christian beliefs

• Trinity


  Christians believe that there is only one god but in three different forms: father, son and the holy spirit
• Christians pray to the Father

  They do so in the knowledge that he cares for them and is so powerful that he can answer their prayers
• The son


  Died to redeem the sins of humanity and worship often happy as Christians express their thanks to Jesus for the sacrifice he made
• The importance of the trinity is shown as Christians are baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the holy spirit
• Genesis 1


  Shows how god made the world in six days and rested on the seventh
• Genesis 2-3


  God made Adam first and Eve out of Adam's ribs. However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were banished from the Garden of Eden
• Views on the creation story


  • Liberal/metaphorical view - they see the creation story as an understanding that God is the creator of all things
  • Literal view - they believe the bible is a sacred word of god and should be interpreted literally
• Role of the spirit

  The Holy Spirit is present to protect what has and will be created
• Role of the word


  Jesus was present with the Father in the action of creation. The word is the source of life
• Incarnation


  Jesus is god incarnate. Mary was a virgin and was conceived by the holy spirit, this shows that Jesus was not a normal human being
• Incarnation shows God's love and is the process of salvation
• "the word became flesh": 'Shows that Jesus was the son of god and took the physical form'
• Incarnation enables the relationship between god and humans to be restored
• Last supper


  Night before Jesus was crucified and shared bread and wine with his disciples. This is significant because Jesus showed that he knew what was going to happen and his teachings started to become true
• The Crucifixion


  Jesus was crucified on a Friday and was mocked. This is significant because it was proof that he was a god incarnate and it brought about the forgiveness of humanity's sin. It also helped restore the relationship between god and humans
• Jesus' resurrection


  Jesus rose from the dead three days after he died. This is significant to Christians because it was proof that his teachings are true and it also means that life after death is possible
• Christians believe if they have faith in Jesus and follow his teachings they would be reunited with god in heaven after they die
• Jesus ascension


  Jesus disappeared after the resurrection and rose up to heaven
• Christians believe that his death forgave their sins
• Salvation


  The perfect relationship between god and humans was broken by Adam and Eve. Sin brought death into the world. By dying on the cross, Jesus paid the price for human sin which is known as atonement
• Christians believe that because of Jesus' sacrifice, they are now able to have a relationship with God and be saved from the power and consequences of sin
• Because of this Christians try to live good and avoid sinning
• Christian eschatology


  • Evangelical protestants believe in the body's resurrection and the day of judgement
  • Liberal protestants - believe in the immortality of the soul in heaven and hell is not a real place, but a state of separation from god
  • Catholics - believe in heaven and hell and purgatory ( place of purification )
• Problem of Evil


  God is benevolent ( all good and loving ), God is omnipotent (all-powerful) and can do anything, God is omniscient (all-knowing). Natural evil - suffering caused by natural events. Moral evil - suffering caused by human actions. If evil and suffering exist it means that god doesn't exist because if he did there would be no evil and suffering
• Divergent solutions to the problem of evil


  • Suffering is part of life which can help Christians form a stronger relationship with god
  • The free will defence - god created humans with free will so we are the cause of evil