RE - Christianity

• Eschatology


  Religious beliefs about death, judgement and life after death
• Christian beliefs about eschatology

  • Evangelical Protestants believe in resurrection of the body after death, the body stays in the grave until the Last Day, when Jesus will return to earth to declare the end of the world and judge the good from the bad
  • Liberal Protestants believe in immortality of the soul - at death the body dies, but the soul lives on in a spiritual world. They believe that hell is not a real place but a separation from God. Some Liberals believe that all souls will be given a second chance to make it to heaven
  • Catholic Christians believe that after death, the perfectly purified will go to heaven, evil people will go to hell and those with venial sins will go to purgatory where they will be purified before going to heaven. They believe that once the sins of the world are purified, all will go to heaven, but the soul in hell will remain there
• Belief in resurrection is taught by St Paul, especially in 1 Corinthians 15
• Belief in immortality of the soul comes from Jesus saying to the thief on the cross, "This day you will be with me in paradise", and from Moses and Elijah appearing at Jesus' transfiguration
• The final judgement and being sent to heaven and hell is taught clearly in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
• The Bible is full of references to heaven as the abode of God and the angels
• St Paul in 2 Corinthians teaches that Christians long for heaven and because they are aiming for heaven, they lead good lives
• Hell is not a real place but a separation from God
• All souls will be given a chance to make it to heaven
• Protestants do not believe in hell
• Catholic Christians believe that after death, the perfectly pure will go to heaven, evil people will go to hell and those in between will go to purgatory where they will be purified
• Immortality of the soul

  The idea that the soul continues to exist after the death of the body
• Purgatory


  A place where Catholic Christians believe souls go after death to be purified
• St Paul says in 1 Corinthians that the dead will be raised at the end of the world
• In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus says that God will sort the good (those who help the suffering) from the bad (those who do not help the suffering) and send the good to heaven and the bad to hell
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that sinful Christians will go to purgatory to be purified
• Natural suffering is suffering caused by nature and has nothing to do with humans
• Moral suffering is suffering caused by the actions of humans
• Omniscient


  Knowing everything that has happened and everything that is going to happen
• The Psalms say that God is all-loving, his love is as high as the heavens are above the earth
• The Book of Job and the Psalms say that God is all-powerful, he can do anything
• Free will


  The idea that human beings are free to make their own choices
• Intercessionary prayers


  Prayers asking God's help for other people
• Psalms


  A book of the Old Testament containing 150 sacred songs
• Vale of soul making


  The idea that God gave people this life to make their souls good enough for heaven
• The Book of Psalms says that being afflicted by suffering leads to greater understanding of God
• The Book of Job says God is so wonderful that his actions cannot be questioned
• Cohabitation


  Living as man and wife without being married
• Faithfulness


  Staying with your marriage partner and having sex only with them
• Lifelong relationship


  The idea that marriage can only be ended by the death of a partner
• Monogamy


  Marriage to only one person at a time
• Adultery


  Sexual act between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner
• Civil partnerships


  Legal ceremonies giving homosexual partners the same legal rights as husband and wife
• Cohabitation


  Living together in a sexual relationship without being married
• Consensual sex


  When both parties freely agree to sexual activity
• Homophobia


  Hatred or fear of homosexuals
• Homosexuality


  Sexual attraction to someone of the same sex
• Pre-marital sex


  Sexual activity before marriage
• The Catechism says that sex must only take place within marriage
• St Paul said that homosexuals will never enter heaven