Yes! The existence of God is a central belief common to Christians and the other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Islam. As Christians, we believe certain things about God, some of which are unique to Christianity. We believe that God is one, unique, greater than everything else that exists, and the Creator of everything else that exists. We believe that God cannot be limited in any way - he is all powerful, all knowing, outside time and space. He cannot be limited by our ability to comprehend him either - He is a mystery, beyond our intellect. We call God He, but He is not a person and not male - on the other hand He is not some abstract being we have no contact with - He relates to us in a personal way, and reveals himself to us. We believe that his most supreme quality is love. We believe that He exists in a unique and mysterious way as three 'persons' - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - in one God.

How do we come to this belief? If we could prove the existence of God it would be very simple - everyone would believe in him! But there are clues, things which make our belief seem reasonable, even if not proven beyond all possible doubt.

• First of all, the existence of such a complex, beautiful creation - it seems more plausible that a Creator was involved than that it was left to chance (that is not the same as taking a literal view of the Genesis creation story, which most Christians don't - evolution may be the best possible explanation of how things are as they are, but it doesn't stop God being responsible for it.)
• Secondly, it seems almost instinctive for humans to search for some higher being.
• Thirdly, many people can testify to some sort of religious experience which confirms for them the existence of God - whether its prayers answered, an indescribable sense of God's presence, or even visions.

These hints, together with what we believe to be God's revelation of himself in Jesus Christ, lead us to the beliefs we have about God. At the end of the day, though, it comes down to faith. If we are not open to this, then nothing will convince us.

This is probably the hardest question of all. Surely God is either all-powerful, or he is loving, but he cannot be both, or he would not allow so much pain and suffering?

We believe that the two things can be held together - God is all-powerful, and loving. We must accept that God is beyond our knowing. He has greater purposes for us which we cannot possibly know. However most Christians theologians would say that although God permits evil to exist, he did not create it, and he does not want us to suffer, though he can bring good out of it.

According to the book fo Genesis, everything God created was good. However he did not create robots, but creatures (including us) with free will. If we did not have free will, then we could not freely love him, and would not be able to enjoy life in all its fullness. Free will means we can cooperate with God - but it also means we can act contrary to his will.

Suffering used to be thought of as punishment sent by God. We don't see it quite like that now - but indirectly sin, evil and suffering have come into the world as a result of God's creatures choosing not to do God's will. Sometimes the link between human actions and suffering is clearer than others - e.g. if someone murders someone. It's hard to see the connection in the case of a natural disaster. But we are as a society becoming increasingly aware of the different ways human activity is having a negative impact on the planet.

If God intervened every time a disaster was going to take place, it is hard to see where the line would be drawn. If he intervened to prevent all suffering, then we would have no free will. In God's infinite wisdom the gift of life, which we shall one day experience in all its fullness without any pain or suffering, is worth the experience of some pain during our life in this world.

The final part of the answer is that God himself has provided the solution - by living as one of us and sharing in suffering and death. God knows what it is like to experience suffering from a human point of view, and through the cross has shown that good can be brought out of an evil situation - in this case the ultimate good of salvation for all.

We can be quite sure than a man named Jesus of Nazareth live in the first century, acquired a number of followers, and made a number of provocative statements that led to his death on a cross at the hands of the Roman authorities - there is independent corroborating evidence for this.

Many people who don't claim to be Christians believe that Jesus was a good man, whose teachings provide a good standard for moral living. We believe that there is more to him than this. Central to the Christian faith is the belief that the Son of God (one of the three persons of the Trinity - see first question) became a human being, without ceasing to be God. He was born of a human mother, Mary, but no human Father - that's what we mean by the term 'Virgin Birth'. He grew up, lived as a normal human being, with an extraordinary mission, to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. His words and actions led to resentment from some quarters, and he was put to death on the cross. But he rose from the dead, proving to his disciples that he had the power and authority of God.

There are various ways of interpreting his death on the cross, and how it brings about our salvation. Again, it is part of the mystery of God. It certainly demonstrates the depth of God's love for us, and is the ultimate example of selflessness. It also in some way cancels out the punishment that would naturally fall on the human race for turning away from God - this does not mean that God is vengeful: because he is just, God could not ignore sin, but because he loves us, he has provided the solution.

Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, so he is still alive, and as he promised his disciples, is able to be with us in a real but mysterious way, when we gather in prayer and especially when we celebrate the eucharist.

Yes - we do believe that there is 'life after death', but there is more to it than those simple words might suggest.

We believe that there is more to life than we experience in this world. 'Eternal life' is not simply more of the same, which would get a bit tedious after a while. The bible uses a number of images to give an idea of what heaven is like - a meal and a city are the most common, which suggest it is something we share with other people, and it will be a real existence - but we don't actually know what it will be like. What we do know is that fullness of life means sharing in the limitless existence of God, and that will be better than anything we can imagine.

