© January 2018 The PiXL Club Ltd. All rights reserved. This resource is strictly for the use of member schools for as long as they remain members of The PiXL Club Ltd.

GCSE Study of Religions: ChristianityInformation Sheet

Study of Religions: Christianity RS GCSE© January 2018 The PiXL Club Ltd. All rights reserved. This resource is strictly for the use of member schools for as long as they remain members of The PiXL Club Ltd.

Beliefs about God and Creation

• God is said to be omnipotent (all powerful) and therefore able to do anything that it makes sense for God to do, such as creating the universe and performing miracles. God is also loving and just (fair).

• However, the idea of God as just creates the “problem of evil and suffering”. There are many different explanations as to why suffering happens in the world: it is a punishment; it is a test of faith; it is a learning process; it is needed to balance out and let us recognise good.

• What is “evil”? Give examples.• God is revealed to the world in three ways; the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. This is known as the

Trinity. All three parts are ways of experiencing the one God that Christians believe in.• Christians believe God created the world in 6 days. God existed before the world, and is separate from the world. • Genesis 1:1-3 begins describing this by saying, “In the beginning, God created heaven and earth”. John 1:1-3

says that, “In the beginning was the Word”; Christians interpret the use of Word to mean Jesus.• What was created on which day in the Genesis creation story?

The Role of the Church in the Local Community

• Jesus taught his disciples (in the parable of the sheep and goats) to care for those in need, and many churches fulfil this duty in their local communities. Many churches organise food banks, collecting donated food to distribute to the poor and coordinating volunteers.

• Street pastors are church volunteers who work with vulnerable people on the streets of towns and cities, mainly at night, caring for them. • What happened in the parable of the sheep and goats?• Christians are taught to go out and spread the Good News about Christianity through mission and evangelism to convert others and grow the Christian

church. Many churches have developed innovative ideas to achieve church growth and reach members of their local communities, for example young people or marginalized groups.

Beliefs about Jesus Christ

• Christians believe in the incarnation - that God “became flesh” as Jesus, being both God and human as the son of God. • Some Christian beliefs include the idea that Jesus had to surrender some of his divine knowledge in order to fully become human.• Christians believe Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion (death by hanging on a cross) on Good Friday. • What happened in the events leading up to Good Friday?• Jesus’ resurrection – rising from the dead – on Easter Day is a central belief of Christianity.• Jesus’ ascension was 40 days after his death, when he returned to God (Luke 24, Acts 1).• Sin is any behaviour which is against God’s rules or wishes, or is immoral/wrong. • Original sin is also known as The Fall, and related to Adam and Eve disobeying God’s instruction not to eat from the tree of good and evil. • What happened in the story of The Fall? • Some Christians believe that this story is literal (true) whereas others interpret it to mean that human nature is flawed and will always

tend to go against God.• Salvation is the saving of the soul and deliverance from sin, brought about by Jesus, which leads to acceptance into heaven.• Salvation is believed to be achievable by law obeying laws and rules of morality (although many Christians reject this idea); by the grace

of God or by the influence of the Holy Spirit in their lives and hearts.• What do Christians mean by “grace”?• Christians believe that the sacrificial death of Jesus was central to the process of atonement – the reconciliation between God and

humanity that allows sin to be forgiven and entry into Heaven.

Worldwide Role of the Church

• In communities where relationships between groups have broken down, the church works to restore harmony and achieve reconciliation, such as in Northern Ireland and South Africa.

• In some areas of the world, Christians suffer persecution (being punished for their faith). Churches respond to this by “going underground”, by Christians leaving the region, or by other churches supporting the persecuted groups.

• Where in the world are Christians being persecuted/have they been persecuted in the past?

• CAFOD, Tear Fund and Christian Aid are key Christian charities working to provide emergency and long-term aid in the developing world, following the teachings of Jesus.

• What is the difference between emergency aid and long-term aid?

Beliefs about the Afterlife

• Christians believe in resurrection (that once we die our physical or spiritual bodies are raised back to life before Judgement Day. On this day it is believed that all will be held to account for how they have lived.

• Catholics are taught about particular judgement (immediately after death) and general judgement (at the Second Coming, when Jesus returns to Earth).

• After death Christians believe we are assigned to heaven (a place of enjoyment in the presence of God) or Hell (a place of eternal suffering and separation from God). Roman Catholics believe that souls go to purgatory – a place of cleansing – before heaven.

• List three things that Christians believe about heaven.

Worship and Prayer

• Liturgical worship (following a set structure or ritual) is common in Roman Catholic and Church of England churches.

• Non-liturgical worship has a more flexible approach including key elements such as prayers, Bible readings and sermons. Non-liturgical worship could include informal worship such as speaking in tongues.

• Many church services include readings from the Bible and many hymns are based on words from the Bible.• Private worship is when a believer gives praise to God on their own, and can include meditation, or the use of a

Rosary (string of prayer beads) for Roman Catholics.• Set prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer have been written through the centuries by Christians, and are still used by

many Christians today. Informal prayer, or extempore prayer, is spontaneous prayer from the heart.• What are some of the key elements that might be included in Christian prayers?

Special Events

• Sacraments are the outward and visible sign of an invisible and spiritual grace. They are ways that Christians show and experience their inner faith.

• Baptism involves the use of water to wash away sin to welcome a believer into the church. In infant baptism, children are welcomed and promises are made by adults on their behalf. Believers’ baptism involves full immersion, and follows the example of Jesus’ baptism, with believers choosing to follow a Christian life. Some Christians agree more with believers baptism (when people are old enough to choose for themselves) rather than infant baptism.

• What happens at an Infant Baptism/Believers’ Baptism? Explain the differences.• The Eucharist (thanksgiving) is also known as Holy Communion, and celebrates the sacrifice made by Jesus in giving his life by

following his command to share bread and wine to represent Jesus’ body and blood.

• When did Jesus give this command? What did he say?• Many Christians make a journey, known as a pilgrimage, to a Holy site. These include Lourdes, France where Bernadette

experienced visions of the Virgin Mary, and where it is claimed that miraculous healings have taken place. • Iona, an island off the west coast of Scotland founded by the building of a monastery, is a place of pilgrimage and retreat and

now welcomes Christians of all denominations.• The two most significant Christian celebrations are Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus, and Easter which celebrates

his resurrection from the dead, starting on Easter Day until the feast of Pentecost.• What are the key events in the Easter celebration?