Lesson 3
The Trinity
I can be known as:
- Sister – to my sister Sophie
- Daughter – to my parents
- Friend – to everyone (or at least I try to be – I hate having enemies!)
Why is the Doctrine of the Trinity so important to Christians?
The Doctrine of the Trinity is important to Christians because it was their way of saying there was only one God but three parts to him – God the father, God the son, God the holy spirit. Early Christians believed that there was only one God, but then they became sure that Jesus (the son) was God and not just someone sent by God. They also believe that the holy spirit was God. The Trinity is there way of saying this. Some Christians believe that it is a really important issue and if you do not believe in the Trinity then you are not a real Christian.
Lesson 4
Reasons to believe in God
Everything needs a cause – most people would agree with that statement however, most people would also say that science is the cause and not God. I think this is quite a strong argument. It would explain why some odd things happen and it would explain why we are here today. This is one of the reasons which leads me to believe God does exist.
The argument from design – there is no evidence for this and no-one knows how the Earth was formed or how humans were made. People could argue that science also has an answer for this one with the ‘Big Bang’ which is supposed to be the scientific reason for how the Earth was formed. I think this is quite a weak argument as there is scientific version of how the Earth was formed and there is evidence to back it up. This argument does not convince me that God exists.
Moral argument – people could argue that our conscience was made by the way we were brought up. Our parents brought us up telling us what is right and wrong; our conscience is just us remembering what we have been taught. This argument makes me think. Part of me thinks that our conscience is God teaching us but part of me thinks that it is just us remembering what our parents have taught us about right and wrong.
Ontological Argument – people would say this is just his opinion. Some people would say that there is no evidence that he exists and if he doesn’t exist then he can’t be the best possible thing. This argument just doesn’t make sense to me. If there is no evidence for his existence then I am inclined to say that he doesn’t exist. If he doesn’t exist then he can’t be the greatest thing. If he was the greatest then why is there war and famine in the world – surely he wouldn’t allow it! I think this argument is very weak.
From experience – people could say that the fact that what you prayed for happened is just coincidence and would have happened anyway. I think this is quite a weak argument as lots of things people pray for could happen anyway, the fact they happened when the person prayed could just be coincidence.
From upbringing – people could say that this is just how you’ve been brought up – your parents believe in God then so do you. They would say that this isn’t a reason for him existing just a reason why you think he does. I think this is also a weak argument. To say that God exists because your parents said so is like saying if you jump of a cliff you will be able to fly because your parents said so. This isn’t evidence of his existence; it’s just someone’s opinion and whether or not they believe in him. It doesn’t mean he does actually exist.
Faith and proof – there is no proof either way that he does or doesn’t exist, however, many people would say that, because of the lack of evidence, he doesn’t exist. I think this is quite a weak argument to use to say he does exist. If there is no proof then will we ever know if he is truly there? To be able to believe something I need to have evidence that it happened/someone exists, without proof what’s to say that they don’t exist and it’s just a story made up by some man a long, long time ago.
I believe that my parents (and the rest of my family) will always be there for me to talk o and will always look after me. I also believe that my teachers are there for me to talk to and are there to help me through my exams and I know I will always be able to go to any of them at any time. I believe this not only because most of them have told me but also because I have faith in them all.
I think Tertullian’s reason for believing in God is rather strange. To believe in something because it doesn’t make sense, well, it doesn’t really make sense does it? I believe in lots of things that I don’t have evidence for – like reincarnation – but I’ve never believed in anything because it doesn’t make sense. I think it’s very strange but, in a strange way, it sort of makes sense to me. However, most of all, it confused me. Why believe in something because it is too absurd to be true?
Lesson 5
The authority of the Bible
My parents have lots of authority in my life. They tell me what I can and can’t do, when I can do things, when I can’t do things, where I can go with who, when I have to go to bed, when I can watch TV, when I can’t hit my sister back when she hits me, when I can go to my friends, when my friends can come for tea, when I have to be at home because my family are coming over etc. They are very controlling and I sometimes think they are over protective. They probably have the most authority in my life because they are the people who punish me when I do things like fight with my sister and they are the people who can ground me and take away my pocket money!!
Teachers have a lot of authority in my life. They are the people who can put me in detention (not that they’ve ever needed to) and keep me after school (not that I would mind)! They are the people who enforce the school rules and make sure I behave myself in the classroom. They are the people who can tell me what I can and can’t do. They are probably the people with the second most authority.
The police have a lot of authority over how people live their lives with regard to the law but they don’t have much authority in my life. I’ve only ever spoken to the police once with regards to a man down the street but I’ve never been in trouble with them and never been told off by one. The police don’t have any authority in my life, well, anything other than things regarding the law, but that’s the same for every person.
I don’t think it makes sense to give authority to the Bible because it was written a long, long time ago and things have changed a lot since then. Some things still remain the same but now there are new ideas like abortion and euthanasia. Lots of things have changed and the Bible won’t have answers for everything.
Lesson 6
Miracles
Do miracles happen? It depends on what you mean by a miracle. If you mean winning the lottery then yes, I do believe they happen. If by miracle, you mean curing someone with a terminal illness then no, I don’t believe miracles happen. I would like to believe miracles happened all the time. I believe they do happen but not often, not all the time. Someone could be very ill and suddenly get better, sit up and say it’s a miracle but it’s not a true miracle – they were always going to get better. Someone could win the lottery and say it’s a miracle, however, it was always possible, not very likely I’ll admit but always possible. Therefore, I don’t believe true miracles happen – only mini miracles!
