RE Sowa's Xmas mock
Marriage is only for a man and a woman because that's how God made humanity.
"God made them male and female"
Marriage creates a closer bond than between parents and children.
"man will leave his father and mother"
marriage is the only relationship sex is meant to occur in.
"the two will become one flesh"
Married couples should stay together because they've been joined together by God.
"Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate"
What are the purposes of Christian marriage ?
Procreation- having kids
Union- loving and living together
Raising children
Pattern for society- supporting each other
One flesh- sex
Sacred- being blessed by God via marriage
Eternal- a lifelong relationship
Divorce is only acceptable if adultery is involved- if not it is a sin.
"Whoever divorces his wife, except for unfaithfulness, and marries anotjer commits adultery..."
Catholic view of divorce- not allowed at all.
"Marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power or for any reason other than death" NOT FROM BIBLE FROM CATHOLIC CATECHISM.
Non-religious view on divorce- allowed.
"Though marriage is a useful social institution...it is not 'sacred'"
Evangelical views on a variety of family structures- only the nuclear family model is valid.
"we uphold the biblical definition of marriage (one man and a woman) as the foundation of society"
Catholic views on same sex parenting- going against God's will.
"there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be God's plan and for marriage and family"
Church of England view on the idea of family- always important and good in the eyes of God.
"the family is the most important grouping humans have ever developed. Children thrive...with love and safeguarding in a family"
Parents should teach their children Christianity.
"bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord"
Adultery is a grave sin and heavily prohibited by Christianity.
"you shall not commit adultery"
Sex not between a man and a woman in marriage is sinful.
"Flee from sexual immorality...whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body...honour God with your bodies"
Standard christian view on contraception.
Ok so long as contraception occurs before the sex occurs.
Catholic view on contraception- wrong because humans have no say in when a child is concieved.
"one is not the master of the sources of life"
The church should be involved with and support families.
(said by Jesus)"let the little children come to me"
Men and women are equal in the eyes of God and both made in God's image.
"So God created mankind in his own image...male and female he created them."
Men and women are equal but have different roles (woman given the role as helper of man).
"I will make a helper suitable for him."
Women are to submit to their husbands as they do to Jesus.
"Wives submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord..."
Husbands should put their wives first like Jesus put humanity before himself.
"Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"
The 2 genders should be seen as equal.
"there is neither Jew nor Gentile...male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"
Church of England views on female vicars- opposed to the idea.
A woman "is not permitted to teach or assume authority oger a man"
The importance of Baptism as a holy sacrament.
"Baptise people in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit"
The importance of Holy Communion as a holy sacrament.
"do this in rememberance of me"(Jesus on breaking bread to share and drinking wine).
Church of England views on the sacraments- there are only 2 (Baptism and Holy Communion).
"there are two sacraments ordained of Christ our lord...baptism and the Supper of the Lord"
Non-liturgical prayer.
"pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests"
Catholic view on pilgrimage- a vital part of christian life.
"Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are very special times of renewal in prayer" CATHOLIC CATECHISM
The Great Commission- Christians must spread the gospel.
"go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation"
Evangelism-telling people that Jesus died for their sin so that they can go to heaven.
"pray for me that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel"
The role of vicars- look after the community of christians which attend their church.
"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care"
Christians should share the hope they have that when they die they will go to heaven.
"always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have"
Christians should be accepting of Children in church.
"whoever welcomes on of these little children in my name welcomes me"
Christians should reconcile all of humanity with God.
"As I have loved you, so you must love one another"
Charity work is not done to impress people.
"give your gifts in secret"
The most important aspect of charity work is love.
"if I give all i possess to the poor...but do not have love, I gain nothing"
Why Christians celebrate Easter- Christ's ressurection proves there is life after death and Christianity is worth living by.