Jesus has opened up the way for us to share in this new life through his death on the cross and his resurrection. Physical death is still something we have to endure, but life with God is something we can begin to experience now, before death, and after passing through death, we will eventually experience life with God in all its fullness.

The Christian faith is based on what God has revealed to us about himself. We do believe that these things are true. Other religions contain elements of truth, but not in things that contradict Christianity. We don't believe that everyone believes the same thing really, or that all religions are equally true - but we do respect the followers of those religions, and we can learn from dialogue with them.

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life; noone comes to the Father except through me." On the face of it, that means only Christians can be saved. What about everyone else? It is hard to believe that a loving, merciful God can condemn good and sincere people to hell, just for belonging to the wrong religion. We cannot know the mind of God, but it seems reasonable to say that seekers after the truth, who love God as they have come to know him (by whatever name they know him) and who try to live in love and peace with other people would surely not be condemned just because they have not encountered the truth revealed in Christ (and there may be all sorts of reasons why they have not properly encountered that truth). What is clear is that before anyone is admitted to heaven, they will come face to face with Christ - anyone who has genuinely sought the truth will surely recognise it in him.

There are people who have no faith at all and are still good people. It may be that they have never really encountered the truth of Christ. They too would only be judged according to the light which they have received. And just as we can never know the mind of God, only God knows our innermost thoughts and is able to pass judgement on them. We can and should pray that all people will be saved, and the surest way to salvation is by turning to Christ in this life. But free will means that there is always the option that someone might not be saved - salvation, eternal life, is a gift, and like any gift, we must willingly receive it, and it is always possible for a gift to be refused.

One final thought - the bible teaches in several places that hell exists, as a state of being permenantly cut off from God. It doesn't actually require us to believe that any human being will be there.

The 'church' is really made up of all the people who have turned to Christ. Christianity is not a solitary religion - even when we pray by ourselves we are really doing so with countless other Christians in every place and age. Coming together with other Christians is an important part of Christian life. Jesus himself told us to share bread and wine with one another in remembrance of him.

Some may say that the church doesn't need to be as structured and formal as it is. Perhaps there are too many trappings of wealth and power. But these are often exaggerated, and there are good reasons for having some structure and organisation.

Jesus himself appointed 12 disciples to be the first leaders of his church. These men appointed others to assist them and to continue their work. As the church grew, the structures of church leadership which we recognise today - bishops and priests, assisted by deacons - were quickly established. Early on, the church's many actitivies, from caring for the poor (!) to teaching the faith and leading worship, needed organisation to be carried out effectively.

The earliest Christians met in houses, but once the threat of persecution subsided, purpose-built churches became more common. There were practical reasons for having a place where the community can gather, and it was also recognised that a church building also serves as a visible reminder of God's presence. Both of these are true today. And once there are buildings, and people serving the needs of the church, it is necessary to have funds to support them.

Finally supporting the church and caring for the poor is not an either/or. Caring for the poor is part of the work of the Church and also the duty of every individual Christian, but supporting the work of the church as a whole is also an integral part of Christian discipleship.

There is no-one who can honestly say that they have never doubted any part of the church's teaching. Most Christians would admit to times when even the existence of God is something they struggle with, sometimes for many years. Often the greatest saints are the ones who have struggled the most (take Mother Teresa, for instance).

When face with doubt, we can simply give up. That is a natural response, and it doesn't have to be final. If one day we begin searching for God once again, he will be there for us.

Or we can muddle through, reassured that many other people also struggle with doubts. There is nothing wrong with 'going through the motions' in the hopes that those doubts will pass.

Finally, though the faith expressed in the creeds is a 'package', not something to pick and choose from, that doesn't mean that 100% intellectual assent to every word is required every time. It is the faith of the church, and it isn't going to come crumbling down just because at one particular point in time something doesn't make sense to us. But if there is something we really don't get, it may be worth spending a bit of time reading, thinking about it, and talking it through.

The bible doesn't say much about sex but some Christians do give the impression that it's the single most important thing we're concerned about. It's not! But that doesn't mean its unimportant either.

Christians do believe that our faith is something which influences every aspect of our lives. Our bodies are not our own to do what we want with, but 'temples of the Holy Spirit' (St Paul: 1 Corinthians 3.16). Sex certainly falls within that, so we wouldn't agree with the widespread point of view that it doesn't matter what we do if it doesn't affect anyone else. What we do with our bodies does matter - and anyway, sex usually does involve someone else.

Although the bible doesn't say much about sex, it does talk about marriage and about the calling to the single life. The Christian tradition has always held that sexual activity should be kept for marriage, and marriage is something that can only take place between a man and a women. Some people find it hard to live up to this standard. Some, having weighed their conscience, feel that they disagree with this and choose not to live by it. Some decide that a single life is what God is calling them to.

We try not to make this a big issue at St Thomas', respecting people's consciences and not making assumptions or judgements about people's lives, instead welcoming all people as God welcomes them. But we do uphold the traditional teaching of the church in this as in all areas, holding side by side the bible ideals concerning every part of life, and the abundant love and mercy of God.