Christianity

• The oneness of God is important to Christians because:

  The first of the 10 commandments states, "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus)

  • It is clearly taught throughout the Bible.

  • It is the teaching of the Church, as seen in the Creeds and other important teaching documents, such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

  • When asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, "The most important one is this, 'Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one'." (Mark)
• Significance of the trinity in Christian belief and worship:

  Priests bless their congregations "In the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

  • People are baptised and married "In the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

  • Most traditional worship services include the reciting of either the Nicene Creed or the Apostles' Creed, both of which describe belief in the Trinity.
• Genesis begins with an account of creation. Key points include:

  → "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis)

  → God creates plants, birds, sea creatures, animals and finally human beings in 6 days.

  → Human beings are created "in the image of God" (Genesis), showing that they have a special status.

  → Human beings are placed in charge of the earth on God's behalf - stewardship.

  → God's creation was perfect, "God saw what he had made and it was very good." (Genesis)

  → On the 7th day God rested

  → God'somnipotenceisemphasisedashecreateswithjustaword,eg"Lettherebelight,"(Genesis)and it happens
• Christians believe that the three persons of the Trinity were involved in creation:

  • God the Father "Created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis)

  • Genesis chapter 1 states, "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters", which Christians believe is a reference to the Holy Spirit.

  • John's Gospel begins with the words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... Through him all things were made." The Word is a reference to Jesus; Christians believe that Jesus was also present and involved in creation.
• The creation story is important to Christians today because:

  • It reminds them that the earth and everything in it belongs to God.

  • Human beings are the only creatures created in God's image, so they have a special dignity and value.

  • Human beings have been given the responsibility of being stewards, to care for the earth on God's behalf.

  • People will be judged by God on the way they treat the world and its inhabitants.
• Incarnation


  • Incarnation is the Christian belief that God became a human being in Jesus. John the Gospel writer says, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

  • Jesus was both fully God and fully man. As God, Jesus had the power to perform miracles, forgive sins and live a sinless life. As a man, he experienced hunger and thirst.

  • Jesus makes God known to human beings. "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." (John)

  • Christians believe that the incarnation shows God's supreme love for humanity since it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that people's sins can be forgiven and they can have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John)
• The Last Supper


  • The Last Supper took place in Jerusalem on the night before Jesus' crucifixion.

  • Jesus was celebrating the Jewish festival of Passover with his disciples. The Passover meal uses symbolic food and drink to recall the rescue of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

  • Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples and gave them new meanings. The bread is Jesus' body, "Take, eat, this is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke) The wine is his blood, "This is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you." (Luke)

  • Jesus predicted that he would be betrayed by one of his disciples and that his disciple Peter would deny knowing him three times.

  • Jesus washed his disciples' feet.
• The last supper is important for Christians because:

  ➢ The Last Supper forms the basis of the Eucharist - the drinking of wine and breaking of bread at weekly worship for most Christians - a way of remembering Jesus' sacrifice.

  ➢ Jesus taught by example the importance of humility and serving others - Jesus demonstrates this by washing his disciples' feet.
• Betrayal and Arrest


  Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives when Judas arrived with the chief priests and temple guards. Some of the disciples wanted to fight, but Jesus told them to put their swords away.

  Jesus was taken away to the house of the High Priest. Peter followed at a distance, but when questioned, he denied being a follower of Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted he would.
• The Trials of Jesus

  First, Jesus was taken before the Jewish council which charged him with blasphemy (speaking disrespectfully about God). They did not have the power to sentence him to death, so they took him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, asking for his execution.

  Pilate could find no evidence against Jesus, so eventually, he offered the people a choice - he would release either Jesus or another prisoner, Barabbas. The people chose for Barabbas to be freed, and for Jesus to be condemned to death.
• Crucifixion


  - Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Good Friday).

  - A sign on the cross said he was king of the Jews and he was mocked by bystanders who challenged him to escape death.

  - Jesus spent more than three hours on the cross before he died.

