Belief, Uncertainty and Unbelief (paper 1 - 1.6) Flashcards
(19 cards)
what is the cosmological argument (causation argument)
- Everything has a cause.
- In any chain of events we must have a First Cause because we cannot keep going back forever into the past
- There must be something that started the whole universe, but that does not itself need a cause
- God is the only thing that does not need a cause because He is eternal
- Therefore God exists
why might some people disagree that the argument from causation proves the existence of God
- Some philosophers think that the universe just came about by chance, e.g. Richard Dawkins said the universe is just ‘brute fact’
- A better explanation is that the matter of the Universe itself is eternal and so the process of causes goes on forever. There is no need for God
- Even if there was a first cause, it doesn’t have to be God – the flaws in the universe implies that God is not omnipotent
- Big bang theory explains what caused the universe to come into being
why would some people agree/disagree with the statement the causation argument proves that God exists
Agree:
- A Christian may agree that the argument from causation proves that God exists because everything in the universe has a cause
- In any chain of events we must have a First Cause- (we cannot keep going back forever into the past). There must be something that started the whole universe, but that does not need a cause
- God is the only thing that does not need a cause because he is eternal. Therefore God must exist
Disagree:
- Science can now explain that it was the Big Bang that caused the universe to exist and therefore God was not needed
- A better explanation for the cause of the universe is that the universe itself is eternal, particularly as there is no physical evidence of God existing
what did Aquinas believe about the cosmological argument
- He wrote about the five ways in his book Summa Theologica, 3 are related to the cosmological argument
- these are motion (1) causes (2) and contingency (3)
- there are things in the world that have been in motion, things in the world that have not been caused - we are all contingent (come in and out of existence)
- these all require something else to move/cause/create them. Nothing can cause itself
- only thing that hasn’t been is God
what is the Aquinas cosmological argument, why was it changed to the Kalam cosmological argument and what is this
Aquinas:
1. Everything that exists has a cause
2. The universe exists
3. The universe has a cause
4. This cause is God
- The issue with this is what caused God?
Kalam:
1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. The universe began to exist
3 . The universe has a cause
4. The cause is God
- since God is eternal, He has no beginning so God has no cause
how can a conversion experience can lead to belief in God
- Saul became a Christian after his conversion experience because he heard a voice from Heaven that convinced him that Jesus was the Son of God
- When miracles happen to people that break the laws of nature, this can convert people to believing in God, because there could be no other explanation than God
- Conversion experiences can also happen when a person hears about the message of Jesus, that they have to say sorry for their sins and believe in Jesus in order to have eternal life. This can lead to belief in God because it gives a person’s life meaning
- Conversion experiences can happen through reading the Bible, particularly when a passage speaks to the person about something that they are going through. This can lead to belief in God because they feel comforted that God is there for them
how can the search for meaning and purpose in life can lead to belief in God
- Learning about Christianity can give a person a sense of meaning and purpose, e.g. Jesus said that the purpose of human life was to go to Heaven and spend eternity with God
- Christianity also gives meaning and purpose to life because it teaches us that the greatest commandment is love God and the second greatest commandment is to love others
- A search for meaning and purpose in life can lead to belief in God because a person may be comforted by the fact that God created each individual with a purpose in life
- The idea of many atheists like Dawkins, that life lacks a purpose and has just come about by chance, can lead people to despair. Many people would rather believe that God gives their life meaning
what is the design argument
- The world is so complex and detailed
- To be that complex it must have a really intelligent designer
- The only thing great enough to design it is God
- God is the designer and has a purpose for everything
- God exists
what is Newton’s theory
his theory was about the thumb
Sir Isaac Newton, one of the founders of modern science, said, ‘In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence.’ Newton believed that such intricate (complex) designs as the thumb, unique to each individual, must have had a designer
what is Paley’s theory about the design argument
Paley and the watch
- William Paley: 1743-1805:
- Paley compared the universe to a watch as a reason to believe that the universe was designed by God
- Paley thought the watch was too complicated to be here by luck and he thought the same about the universe- it is too complicated to be just a coincidence- it must have been created by something
- It also has a purpose- to sustain life. It must have been designed that way, just like a watch is designed to tell the time
- A human is not powerful enough to create it
- It must be God
what are the problems with the design argument
- God might not have been the designer. It could just have been a very powerful being or a group of powerful beings
- J.S. Mill argued that the argument does not show that the designer is omnibenevolent because of all the flaws in nature and the suffering that occurs, e.g. cancer
- Darwin’s theory of evolution provides an alternative explanation for the design of the world without reference to creation by God
- Fossil evidence of dinosaurs is a problem for the design argument because why would God create a species and then allow them to die out
- The universe is so huge that it is quite probable that life like that on Earth would exist somewhere else
why the appearance of design in the world may lead some people to believe that God is the designer
- The world is so complex and detailed. An example of complexity in nature would be the human eye
- Complexity in nature implies that someone has designed it. William Paley made this point by explaining that if you saw a watch for the first time, you would assume it had a designer because it is so intricate and all the part’s work together to achieve its purpose
- Paley then compared this to the vast complexity of the universe. He argued that the only being powerful enough to design it is God
- A further example of design in the world is the existence of the Fibonacci sequence in nature. This is a recurring pattern in nature that appears to be designed. The only being powerful enough to design this is God
how can advances in medicine cause someone to not believe in god
- there is no need to pray to god to get better, you can just use medicine instead.
