There are three main types of Christianity: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. All Christians believe in one God who is the creator. Christians believe God is omnipotent, benevolent and just. They believe Jesus was both fully human and fully divine, and that he sacrificed himself to atone for human sin. His death and resurrection restore the relationship between God and humans and offer salvation.

1. Christian Beliefs
Flash Cards

2. Denominations of Christianity
• There are three main types of Christianity: Catholic,
Protestant and Orthodox
Christianity
Catholic
(Pope)
Protestant
Methodist
Baptist
Anglican -
Church of
England
Pentecostal
Orthodox

3. Beliefs about God
• All Christians believe that there is ONE
God – this belief is known as
monotheism.
• Creator – God is the creator of all life
and the earth
• Grace – God’s unconditional love and
support for humans (Jesus Sacrificed)
“We believe in one God”
Nicene Creed

4. Characteristics of God
Omnipotent Benevolent Just
God is all-powerful and has
complete authority:
• He created the universe
• He can control all things
• The miracles of Jesus show his
power “Calming of the Sea” etc
• The 10 Plagues show God’s
power
God is all-loving:
• His greatest love was sending
his son Jesus to live as a human
(incarnation).
• Agape: Self giving and Sacrifice
for love
• “For God so loved the world
that HE gave His only Son”
(John 3:16)
God is the judge of the afterlife:
• He is fair and is against
injustice, prejudice and
oppression
• He will judge people according
to their actions
• Many Christians work for
justice in society – Charity
work, Against Racism, Human
Rights

5. The Problem of Suffering (Evil)
• Original Sin is a cause of evil – the story of Adam and Eve shows that humans
disobey God and this leads to suffering “Thou shall not kill”
• Christians believe that if humans used their free will better people would not suffer
by murder, war, terrorism, drugs, trafficking – even poverty could be solved
• Some Christian believe that the presence of Evil comes from the DEVIL – it must be
overcome. “Lead us not into temptation” Humans should work together to defeat
evil in this world.
• Humans should be educated by suffering – grow compassion and care for others.
Work together to solve problems. It is through suffering that we should learn to
appreciate what is good.
• Jesus is the way through pain and suffering – his sacrifice means heaven and
paradise
IF God is benevolent why does he allow people to suffer?
IF God is omnipotent why does he not prevent the suffering?
How can a creator God allow children to die of starvation? Cancer to exist?
Natural disasters? Use examples
“For God loved the world
so much that he gave his
only Son, so that
everyone who believes in
him may not die but have
eternal life” John 3

6. The Trinity – Three persons of God
One God – Three parts (H2O)
• The father – Creator, Omnipotent, Omnibenevolent, Omniscient
• The Son – Incarnation, God became flesh (Jesus) Both fully human
and fully God
• The Holy Spirit – God’s presence on earth, guides and influences
humans
“We believe in One God”
Nicene Creed
Influence of the Trinity: Christians may relate to each part
• The Father is loving – as we should show others love. Inspire to be a good father.
• The Son: felt pain and suffering
• The Spirit: Spiritual support for Christians – provides strength and guidance
• Used in Christian Services such as the Baptism “I baptise you in the name of the father, the son
and the holy spirit”
• Unity and equality of the trinity should be shown between humans – treating others with respect

7. The Creation – GENESIS 1:1-3
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
Genesis 1
1. God created the universe – He is omnipotent
2. Humans were the most important part of creation created in
the “Image of God”
3. Humans were given the dominion (Rule over) all other things.
4. Everything was good
Some believe this was in the six days of creation (God rested on
the 7th) and some believe it was though the big bang and evolution
ALL parts of the Trinity were active in the creation
The Father – The Holy Spirit – The Word :is the part of the trinity
that later became “the Son” or Jesus
“In the beginning was the word
and the word was with God”
John 1:1-3
Influence : Everything and everyone has purpose. All people are important as they were created by
God. Human potential is tremendous. Responsibility for the planet (stewardship) and each other!