  - Roman soldiers pierced his side with a spear to check that he was really dead.
• Crucifixion is important to Christians because:

  The crucifixion is the ultimate sign of God's love for humanity, since God chose to allow his only Son to die in such an agonising way to bring about forgiveness from sin and atonement. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John)
• Resurrection


  - As it was nearly the Sabbath, Jesus' body was hastily buried in a tomb with a large stone was placed over the entrance.

  - On the Sunday morning, women went to anoint the body with spices, but found the tomb empty.

  - Two angels appeared to them and told them that Jesus had risen.

  - The women then passed this on to the disciples, who did not believe the women and came to see the empty tomb for themselves.

  - Jesus appeared to two of his followers travelling to a village named Emmaus, near Jerusalem. These two returned and told the disciples what they had seen.

  Jesus then appeared to the disciples, showing his hands and feet and allowing them to touch him.
• Resurrection is important to Christians because:

  This event is important for Christians because:

  ➢ It proves to them that Jesus really was the Son of God.

  ➢ It reassures them that death is not the end.

  ➢ The resurrection is the basis of the Christian faith. Saint Paul wrote, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Corinthians)
• Ascension


  - The ascension is the return of Christ to heaven which took place 40 days after the resurrection, according to Gospel of Luke.

  - Jesus was taken up from his disciples in a cloud; two angels appear and explain to the disciples that Jesus has been taken to heaven.
• Ascension is important to Christians because:

  They believe this removed Jesus from the limitations of being in human form, enabling him to be present to all followers wherever they are
• Salvation


  - For Christians, salvation means to be saved from sin and the consequences of sin.

  - Salvation means that Christians can enjoy eternal life in heaven with God.

  - Another important terms for Christians is atonement (comes from 'at-one-ment') which refers to the idea that the death of Jesus makes it possible for human to be reconciled (brought back into a good relationship) with God.
• What is atonement?


  Idea that the death of Jesus makes it possible for humans to be reconciled (brought back into a good relationship) with god
• Why do people need to be saved?

  - When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin and death came into the world and the perfect relationship between God and human beings was broken.

  - As a further result of this original sin, human nature was damaged beyond repair and all subsequent generations are born sinful.

  - Sin is a barrier which separates people from the utter holiness and perfection of God; humans are unable to overcome this barrier by themselves.

  - Christians believe that only God could save human beings from sin, and he did this through the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ:

  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John)
• How does Jesus' death make atonement possible?

  ➢ A ransom - some Christians see the death of Christ as a ransom paid to free captive humanity from the clutches of the Devil. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark)

  ➢ A sacrifice for sin - in Temple times, the Jews sacrificed animals each year at Yom Kippur to ask God for forgiveness. As God incarnate, Jesus' death was worth far more than any other sacrifice and paid the price for human sin. Saint Paul writes, "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews).

  ➢ A substitute - God's justice requires that human beings should be punished for their sin, but God's love means that he chose to take the punishment upon himself by being born as a human being and suffering on our behalf. This idea is also known as 'penal substitution'.

  ➢ Moral change - other Christians believe that the way Jesus brought about atonement was by acting as a moral example to humanity. They believe that through his teachings, the example he set in life and most of all through his death on the cross, Jesus showed God's love for humankind. According to this view, salvation comes from living the Christian life and following the teachings and example of Jesus.
• Christian eschatology


  Christian eschatology refers to Christian beliefs about death, judgement, heaven and hell and the last times.
• Why do Christians believe in life after death?

  • Christians believe in life after death because the Bible states that Jesus was himself raised to life on the first Easter Sunday. Christians believe that Jesus' death and resurrection have made it possible for them to have eternal life.

  • Another reason why Christians believe in life after death is that Jesus spoke about it on a number of occasions. For example,

  o "Iamtheresurrectionandthelife.Theonewhobelievesinmewilllive,eventhoughtheydie."(John) o According to Luke's Gospel, Jesus said to the thief crucified alongside him, "Truly, I say to you, today

  you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke)

  • Christians believe in life after death because the Bible talks about it and because all the denominations of the Christian Church teach that death is not the end. For example, the Nicene Creed states,

  o "He [Jesus] will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead."

  o "We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."

