OxNotes › GCSE/IGCSE Notes › GCSE Religion › Christianity Quotes (Quotation Bank)

Quotes about Key Principles

  • Creation: God made the world, and 'God created man in his own image' (Genesis 1:27). ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…’ (Genesis 1:1)
  • Holy Trinity: 'This helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father would send in my name'.
  • Heaven and Hell: Parable of the sheep and the goats: ‘Then they [the goats] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous [the sheep] to eternal life.’

Quotes on the Ten Commandments

The Commandments are important rules on how to live. The first 4 are how humans should relate to God. The last 6 are how people should treat each other.​
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  • The ten commandments: Thou shalt have no other gods, No graven images or likenesses, Not take the Lord's name in vain, Keep the Lord's Day (Sabbath) holy​, Honour thy father and thy mother, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false testimony, Thou shalt not covet (desire). (Exodus 20)
  • 'So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord.' (Leviticus 22:31)
  • 'So Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.' (Exodus 34:28)

Love of Neighbour

One of Jesus’ main teachings comes from the Parable of the Good Samaritan. It is to love your neighbour as yourself.
  • Enemies: You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your friends, hate your enemies.’ But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 22:39)
  • ​Love Thy Neighbour: Love your Lord your God... and Love your neighbour as yourself. The parable of the good Samaritan - everyone counts as your 'neighbour' (Luke 10: 25-37)
  • If anyone has material possessions and ignores his brother in need, how can he love God? (1 John 3:17​)

Prejudice and Discrimination

Christianity teaches that all humans are made in the image of God. Therefore any action that devalues a person is an insult to God who created and loves that person.
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  • 'Do to others what you would have them do to you' (Matthew 7:12)
  • 'Every human being created in the image of God is a person for whom Christ died. Racism is an assault on Christ's values and a rejection of his sacrifice.' World Council of Churches
  • 'Male and female He created them' (Genesis 1:27), perhaps this reveals God's 'natural purpose' for us
  • 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.' (Leviticus 20:13)
  • 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' (Galatians 3:28)
  • Example of Jesus; He spoke to and helped anyone (Canaanites, tax collectors, lepers, women), but chose only men as his disciples
  • 'I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.' (Timothy 2:12)

Animals

Traditional Christian thinkers believed that human beings were greatly superior to animals. Modern Christians often take a much more pro-animal line. They think that any unnecessary mistreatment of animals is both sinful and morally wrong.
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  • '...fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.' (Genesis 1:28)
  • 'Everything that lives and moves will be food for you' (Genesis 9:3)
  • Human beings are rational. Rational beings are entitled to rule irrational beings. Animals are not rational. (Augustine, Christian philosopher)
  • 'Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God... Don't worry, you are worth more than many sparrows' (Luke 12:6)
  • The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.' (Genesis 2:15)
  • "A good man takes care of his animals, but wicked men are cruel to theirs." (Proverbs 12:10)
  • "Scientists must abandon laboratories and factories of death" (Pope John Paul 2, talking about animal experimentation.)
  • 'Christians repudiate (refuse to accept) all ill considered exploitation of nature which threatens to destroy it and, in turn, to make man the victim of degradation.' (Christian Assisi Declaration on Nature)

Crime & Punishment

Christianity teaches that God is a God of justice. He is the ultimate judge and everyone will be answerable to Him one day. Here on Earth however, He has delegated the right to judge crimes to the state (Governments). Thus, the law is exercising justice on God’s behalf.
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  • ​'Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.' (Romans 13:1)
  • "A deep reverence for human life is worth more than a thousand executions in the prevention of murder; and is, in fact the great security for life" (John Bright, First Quaker MP)
  • 'Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also' (Matthew 5: 38-39)
  • 'Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good' (Romans 12:21)
  • Execution is only appropriate "in cases of absolute necessity, in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society" (Pope John Paul II)
  • 'Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed' (Genesis 9:6)
  • A person who continues to sin against you should always be forgiven 'not seven times, but seventy-seven' (Matthew 18:21-22)

Matters of Life

For Christians, human life is sacred and is a gift from God. It is to be respected and protected. This teaching is the sanctity of life.​​
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  • 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth...' (Genesis 1:28)
  • 'It is I (God) who bring both death and life.' (Deuteronomy 32:39)
  • 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart' (Jeremiah 1:5)
  • Hannah had no children... because the Lord had kept her from having children." (1 Samuel 1: 2,5) (This quote can be interpreted for use in IVF and other egg fertilisation topics).
  • 'You formed my inmost being; You knit me in my mother's womb... Your eyes foresaw my actions; In your book all are written down; My days were shaped, before one came to be.' (Psalms 139:13-16)
  • The life of everything is in the blood.' (Leviticus 17:10-11)
  • "Consider God's handiwork: who can straighten what He hath made crooked?" (This quote can be interpreted for use in topics related to disabled foetus' / pre-screening embryos)
  • "Jesus...was a healer... Clearly where genetic manipulation is the means of healing diseases - in animals or humans - it is to be welcomed." (Methodists)
  • 'A time to be born and a time to die' (Ecclesiastes 3:2)
  • "Techniques that entail the disassociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple...are gravely immoral." (Catholic Church)

Relationships

St. Paul taught that there should be no sex before marriage because taught the body is a Temple for the soul – and by indulging in casual sex, you are damaging the body (and the mind).
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  • 'Your body is a temple of the holy spirit... it is not your own' (1 Corinthians 6:19)
  • ​“Be fruitful and increase in number”
  • “What God has joined together, let no man separate”
  • 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.' (Leviticus 20:13) 
  • “Honour your mother and father”
  • “Listen to your father, you gave you life …”
  • “Every sexual act should have the possibility of creating life”
  • “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another women commits adultery against her”
  • “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
  • “You shall not commit adultery.”
  • “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh”

War and Peace

There is not a black and white answer about whether war is permitted or not. However, the Bible discusses justice in depth, as well as the sanctity of life, the importance of resolving conflict and working for peace.​
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  • 'Thou shall not kill' (Ten commandments - Exodus 20)
  • 'Whosoever shall shed man's blood, his own blood shall be shed' (Genesis 9:6)
  • Just War Theory (by Thomas Aquinas): There must be a just cause, proper authority to govern the war, it must be a last resort, there must be a reasonable chance of success in the war, proportionate (i.e. minimal) force should be used and the good done should outweigh the harm.
  • 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' (Matthew 5:9)
  • 'Whoever has no sword must sell his coat and buy one.' (Luke 22:36)
  • 'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you' (Luke 6:27)
  • Liberation Theology; Jesus came 'to free the oppressed (those treated harshly)'
  • 'Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.' (Romans 12:21)
  • 'All who take up the sword will die by the sword...' (Matthew 26:52)
  • 'We utterly deny all outward wars and strife' (Quakers (Christian Movement))
  • 'You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.' (Matthew 5:38 - 39)

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