"if Christ had not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith"
God the Father
-most powerful
-created the world by speaking
-transcendant
-praise God the father and in awe of his power
-pray to God the father
God the Son
-Jesus Christ
-saviour as he died for all human sin
-immanent-knowable and present in the world
-a comfort to know to christians God has been through human struggles
-praise Jesus for dying for their sin
-try to follow his example
God the Holy Spirit
-a spirit that comes to earth and lives in christians hearts
-helps christians follow God and gives them strength and support
-some churches ask them to help them worship by using songs and speaking different heavenly languages
nicene creed
traditional teachings about the trinity
evidence for the trinity
The final words of Jesus to his followers were-"go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit"
genesis chapter 1
God speaks and makes the world
-Day 1-light and dark
-Day 2-sea and the sky
-Day 3-land and plants
-Day 4-sun and the moon
-Day 5-fish and birds
-Day 6-animals and man
-Day 7-rest
-God saw all he made and said it was good. He said humans were very good
Genesis chapter 2
-Adam and Eve created first which shows they are very important
-no day by day account
-focus on humanity
interpreting the creation stories
-literally-known as creationism-believe that God created the world in 6 periods of 24 hours
-metaphorically-saying the story is just to help people understand how God created everything and that a day may not be an actual day, it could be millenia
importance of the creation story to christians
-God is powerful-he created the world just by speaking
-God is kind- he gave Adam and Eve everything they needed to live
-God is creative-he made everything different and unique
Trinity and the creation stories
christians believe all 3 parts of God were present for creation-"in the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"-word is another way of saying Jesus
-"The spirit of God was hovering over the waters"
Genesis chapter 3- the fall
-the serpent tricked Eve into thinking God was a liar and that she wouldn't die if she ate the forbidden fruit
-Eve ate the forbidden fruit and gave some to Adam
-God called out to them and looks for them
-Adam and Eve hid
-God made them clothes to cover their nakedness and shame and kicked them out the garden of Eden, meaning they would one day die
consequences of the fall
-the serpent-had to crawl on its belly and humans would try to kill it
-Eve-child birth would now be painful and her husband would rule over her
-Adam-work will now be hard
the rest of the bible following Genesis
-the fall is the volta of the Bible, the rest of its how humans and God can reconcile
-humans believe all humans are like Adam and Eve because they use their free will to rebel against God
-consequence of this is hell
Humans and the rest of creation
-humans are stewards to the rest of creation
-"Be fruitful and increase in number;fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground"
probelm of evil and suffering for christians
-suggests God isn't all powerful-if he was he would have been able to stop the suffering
-suggests God isn't all loving-if he was he would have wanted to stop the suffering
-if God isn't all powerful or all loving he's not a God worth worshipping-christians don't want to pray to a cruel and weak God
NR views on why evil exists
-natural evil exists because of the way humans have treated the world
-evil and suffering is just something that happens to some people and it's not their fault
-some moral evil happens because of some peoples bad choices, which could be impacted by poor mental health
-evil and suffering teach compassion
Biblical solutions to evil and suffering
-Psalm 119-written by King David, who was chased by King Saul-Psalm 119 teaches that suffering is part of life, prayer can help people get comfort in their suffering, and God can be asked to help with suffering
-Job-tested by Satan and lost his wealth, health and family,but got everything back but better after God saw he was loyal to him-teaches that God knows about all suffering, God's in control of it and won't let it get out of hand and that God controls Satan
-Jesus was mocked,beaten and crucified-ultimate suffering was done to Jesus so that humans could be right with God and teaches that God allows suffering to help humans trust him
theoretical solutions to evil and suffering
-free will defence-humans were made by God and given free will. Humans use free will to behave badly and commit evil, leading to pain and suffering
-vale of soul making-Humans were created in the image and likeness of God, but we aren't perfect although we can become it. Through our lives we can be refined to perfection so when we suffer we can choose to develop God-like qualities
practical solutions to evil and suffering
-prayer-christians can pray for those who are suffering
-charity work-christians raise money to be put towards easing peoples suffering
pros and cons of biblical responses
-helps christians understand God and that God acts for good in the world
-God didn't stop the suffering of people in the Bible, so christians may find it hard to trust God when they're suffering
pros and cons of theoretical responses
-encourages christians to make use of times of evil
-explains the source of evil-humans
-God created the universe so he is responsible really
-not reasonable to expect people to respond well
pros and cons of practical solutions
-not a proper solution to explain suffering
-successfully help ease suffering though
-suffering is a fact of life and christians should choose to respond to it practically
incarnation in the bible
-"The Virgin will concieve and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel"-Mary would have a child who would be God
-"The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us"-God became human and lived among humans
-"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son"-God loved the world so much he sent down his only son to save it
the importance of incarnation to christians
-only a human could fix the relationship between humans and God-if Jesus didn't become human and eventually die for all sin, God and humans would still be enemies
-God coming as a human showed how much he loved the world-God so loved the world he came down into our painful and suffering world to save it
-Jesus knows our human suffering- Jesus suffered more than any humans will ever suffer so when Christians find life hard, they know their saviour knew exactly how it felt
Thursday-the last supper
-Jesus and his 12 disciples have dinner. Jesus broke some bread and poured wine and thanked God for it
-this was a picture of what would happen to him, his body broken like bread on the cross and his blood poured out like wine
-Christians remember this every time they take holy communion
Thursday-betrayl and arrest
-Judas leaves the dinner and tells Roman soldiers and Pharisees Jesus will soon be going to pray in the garden of Gethsemane
-Jesus was arrested by a group of soldiers and taken to be questioned
-this fufilled the prophecy that the messiah would be betrayed by his friends
-Christians know Jesus felt human pain as they do
Friday-trial
-Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin and found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death as a criminal
-Christians see God was in charge of this unfair trial and Jesus could have stopped it at any time but chose to continue to his execution
Friday-crucifixion
-crucified outside the city with 2 criminals. The sky went dark for 3 hours to show God's anger. Christians praise Jesus for taking God's anger and human sin upon himself
-as he died, the curtain in the temple that represents the barrier between human's and God was torn down
-Jesus was God but chose to die a very painful death to reconcile humanity with God
-This is remembered on Good Friday. Jesus was buried in the tomb of a rich man Joseph of Arimathea
Sunday-resurrection
-2 women went to the tomb and the stone was rolled away with a pile of folded grave clothes all that was left behind
-two angels were there and said "why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen !"
