Christianity

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  • Created by: Aman6942
  • Created on: 13-11-20 14:56

1.1) Trinity

- One God 

- One being experienced as 3 persons

- All equal, all eternal

- Oneness of God, shown in universe that God has created 

- Helps understand his presence 

- Helps understand power and creativity 

- Father; can get help from

- Jesus showed God's love by healing and feeding 

- Holy spirit = presence of God, communication

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1.1) Divergent Christians, witness and unitarians

Divergent christians:

- believe they are three separate beings 

- united for will and purpose 

Jehovah's witnesses:

- One true God 

- Holy spirit = God's power

Unitarians

- One God 

- Jesus whose teachings and life give him moral authority

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1.1) Trinity shown in belief and worship

- Repeat Nicine Creed in Holy communion 

- Catholic and Orthodox christians express belief by crossing themselves 

- Priests begin their sermon ( lecture by a preacher) with words of the Trinity

- Priests bless a congregration (a group of people assembled for religious worship) at the end of    services 

- Baptisms and marriages are performed in the name of the Trinity 

- Groups such as Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses dont believe in the Trinity 

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1.2) Creation of universe and humanity 1

  • Genesis 1: 

- God created the universe in six days

- Beggining with light

- Ending with humans 

"let there be light (Genesis 1:3) 

  • Genesis 2-3:

- Created heavens, Earths

- Created man, vegetation (forms of) animals then women

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1.2) Creation of universe and humanity 2

Divergent christians:

- Literalists:

  • Believe bible is the actual word of God 
  • Both accounts believe 
  • Dont accept scientific theories and evolution 

- Conservatives:

  • Bible word of God, not actual words 
  • Writers were inspired by God 
  • Believe Genesis 1 
  • Believe that Genesis 2-3 are poetic explanations for why evil and suffering is in the world 
  • Accept Big Bang and evolution 
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1.2) Creation of universe and humanity 3

- Liberals:

  • Believe bible is a book of words about God 
  • Believe universe created is by God 
  • Genesis 2-3 written by a different person
  • Accept Big Bang and evolution

- John's Gospel claims that everything was created by word which became flesh in Jesus

- Importance of creation for today:

  • Created humans in his image
  • Humans have dignity
  • Capable of self-knowledge
  • Free will / freedom
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1.3) Incarnation

- Believe in incarnation 

- Means God became man in Jesus

- This happened through virgin birth, therefore was both man and God 

- Jesus conceived by Holy spirit and was God on earth 

- Evidence from Gospels

- Evidence from Gospels of Mathew and Luke tell stories of Jesus's birth, Gospel of John, which explains how Jesus was God in human form 

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1.4) The last days of Jesus' life

- The last supper:

  • Final meal
  • Prophesied that one disciple would betray him
  • Shared wine and bread

- Judas betrayed Jesus

- Jesus crucified on good friday

- Robber crucified either side of Jesus

"father forgive them, for they do not know, what they are doing" (Luke 23:34)

- Resurrection, Jesus rose from the dead on easter sunday and appeared to disciples before going to heaven 

- Different accounts in Gospels

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1.5) The nature of salvation 1

- Sin = act against God's will

- Orginal sin:

  • Inherited by Adam and Eve

- Personal sin 

- Believe that unforgiven sins = not going to heaven

- Salvation = saved from sin

- Need to have relationship with God 

- All believe Jesus saved people from sin by his death

- Roman catholic orthodox and Anglicans believe can recieve salvation by:

  • receiving sacraments / confession
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1.5) The nature of salvation 2

Important because:

- Sin will prevent having a relationship with God, go to hell

- Only way to have eternal life 

- Jesus is the saviour whose death bought forgivness 

- Protestants believe salvation through sacraments of church and teachung + example of Jesus

- All believe it is important, because without it many will go hell

- liberals believe, inspires to live good life, salvation can be achieved 

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1.6) Christian eschatology 1

- Resurrection of body:

  • Judgement day

- Evangelical protestant:

  • idea that everyone will be raised on last day 

- Hell or heaven 

- Immortality of soul:

  • Body dies
  • Soul leaves body to live with God

- Liberal christians: 

  • Soul lives on after death in spirit world
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1.6) Christian eschatology 2

- Catholic christians:

  • Dies with sins forgiven, go to heaven
  • Unforgiven sins will go to purgatory to be purified 
  • Judgement day 

- Bible teaching:

- ST Paul says:

  • Non physical home in heaven
  • To please God
  • Everyone appear to God

- Important to day life after death:

  • Judged by God 
  • Live a good life 
  • sin prevents heaven, avoid commiting sins and gives purpose
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1.7) Problem of evil and suffering

- Moral suffering:

  • Suffering caused by humans with free will 
  • e.g war, **** and murder

- Natural suffering:

  • Not caused by humans
  • Caused by humans polluting atmosphere 
  • Natural disasters 

- Suffering cause people to question God:

  • Earth formed disaters by Big Bang 
  • Reject Gods existence 
  • why cause suffering 
  • If God is omnipotent (all powerful) he must remove suffering 
  • If God is omnibenevolent (all good) must want to remove suffering 
  • God should avoid suffering 
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1.8) Solutions to problems of evil and suffering

