In order to make this topic as easy as possible, I have put together a couple of strange sounding words that you can use to help yourself when trying to describe ideas about God: 'TOMPIPI' and 'TOOOsHd'.
Here goes...
TOMPIPI?
These are really good if you want some decent words
to help you describe various ideas about God.
TOMPIPI (it's such a funny term!)
T - transcendent
O - omnipotent
M - monotheism
P - personal
I - impersonal
P - pluralism
I - immanent
TOMPIPI (it's such a funny term!)
T - transcendent
O - omnipotent
M - monotheism
P - personal
I - impersonal
P - pluralism
I - immanent
Transcendent
When God is above or beyond us.
Omnipotent
All-powerful
Monotheism
When there is one God.
Personal+Immanent
These two go together - they mean the
same thing.
(Remember that immanent is different from imminent)
(Remember that immanent is different from imminent)
Pluralism
Pluralism is a good word to describe our country
because there are many beliefs here. You can get
many beliefs in one town, one school, even one
family!
Impersonal
Is sometimes linked with the word
Transcendent (see above). It is
probably best used when you talk about God in
pantheism as an impersonal force.
TOOOsHd?
This word is brilliant for remembering some of the
vital things about the Christian view of God. I
know it's spelt weirdly, but if you can remember it
you will be able to press on to brilliant grades in
every Beliefs exam that they throw at you.
T-Trinity
O- Omnipotent
O-Omniscient
O-Omnipresent
sHd- separate, holy, different
There is an online video for this unit on this page.
T-Trinity
O- Omnipotent
O-Omniscient
O-Omnipresent
sHd- separate, holy, different
There is an online video for this unit on this page.
Trinity
Crucial and central to Christianity is the idea of
God as three persons
who are also one. The term for this the
Trinity.
To assist you in this, you should try and remember this impossible bit of maths - 1+1+1=1. Even though it doesn't make sense it will help you grasp what is meant by the trinity. Each part of God - the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Spirit (or called the Holy Ghost in older times) are equally God (hence being worth 1 in the equation) but also add up to one God. This is hard to understand but it is what the Bible reveals. It explains why Christianity is a monotheistic belief.
More info on the life of Jesus can be found here.
To assist you in this, you should try and remember this impossible bit of maths - 1+1+1=1. Even though it doesn't make sense it will help you grasp what is meant by the trinity. Each part of God - the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Spirit (or called the Holy Ghost in older times) are equally God (hence being worth 1 in the equation) but also add up to one God. This is hard to understand but it is what the Bible reveals. It explains why Christianity is a monotheistic belief.
More info on the life of Jesus can be found here.
OOO - the three omnis
Omni means all or
everything. When you have the
omnibus edition of a soap on TV it
usually has all the episodes at
once (get it?). There are three
alls (or omnis in
the Christian God:
- omnipotent - potent means power, so this is all powerful
- omniscient - science is about knowledge, so this means all knowing
- omnipresent - you guessed it, He is everywhere
- omnipotent - potent means power, so this is all powerful
- omniscient - science is about knowledge, so this means all knowing
- omnipresent - you guessed it, He is everywhere
sHd - separate, Holy, different
sHd
- three words that mean the same
thing
You have heard the word 'Holy' haven't you? Well Holy basically means separate or different (sHd - get it?). In the Jewish Bible, or Old Testament, God is described as Holy because He is separate (or transcendent) from the people. They ended up becoming His people and also were called to be separate/different from the surrounding nations.
You have heard the word 'Holy' haven't you? Well Holy basically means separate or different (sHd - get it?). In the Jewish Bible, or Old Testament, God is described as Holy because He is separate (or transcendent) from the people. They ended up becoming His people and also were called to be separate/different from the surrounding nations.
Learn the TOOOsHd/TOMPIPI sayings and what the letters mean.
Try to find examples in different religions so you can start using the terms (remember that higher grades are always linked to using the proper words in both KS3 and KS4).