RE revision – simplified notes on each topic

Unit Topic Summary

Unit 1: 1.1 Trinity Christians believe that there is One God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In
Catholic Jesus God is fully revealed to be each of these. All co-equal, co-eternal. All
involved in creation, all interacting with humanity. Christians pray to the One
Beliefs God or each person. Key beliefs about the trinity are found in the Nicene
creed.
1.2 Trinity in the Some stories in the Bible mention all three persons of the trinity: The Baptism
Bible of Jesus, the Great Commission. Some stories focus on a particular person,
Pentecost, the life of Jesus, who reveals the Father (Our Father). Jesus says
“to see me is to see the Father”.
1.3 Creation The Bible starts with the two stories of creation. Creation story 1 – the 7
days. God is revealed as close to humanity (imminent) and above creation
(transcendent). God lovingly crafts his creation, and says “it is good”. Most
Christians understand these stories metaphorically, being a story about how
God loves his creation. The minority of Christians understand these stories
literally, this is how it happened, literally.
1.4 Creation and In the creation stories humans are created ‘in the image of God’. This means
the nature of that of all created things, humans enjoy a special connection with God, they
have the stamp of his nature in them. They are like God, they know right
humanity from wrong, they can know God and enter into a personal relationship with
God, they have to care for creation. Humans drifted from this relationship
(seen in the ‘fall’ in Eden) but God does not give up on them, he desires to
restore this relationship.
1.5 The The eternal invisible God took on human flesh. God the son shows God’s
incarnation humility by “taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2). God, in Jesus Christ,
came to earth to restore the relationship between God and humanity. Jesus
is both fully God and fully human.
1.6 The paschal Jesus’ life lead to his eventual suffering, death, and resurrection (these
mystery events are known as the paschal mystery). “Just as the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20). Jesus’ suffering – he is arrested, tortured, put on trial and
nailed to a cross. He dies on a cross, forgiving his executioners. He is laid in a
tomb and rises from the dead. Called the ‘paschal mystery’ and the Jewish
Passover, or ‘pasch’ was an event in which a lamb was slaughtered, its blood
placed on the doorposts, and the Israelites were saved from death. Jesus is
now the ‘lamb of God’ that is slain, his blood is on the cross, and this sacrifice
saves humanity.
1.7 The Humanity had sinned, they had drifted far from God. Jesus established a new
significance of the ‘covenant’, a new relationship between God and humanity (atonement,
peace between God and humanity), in his death on the cross he restored the
paschal mystery relationship. Humanity sin, Jesus pays the price for that sin, humans are now
free from the punishment due to sin, they are 'saved’ (salvation), and
redeemed (humanity are no longer ‘far’ from God, they are made better,
redeemed). Jesus bridged the gap between humanity and God. He himself
bore our sins” in his body on the cross, “by his wounds you have been
healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray, ”but now you have
returned to the Shepherd of your souls” (1 Peter 2).
1.8 Eschatology Beliefs about life after death. At the moment of death souls will receive a
‘particular judgement’, in which they enter heaven, hell or purgatory. Heaven
is eternal life with God, hell is eternal separation, purgatory is a preparation
of souls for heaven, souls that have the stain of sin still on their soul. God is
ultimately merciful, and “wants all people to be saved and come to a
knowledge of the truth”. (1 Timothy 2).
Unit 2: 2.1 Sacraments God desires to connect with humanity. Sacraments are concreate ways God
Catholic interacts with humans, and gives them his grace, i.e. his love, strength,
support and forgiveness. The sacraments are ways Catholics connect to God’s
Practices presence. The 7 sacraments ‘CHAMBER’.
2.2 Liturgical Worshipping God in a set way, a way with structure. Liturgy usually refers to
Worship the mass, a re-enactment of the last supper, where Jesus offered bread and
wine and said ‘do this in remembrance of me’. Liturgy has set prayers and
 responses. The mass has two main parts ‘the liturgy of the word’, focussed on
Bible readings and a homily by the priest, and the ‘liturgy of the Eucharist’
where Catholics receive communion, which they believe (through
transubstantiation) to be the body and blood of Christ.
2.3 The funeral Three ceremonies to mark the end of someone’s life. The vigil, the night
rite before the funeral, usually for close family, to offer prayers for the deceased.
The funeral itself, taking place at the Church, and the committal, saying
farewell and offering the soul to God. These three ceremonies remind the
family of the deceased’s baptism, of the unity with God, and their hope in the
resurrection, life after death.
2.4 Prayer St Padre Pio said “You don’t always have to pray with words, you can pray
with the heart”. St Therese of Lisieux said prayer is “raising the heart and
mind to God”. Prayer builds relationship between God and humanity. It takes
many forms. Spoken prayers are either ‘formal’, having a structure, e.g. Our
Father, or ‘extempore’, made up on the spot. They can be for these 5 reasons
(PARTI), petition (asking for something) adoration (appreciating / adoring
God who He is) thanksgiving (showing gratitude to God) intercession (praying
for others.