- Accept teaching in Bible that God has a reason, that humans cant understand

- Accept Bible teaching in Psalms, essential part of life 

- Not God's fault 

- Creating free people bought suffering, misuse of free will

- Suffering test to prepare for heaven 

- Praying for those who suffer 

- Helping who suffer 

- Intercessionary prayers: asking God's help for others

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3.1) Worship

- Worship = showing religious respect 

- Clergy usually wear vestments

- Liturgical worship is a set form with set prayers and bible readings 

- Main worship, most catholics

- Non liturgical worship; no set, free prayer (main form for protestants)

- All churches have informal worship

- Christians also worship in private 

- Liturgical:

  • part of their lives 
  • regular 
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3.2) Role of sacraments in Christian life

- Sacrament are celebration, mark stages in life

- Catholic and orthodox christians have:

  • 7 sacraments 
  • Recieve grace
  • bring closer to God

- Protestants just have Baptism and Eucharist

- christians baptised to remove sin and become members of the church

Importance of Eucharist 

  • Bread and wine of holy communion last supper 
  • Unites them with Jesus and eachother
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3.3) The nature and purpose of prayer

Prayer = attempt to contact God 

purposes of prayers: 

  • Praise God
  • Thank God 
  • To confess sins
  • Ask help

Types of prayers:

  • Set prayers (set times)
  • Informal prayers (anytime) 

Why pray importance:

  • Help them get things in prespective
  • Can bring inner peace
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3.4) Pilgrimage

Important to christians:

  • Believe it brings them closer to God

- Protestant are opposed as they think they broke commandment of worshipping idols

where:

  • Go to jerusalem to feel close to Jesus
  • Go to walsingham to feel close to virgin Mary
  • Go to Iona and Taize to become more united with other christians 
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3.5) Christian religious celebrations

- Advent is season before christmas remebering the coming of Jesus

- Christmas = celebrates the birth of Jesus. this is important because there would be no salvation from sin

- Holy week = remembering last week of Jesus's life 

- Easter day = celebrates Jesus rising from the dead. this is importantant because, it celebrates founding of eucharist, save from sin and rising from dead  to give christians hope of eternal life

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3.6) The future of the church

- Jesus told his disciples to try and convert the world to christianity 

- Christian missionaries try doing this 

- National missionary work involves churches together

- Catholic church organises European missions 

- Some christians think that missionary work is important because jesus' last command, better to love their neighbours

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3.7) The importance of the local church

Importance of local church:

- Provide worship

- Sacraments

- Oppurtunities to learn more 

Importnace to local church area because:

  • Provide schools 
  • Social facilities 
  • Advice centers
  • Run food banks 
  • Work with other churches to bring church unity
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3.8) The worldwide church

  • Tries to bring end to conflict 
  • Believe Jesus died to bring forgivness and reconciliation (bring opposed people together)
  • Church helps poor because Jesus' teaching say "love your neighbour"

Do this by:

  • Supporting christian aid
  • Which responds to emergencies and speak on behalf of poor
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4.1) origins and value of the universe

- The Big Bang is how the universe came into existence 

- Evidence for Big Bang is redshift effect 

- Solar system came from explosion

- Nature of earths allowed life to develop through evolution 

- Christians accept scientific explanations, believe Big Bang God created it

- Some christians believe science and bible 

- Some christians believe bible is right, science is wrong

- Most chritians believe Genesis 1:28 means christians had the duty to look after earth, God put them in charge

- Intelligiant designer is God for the universe as everything has a designer  

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4.2) Sanctity of life

- Christians believe life is holy, created by God 

- Bible shows human life is special 

- Only man has capacity for a relationship with God (Genesis 1:27)

- Humans dont have right to take life away 

Importance of life:

  • see abortion and euthansia as wrong

killing in war:

  • pacifism - refusing to fight in wars
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4.3) Origins and value of human life

- Science says human life originated through evolution 

- Genetic structure of life forms change

- Evolution causes issues for christians because it denies Adam and Eve 

- Christian respond in different ways, by rejecting evolution and accepting it is part of God's design plan

- Evolution is a issue as it it violence and suffering 

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4.4) The issue of abortion

- Abortion is allowed in britian if two doctors agree and a medical reason 

- some christians, (catholic and evangelical protestants) belive abortion is wrong, it is murder and against God's will

- Some christians believe abortion is wrong, but should be allowed in some circumstances 

Humanists and Atheists:

  • Foetus cannot be considered separate 
  • Women should have the right of what she wants
  • Automatic right for women who are ***** 
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4.5) Death and afterlife

- Believe in life after death because Jesus rose from the dead 

- Bible and church say there is life after death 

- People believe in life after death for non-religious reasons such as near death experiences 

- evidence of spirit world 

- evidence of remembering past lives

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4.6) Non-religious arguments against life after de

- some people dont believe in life after death, because they dont believe in God

- No scientific evidence for it, so dont see where life after death could take place

- Christians argue that these people ignore evidence in the Bible

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4.7) Euthanasia

- Giving easier death to those suffering

- British law says Euthanasia is a crime 

- All christians against, because believe that life is sacred and belongs to God 

Humanist and Atheist:

  • If the person realy wants it
  • Relatives request oin order to get a will
  • Doctors face problem as they are supposed to save
  • Change mind 
  • Doctors can assist suicide
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4.8) The natural world

Threats to environment:

  • Polllution, causing health problems 
  • Burning fossil fuels, causes global warming
  • Non renewable sources, cant be replaced

- Christians believe God gave humans stewardship (looking after to pass on to the next generation)

Christians should:

- reduce CO2

- employ more energy efficiency 

- more efficient, recylcing etc. 

- some christians reject animal testing

- some disagree because bible says God gave humans control of animals

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