Christianity beliefs and practices

• Christianity


  A monotheistic religion that began around 2,000 years ago with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
• 4 key concepts in Christianity

  • Sin
  • Salvation
  • Monotheism
  • Eternal life
• Christianity


  • Centered around Jesus Christ
  • Underpinned by 4 key concepts: sin, salvation, monotheism, eternal life
• Christianity is a monotheistic religion
• Monotheism


  Belief in one God
• Trinity


  Christians believe there is one God known through three different persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• Omnipotent


  All powerful
• Omni benevolent


  All loving
• Just


  Fair and righteous
• Existence of evil and suffering

  Raises problems for Christian beliefs about God's omnipotence and omni benevolence
• Theodicy


  A defense of God, a way that Christians seek to reconcile their belief in God with the existence of evil and suffering
• 3 Christian responses to the problem of evil and suffering


  • Free will defense
  • Limitations of God
  • Greater good
• Free will defense


  Moral evil is caused by human beings who have been given free will by God, not by God himself
• The free will defense does not account for natural evil
• Free Will defense: 'Moral evil is not caused by God, it is caused by human beings who God has lovingly given free will'
• St Augustine's original sin defense: 'Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, bringing sin and suffering into the world. We are all born sinful because of their original sin.'
• John Hick's soul-making theodicy: 'Evil and suffering are part of God's plan, as they help us grow and develop our character to become worthy of entering heaven.'
• Three Christian responses to the problem of evil

  • Free Will defense
  • Original sin defense
  • Soul-making theodicy
• Trinity


  The three parts of God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• Jesus taught to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• The Trinity is like a Twix bar


  It is one bar made up of three distinct layers that are all equally important
• Importance of the Trinity for Christians

  • It is the central belief of Christianity
  • It underpins every other Christian belief
  • It distinguishes Christianity from other religions
• The Apostles' Creed sets out the key Christian beliefs about the Trinity
• Genesis 1:1 teaches that God created the heavens and the earth
• The Gospel of John teaches that Jesus, the Word, was present at creation
• The seven days of creation in Genesis

  • Day 1: Light created
  • Day 2: Sky created
  • Day 3: Dry land, sea, plants and trees created
  • Day 4: Sun, moon and stars created
  • Day 5: Sea creatures and birds created
  • Day 6: Land animals and humans created
  • Day 7: God rested
• God saw all that he had made and it was very good
• Two ways Christians understand the Genesis creation account

  • Fundamentalist/Literalist view: Genesis is literally true, rejecting evolution and the Big Bang
  • Liberal/Metaphorical view: Genesis contains spiritual and moral truths but is not literally true, science explains how God created the world
• Some people interpret the Bible as literally true, while others believe it contains important moral and spiritual truths but should not be understood as literally true
• Fundamentalist view: Genesis is literally true, God created everything in six literal days followed by a day of rest
• Liberal view: Genesis is metaphorically true, it contains spiritual and moral truths but is not literally true, science explains how God created the world through the Big Bang and evolution
• Belief in life after death is a key part of Christianity
• Jesus rose from the dead according to the four Gospels
• If Christ has not been raised, Christian faith is pointless and people are still in their sins
• Eschatological


  A religion concerned with life after death
• Resurrection


  The key event on Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead, giving Christians hope they can rise from the dead as well
• Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life, the one who believes in me will live even though they die"
• Judgment


  Christians believe there will be a day of judgment at the end of time when God will decide the destination of people's souls
• Means of salvation


  • Faith alone
  • Good works
• The parable of the sheep and the goats teaches that on the day of judgment, God will separate people based on whether they have done good works or not