2.5 Popular Piety Forms of praying outside of the mass. Passed on for generations (traditional)
prayed by families or individuals, such as the rosary (a set of beads that takes
someone through the life of Jesus), stations of the cross, Eucharistic
adoration. It is a way for the laity to lead prayers, and keep their relationship
with God going outside of the mass.
2.6 Pilgrimage Visiting a holy place, usually associated with a saint or the life of Jesus.
Lourdes, in the south of France, Mary is said to have appeared to St
Bernadette and told her that people should visit, to bathe in the water, and
‘come in procession’. The Holy Land was the land where Jesus walked, and
Christians can feel connected to his life. On pilgrimage Christians can pray in a
new way, they can start again, seek forgiveness, pray for themselves or
others back home, they can learn about their faith and connect to other
Christians.
2.7 Catholic Social Jesus was once asked by his disciples to feed a large crowd, Jesus said to
Teaching them “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). Catholics believe they
have a responsibility to love their neighbour, and to serve them, particularly
the poor and marginalised. The Church teaches about the best way to love
our neighbours in its ‘Social Teaching’. Some key ideas are ‘solidarity’, seeing
a connection between us and those in need, ‘stewardship’, caring for the
earth our common home, ‘preferential option for the poor’, placing the
needs of the poor first in society.
2.8 Mission and Jesus told his disciples to ‘Go and make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28).
Evangelism Catholics believe they have a duty to share their faith with others, i.e. to
‘evangelise’, through their words and actions to witness to the fact that they
are a Christian.
Unit 7 7.1 Revelation The idea that God reveals his existence to humanity. The eternal all powerful
Philosophy God wants humanity to know about his existence, “For since the creation of
the world God’s invisible qualities, have been clearly seen, being understood
(Argument
from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). This ‘communication’ is seen in
for the
natural ways, through a sunrise, the beauty of the cosmos, our human
existence of
consciousness. God can be found through these natural ways. Also through
God)
special ways, ways that involve God directly interacting with humanity to
reveal his existence, i.e. answering a prayer, appearing in a vision. Jesus is
considered the ‘culmination of revelation’ as he is the main and complete
way God has communicated with humanity.
7.2 Visions God appearing directly to someone, either physically in front of them (a
corporeal vision, it could be of an angel, or Christ, or Mary), just through a
voice (an auditory vision, such as Moses hearing God’s voice from the burning
bush), or an ‘imaginative’ vision, such as a dream, or experiencing God in the
‘minds eye’.
7.3 Miracles Biblical miracles of Jesus, or non-biblical miracles such as healings at Lourdes.
Jesus’ miracles (both ‘healing’ miracles such as raising Lazarus from the dead,
or miracles over nature, such as the calming o the storm) were only done to
help someone’s faith in God, not as a spectacle or magic trick.
7.4 Religious Any experience that connects someone to God. It might be something simple
Experience and gentle, such as feeling God’s presence in prayer. Or it might be
something more dramatic, such as a vision. A ‘numinous’ experience is where
someone has a sense that they are in the presence of something greater, this
could take place in a beautiful church, or watching a sunrise. A numinous
experience usually involves a sense of ‘awe and wonder’, wonder at God’s
creation.
7.5 Design An argument for the existence of God, that the apparent evidence of ‘order’
Argument and ‘complexity’ in the world must be evidence for a higher power that
designed the universe in such a way, to be complex, to have exact laws of
physics, that would allow stars and planets to form, and eventually, human
life.
7.6 Cosmological An argument for the existence of God that suggests the universe itself must
Argument have a cause, there must be one ultimate cause behind everything. The big
bang (a theory first put forward by a Belgian priest Fr Georges Lamaitre) must
itself have a cause. Nothing cannot come from nothing. Since God is the only
power possible of existing in and of himself, needing no other cause, God is
eternal, the uncaused cause, God is the only one capable of creating
‘something’ from nothing. Ex nihilo ‘out of nothing’.
7.7 The problem The greek philosopher Epicurus wondered how God could be all loving and all
of suffering powerful if he allows evil in the world. Either God is loving, but not powerful
enough to do anything about evil. Or God is powerful, but not loving, i.e. God
could do something about suffering but chooses not to. Or God doesn’t exist.
7.8 Responses to Christians try to respond to this problem by saying:
the problem of ‘Moral evil’ is evil caused by humans, not God. God draws good from evil and
suffering. Irenaeus said suffering provides ‘soul making’, a chance for our soul
suffering to get ready for heaven, through testing us. Augustine said that evil and
suffering were due to Adam and Eve’s decision to turn against God. The book
of Job says that our suffering is ultimately beyond human comprehension, we
are blinded to God’s love when all we focus on is our plan. Jesus knew what it
was to suffer, God is with us in our suffering, supporting us, but in most cases
decides not to take it away.