Belief about Deity

In this topic you will be addressing Christian beliefs and Teaching about

The Nature of God

Reasons for Belief in God

The Concept of Miracles

The ways in which theses beliefs affect the life and outlook of Christians in the world today

One GodFather

SonHoly Spirit

Eternal

Omnipotent

Omniscient

Omnipresent

Perfect

Judge

What do Christians believe about God?

Jesus

SpiritFather

God

IS

IS

IS

IS

NOT

IS

NOT

IS

NOT

Father:

He is transcendent (outside

the world ) and impersonal

(we don’t know Him).

Above everything, He is the

Creator who is behind the

universe.

Son:

He is immanent (in the world)

and personal (we knew him).

He came to earth and lived as

a person. He is the redeemer

(saviour) of humanity.

Holy Spirit:

Immanent (in the world) and

impersonal.

God around us.

Described as the comforter,

inspiring and helping people.

What is the

Trinity?

Why do Christians believe in God? Ontological Argument

One Christian thinker Anselm said hat God should be described as ‘that which nothing greater can be conceived’. This means that God must exist otherwise we could not produce this description.

Why do Christians believe in God?Causation or Cosmological argument

Think of it like a set of dominos

Without somebody making that first push

they would stay up

Aquinas says the same of the world.

Even if you believe in the Big Bang –

God must have caused it

• Thomas Aquinas came up with this idea

• He said the Universe could not just have happened on its own

• Something must have caused it.

• Science can not place the first cause.

• Only an omnipotent god could cause the universe.

• Therefore god must exist

Why do Christians believe in God?Design or Teleological Argument.

• Often known as the ‘watch analogy’

• The world is so perfect somebody must have designed it.

• Only God could design something as complex as the universe.

• Therefore God must exist.

Paley argues that if you found a watch the parts

work so perfectly together that somebody MUST

have designed it. He applies these ideas to the

Universe. An example he uses is the eye. It is

made of MANY parts but even if one part was

missing we could not see. He argues this is too

difficult to be chance and therefore can only be

explained by God

Why do Christians believe in God? –Religious Experience

Miracles

Near Death Experiences

Prayer

Why do Christians believe in God? Moral Argument

All people have a basic understanding of what is

right or wrong. Where did this come from?

It must have been God

Why do Christians believe in God? Background and Upbringing

Christening

Sunday School

Going to

Church

Bible

Following the 10

commandments

Celebrate Christmas

What is a Miracle?

• An extraordinary event attributed to some supreme agency

• Any remarkable occurrence

Examples of Miracles

in the Old Testament

Moses parting the Red

Sea

10 Plagues

Miracles in the New TestamentControl over Nature (natural world)

• Calming the storm

• Walking on water

• Feeding of 5,000

• Turning water into wine

Healing

• Allowing the blind to see

• Making lame man walk

• Casting out evil spirits

Resurrection

• Jesus’ resurrection

• Lazarus is raised from the dead

• Jairus’ daughter overcomes death

THREE types of Miracles that Jesus performed

Examples of Modern Miracles

Lourdes France – in 1858 Bernadette Soubirous saw a vision of the Virgin Mary – people didn’t believe her but over the course of the next 5 moths she appeared 18 times. She was told to drink from the fountain – there was no water so she decided to drink – and she found an underground well. Now people come from miles around to become healed.

Knock, Ireland – in 1879 an image of

the Virgin Mary appeared in the wall of

a Catholic Church – more than a dozen

people saw it – there was no logical

explanation!