Monotheism
The belief held by all Christians that there is only one God
Exclusive monotheism
the view that there is only one singular God
Inclusive/pluriform monotheism
the recognition of multiple gods but each seen as extensions of the same God
Polytheism
the view that there are multiple independent gods
Ethical monotheism
The view that there is one God and that he is the source of morality, of what is right and wrong. Followers of God should obey his commandments and respond to his moral guidance
Understandings of God’s omnipotence
- Descartes’ view: God can do absolutely anything. This interpretation raises issues relating to the problem of evil
- God is able to do anything that is logically possible. This answers the PoE issue (logically impossible to create beings with free will but not allow them to choose evil) but raises further issues relating to free will and determinism
Understandings of God as creator
- Minority think of the universe as coming out of God’s own being (ex Deo). Most reject as it limits God (i.e. God is bound by the universe, God loses transcendence)
- The universe was created by God out of nothing (ex nihilo)
- Process theology - earth was already in existence and in a state of chaos. God then worked at ordering it.
Understandings of God as controller
- Biblical references to God as King express the belief that everything is subject to God’s control
- God not only created the universe, he also sustains it - holds it in existence and prevents its destruction
- God is omniscient - creates issues both for the PoE and for human free will
- Aquinas - God exists timelessly, so he sees the future but does not cause future events
Approaches to omniscience
- Theological determinism - God knows past, present and future absolutely and in a causative sense. This means that he controls everything that goes on in the universe, including human actions
- Aquinas’s view - God sees and knows all things, but his knowledge is not causative (i.e. knowing something does not mean he caused it).
- Swinburne’s view - God exists within time and knows all that is logically possible for God to know. He cannot be the cause of human future choices, as he cannot know them, though he might be able to predict them
God as transcendent and unknowable
- God is beyond and outside the world of space and time
- God is eternal and limitless
- Catholic teachings refer to God’s aseity
- God is infinite and incomprehensible
Aseity
the belief in God’s self-existence; it is in his nature to exist
Evidence of the Trinity in OT and NT
- Trinitarian belief is implied in OT
- The Hebrew word often used in OT for God (Elohim) is plural
- In Genesis 1, God as the ‘father’ of the universe created through his word and his spirit broods over the watery chaos - there is evidence of one God existing in different forms
- Hints of Trinity in NT is seen in the baptism of Jesus, where the Spirit descends on him and God the Father’s voice speaks to him
The doctrine of the Trinity
- There is one God in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Each Person possesses fully all the attributes of the Godhead: eternity, omnipotence, omniscience etc.
- The relationship between the three Persons is one of mutual indwelling
Perichoresis
Mutual indwelling and interpenetration of three co-equal persons of the Trinity
Hypostases
Refers to the ‘substance’ of the persons of the Trinity. The Trinity is one God is three hypostases. Could also be interpreted as ‘ways of being’ or ‘modes of existing’.
Homoousion
The Father and the Son are of the same essence. This idea was later extended to the Holy Spirit too.
Godhead
Refers to the essential unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit
The importance of the doctrine of the Trinity
- connects with Christian beliefs about sin and atonement
- Christians who believe in original sin claim that God sent his Son to atone for that sin through his crucifixion and resurrection to reconcile humanity with God
- the HS works within believers’ hearts and lives, giving hope of eternal life
- explains how God is both transcendent and immanent (otherwise paradoxical)
- Jürgen Moltmann: the relationship between persons of the Trinity shows the mutual self-giving and receiving of love, which is to be reflected in human relationships
Jesus as the Son of God - John 10:30
“If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly” - The Jews
“I and the Father are one.”
- Jesus
- This was Jesus’ response to those who asked him if he was the Messiah
- ‘One’ could refer to common essence, ‘of one Being with the Father’ (Nicene Creed) - the Greek word for “one” is “hen”, which is neuter (signifies a unity of essence, nature, or power rather than a unity of personhood)
- ‘One’ could also refer to unity of purpose/views - God’s purpose for humanity and Jesus’ mission were in harmony
Jesus as the Son of God - 1 Corinthians 8:6
“yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
- parallel structure - God and Jesus are the same in some way
Different interpretations: - Jesus is God
- ‘through’ suggests Jesus was God’s agent in creation but not in the sense of being divine
- Lord in Greek is ‘kyrios’ - master, sir (human connotations)
Anthropomorphic
the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, in this case God
Evidence of anthropomorphic descriptions of God
‘on the seventh day he rested from all his work’
- Genesis 2:2
‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt…and I am concerned about their suffering’
- Exodus 3:7
God is depicted as having human emotions and a human body
God as Personal
- refers to the belief that humans can relate to God
- God is immanent i.e. involved in the world and accessible
- God hears and answers prayers
- this is seen in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the spirit of a believer
- reassures humans that they can be saved and forgiven
God as Father
This attributes to him a number of roles:
- creating the universe
- rescuing Israel when in trouble (e.g. allowing Moses to part the Red Sea)
- setting standards of behaviour (e.g. in giving the Ten Commandments)
- exercising justice, rewarding obedience and punishing misdemeanours
- gives ideas of both protective love and power
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Natural Moral Law27
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Natural Moral Law - Quotes8
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The Design Argument27
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The Design Argument - Quotes17
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Situation Ethics16
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Situation Ethics - Quotes11
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The Ontological Argument18
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The Ontological Argument - Quotes10
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The Cosmological Argument13
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The Cosmological Argument - Quotes7
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Virtue Ethics28
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Virtue Ethics - Quotes9
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Evil and Suffering32
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Evil and Suffering - Quotes12
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Application of Ethical Theories37
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Application of Ethical Theories - Quotes and Scholars21
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Religious Experience35
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Religious Experience - Quotes15
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Sources of wisdom and authority28
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Sources of wisdom and authority - Quotes9
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God37
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God - quotes16
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Good conduct and key moral principles31
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Good conduct and key moral principles - Quotes8
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Reason and Faith in Philosophy of Religion3
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Christianity and the challenge of secularisation29
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Christianity and the challenge of secularisation - Quotes6
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Self, Death and Afterlife (Christianity)24
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Self, Death and Afterlife (Christianity) - Quotes13
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Self, Death and Afterlife (Philosophy)31
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Self, Death and Afterlife (Philosophy) - Quotes10
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Meta-ethics28
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Meta-ethics - Quotes5
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Religious Language54
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Religious Language - Quotes16
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Free will and moral responsibility38
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Free will and moral responsibility - Quotes8
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Conscience45
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Conscience - quotes5
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Miracles17
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Miracles - Quotes5
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Bentham and Kant24
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Bentham and Kant - Quotes5
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Christianity and Science34
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Christianity and Science - Quotes8
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Christianity, gender and sexuality50
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Christianity, gender and sexuality - Quotes12
