re key terms

• Creation ex nihilo


  Creation out of nothing. Before God created the universe, nothing existed. Only God can create out of nothing.
• Evolution


  The process of mutation and natural selection which leads to changes in species over time to suit particular environments.
• Imago Dei


  In the image of God. The belief that human beings are uniquely a reflection of God's personhood. Unlike the other animals, human beings are rational, free and moral.
• Inspiration


  "God breathed" The belief that the Spirit of God guides an individual to act or write what is good and true.
• Omnipotence


  The belief that God is all powerful.
• Revelation


  The word used to describe all of the ways in which God makes himself known to human beings. Christians believe that God does this finally and fully in the person of Jesus Christ.
• Stewardship


  The duty to care for creation responsibly, as stewards rather than consumers, and to protect it for future generations.
• Transcendence


  Existing outside of space and time; God exists In a way that makes him nothing like anything else that exists, above and beyond creation.
• Conscience


  Good and Evil. Human reason making moral decisions. The knowledge we have of what is right and wrong and the God-given compulsion within all human beings to do what is right and to avoid what is evil.
• Death


  The end of physical life. When the physical body ceases completely to function.
• Eternal life


  The term used to refer to life in heaven after death. Also, the phrase Jesus uses to describe a state of living as God intends which leads to this life in heaven
• Heaven


  Those who have accepted God's grace and forgiveness in this life will enjoy an eternal existence in God's presence in the next life. This face to face encounter with God is what we call "Heaven".
• Hell


  Those who through the exercise of their own free will ultimately reject God's grace and forgiveness, will have chosen to live eternally outside of God's presence. This total lack of God for all eternity is what we call "Hell".
• Judgement


  At the end of our life, we will be faced with an ultimate choice to choose God or reject God. The decision we take leads to judgement and decides whether we 'go' to Heaven or Hell.
• Magisterium


  The teaching authority of the Church, exercised by the bishops in communion with the Pope. The magisterium is given grace by the Holy Spirit to faithfully interpret the Scriptures and Tradition.
• Resurrection


  The raising of the body to life again after death. Christians believe that Jesus has already experienced resurrection and that all people will experience it at the end of time.
• Soul


  The eternal part of a human being given at conception which lives on after the death of the body. Also a name for a human being's rational nature-their mind.
• Absolutism


  The belief that there are certain actions that are always right or always wrong. The belief that moral laws exist eternally and are not just human inventions.
• Evil


  The absence of good and the impulse to seek our own desires at the expense of the good of others which often results in suffering.
• Free-will


  The decision making part of a person's mind is called the will. A will is free if a person is able to choose right from wrong without being controlled by other forces.
• Goodness


  The quality of being like God: seeking the well-being of others selflessly.
• Incarnation


  "Made flesh" The Christian belief that God became man in the person of Jesus, fully human and fully divine.
• Natural Law


  The moral laws of right and wrong which are universal and not dependent on human laws. The belief in natural law is the belief that the moral law is discoverable by every human being and is the same for all human beings in all places at all times
• Privation


  The loss or absence of a quality or something that is normally present. Evil is a privation of good.
• Suffering


  Pain or loss which harms human beings. Some suffering is caused by other human beings (often called moral evil); some is not (often called natural evil).
• Sin


  Acting against the will or laws of God.
• Eucharist


  Meaning "thanksgiving". The name Catholics use to describe the rite where the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus and is received by the people. Also the name for the real presence of Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
• Evangelisation


  Literally means spreading the "good news" which we translate as Gospel. The sharing of the Gospel and life of Jesus with others.
• Forgiveness


  The act of pardoning someone for the offences they have caused you. Overlooking a person's faults.
• Punishment


  The consequences of a wrong decision and a penalty imposed by a person in authority on the person who has committed wrongdoing.
• Relativism


  The belief that there is no moral law and that rules that govern what is right and wrong are human inventions and change from place to place and from age to age.
• Salvation


  The belief that through Jesus' death and resurrection humanity has achieved the possibility of life forever with God.