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GOD?
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Does God Exist?
Keywords
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You can‟t get something from nothing. Christians believe
God made the World. God is eternal and was the First
Cause – he started everything off.
Most Christians now believe that God caused the Big Bang –
in the Bible God said, “let there be light”. Christians think this
was the Big Bang
2 – Design Argument
Theists believe that the world has been designed. They think
that the designer was God. For example: -
Animals Plants
breathe out breathe in
carbon carbon
dioxide dioxide.
Animals Plants
breathe in breathe out
oxygen oxygen
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have been an accident caused by an explosion (the Big
Bang)
3 - Miracles
E.g. People recovering from terminal illnesses like cancer
without medicine.
E.g.2 People speaking ancient languages without training
(„speaking in tongues‟)
E.g.3 People remembering past lives in great detail even at
an early age.
2 – Design Argument
Atheists think that the world is not designed because: -
a. Earthquakes and volcanoes destroy life – bad design or
proof that God doesn‟t exist?
b. Disease – why would a loving God make some animals
allergic to plants? Why do people get diseases that kill
them and cause them to suffer?
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c. Some animals become extinct and some animals eat
each other. Yet the world has not come to an end.
Why did a loving God make a cruel world
3 - Miracles
Atheists believe that miracles are just things that scientists
can‟t explain. If someone saw a plane 2000 years ago they‟d
think it was a miracle…but it isn‟t.
Does Evil and Suffering prove that God does not exist?
Atheists think evil and suffering in the world is proof that God
can‟t exist. God is supposed to be loving and powerful. Yet
every day millions suffer through war, disease and natural
disasters – if God loved his people He would look after them
better than that.
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The Nature of God = what is God like?
Keywords
Monotheist - belief there is only one God
Personal God - belief that God is like a human being
Impersonal God - belief that God is like a force (like
magnetism or gravity)
Immanent God - belief that God plays an active part in
the world – answering prayers,
performing miracles etc.
Transcendent God - Belief that God is outside of our world
and not active in it.
Trinity - Christian idea that there is only one
God but that he shows himself in three
forms – God the Father (in Heaven),
God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy
Spirit (e.g. our conscience)
a. Personal
This means God is like a human e.g. Jesus or like a Father –
the old man in the sky. In the Bible it says, “God made
humans in his own image” (like him.)
b. Impersonal
God as a force. If you think of gravity - it affects us all yet we
cannot see it, feel it, or touch it but we know it is there.
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If we see God as an impersonal force it has advantages: -
God can be everywhere at the same time.
God is not going to „wear out‟ like a human – lasts forever,
C. Immanent
This means that God is a living, part of our world who acts in
human history.
d. Transcendent
This means that God is in heaven and not directly connected
to the World he created. Instead, he has left humans in
charge of creation. “God has no hands but ours” – written by
St Theresa.
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Christians think God is „three-sided‟ too. The three parts of
God are: -
God the Son – Jesus. (Personal – a human; God the Holy Spirit – Inside of us all.
and Immanent – acted on Earth) (Impersonal - a force - our conscience; and
immanent (can change the way we live)
Charismatic Worship - Worship that fills you with the Holy Spirit
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Holy Books – e.g. the Bible or the Qur‟an. Old writings that
theists think are the words of God.
Great Religious People – e.g. Jesus, Martin Luther King,
Mother Theresa, the Pope. These people seem to be very
close to God and lead us by their example.
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Source of Morality - where you get your ideas of right and
wrong e.g. Bible, Parent etc
Abortion
An abortion is when a baby/foetus in the womb is
intentionally killed. If the baby/foetus dies by accident it is
called a miscarriage.
Keywords
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Christians don‟t agree with sex before marriage. They think it
is a sin.
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Christians believe the vows made in marriage are made
before God and should be said with all of your heart.
These include: -
1. Be faithful to your husband/wife until death – “…till
death do us part”
2. Only have one husband/wife “…forsaking all others”
3. Stick with your husband/wife through good and bad
times “…for better, for worse, for richer for poorer”
4. To have kids and bring them up as Christians.
“Those who sin against their own body, sin against God” –
Christians think this means do not have sex before marriage.
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How Christians can stop Racism
Christians and Muslims can work to stop discrimination by: -
Teaching followers of their religion that they have a duty
to look after each other on earth, regardless of the
colour, sex, ability of the person. Showing how Jesus and
Muhammad both argued against racism.
Arranging meetings between members of different
cultures/religions etc to help people overcome their fears
Leading by example – ensuring that their religion does
not discriminate by employing people of different
genders, backgrounds, races and abilities.
Talking about great people like Martin Luther King (you
studied him in Y9)
World Poverty
Keywords
a. In the Bible it tells the story of the Rich man and Lazarus.
Lazarus was poor and begged for food at the rich man‟s
house. He gave him nothing. When the rich man died he
went to Hell. Christians think he went to Hell because he
didn‟t help poor Lazarus.
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How can Christians help poor people?
Christians can spend their spare time raising money for
people in 3rd World countries.
Christians can give some of their own money, old clothes
etc to charity.
Fasting for charity – this helps richer people feel what it is
like to be hungry.
Just War
For a Christian to go to war, the war has to be just/fair. They
decide this by asking some questions: -
Question If yes: -
Is the war self defence? War is just
Is the war to stop evil? War is just
Is there a good chance of winning? War is just
Has all talking/negotiation failed? War is just
Does the war only involve soldiers? War is just
Pacifism
Quakers are totally against war. They refuse to fight against
other people and see this as going against the Ten
Commandments – “Do not murder”. They would never use
WMD because they destroy far too much civilian life and
can even affect the health of unborn babies.
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USA used WMD (nuclear weapons) on Japan. These were
targeted on a city of civilians, not on Japanese soldiers.
Therefore the war was not just.
World War 2 killed 20 million people – most of these were
civilian deaths. Therefore it was not a just war
Natural World
Keywords
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Christians believe God put humans on Earth to protect his
Creation. It is their job to act as stewards. This view is shared
by all Christians. They think that when they die, they will be
judged by God on how they have looked after his
planet/Creation. All Christians should try to look after the
environment and conserve its natural resources. Pollution is
bad and all Christians should avoid waste and living flashy
lives – gluttony (eating too much) is seen as a sin. Using big
cars where small ones will do, is seen as being a sin (see
World Poverty)
Animal Rights
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