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Beliefs, Teachings and Practices - Coggle Diagram
Beliefs, Teachings and Practices
THE TRINITY
it is the idea that God exists as three persons- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
SWA
:
"...saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' "
Matthew 3:16-17
the trinity is explained in the Nicene Creed
325 AD Church leaders around the world gathered at the Council of Nicaea - produced a creed. this was developed at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD known as the Nicene Creed - describes how Christians see God.
Before this not everyone had agreed that Jesus was one with God, rather than having been made by God.
the importance the early Church placed on the Trinity in the Nicene Creed means it is a key belief for most Christians - some, such as Christadelphians don't believe in the Trinity.
The Father
: Christians believe God the Father is God of the Old Testament - created heaven and earth and sustains them. he's described as the transcendent part of God.
SWA
:
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Matthew 5:48 NIV
The Son
: Jesus is the incarnation of God in human form; seen as both divine and human - immanent and personal part of God. he is a model for obedience.
The Holy Spirit
: it is the presence of God in the world; seen as an immanent yet impersonal part of God - guides the Church.
SWA
:
"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever - the Spirit of truth"
John 14:16-17 NIV
CREATION
this story is told in the Genesis chapter 1.
Timeline
Day 1
: light and darkness,
Day 2
: the sky,
Day 3
: oceans, land and plants on the land,
Day 4
: the sun, moon and stars,
Day 5
: creatures of the water and sky,
Day 6
: land animals and people,
Day 7
: God rested
Christians believe that God is the creator - Bible also describes how the Trinity was also involved in creating the universe - God created the world by acting through the Holy Spirit.
SWA
:
"...the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light"
Genesis 1:2-3 NIV
the role of the Son of God is also described in the Gospel of John - the phrase 'the Word' refers to Jesus -
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us"
John 1:14 NIV - John makes it clear that Jesus was vital for creation.
it also explains how humans were created.
this is described in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 - the first two humans were Adam and Eve and they lived in the Garden of Eden.
SWA
:
"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them"
Genesis 1:27 NIV
God created humans in his image - important because Christians believe that humans are special - behave like God by being loving and fair
humans are important to God so everyone should be treated with respect.
Christians believe that God gave humans dominion over his creation and they can use it however they like (Genesis 1:28) - however, others believe that God gave humans stewardship of the Earth which he expects us to take care of it.
there are different interpretations of the creation story
Literally
- known as creationists, they believe it word for word.
Liberally
- view Genesis more of a parable or a symbolic, they are open to other scientific ideas.
Catholic
- they are inspired by the words in the Bible.
INCARNATION
it was a moment in time when God took the human form and descended to earth in the form of Jesus
an angel told Mary that she'll be the mother of God.
SWA
:
'the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God'
Luke 1:35 NIV
this belief started in the Nicene Creed.
SWA
:
"he...was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man"
it's important for Catholics because they see Jesus's time on earth as God's way of showing how much he loves the world. They study the Gospels to find out about Jesus's life, and to see how they should live their own.
THE PASCHAL MYSTERY
it teaches Catholics that living, dying and rising are a part of their experience as Christians - reminds them that there may be times when they struggle and are in pain but that, if they follow Jesus' teachings and have faith, they will reach heaven.
it refers to the four ideas about the process that Jesus went through to save humanity from sin. these are his life, death, and resurrection and finally his ascension.
Life
: Jesus was the Son of God, who was born to the Virgin Mary and lived his life in the human form.
Death
: Jesus was sent to death by crucifixion and died on the cross in order to save the humans from their sins
Resurrection
: Jesus was raised from the dead and came back to life three days after his crucifixion
Ascension
: Jesus rose up to heaven after being resurrected
SWA
:
"They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He [Jesus] said to them 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your mind? Look at my hands and feet. It is I myself' "
Luke 24:36-38
SALVATION AND GRACE
salvation is the idea that humans can be saved from sin through faith in Jesus. Grace of God refers to all the blessings in life that are given by God.
links to the life, death, resurrection ,and ascension of Jesus - demonstrates God's grace which in turn creates the opportunity for salvation.
Resurrection of Jesus is itself a gift - fulfils God’s promise of salvation by showing that death can be defeated
‘God’s grace’ is often used to remind Catholics that it is God who has allowed them to be saved
God has given humans salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
SWA
:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believed in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16
Catholics find this very important as grace and salvation remind them that God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent - he is prepared to sacrifice his only son for the good of humanity
concepts create hope for Catholics as they believe they will be united with God in Heaven and have an eternal afterlife
Grace and salvation are linked to ideas of reconciliation - Jesus' presence on Earth and consequent death allowed God and humanity to be reconciled - Christians believe humans have a duty to also try to reconcile with each other
ESCHATOLOGY
a term used to describe religious ideas or beliefs about death, judgement and the afterlife
Catholic Church teaches that death is not the end - soul, may go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory
Catholics believe that after death they will be judged based on how well they have followed God’s teachings - this is what tells them if they should enter Heaven, Hell or Purgatory
Catholics believe that all Christians and the good followers of any religion are able to go to Heaven -
Some Catholics think that Heaven, Purgatory and Hell are physical places, whereas others consider them more like ‘states’.
However there are some key differences between the denominations:
Protestants
do not believe in Purgatory - believe there is no such place as Hell, only levels of Heaven
Evangelical Protestants
believe in the resurrection of the body and the idea that everyone will be raised on the Day of Judgement to be judged by God
Liberal Protestants
believe that the soul lives on eternally after death in a spirit world -believe that the soul’s afterlife will depend on how the person lived their physical life on Earth
SWA
:
"We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad"
Corinthians 5:1-10