Religion

Question 1

The problem of evil

Answer 1

• Why does evil exist if God exists?
• If God is really all knowing, all loving, all powerful, then evil wouldn’t exist. One of those qualities must be missing

Question 2

Cosmological

Answer 2

The argument that the universe’s being here at all means someone created it.

Question 3

Teleological

Answer 3

Because the universe is so precise, it must have been created by a intelligent creator.

Question 4

Paley’s Watch Analogy (William Paley)

Answer 4

If you found a watch, you wouldn’t assume nature created it because of how precise it is designed

This is an argument for teleological theory

Question 5

Disanalogy

Answer 5

Why would god put things that were bad or didn’t have a purpose?

Ex. Blind spot

Question 6

Pascal’s Wager

Answer 6

• Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
• Given odds, believing in God is the best bet
• If God exists, you will be great. If not, you didn’t really lose anything
• If God exists and you don’t believe, you are screwed. If not, you kinda wasted life anyway

Question 7

C.S Lewis

Answer 7

Argument to the Problem of Evil

• A world with freedom is more valuable.
• Some free creatures went wrong
• You can’t create moral good without there being evil
• Freedom will do more good then a controlled world

Question 8

Thomas Aquinas

Answer 8

• Ideal Catholic
  1. Something had to move first to set thing in motion (God)
  2. First Creation (nothing can create itself). There had to be an uncaused cause (God)
  5. Goal/Purpose: things work towards a goal. There must be intelligence behind it (God)

Question 9

Karlmarx

Answer 9

• 19C Thinker/Economist
• Father of Communism
• “Religion is the opium of the masses”
• Opium numbs you to reality
• 1% of people have 99% of wealth
• Poor will go to heaven
• Marx wanted Revolution (Poor to rise up) but religion prevented it
• Focus on after life rather then present