  • Many Christians believe in life after death because it gives their lives meaning and purpose. They feel that for life to end at death does not make sense. A life after death, in which people will be judged, the good rewarded and the evil punished, makes sense of this life and helps to explain why God allows people to suffer on earth.
• Roman Catholics belief about life after death


  ➢ Stage 1 - The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that when an individual dies, there is a 'particular

  judgement'. The immortal soul is judged and goes either to life in heaven, hell or purgatory.

  Heaven is a place or a state of existence with no hunger, thirst, pain, sickness or death and where humans will be in God's presence. Only those who are totally free from sin can enter heaven.

  Purgatory is a temporary place, or state, in which the soul is purged or purified until it is fit for heaven.

  Hell is a place of punishment. The Bible describes it as a place of fire and torment and separation from God. Some Christians believe in hell as an actual physical place, whilst others think of hell as a state in which one is cut off from God forever. Other Christians believe that the wicked will simply cease to exist when they die since they do not believe an all loving God would wish people to suffer for ever.

  ➢ Stage 2 - At some point in the future, Christ will return in glory. There will be a general resurrection of the dead and each soul will be reunited with its transformed resurrection bodyThere will be a Last Judgement, followed by the transformation of the universe. There will be a new heaven and a new earth and God will dwell with humans. This is described in the Book of Revelation.
• Protestant beliefs on life after death

  Many Protestant Christians hold very similar beliefs to those of Catholics, although most Protestants do not believe in purgatory because it is not specifically mentioned in the Bible.

  Whilst most Protestant churches teach that there will be a resurrection of the dead and a Day of judgement, some Protestants prefer to think of the afterlife in terms of immortality of the soul rather than resurrection.
• Most Christians believe that people will be judged on their faith and their actions:


  Faith - according to John's Gospel, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the

  Father except through me." (John) This suggests that only those who believe in Jesus will be saved.

  Good deeds - Jesus told the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats about the Day of Judgement. In it, the people are divided into two groups; the righteous, the sheep, are sent to heaven, whilst the wicked, the goats, are sent to hell. When each group asks what they have done to deserve their reward or punishment, they are told that whenever they chose to help or ignore someone in need, it was as if they were helping or ignoring Jesus:

  "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

  "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew)
• What is Moral evil and suffering?

  evil and suffering caused by human beings, eg murder, theft.
• What is Natural evil and suffering?

  evil and suffering caused by nature, eg earthquakes, tsunamis
• Why is the existence of evil and suffering a problem for Christians?

  - If God created human beings in his image, why do they do such terrible things to one another?

  - If God created the world and saw that it was "very good" (Genesis), why are there natural disasters like earthquakes and famines?

  The problem of evil is sometimes explained through the inconsistent triad:

  - If God is omnipotent (all-powerful), he must be able to stop suffering.

  - If God is omnibenevolent (all-loving and good), he must want to prevent suffering.

  BUT suffering exists. Does this mean that God doesn't really love us or isn't really all-powerful? Does it mean there is no God?
• How do Christians respond to evil and suffering?

  ➢ Many Christians say that God created humans with free will, the ability to choose between right and wrong, not to be like robots. So, evil and suffering are caused by people, not by God.

  ➢ The Book of Job explores three answers to the problem of evil and suffering, 1. That suffering is a test, 2. That suffering is a punishment for sin, and 3. That suffering is part of God's plan, which is beyond human understanding.

  ➢ Some Christians respond to suffering by remembering that it is only temporary and that they will go to heaven for ever, a place where there will be "no more death or mourning or crying or pain." (Revelation)

  ➢ John Hick suggested that human beings were created in the image of God, but had to grow and develop into the likeness of God. Evil and suffering are part of our world because they help us to learn, grow and develop as people. Hick described our world as a 'vale of soul making', a place where we can develop and improve our characters as we respond to our own suffering and to the suffering of others. Suffering can make us stronger, more courageous and more compassionate. Eventually, everyone will be transformed into the likeness of God, whether that is in this life or in the afterlife.

