Theme C: The existence of God and revelation

Question 1

What is the design argument and features of it

Answer 1

It is a philosophical argument which aims to prove God created the Universe- proving God’s existence. It says that everything in the universe is ordered and complex, so must have had a designer, and that designer is God.

Features:
Developed by Thomas Aquinas
Philosophical argument that God created the universe
Says universe is complex and ordered
Philosophical argument for the existence of God

Question 2

5 strengths of the Design argument

Answer 2

1. Evidence from holy books:
   * Bible = “God created the heavens and the Earth” - Genesis
   * Qu’ran = “He, the Creator of everything” / Allah constructed the universe
2. Paley’s watch: says watch is very ordered and complex and has designer, so is the universe
3. Human eye so intricate - must have had a designer
4. snowflakes- so intricate and complex
5. conditions for life to exist so complex and specific- must have had a designer- fine tuning.

Question 3

3 weaknesses of the Design Argument

Answer 3

1. Problem of evil- why would an omnibenevolent God create a world with suffering.
2. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution: humans have evolved from Apes - did God create humans in his own image. Objection: religious believers= God caused evolution.
3. Big Bang created universe not God- scientific proof of the Big Bang. Obj: Religious Believers: god caused big bang (contradictory with 6 days)
4. Some religious believers believe that the creation is a symbolic / metaphorical story to show power of God even though big bang happened (some disagree and say God caused Big Bang).

Question 4

First Cause/ Cosmological Argument - what is it and features

Answer 4

Philosophical Argument showing existence for God: Everything that happens / exists has a cause, there can’t be an infinite number of causes, so there must be a first uncaused cause, which is God.

Features:
Philosophical argument
Says everything exists/ happens because it is caused to exist
Associated with Thomas Aquinas

Question 5

4 strengths of First Cause Argument

Answer 5

1. logical
2. easy to understand in everyday life
3. reasonable and convincing
4. beginning is reasonable

Question 6

3 weaknesses of the First Cause Argument

Answer 6

1. contradicts itself = if everything has a cause - how can there be an uncaused cause
2. how do you know uncaused cause is God- could be big bang
3. how do you know that the God of the uncaused cause was same as Christian God

1 & 2 are best ones

Question 7

Argument from Miracles; explain & strengths and weaknesses

Answer 7

Miracles are events that break the law of nature and the only person capable of breaking the laws of nature are God.

strengths:
* know humans can’t break the law of nature so it proves existence.
* also show’s god’s benevolence as miracles usually benefit those in need
* supported in holy books like the bible and the quran

weak:
* how can God break laws of nature
* remarkable coincidence
*evil/suffering- still exists so why aren’t these people helped (obj: Lourdes)

Question 8

examples of miracles from the bible (use as textual reference in the 5 marker) & modern day christian miracle

Answer 8

Bible (New Testament - By Jesus)
* feeding of the 5000
* healing the blind man
* water into wine

Modern
*healing of the sick at Lourdes

Question 9

Miracles in Islam

Answer 9

• Qur’an is a miracle = QUR’AN SAYS: IF ALL MANKIND GATHERED TO PRODUCE THE QUR’AN, THEY COULD NOT.
• Prophets performed miracles- an indication they were sent by God

Question 10

Belief against miracles: atheists and humanists

Answer 10

Things explained scientifically or are just a rare coincidence. Believe that the laws of nature cannot be broken by anyone so miracles don’t happen. Always a reason.

e.g cure of terminal illness- hope from religious leader acts as placebo

Question 11

The Argument from Science: explain and examples

Answer 11

Saying as scientific advancement increases, there is less that is explained by God, eventually everything will have a scientific answer and God will therefore not exist

e.g- creation explained by God, now the big bang
Counter = God caused the Big Bang.

e.g- the complex nature of the human body (eye), God- but now evolution

scientific belief increasing in the world.

nb= religion still provides with valuable teachings, just may be know God

Question 12

The problem of evil - explain

who believes in this and why

Answer 12

evil = suffering
how does an omnibenevolent God allow suffering to occur if he is omnipotent- there is a lot of suffering- this contradicts God’s nature.

atheists and humans believe / use this. no way to justify suffering, even as punishment, because so many innocent people, even children, are suffering

Question 13

Counter Arguments to the problem of Evil:

Christians- 4
Muslims- 3

Answer 13

Christians:
1. Humans have free will- can create suffering and good and we chose for suffering to exist.
2. Original sin explains why suffering exists (obj- suffering exists even when you are baptised)
3. Need evil and suffering to help you develop as a person and gauge what is right
4. Suffering is a punishment “I bring prosperity and create disaster”

Muslims:
1. Suffering is a test from Allah
2. Everything is part of Allah’s plan- good reasons even if we can’t see them.’Misfortunes happen with Allah’s permission’
3. Muslim believe that when you are suffering you must do good. QUR’AN SAYS ‘GOOD TIDINGS TO THE PATIENT, WHO, WHEN DISASTER STRIKES THEM, SAY, INEED WE BELONG TO ALLAH’.

