re key terms-paper 1

• suffering

  pain or loss which harms human beings. some suffering is cause by other human beings (often called moral evil) some is not ( often called natural evil)
• privation

  the loss or absence of a quality that is normally present. Evil is a privation of good
• natural law

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

  `made flesh` the christian belief that god became man in the person of Jesus fully human and fully divine
• goodness

  the quality of being like god: seeking the well-being of others selflessly
• free will

  the decision-making part of a persons mind. A will is free is a person is able to choose right from wrong without being controlled by other forces
• 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
• conscience

  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 avoid what is evil
• inspiration

  `god breathed` The belief that the spirit of God guides an individual to act or write what is good and true
• imago dei

  in the image of god. The belief that human beings are uniquely a refelction of gods personhood. unlike the other animals human beings are rational, free and moral
• evolution

  the process of mutation and natural selection which leads to changes in the species over time to suit particular environments
• creation ex nihilo

  means creation out of nothing. before god created the universe, nothing existed. Only god can create out of nothing
• 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
• stewardship

  the duty to care for creation responsibly, as stewards rather than consumers, and to protect it for future generations
• revelation

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

  belief that god is all powerful