8. The Incarnation
• Christians believe that God became human - in the form of Jesus born
to Mary as the “Son of God” and part of the Trinity.
• They believe that Jesus was both fully human and fully God.
• Because he was fully human he could suffer human pain – on the cross
“The word
became flesh and
made his dwelling
among us”
EVIDENCE USED FOR INCARNATION
Jesus Birth – born to a virgin, signs of a great saviour coming, a
messiah (star of Bethlehem and the gifts from the wise men
Jesus Baptism – When Jesus was baptised the bible records a
voice spoke saying “You are my Son”
Jesus’ Miracles – Proof that he had God’s power to perform
such actions
Influence : Belief is central to Christianity it shows the extent of God’s love for humans. “For God
so loved the world that HE gave His only Son” (John 3:16) It also shows humans how they should
live – follow Jesus’ example. People such as Mother Teresa and MLK are good examples of this

9. The Crucifixion
Jesus was sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate for the SIN of
Blasphemy.
He was assaulted and beaten before being nailed to a cross and a
crown of thorns placed on his head. Two other criminals were
crucified with him. It took six hours for Jesus to die. This day is now
called Good Friday.
Significance and Importance of the Crucifixion
• Jesus sacrifice restored the relationship between God and
Humans – he bore the penalty of human sin
• A Sacrifice that means for Christians their sins will be forgiven if
they repent
• Jesus understands pain and suffering – Christians accept that
suffering is a part of life but they can talk to Jesus about their pain
“For God loved the world
so much that he gave his only
Son, so that everyone who
believes in him may not die but
have eternal life”
John 3:16

11. The Resurrection
Christians believe that Jesus came back to life on Easter Sunday. The
evidence they use for this is
a) His body had disappeared from the Tomb
b) Jesus appeared to some of his followers in the days after his death
Some people may argue that Jesus was not actually dead when he was
taken off the cross. Or that this story was made up to encourage people
to follow the disciples.
Importance of belief: The Resurrection
• Shows the God’s power over evil and injustice
• Christians should not fear death as they believe they will also
be resurrected
• Christians will be forgiven for their sins and go to heaven
• There would be no Christian religion without the resurrection
“Why do you look for the
living among the dead? He
is not here, he has risen”
Luke 24

12. The Ascension
Forty days after the resurrection in a place called Bethany, Christians
believe that Jesus ascended to heaven. The bible says that a cloud
received him and took him out of sight
“He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father”
APOSTLES CREED
The significance / importance of the Ascension
• Marked the end of Jesus’ time on Earth - Jesus is with God in
heaven – his promises came true
• It paves the way for the holy spirit to provide Christians with
comfort and guidance. Making the disciples joyful not sad
• It inspires Christians to live a good life so they also can go to
heaven as Jesus did

13. Judgement
Some Christians believe that a day of
judgement will take place when Jesus
returns to earth.
Christians believe that after they die
God will judge them on:
1. Their behaviour and actions
2. Their faith in Jesus
Jesus told the parable of the SHEEP and
the GOATS that explains how God will
judge people. It is found in the Bible
Matthew 25.
It teaches that in helping people they
are doing the work of Jesus and will get
rewarded.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to drink”
Matthew 25

14. Heaven and Hell
HEAVEN HELL
Eternal happiness with God Unable to experience God’s presence
People who have done “Good” actions Place of eternal torment
People who believe in Jesus Fire and chains
Place of perfect peace and harmony Satan rules there
No Suffering Some Christians believe that an all loving God would
not send people to everlasting suffering
Being with loved ones Some Christians believe Hell is a spiritual place away
from God rather than a physical torment
Purgatory: Catholics believe that before you are
allowed to enter heaven your sins must be cleansed.
Purgatory is this state of cleansing

15. Different Views on Resurrection
Many Christians believe that once they die
they will be resurrected
Others believe that some time in the future
Jesus will return to judge people
Some Christians believe in a physical
resurrection (Catholic and Orthodox
Christians believe a new body will be
given)
Some Christians believe that the resurrection
will be a spiritual one rather than physical. The
soul will go on but not the body
Arguments For Life after Death Arguments Against Life after Death
Jesus’ body was gone and he appeared to
others
After death the body decays
Some people believe in Ghosts or Spirits Some people are cremated (no physical
resurrection)
Near Death Experiences No scientific proof of life after death