-the women told the other disciples what happened
-Jesus told his disciples this would happen
-Jesus coming back from the dead shows that the punishment that humanity deserves for disobeying God has been paid back in full
-Christians believe Jesus defeated death and anyone who believes he died for their sins will also be raised to life when Jesus returns to Earth. This is celebrated on Easter Sunday
40 days later- ascension
-Jesus said "you will recieve power when the Holy Spirit comes"
-when Jesus had gone to heaven the Holy Spirit would come to earth
-the Bible teaches now Jesus is sat at rhe right hand of the father, praying for Christians
the fall and original sin
-everyone was made for a relationship with God but people have chosen to ignore God
-Genesis 1 and 2- God made a perfect world and had a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve
-Genesis 3-Adam and Eve rebelled against God and this is called the fall.This act of rebellion is called original sin and all humans are guilty of it
-the Bible teaches the consequence of rebelling against God is separation from him in hell
God's salvation plan
-Christian's believe Jesus Christ was God's plan to save humanity from sin
-"Salvation is found in no one else"
-"It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"
how does salvation work
-people are separated from God hecause they ignored and disobeyed him
-people can't perfectly love God even if they tried. Jesus taught just following the law couldn't save humanity or make God love them
-people realised they can't save themselves, someone needs to take the punishment for them and this is what Jesus did on the cross
-people decide they want to follow Jesus. They repent for ignoring God and decide to follow God's way from the Bible instead
-people realise over time the holy spirit is helping them love Jesus more in the hearts and keeping them going
atonement
-when Jesus died on the ceoss he was taking the anger of God on himself-this is atonement
-it literally means to be at one with God
Why is Jesus' death important ?
-Jesus death allows humans to avoid hell and have eternal life with God
-Jesus death shows Christian's how much he loves them and sets and example for how they should live
-the death of Jesus and salvation mean that Christians can regularly repent for their sin and know they are forgiven
why does belief in life after death matter for christians?
-Jesus promised it- those who believe in him have life after death
-it's a reward for faithful christians who followed God
-it gives hope- there is something more to this world and the best is yet to come
-eternity- Christian's can enjoy God forever with him in paradise
different views on life after death
-the immortal soul- all christians believe that when we die this will go to heaven or hell
-universalism-liberal christians believe Jesus died to forgive all sins so everyone will go to heaven- not just christians
-purgatory-catholic belief. After death soul goes to be purified from sins. A bit like a waiting room
Judgement day
-when God judges a persons life or actions
-the final destination depends on God's dair and just judging
-everyone should go to hell because all have rebelled against God
-Jesus woll be the final judge
-"the dead were judged according to what they had done"
Purgatory
-catholic belief.Where souls go after death to be purified-"they undergo a purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary for heaven"-catholic catechism
-protestant christians disagree-"it is vainly invented"-39 articles of religion
Resurrection
-after death the body stays in the grave until judgement day but then it is raised
-the resurrection of Jesus is proof that this will happen
-both the living and the dead will be given new bodies and everyone will appear before Jesus to be judged
-"we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven"
Heaven
-a place of paradise in the presence of God
-not described in detail in the Bible
-a place of everlasting life for those who love and follow Jesus on earth
-"there will be no death, mourning, crying or pain"
Hell
-a place of suffering away from the presence of God
-a place of horrors
-"he will punish those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus"
-catholics-all christians will go to heaven. Good followers of any religion will go to heaven too
-some christians-people who don't believe in Jesus will go to hell
-other christians-there is no hell but only levels of heaven
christian responses to big bang theory
-some disagree-science is always changing so we may not have the full picture and also because to christians the bible is the ultimate authority so the creation story should be taken literally (creationism)
-some think it could of happened-Lemaitre didn't disprove God with the theory "As far as I can see, such a theory remains entirelt outside any metaphysical or religous question"-some think it was possible that God was in charge of the whole thing
-intelligent design-the universe is too complex to have happened by chance so it must have been purposefully designed (by God)
Value of the universe in Christian teachings
-God created the world and loves it
-God created the universe and continues to sustain it -"...all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together"
-the universe reflects God's power and love-"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers...what is mankind that you are mindful of him,human beings that you care for them ?"