- when people prayed to god it didn’t always work
how can research into artificial intelligence lead to agnosticism/atheism
- If humans were able to create artificial intelligence that conscious like human beings, this could lead to agnosticism/atheism because it shows that we don’t need God to create life
- The fact that humans can create complex robots and other technology that solves many of the worlds problems may lead to agnosticism/atheism because we don’t rely on God anymore
How might cures for life threatening illnesses lead to agnosticism/atheism
- People used to rely on God for miracles to cure them of illnesses, however if modern medicine can do this for them then we don’t need God
- some people used to think that illnesses were a punishment from God. Now that we can cure more and more illnesses, people stop believing that God is the cause.
- modern medicine and science can make humans feel totally in control of their environment. They are able to change their environment and even our genetic make-up (e.g. three parent children). This can lead to agnosticism/atheism because we don’t need God to control our lives
how can lack of evidence possibly lead to agnosticism or atheism
- the books of the New Testament were written at least 50 years after Jesus, therefore the stories are not reliable. They could have been exaggerated or distorted
- many of the stories in the Old Testament are not meant to be taken literally, showing that they are only metaphorical, meaning that it isn’t actual evidence but rather a guide on how to live
- god is not always visible in the world when we would most expect him to be e.g. in times of great suffering, such as terrorist attacks
- science provides more evidence that God did not create the universe or life on Earth, e.g. the Big Bang theory explains where the universe came from without needing God
how might a non-religious upbringing might lead to agnosticism or atheism
- A person who is not brought up learning about a religion may not understand what it means to believe in God
- A person may have been taught that science fully explains the world and they therefore think that belief in God is not necessary
- A non-religious upbringing would not have included the religious traditions and practices that religion provides, so belief in God would not be second nature
- A non-religious upbringing means that the person will be more exposed to secular philosophy and ways of thinking that will make them question the existence of God
how might conflicting religious teachings about God/ultimate reality and the purpose of life can lead to agnosticism or atheism
- The existence of different religions can lead to agnosticism or atheism because it is impossible that all their teachings can be true
- An example of this is that Hindus believe that the purpose of life is achieve Moksha, however, a Christian believes that you must follow the teachings of Jesus to go to Heaven
- From a Christian point of view, there are teachings in the Bible that contradict one another, e.g. the order of creation is different in the two Genesis stories
- Some Christians believe that all one needs to be a good Christian is to have faith in God, whereas other Christians believe you also need to do good deeds. This can lead to confusion and put some people off believing in God
how can religious authority can lead to belief in God
- The authority of the CofE may lead people to believe in God because of apostolic succession. - This means that the authority of the Church has been passed down since the time of the apostles
- This means that the teachings of the Church have been passed down directly from those who first heard the Christian message and are therefore true
- The religious authority of the Bible can also lead some people to believe in God because Christians teach that it is the word of God and is therefore a reliable guide to living
- The sermons of a priest, who is in a position of authority in the CofE, may lead someone to believe in God because it can inspire them to lead a better life
