Beliefs about Deity

Beliefs about Deity

1. Nature of God

   • God is three persons
     • The Doctrine of the Trinity
     • The Father
     • The Son
     • The Holy Ghost
   • Omnibenevolent
     • Father
     • Son
     • Spirit
     • All-Loving
   • Creator
     • Father
   • Metaphysical
     • Father
     • Beyond time and space
   • Omnipresent
     • Father
     • Spirit
   • Omnipotent
     • All-powerful
     • Father
   • Omniscient
     • Father
     • Spirit
     • All-knowing
   • Impersonal
     • Father
     • Spirit
     • Not being like a human being
   • Immanent
     • Spirit
     • Son
     • Within time and space
   • Personal
     • Son
     • Like a human being

2. Existence of God

   • TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
     • William Paley
     • Evolution - The world was not always as it is now and so whilst it appears designed, it is not. We have evolved to fit the Earth, which is why it appears so perfectly suited.
   • COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
     • Thomas Aquinas
     • If everything has a first cause, what caused God?
   • ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
     • Rene Descartes
     • Existence is not a perfection
     • God cannot be defined
     • Existence is not a predicate

3. Beliefs about Jesus

   • teacher and guide
   • both fully human and divine
   • eternal
   • the saviour of mankind
   • Messiah
     • Anointed one
   • Immanuel
     • God is with us

4. Beliefs about Holy Spirit

   • spreads Christian values
   • continues to work in the world - creates miracles
   • Gift giver
   • comforter
   • spreads love

5. Describing God

   • Gender of God?
     • God is MALE
       • "My FATHER's house has many rooms"
     • God is FEMALE
       • "As a MOTHER comforts her child, so will I comfort you"
     • God is NEITHER
       • God is impersonal
       • "God is SPIRIT, and his worshippers must worship him in spirit and in truth"
   • God is above our understanding
   • God would want us to try to understand Him and would not mind that we cannot really describe/define Him as He is all-loving
   • we can use non-literal language to describe God rather than using literal methods
     • analogy
       • "I am the way and the truth and the light" (jesus)
     • myth
       • The Parables
     • symbol
       • The image of Jesus on the cross
   • Igtheists
     • Neither believe not disbelieve in the existence of God
     • All 'God-talk' is meaningless as we do not know what we mean by the word God

6. Miracles

   • An extraordinary event performed by God as a sign of his love and/or power; an event beyond the laws of nature.
   • Fundamental to Christianity
     • Actual, historical events
       • the Incarnation
       • the Resurrection
         • "I lay down my life - only to take it up again" - John 10: 17-18
   • Fundamentalists
     • All miracles literally true as Bible is the word of God
   • Liberals
     • Miracles are myths with a spiritual message
   • Most Christians believe miracles occur today
     • 66 confirmed miracles at Lourdes
   • Four types of Miracles
     • Exorcism
     • Nature
     • Healing
     • Resurrection