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monotheism The belief that there is only One God The Trinity The distinctly Christian monotheismGod is Three Persons in One God polytheism The belief that there is more than one god henotheism the belief that God is the supreme God over all the other gods Slide 2 Deism: the belief that God created the universe but takes no personal interest in it. pantheism: The belief that everything is God; God and the universe are equivalent atheism: The belief that there is no God agnosticism: The belief that Gods existence is in doubt because it cannot be known for certain Slide 3 God is Transcendent God is a being who is entirely above or other than the created universe God is beyond our knowledge and experience Slide 4 God is Immanent the idea that God is a being who exists within the created universe God can be experienced through nature, other people, events, music, etc. Slide 5 Because God is transcendent, we cannot prove there is a God any more than an atheist can prove there is no God. Yet we can use our intellects to reasonably conclude that there is a God (the five intellectual proofs) Slide 6 Because God is immanent, we cannot really see God in creation (we are not pantheists). Yet we can still experience Gods presence in creation with our senses and hearts (the four heartfelt proofs) Slide 7 Though God is beyond human comprehension, we believe that God has revealed himself to us. Revelation means unveiling Why? God created us and wants to be in a relationship with us. The Bible (Hebrew and Christian Scriptures) details Gods relationship with us. Slide 8 Judaism: the Torah, Prophets, other Writings Christianity: the Gospels, Epistles, other books of the New Testament Islam: the Quran Other religions: Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Hinduism Slide 9 The Bible is the Word of God Written by human beings Inspired by the Holy Spirit (God) Truth: Three types Literal truth Scientific truth Divine or Religious Truth According to Catholic teaching, the Bible is divinely true, but NOT NECESSARILY scientifically or literally true Slide 10 Fundamentalism: The belief that Scriptures are literally true. There are Christian fundamentalists, Islamic fundamentalists, Jewish fundamentalists, etc. Catholics are not fundamentalists, but there are fundamentalist Catholics Creation Story, Adam and Eve, the Flood, etc. True stories in the religious sense, not necessarily in the scientific or literal sense. Slide 11 Two of the many ways God is revealed in the Scriptures are the most important: Yahweh (Hebrew Scriptures) When Moses asks God who for his name, God says, I AM WHO AM. In Hebrew, the letters of these words are YHWH. abba (Christian Scriptures) When Jesus was asked how he prays to God, he revealed that to him God is abba, a loving father or daddy in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. Slide 12 Yet there are many other ways God is revealed in Scripture, using a variety of different images. Psalm 24:8-10 Isaiah 49:15 Deuteronomy 32:11 Hosea 5:12,14 Hosea 13:6-8 Hosea 11:3-4 Fragment of the Book of Hosea from the Dead Sea Scrolls Slide 13 Yet there are many other ways God is revealed in Scripture, using a variety of different images. Isaiah 42:14 Acts 2:2-4 Matthew 23:37 John 1:4-5 Slide 14 The Creeds only refer to Gods omnipotence The Father (the) Almighty But according to St. Thomas Aquinas (who wrote the 5 intellectual proofs), God has the following attributes (characteristics) in Scripture: 1. God is unique 2. God is infinite and omnipotent (almighty) 3. God is eternal 4. God is immense 5. God contains all things Slide 15 According to St. Thomas Aquinas (who wrote the 5 intellectual proofs, God has the following 9 attributes (characteristics) in Scripture: 6. God is immutable 7. God is utterly simplepure Spirit 8. God is personal 9. God is holy Slide 16 1 John 4:16: God is Love. Probably the MOST important image of God in the Scripture. The story of God in the Bible is the story of Gods LOVE RELATIONSHIP with his people. God CREATED us out of love and wants to be in a relationship with us. Slide 17 According to Scripture and the Creed, God created heaven and earth Humans are the pinnacle of Gods creation Two Creation Stories in Genesis (Chapters 1 & 2) Genesis 1: Humans created in the image and likeness of God Genesis 2: God fills humans with his own breath God wanted a love relationship with humans, and humans rejected Gods offer of love Slide 18 The Fall of Humanity Adam and Eve, the Snake, the Garden of Eden. Symbolic Story with a Religious Truth: God gave humans the freedom to accept or reject his offer of a relationship. Humans rejected the offer by their disobedience Sin became part of the human condition. Original Sin: The fallen state of human nature Yet in the Scriptures, God continually reaches out to sinful humanity. He offers them a relationship in the form of a covenant. Slide 19 A covenant: an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return Testament is another word for Covenant Covenant with Noah Sign: rainbow Covenant with Abraham Sign: circumcision of males Covenant with Moses Sign: Sabbath Slide 20 Jesus Christ is the New Covenant If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will be saved from your sinful nature. Sign: Baptism Jesus Christ IS God God became one of us, a human Jesus is the human image of God