-the universe is given to humanity as a gift for them to steward-"God blessed them and said "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky"
How should humans treat the world?
-"fill the earth and subdue it"
-dominion-do whatever we want with it because we're in charge
-stewardship- we have to look after it because it's a gift from God
why is human life special ?
-it was made by God
-very important when discussing moral issues like abortion and crime
-it means life is holy
-God has a special relationship with humans because we're made in his image and have responsibility over the world
-human life must be treated with care
-human life is intrinsically valuable
-humans are not perfect because of original sin, but are still like God so should treat other people with dignity and respect
Why is the sanctity of life important today ?
-shows God cares for humans.This relationship was made possible because of Jesus
-if humans weren't importsnt God wouldn't have sent Jesus to die for them
-it shows that all humans are equal because God loves all people. It teaches we should treat people with respect
-it teaches us that decisions about life and death are very important and should be taken seriously
what the bible says about human life
-"God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him and the man became alive"-Man couldn't live without God giving him breath so humans are dependent on God
-"your bodies are houses of the Holy Spirit"-you have to look after your bodies because God lives in them
-"you knit me together in my mother's womb"-God knows humans inside out, it's like he made them with his own hands
-"So God created mankind in his own image"-humans are made with characteristics of God like kindness
-"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you"-God has known individuals before they were born
Christian responses to evolution
-all depends on whether they take the Bible literally or metaphorically
-some reject it because its not compatible with the Bible-having common ancestory with apes undermines the sanctity of life
-others believe it is compatible with the Bible.God used evolution to make human life. They believe:
-God is responsible for bringing something out of nothing and order out of chaos
-humans are given responsibility
-in 2010 the Synod of rhe C of E agreed evolution and divine creation are compatible. Genesis gives a general account rather than describing actual events
Abortion in the UK
-the termination of a pregnancy legally
-legal up to 24 weeks so long as 2 doctors agree that it id acceptable for one of the following reasons:
-the woman has been raped
-the child will be born with a severe disability
-the birth of the child will cause severe mental distress to the mother
-if the birth of the child will affect the health and well-being of already existing children
pro-choice
-a woman has the right to choose what happens to her body
-possible reasons to seek an abortion are if her health will suffer, if the unborn child is likely to be severely disabled and have a low quality of life or if the mother can't support the child
-a foetus isn't a person until it can survive outside the womb
pro-life
-some people argue abortion is wrong because a foetus is a life that already possesses the full DNA to develop into a unique person
-the woman's right should not outweigh the rights of the foetus
-adoption is an alternative to abortion- the baby could be happy with a different family
christian pro-choice
-liberal christians would say they're pro-choice because:
-Jesus taught his followers to act with love and compassion-"love thy neighbour"
-religion sometimes allows the sanctity of life to be broken-eg. a war
-it's not clear that life begins at conception
christian pro-life
-the catholic church and evangelical christians are pro-life because:
-they believe life begins at conception
-the foetus has been created in the image of God
-God has a plan for every individual and human life
-Abortion is classed as murder and forbidden in the Bible
Ethical theories on abortion
-situation ethics- doing the most loving thing-won't always fit with christian principles but it acknowledges the circumstances in which difficult choices have to be made
-doctrine of double effect-when something done is morally good but may have a bad side effect-like if a doctor saved a woman's life but in the process terminating the life of a foetus
-humansists think that "society should provide safe legal facilities. The alternatives which would inevitably include legal abortions are far worse"
types of euthanasia
-active-where something is done (eg administer a drug) to end someones life
-passive-when the medication someone is on is withdrawn so they die naturally, but sooner
-voluntary-when someone asks for their life to be ended
-non-voluntary euthanasia-when someone is unable to ask to be killed but you have good reason for thinking they would want their life to end
arguments for euthanasia
-allows a gentle and pain-free death and enables people to choose how and when they die
-patients can die with dignity rather than slowly deteriorating
-saves medical costs
