belief about deity revision ppt
TRANSCRIPT
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? 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!