christianity section 1

• Imago dei


  People are made in the image of God
• When Adam and Eve sinned

  They damaged their relationship with God
• The Fall


  The broken relationship between humans and God, inherited by all human beings, who have a "fallen" nature and are tempted to do wrong
• Human beings

  • They have power over the world and other living things, and have to look after them
  • They continue to have free will
• It might be seen as negative to believe that human beings enter the world already as sinners, and in a state of alienation from God
• Eternity in hell as a punishment for sin seems out of proportion with most people's lives which last for a relatively few years, and include plenty of good
• Some Christians see human beings as essentially good, and emphasise the idea from Genesis that everyone is made in God's image
• The Christian story is about the lengths God goes to restore his relationship with human beings, by sending Jesus to die for them
• The Kingdom of God shows that people also have the potential to live good lives and to transform the world
• Jesus treated people who were seen as outcasts or unclean with dignity and love and criticised hypocrites who felt they were better than others. This shows that Christianity has a balanced view of human beings, seeing both the positive and negative
• Sin


  The urge to do bad things and disobey God
• Original sin


  People are stained by original sin due to the sins of Adam and Eve
• People cannot cure themselves of sin, the only way to be redeemed is through Jesus
• Jesus is a sacrifice for the sins of humans, through this people are able to be reconciled with God
• Some believe that sinners who do not turn to Christ or repent during their lifetime will be condemned to eternity in hell and/or separation from God
• Belief in sin


  • It may make Christians repent from their sins, and seek forgiveness from God
  • They may feel love and gratitude to Jesus for his sacrifice, and work to become a better Christian, living by Jesus' example and following his teaching
  • They may feel that there is little they can do about sin, that it is a part of them that they cannot change, this could be seen as a negative way of thinking and lead to feelings of shame, or it could lead to them excusing actions as something they cannot control
  • It may make Christians feel closer to God as they know that through his grace they can be forgiven for their sins
  • They may look for ways to help others to find God's forgiveness, e.g. through spreading the Christian message
• Omnipotent


  All-powerful, which means He can do any (possible?) thing
• Omnipresent


  Everywhere in the universe at the same time
• Omniscient


  Knows all things, past, present and future, as well as people's thoughts and motives
• Transcendent


  Beyond the physical universe and normal experience
• God is the creator of everything
• Omnibenevolent


  Entirely good/loving
• God loves his creatures and wants to have a relationship with them
• Many believe that God acts in the events of history, and affects the course of events in the physical world
• Free will


  The ability humans have to make a real choice between genuine alternatives
• Christians believe free will is a gift from God, given to human beings at creation
• Free will means that human beings aren't like programmed robots, which means their obedience to God and their worship is meaningful
• When human beings go against God's will, they are misusing free will, so it can be seen as a cause of suffering and alienation from God, the world and each other
• The misuse of free will is shown in the story of Adam and Eve who disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit
• All human beings misuse their free will. No one is perfect. This is because we all give in to temptation
• Free will means people can be held responsible for what they decide to do
• Results of believing in free will


  • They might find it demoralising/worrying that they will not always use their free will in the right way
  • They could feel they need to take personal responsibility for their choices and behaviour, and might encourage others to do the same
  • Free will means that people really have the ability to change for the better
  • They might approach decisions thoughtfully, maybe by looking at the guidance in scripture or by asking 'What would Jesus do?'
  • They might ask for God's help to keep out of temptation's way
  • If they believe in predestination, they might feel they can't be held responsible for their choices, as they are already decided