-medics can focus on patients who will recover
-relieves the family of emotional and financial stress
arguments against euthanasia
-it requires someone to judge whether someone elses life is worth living
-patients might feel pressure that it's their only option rather than a cure
-even if this is the patients wish, nobody has the authority to take a life away
-decisions might be made without patient consent
NR view on euthanasia
prolonging the life of an individual and hence not allowing them control over their own suffering could be seen as immoral
Christianity and euthanasia
-the taking of human life is murder and forbidden in the Bible
-all people are equal in the eyes of God whatever their physical or mental condition so everyone should be treated with dignity
-God created humans in his own image and only he has the power to take life away
-euthanasia could be used for evil
-goes against sanctity of life
-terminally ill people can still worship and spread God's love
-the story of Job-Job was told to kill himself but said no because its a sin
The Hospice movement
-provides a better alternative to euthanasia
-hospices aim to relieve physical symptoms of illness and get rid of as much pain as possible
-also care for the emotional and spiritual well being of the patient
Care and compassion (euthanasia)
-if end of life is approaching time can be dedicated to spiritual thoughts in preparation for the afterlife
-by respecting a dying persons wishes this may also mean allowing the patient to cease medical treatment. Not the same as voluntary euthanasia as God will still decide when the person dies
-Most christians will argue nobody has the right to end their own life and it's also wrong to help someone end their own life. These christians would argue real compassion is sharing the pain in a comforting way
what happens after a christian dies
-upon death-paradise with Jesus
-when Jesus returns-dead rise
-Jesus will then separate all people into 2 groups(final judgement)
-there will be a new heaven and new earth for eternity where God's people will dwell
Why do christians believe in life after death ?
-God promises an afterlife in the Bible
-God is eternal and created life for a purpose, so would want humans to live for eternity
-Jesus proved there was an afterlife through his resurrection
why does life after death matter to christians ?
-the resurrection of Jesus proves humanity can be saved from the punishment and consequences of sin. The punishment has been taken when Jesus died and rose again
-there is a place where God dwells which gives christians hope
-A place to look forward to where there is "no more crying,mourning or pain"
other arguments for life after death
-remembered lives-some people claim to be able to remember a past life but this supports the Hindu belief in reincarnation
-paranormal activity-we can see and communicate with the spirits of rhe dead and ghosts through a medium
-logic-some say it's logical that there's more to life, which is seen in near-death experiences
-comfort-the belief in life after death provides comfort to those who are mourning
NR views on life after death
-dont believe in an after life
-humanists suggest that Christians and other religious people spend too much time thinking about the afterlife and not the life they have now
what do different denominations say about stewardship ?
-CofE-humans are responsible for reducing environmental damage so the world's resources are equally available for all
-Catholic-people need to think about how much we use earths resources for the welfare of future generations
-Christian declaration of nature (Assisi 1986)-"all human activity in the world must therefore lead to the mutual enrichment of man and creatures"-anything humans do which damages creation in sinful
how do christians respond to environmental issues ?
-Operation Noah-charity which gives churches resources for worship and discussion on the threat of global warming and climate change
-Green Christian-christian charity that encourages christians to think seriously about environmental issues and how to respond
-CofE "shrinking the footprint"churches put solar panels on their roofs and replace old boilers with ground source heat pumps
Christians and animals
-most churches agree that the use of animals for medical research is sometimes necessary but are against cosmetics testing and household product testing
-humans are God's most important creation with animals below them for they don't have souls
-animals were created for mankinds use
-they can be used to benefit manking so long as their suffering is considered and they aren't put through too much suffering-"Two sparrows cost only a penny, but not even one of them can die without your Father's knowing it"
-some christians are even against animal testing for medical research
-Jesus said animals shouldn't be exploited
-just because medicine has been tested on animals doesn't mean it's necessarily safe for humans
NR views on animals-utalitarianism
-many medical advances are the result of many animal experiments
-this has resulted in the better medical treatment of patients
-therefore animal testing is sometimes justifiable