GCSE RS

omnibenevolent

all-loving

omnipotent

all powerful

omniscient

all-knowing

omnipresent

everywhere, all the time

transcendent

above all, outside of time

immanent

within time and everything

the design argument (teleological)

William Paley - Protestant

the world shows signs of order and purpose. this order and purpose must have been created by an intelligent being, and that must be God.

arguments against the design argument

• Darwin: the theory of natural selection- animals can adapt to live with the most valuable qualities that help them survive

• John Stuart Mill: evil and suffering-if God existed, and he was loving, he wouldn’t have evil and suffering in the world [link to the Inconsistent Triad - J.L Mackie]

• Richard Dawkins: the Blind Watchmaker- everything only needs an idea, not a logical plan. everything fit in just the right place.

the first cause argument (cosmological)

Sir Thomas Aquinas - Catholic

everything that exists must have a cause, so the universe must have a cause. God is the cause for the universe.

arguments against the first cause argument

• Aquinas’ contradiction: if everything must have a cause, how can God be self-caused?

the moral argument

Cardinal Newman - Catholic

if God doesn’t exist, objective moral values and duties don’t exist; objective moral values do exist, so therefore, God exists

our sense of wrong-doing comes from God speaking to us through our conscience.

the soul making argument

John Hick - pluralist

humans have freewill to make moral decisions, so suffering and evil are opportunities for humans to act how God would want us to, so we can become more perfect

the different types of evil

moral evil

natural evil

evil as a test

evil as a result of human sin

liturgical worship

worship that has a set structure and is formal. most likely led by a priest and can take the forms of Bible readings or hymns

non-liturgical worship

worship that doesn’t have set structure, and is sometimes informal. there is no set order and many people can take turns to preach the Bible, or sing hymns

informal worship

worship that is ‘charismatic’ or ‘spontaneous’ in nature or private- it can also be silent (Quaker Worship)

infant baptism

the baptism occurs when the believer is a baby and acts as a welcoming service for a new child into the Church

believer’s baptism

a baptism for an older person who is old enough to make their own decisions about being baptised.

in what ways does God reveal himself to humans?

• The Bible

• Worship

• inspirational people

• the Sacraments

• Religious experiences

• miracles

example of God revealing himself through the Bible

Hebrews 4:12 - “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

some consider the Bible to be the literal word of God and take everything literally (fundamentalist view)

example of God revealing himself through religious experiences (conversions)

conversion of Saul to St Paul

example of God revealing himself through religious experiences (visions)

Julian of Norwich claimed to see Heaven opening up to her. She say Christ, Christ’s mother and the meaning and power of Jesus’ suffering

example of God revealing himself through religious experiences (mystical experiences)

St Teresa of Avila at 14 devoted herself to the Virgin Mary after the passing of her mother. She claimed to have risen through a series of experiences and she was convinced that Jesus presented himself to her but he was invisible, despite being in bodily form

examples of God revealing himself through inspirational people

Mother Teresa - set up the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and won the Nobel peace prize in 1979

George Cadbury - built Bournville village for his workers to live in, and made Quaker meeting houses for people to worship in together

examples of God revealing himself through miracles

Jesus- healed lepers, rose people from the dead, rose from the dead himself

Lourdes- Bernadette Soubirous claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary and spoken to her. Mary told her to dig for as spring of water where they were and when she did, water did come from it. The water is said to be blessed and 6500 people claimed to have been miraculously healed, with 67 of these being recognised by the Catholic Church

God revealing himself through the Holy Spirit

Pentecostalists, a form of Protestant Christians, put emphasis on the events of Pentecost. they believe that when they worship they are immersed in God’s spirit and they can begin to speak in different languages that only God can understand, known as Glossolalia

they claim to be ‘Slain in Spirit’ which means to be completely overcome in religious ecstasy, causing them to fall to the ground and shake.

God revealing himself through Sacraments

Communion:

Catholics and Orthodox Christians believe in transubstantiation, the idea that the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ - “This is my body, this is my blood.”

Protestants believe in consubstantiation, in which Jesus is present at the Eucharist, but the substances of the bread and wine remain unchanged. d

define worship

Christian worship involves praising God in music and speech, reading from scriptures, prayers of various sorts, a sermon and various holy ceremonies (sacraments)

what is the purpose of worship?

to highlight the communication between the believer and God. Another purpose is to come together as a community

explain communal worship

a christian community coming together to worship. the majority of christians will worship in this way.

“For when two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”

explain Liturgical worship

worship that is very formal, ordered and traditional. There are set prayers, readings and the Eucharist. This is often done by the Catholic church and the Orthodox church, where the priest leads the worship.

explain non-liturgical worship

other churches, e.g. the baptist church, may worship this way. there is no set structure; usually a minister will lead it but anyone in the congregation might be invited to pray in their own way, choose a hymn or preach.

explain charismatic worship

an informal style of worship, with no set structure. the worship often involves lots of singing, free prayer, speaking in tongues and members of the congregation are encouraged to speak freely during the worship.

“For those who are led by the spirit of God are the children of God.”

Anglican worship

anglican churches worship liturgically by using the Book of Common Prayer or common worship books for congregational worship. service hymns are sung along with canticles [a hymn, psalm or praising song]

Catholic worship

catholics also worship liturgically; the congregation are welcome and the priest will ask for forgiveness for everyone’s sins. The readings of that mass are read and once the Gospel reading is over, the Bible story will be explained [known as the homily]. the apostles’ creed is read and prayers are said together.

Quaker worship

quakers worship non-liturgically; they often worship in silence to allow self reflection, and people may choose to speak, pray or read aloud. a book called ‘advice and queries’ is given out, which contains insight and questions that are answered.

Greek Orthodox worship

people that follow these teachings worship liturgically. ‘The Liturgy of the Word’ consists of hymns, prayers, and a reading from the Bible. The Liturgy of the Faithful - the Nicene creed is said, hymns are sung and the Lord’s prayer is said, as well as the bread and wine being consecrated.

Methodist Worship

methodists can worship both liturgically and non-liturgically. hymn books are published by the church themselves. anyone in the congregation might be invited to pray in their own way, choose a hymn or reading, or to preach the sermon [non-liturgical practice]

they practice open communion, where everyone is welcome to participate and they use grape juice and wafers to show resistance against alcohol abuse