Christianity - God

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Monotheism

This is the belief held by Christians that there is one God, who is the omnipotent Creator and controller of all things, He is Transcendent and Unknowable

Ethical Monotheism - The belief that there is one God but also stated you should follow moral codes linked in with Christianity - 10 Commandmentants. Seen throughout the New Testament, and Christian beliefs about salvation. 

Good Moral behaviour is part of the Sinai covenant agreement between Israel and God. By having Moral obedience, you will be saved.

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God as an Omnipotent Creator and Controller

Omnipotence 

  • For followers of Decarte - this means God can do anything - linked to problems of evil.
  • For most Christians - this means that God can do anything logically possible - this answers questions to the problem of evil. e.g. God can't make a circle a square - this is logically impossible.

God as an omnipotent Creator 

  • Some Christians believe the Universe came out of God's being - this, however, limits God
  • Many Christians accept the 'creation of the universe out of nothing - ex nihilo - Mistranslations of Genesis 
  • Other Christians believe in Process Theology - The earth already existed in a pile of chaotic matter and God brought this matter into order.
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God as a Controller of all things

  • Theological Determinism - If God knows the Past, Present, and Future - This means he knows and controls everything, including human actions - how can we have free will?
  • Aquinas argues - As God exists beyond time and space - spatio-temporal language cannot be used - as he does not exist or occupy space within the universe, he does not occupy a place.
  • God simply sees all our choices, be he doesn't cause them. e.g God is like a hiker, looking at the road in time - are their limits, to what extent can God know the future.
  • God may view the world in a single moment, Past, Present, and Future in one
  • God is seen as Immanent but Transcendent - so can be more relatable and be personal - but God's Knowledge is different to ours 
  • Swinburne argues God exists within time and knows all logically possible things. He can't be the cause of human future choices, because he can't know them, he may be able to predict them.
  • This view is supported by science - God has to exist outside our experience and beyond our capability - God exists before the Big Bang.
  • God is Timeless - but God created angels to work within the world in place of him - God placed these things in place during Creation 
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Doctrine of the Trinity

God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - They are 3 in one but each person possesses all the attributes of the Godhead - eternity, omnipotence, omniscience. All 3 are mutual to each other.

The importance of the doctrine of the Trinity 

  • Trinitarian doctrine - it interprets historical revelation. Not all Christians accept this view.
  • The Doctrine explains the claim that God is both transcendent and imminent.
  • The Trinity helps connect beliefs about sin and atonement - God sent his Son to atone for the sins of Adam and Eve, so humans can reconcile with God.
  • The Shield of the Trinity - Each Circle links to God, but they cannot be each other. The Trinity is fully Good. The Trinity is seen as a model of personhood - the relationship between the 3 is one love.

Image result for shield of the trinity

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Anthropomorphic language

The Bible often describes God in anthropomorphic language - describes God in human terms.

What are the problems of using human terms to describe God?

  • If we can explain God from our limited experience, does this limit him, as God's experience should be much greater and also as he is transcendent?
  • This portrayal of God suggests someone who is like us - so not worthy of worship.
  • How are we able to describe a being who is beyond human understanding.
  • Many of the metaphors for God are male-dominated -  why cant it be Our Mother?

What are the positives of using anthropomorphic language

  • To some Christians, using this language is the only way to speak meaningfully about God.
  • But there are very little positive arguments which don't limit God in some way.
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God as Personal, Father

God as Personal

  • God is immanent - humans can relate to God - however, the problem with this view is that it suggests that God's knowledge and power could be limited - limited through human knowledge.
  • A counter-argument to this is that God's knowledge is different to our knowledge - God may not understand the meaning of suffering or to be Human.

God as Father 

  • In the Old Testament God is Father because he: Created the universe, sets standards for behaviour, Exercising judgement. All qualities associated with a father figure during the time.
  • Jesus refers to God on many occasions as the heavenly Father - and tells his disciples to address him during prayers as 'Our Father' e.g. the Lords Prayer.
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God as Love & King

God as Love 

  • God is Omnibenevolent - all loving. Christians trust in God's love from their own experience - But our experiences may be different to God's experiences.
  • For Situation Ethicists and Joseph Fletcher - God uses agape - God is selfless, forgiving, generous and shows unconditional love.
  • Humans are created in God's image - they, therefore, have agape within their nature.  

God as King

  • The Bible uses lots of terms to describe God in kingly titles: Majesty, Lord, God of gods
  • God's Kingdom - links with the idea that God rules the universe as a King
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The debate about gender specific language

For Feminists - Women feel excluded by the use of gender-specific language, found throughout all the Bible. The Bible is culturally conditioned and reinforces patriarchal stereotypes of male superiority. 

In response to this gender-neutral bibles have been created and many prayers and hymns have been reviewed. Christians have started to use Our Mother - interpretations of the Bible have shown that God inhibits elements of a mother - e.g. God caring for their creation like a child

However many Christians argue that if you remove all gender-specific language and reference from the Bible you would lose all insight, as the language used was a product of the culture and beliefs of the time - so, if you change it, teachings won't be properly understood.

Daphne Hampson - encourages the use of not using male pronouns to describe God and instead using other words, simply just God or Godself.

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Process Theology

David Griffin - rejects traditional Christian beliefs about creation out of nothing - He argues for the idea that the Universe always existed, uncreated and eternal - it is not created by God.

The relationship between God and the universe is panentheistic - God is in the Universe and the Universe is within God. They exist together. God's role is to persuade the universe into order and complexity.

Strengths

  • Supported by Quantum mechanics - the Quantum level is unobservable - this might be where God is.
  • Supported by Scientific theories - Big Bang and evolution
  • Supported by 1 scripture - Genesis 1
  • Gives an explanation as to why God does not control Evil

Weaknesses

  • Claims against God's omnipotence goes against Christians' views of the divine - if he is not omnipotent would he be a God worthy of worship.
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milesmahrez

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this is fye thanks

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