  ➢ Christians believe that Jesus suffered and died to save humans and allow them to have eternal life. God knows what it is like to suffer and will be with people in their suffering.

  ➢ For many Christians there is no point worrying about where evil and suffering come from, it is more important to try to do something about it! Jesus also told his followers to help those who are suffering (eg Parable of the Sheep and the Goats). Christians may help by praying for those in need, or by giving practical help, like giving to charity visiting the sick and elderly, organising hostels for the homeless etc.
• Causes of Conflict


  - some wars are fought over territory

  - religion can be factor in wars e.g. Jews, Muslims and Christians all regard Jerusalem as a holy city and have fought over it.
• Problems caused by conflict

  Casualties - many people die or are injured in conflicts. Some of these are soldiers, but often civilians are caught up. As well as the obvious physical injuries, many people are left with psychological and emotional damage.

  Displacement - war can destroy homes and cities and cause people to flee from areas of conflict. This leads to the question of what should happen to refugees.

  Expense - the cost of funding an army and modern weaponry is huge, but even more money is usually required to rebuild roads, cities, and other infrastructure destroyed by conflict. The cost of providing emergency assistance for refugees and medical provision for the wounded must also be considered.

  Hatred and resentment - even when hostilities cease, the underlying cause of the conflict may remain unresolved. If there is still hatred and resentment between different sides of the conflict, this can lead to a build-up of tension and prevent a long lasting peace from being achieved.
• Christian responses to the problems caused by conflict

  Christians will:

  - pray for those affected by conflict

  - support charities which provide practical aid. Charities like Christian Aid help refugees fleeing from war by providing food, clothing, shelter and medical care.
• Christians should work towards peace because:

  • Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew)

  • Jesus also said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew)

  • When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, the Gospels say that the disciples drew their swords to fight and that one of them cut off the ear of the High Priest's servant. Jesus rebuked the disciples, telling them, "All who draw the sword will die by the sword," (Matthew) showing that violence is never the answer. He then healed the servant's ear.

  • One of the titles for the Messiah is 'Prince of Peace' and Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The Prophet Isaiah said that in the time of the Messiah, "They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Isaiah)

  • In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught, "Love your neighbour as yourself." (Luke) By 'neighbour', Jesus meant everyone, even people you might normally consider your enemy.

  • Saint Paul wrote, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans)
• The importance of justice, forgiveness and reconciliation to peacemaking


  Christians believe that justice, forgiveness and reconciliation are essential to peacemaking.
• What does justice mean?

  Justice means fairness. A just society is one in which laws are applied without bias, human rights are protected and resources like food, money and housing are shared fairly.
• Justice in Christianity


  ➢ The Bible says, "Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (Amos) and describes God as, "A just God and a saviour." (Isaiah)

  ➢ Christians believe it is important to work for justice in the world if they are to put Jesus' teachings about concern for the poor and the vulnerable into practice. If a society and its laws are unjust, civil unrest can develop and people may not obey the law. If people feel they are not being treated justly, they are likely to become resentful and this can lead to conflict.
• What does forgiveness mean in Christianity


  ➢ Forgiveness means to stop blaming someone for the wrong they have done. Forgiveness is a central teaching of Christianity.
• Forgiveness in Christianity


  ➢ The Lord's Prayer is recited regularly by many Christians. In it, Christians ask God to, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."

  ➢ When the disciple Peter asked how many times he should forgive a person who kept sinning against him, Jesus replied, "Seventy times seven." (Matthew) He meant we should always forgive.

  ➢ Even when he was dying on the cross, Jesus prayed for his executioners, saying "Father, forgive them." (Luke)
• What is Reconciliation? in Christianity

  ➢ Reconciliation means restoring a broken relationship, bringing together people who were opposed to one another. Christians believe that conflict can only be resolved and a lasting peace achieved if forgiveness and reconciliation take place. Without reconciliation, old resentments are likely to resurface and it will be impossible to move forward.
• A Christian group working for peace today:

  Pax Christi