Beliefs and Teachings

• The Trinity


  God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
• The Trinity is stated in the Nicene Creed
• The Trinity


  • Rejected in worship: Mass begins with the name of the Trinity, belief is stated in the Nicene Creed during mass, main belief in the Nicene Creed, helps Christians understand God's presence
• How the Trinity is used in life


  Gives Catholics a spiritual sense of God, gives a sense of how God is active and present in the world, teaches Catholics that we must work together to bring God's love to the world
• Christians worship one God, as taught in the Bible, creed, magisterium and the Catechism of the Catholic Church
• God the Father


  Like a loving father-child relationship, loves and cares for his creation, provides and protects for his people
• God the Son


  Became a human being, worship Jesus because he is God, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit
• God the Holy Spirit


  Now God communicates with humans, helps preserve and explain teachings, all sacraments put believers into communion with Christ
• The biblical understanding of God as the Trinity is found in the Old Testament, where God speaks the word and the Spirit hovers over creation, and in the New Testament, where Jesus' final words to the disciples are baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in the writings of St Paul and St Peter
• The accounts in the Gospels clearly show the Trinity, with God the Son being baptised, God the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and God the Father speaking from Heaven
• The importance of the Trinity for Catholics


  • Helps understand God's power, creativity and care for the world and its people, understand the love of God, his sacrifice and promise of eternal life, understand the presence of God and the strength it brings
• Monarchianism


  Belief that Jesus was an ordinary man who was adopted by God
• Arianism


  Belief that the Son was created at the beginning of the universe, the Son is a god, but not God
• The Church Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople explained the doctrine of the Trinity in the Nicene Creed, which affirms Jesus' nature and the Trinity
• Only the councils accepted by all Catholics are the Nicaea and Constantinople councils
• Fundamentalist Protestants don't accept the big bang theory or evolution, while liberal Protestants accept the big bang theory and evolution
• Catholics believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, expressed in human words, while Protestants have different views on the nature of the Bible
• Genesis 1-3 teaches Catholics about God's nature, the sacredness of life, and the need to treat creation carefully and with respect
• We are created in God's image


  We have free will, a conscience and reason, we are capable of moral knowledge and freedom to choose between good and evil
• The Catholic teaching on the nature of humanity


  • Each human is special, unique and sacred, humans are more than animals, humans have fundamental human rights
• Humanity's relationship with creation


  Being in the image of God gives humans responsibility to care for the planet God has created, we should regard creation as a gift from God and be stewards responsible for completing the work of creation
• Different understandings of humanity's relationship with creation


  • Humanists: don't believe in God, believe in reason and science, believe people need to care for the planet
  • Atheists: some think people should work to preserve the environment for the future, others think the world is to be enjoyed by people now
• Stewardship


  Christianity has a responsibility to look after creation and pass it on to future generations in a better state, ensure creation is not exploited, ensure the earth's resources are shared fairly, ensure humans treat God's creation justly and harmoniously
• Non-Catholic Christians have the same beliefs about the nature of humanity's relationship with creation as Catholics
• The Incarnation


  The belief that God became human in Jesus, Jesus was the son of God therefore Catholics believe his conception was not normal, Mary was a virgin before and after Jesus' birth, the only way God could become man
• The importance of the virgin birth to Catholics


  • Jesus was the son of God (not just a chosen human), God was in him and he was in God, Jesus had two natures - human and divine
• The virgin birth is described in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke
• The importance of the Incarnation


  Shows how much God cares for the world that he came to earth in Jesus to save people from their sins, the incarnate word of God allows humans to see what God is like, God began the process of salvation from sin
• Events of the Paschal Mystery


  1. The Last Supper: Jesus shared the bread (body) and wine (blood), establishing the Eucharist

  2. Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus was arrested

  3. The Trials: Jesus was condemned to death

  4. The Crucifixion: Jesus was crucified, bringing forgiveness from sin

  5. The Resurrection and Ascension: Jesus' body was gone, he appeared to disciples, ascended to Heaven, leaving the Holy Spirit
• The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus' offering of himself was for salvation, symbolised by him breaking the bread, and his resurrection promises resurrection for all believers
• int him
• The Nature of salvation and Grace


  being saved from sin (original or personal)
• sin maxes is difficult to have a relationship with God


  Jesus came to restore the relationship
• important because were can be no relationship with coa
• important because a person's sins will prevent them from entering neaven
• important because the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to bring Salvation
• Mercy


  that is undeserved
• Christ died for humanity's sins without numan doing anything to deserve it
• by baptism, everyone receives that grace
• Graces


  • Sacramental graces
  • Special graces
  • Special calling