Q1 - Catholic Belief part A

• The Bible


  The Holy Book of all Christians throughout the world
• Parts of the Old Testament

  • Law
  • History
  • Prophets
  • Wisdom
• The Bible is divided into sixty-six different books that are split into two distinct parts - the Old Testament and the New Testament
• Parts of the New Testament

  • Gospels
  • Acts of the Apostles
  • Letters
  • Book of Revelation
• The Word of God


  Catholics regard the Bible as the Word of God, revealed by God and inspired by the Holy Spirit
• Deuteronomy 4:1-2: '"You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you."'
• The Bible


  • It is the most important source of authority for Christians as it contains the teachings of God and Jesus Christ
  • It is used in acts of worship, prayer and ceremonies
  • Scripture is used throughout the Mass and as the basis for prayers and the entire Mass
  • Passages from the Bible are used during the celebration of the Sacraments and other ceremonies
• At a funeral a Bible is placed on the coffin lid as a reminder that the deceased lived their life following the Word of God
• Aims of the Bible writers

  To inform people about God, God's Laws, God's Teachings and God's Salvation
• Matthew's Gospel


  Written for Jewish converts to Christianity, includes many quotations from the Jewish Scriptures to show that Jesus was the fulfilment of God's promise about the Messiah
• Mark's Gospel


  Concentrates on the last week before Jesus died, shows how Jesus accepted suffering and won final victory over death and evil, main purpose was to encourage the Church in Rome which was suffering persecution
• Luke's Gospel


  Written by a Gentile writer for a Gentile Church, includes many stories to show that Jesus is the saviour of the whole world, shows how Jesus had time for the outsider, for people in society who were normally on the margins
• John's Gospel


  The only Gospel in which Jesus openly claims to be the Messiah, contains famous sayings like "I am the Light of the World" and "I am the Bread of Life"
• Interpretations of the Bible

  • Fundamentalist Christians
  • Conservative Christians
  • Liberal Christians
• Symbolism in the Bible

  The authors used symbolism to try and explain spiritual truths, it enriches the text and allows humanity to have a greater understanding of God and his truths
• Sources of authority for Catholics

  • The Bible
  • The Magisterium
  • The Apostolic Tradition
• Conscience


  A moral sense of right and wrong that must be educated through prayer, scripture and experience
• Natural Moral Law


  An absolutist theory developed by Thomas Aquinas, based on the belief that there is a natural order to the world designed by God, and that humans have free will and reason to follow this natural order
• The Bible offers help and advice in different situations, Jesus taught in parables so that people could relate those to their everyday lives
• Catholics should follow the teachings of the Bible as long as they do not come into conflict with the laws of the country, unless the country's laws go against human rights
• The Afterlife


  Catholics believe that human beings are made up of a body and a soul, the body is mortal and will die but the soul is immortal and will live on after death
• John 11:24-25: '"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live..."'
• John 3:16: '"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."'
• Christ's Resurrection offers proof of an afterlife, and fulfils the prophecies about the Messiah
• Parables about the afterlife

  • The Parable of the Pearl
  • The Parable of the Net
  • The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
• Individual Judgement


  Happens at the moment of death, when each individual will be judged on how they have lived their life, and their soul will then go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory
• Final Judgement


  Will come at the end of time, when all of humanity will be raised and each person's body and soul will be reunited, and everyone will be judged by Christ
• n took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.
• Christians believe that after death, they will be taken into the presence of God and they will be judged for the deeds they have done or failed to do during their lifetime.
• Individual Judgement


  Happens at the moment of death, when each individual will be judged on how they have lived their life. The soul will then either go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory.
• Final Judgement


  Will come at the end of time, when all of humanity will be raised and each person's body and soul will be reunited. Everyone will be judged by Christ who will have returned in all his glory.
• Heaven


  Eternity in the presence of God, a state of being rather than a physical place. The ultimate aim for all Catholics, so that their soul can be reunited with God and united with Christ.
• In the Gospels, Christ often describes and teaches about Heaven using parables, such as the Mustard Seed and the Pearl.
• Catholics believe that all of humanity has free will. This means that any decisions they make are completely their responsibility.
• Hell


  A place of eternal fire that symbolises pain and suffering, the result of the refusal to accept the happiness that God wants people to share with him. Eternity in the absence of God.
• Purgatory


  A place where some people who have sinned are purified in a 'cleansing fire', after which they are accepted into Heaven.
• The Catholic Church teaches that after death there is a state of Purgatory.
• The Liturgical Year is the Church's year that is divided into different seasons based on the Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Seasons of the Liturgical Year

  • Advent
  • Christmas
  • Ordinary Time
  • Lent
  • Easter
  • Ordinary Time
• By celebrating the Liturgical Year, a Catholic is celebrating the life and mystery of Christ.