16. Sin
A Sin is an action that goes against God or religion. It separates
humans from God. Christians believe that humans are born with
a sinful nature – this is why they should be baptised (to remove
the sin. )
Christians believe that humans are given FREE WILL a choice
whether to disobey God or to follow his rules……..
• THOU SHALL NOT STEAL
• THOU SHALL NOT KILL
The Story of Adam and Eve explains the first original sin – they
both disobeyed God and ate from the tree of knowledge. This is
why death and suffering exists
THE ORIGINAL SIN
Christians believe that
Jesus atoned for this SIN –
why humans can have
salvation and go to
heaven
Causes of Sin
The original sin – Adam and Eve – Human nature to disobey God
Free Will – Humans make bad choices out of greed and selfishness
Satan / Devil / Evil “Lead us not into Temptation but deliver us from evil”
Issues: Poverty, Addiction, Upbringing

17. Salvation
Salvation means to be saved from SIN. To
be granted eternal life in heaven. Salvation
can come from
1. Salvation through LAW: Following
God’s rules such as the 10
Commandments and doing good deeds
(story of the sheep and the goats)
helps people get to heaven where their
soul is saved
2. Salvation through GRACE –
Unconditional love given by God
through faith in Jesus
3. SPIRIT The holy spirit guides Christians
to salvation
The role of Jesus
• Humans are sinful and disobey God
• Jesus’ crucifixion made up for the sin of
humans
• His sacrifice restored the relationship
between God and Humans
• The resurrection means that humans can
now receive forgiveness and have eternal
life in heaven
“faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by
action is dead”
James 2:17
“”For it is by grace you have been saved..”
Ephesians 2:8
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only
Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die
but have eternal life” John 3:16

18. Atonement and Reconciliation
Atonement – to make up for wrong doing.
Reconciliation – to restore a relationship
• Christians believe that human nature is sinful. The
only was to be atoned for this is through Jesus
• Atonement removes the effect of sin and Christians
Jesus paid the debt of human sin with his sacrifice
• Because Jesus atoned for human sin, Christians
believe that restored the relationship with God
Influence of atonement and reconciliation: Christians believe that they have a chance to go to heaven
thanks to the atonement of sin. They believe that Jesus has restored the relationship with God so they can
be saved in the afterlife. This inspires Christians to do the right thing. They may work in reconciliation such
as in the Corrymeela community or for Social Justice (Equality) trying to repair the world.

19. Sample Qs
• “The big bang theory is the only way to think about creation”
• “God as Just” is the best way to understand God
• “The only way to Salvation is through Jesus”

20. Resurrection of the dead most important belief?
Arguments For
• Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus happened after
he was crucified on the cross. This means that they believe
Jesus came back to life after he was dead – for Christians this
proves that he was the Son of God.
• It is therefore a very important belief – in fact some might say
that Christianity would not have existed as a religion without
this belief.
• Christians believe that as Jesus was resurrected they also can
be – this means that resurrection is linked with the main belief
of an afterlife. This is an extremely important belief as
Christians believe that they can go to heaven after they die.
• It means that Christians do not fear death
• Christians believe that when they are resurrected God will
decide whether they go to heaven or hell – on the DAY OF
JUDGEMENT this is found in the parable of the sheep and the
goats.
• Christians therefore will do good things to try and ensure they
go to heaven “For when I was hungry you gave me something
to eat” and they follow Jesus’ teachings “love your neighbor”
Arguments Against
• Christians also believe that the crucifixion of Jesus is a very
important belief. Without this resurrection would not be
possible for Christians.
• The death of Jesus is important in salvation as Jesus died for
the sins of humans. This ensures that some people will have a
good afterlife with God because he atoned for human sin.
• God as a creator can be seen as the most important belief as
humans were made in “the image of God” without this no
humans would have ever existed.
• The idea that God is benevolent is central to beliefs as without
God’s grace (unconditional love) he would not have sent Jesus
to earth (incarnation) “For God so loved the world he sent his
only son”
• Believe in God himself and the trinity is the most important
Christian belief – without this there is no Christian teachings –
you have to believe in God before you can believe in anything
else.
• DON’T FORGET A CONCLUSION!!!