Question 14

Revelation:
What is it
2 forms and explain
4 examples for each

Answer 14

When God’s presence is revealed to humans- used by Christians and Muslims to prove the existence and characteristics of God.

General Revelation is revelation that is available to everyone- indirect and interpreted. Like the world/nature or even moral conscience a most people have same morals- e.g: killing is wrong and also scriptures. main 2 = world and scriptures

Special revelation is revelation that are made to specific people and are direct, personal and powerful messages. Hard to prove. Debate whether they still happen today. Like Muhammad reveal Qur’an, prophethood, visions and miracles.

Question 15

Scriptures:
Link to revelation and why
Bible and Qur’an examples

Answer 15

Many believe that they are forms of general revelation and nature of God is revealed directly in the holy books.

Bible= Jesus direct revelation of God and his life in New Testament

Qur’an revealed as special revelation to Muhammad acts as a general revelation to all.
Prophets

Question 16

nature of god
how revealed
omnipotent and omniscient
personal and impersonal
immanent and transcendent
meaning and religious text

Answer 16

NATURE OF GOD REVEALED VIA REVELATION

omnipotent = all powerful - genesis created heavens and earth

omniscient = all knowing ‘God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything’

personal = have a relationship with God (e.g through prayer) - ‘Lord… you know me’

impersonal- distant as rarely acts in the world

immanent - involved in this world ‘word became flesh’ ‘Qur’an ‘God is closer than your jugular vein’

transcendent- beyond this world ‘Lord, are most high over all the earth’

Question 17

Nature as general Revelation

explain
immanence and transcendence

Answer 17

GOD CREATED THE WORLD, AND IT EXISTS, GENERAL REVELATION AS WE WITNESS THE WORLD EVERYDAY.
Spiritual experiences in nature- inspire awe and wonder and feel God’s presence- like a sunset

The beauty and intervention in nature show God’s immanence

Yet not involved- highlights his transcendence

Question 18

Nature:

Christian- belief and quote
Islam- belief and name of Allah
Humanist and Atheist - belief and why (2)

Answer 18

Christian- complexity of nature shows the omnipotence to create such nature. nature cruel after Adam and Eve sinned.

“the beauty of the creation reflects the infinite beauty of the creator”

Muslim- Allah created the beauty of nature- one of Allah’s names is the shaper of beauty. beauty of world = beauty of Allah

Humanists and Atheists - Nature doesn’t reveal God- all scientific explanations and stuff we can’t explain like how animals navigate as they migrate will be explained by science. beauty and complexity of nature = science- like snowflakes.

Question 19

visions:
what are they
significance

Answer 19

They are a form of religious experience where the believer sees something sacred like an Angel. They tell the receiver about God’s will, or about the receiver’s life choice.

They are direct and powerful.

They change how the receiver lives his life and can strengthen (for a theist) / induce (for an atheist/agnostic) faith in someone as it convinces them that God exists as only he can make visions happen.

Question 20

Visions in Christianity:

2 in bible
2 others
significant in which denomination

Answer 20

BIBLE
1. Disciples saw a vision of Moses and Elijah with Jesus covered in light- after crucifixion
2. Saul - now known as St Paul - used to persecute Christians. Vision of Jesus made him change his life, become a Christian and preach the Gospel.

OTHER
1. Joan of Arc was a french peasant who had visions of archangel Michael, encouraging her to lead war vs England - Hundred Years War- . captured and killed and declared a saint- catholics- and catholics also believe that her vision was genuine.
2. Lourdes- vision of Mary caused healing.

significant in catholic christianity

Question 21

3 revelation in Islam
Sufi Muslims?

Answer 21

1. Jibril appearing to Maryam to say she would give brith to Isa (gabriel, mary, jesus- use for christianity as well)
2. Jibril first revealed (FIRST VERSES) the Qur’an to Muhammad while he was meditaing in a cave outside Makkah- first verses of Qur’an
3. Qur’an says ‘we have shown clearly the signs to a people who are certain in faith’

Sufi Muslims- mystics who want to be filled with the knowledge of Allah- Sunni or Shi’a but many sceptical of their experience.

Question 22

Religious experiences:
* why hard to prove
* Atheist and Humanist views and interpretation (4)
* Why do religious believers not believe (2)

Answer 22

• Individual experiences- hard to explain and impossible to show prove
• Atheist and Humansist do not believe in God and do not believ in religious experience / visions and can argue by saying:
  1. Wish fulfilment- want the wish to happen so badly that their subconscious makes this happen- people usually have religious experience about their own God not another God (obj: Saul)
  2. Lying as they will gain fame and profit (money) off the experience
  3. Mental / Physical illness in the brain can cause hallucinations or drugs / alcohol
  4. May have misinterpreted their experience - or chosen to intrerpret in a religious way. e.g cured after praying to God may be a coincidence not by God
• Religous believers (some) do not believe:
  1. Why doesn’t God act more often in the world
  2. If God can break the laws of nature with miracles and visions, why doesn’t he to end suffering.