowing it to reach heaven
• Holy Spirit


  Helps Christians follow the teachings of God and his laws and keep their faith, helping them to find salvation
• Sunday


  The 'Lord's day' where Christians celebrate the sabbath (the holy day of rest)
• Liturgical worship


  • Anglican Sunday morning usually include the Eucharist
  • Makes worshippers feel involved in a wider Christian community
  • Makes worshippers feel closer to Jesus as they believe they are in the church with them
  • Helps Christians feel connected with other worshippers throughout history
• Non-liturgical worship


  • Some Christians prefer to worship God in a less-structured way
  • Others view non-liturgical worship as unsuitable as the level of respect religious services require
• Private worship


  • Some Christians worship both publicly and privately
  • Helps them to keep God in mind throughout their everyday lives
  • Some find greater freedom in private worship
  • They decide how to worship God and feel a better connection with God because of that
• Sacraments


  A way that people can get closer to God
• Baptism


  • A sacrament as Jesus was baptised
  • After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples to go out and baptise people
  • Jesus said "No one will enter the kingdom of God unless they are born with water and the spirit" John 3:5
  • Makes somebody a member of God's family and welcomes them to the church
  • Cleanses people from their original sin that they are born with
• Confirmation

  A sacrament where a Christian renews vows made on their behalf at baptism, strengthening their ties to the church and God
• Reconciliation

  A sacrament where Catholics confess their sins to a priest or bishop to obtain forgiveness
• Anointing of the sick

  A sacrament where a priest anoints a seriously unwell person with the oil of the sick, renewing their faith and strength to cope with the illness
• Marriage

  A sacrament where God is present and couples make promises before him, and should be together for life
• Holy orders

  A sacrament where men are ordained as priests, bishops or deacons
• Eucharist


  A sacrament where people receive the body and blood of Christ, joining them together in their faith
• Vigil of prayer

  A funeral rite that takes place the day before the funeral, sometimes in homes, with readings and prayers to help the family say goodbye
• Funeral liturgy

  A funeral rite that often includes the holy communion (the requiem mass), the purpose of which is to pray for the soul of the dead person
• Committal


  A short funeral rite that happens at a cemetery, where the priest says "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" as the body goes back to Earth
• Prayer

  When believers mentally or vocally communicate with God, which should be part of daily life; during prayer people may thank God, worship God or admit sins; believers draw comfort from the fact that God is listening to them and they are also listening to what God is saying to them, many believe that prayer helps them to see what God wants them to do in life
• Rosary


  A form of popular piety where the beads represent the key events in Christianity such as the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, helping people to think about these events when praying
• Stations of the cross


  A form of popular piety where there are pictures in church of Jesus's suffering, which Catholics see as a focus for contemplation on these events
• Pilgrimage


  Seen as not compulsory but still important, as it helps people to seek healing and forgiveness, connect with God or deepen their faith; people visit places like Jerusalem, Rome, Walsingham, Lourdes, the quiet island of Iona or Taizé; some Christians see shrines as too commercialised, while others see the journey inside as more important than the physical pilgrimage