GCSE RPSE Theme C Quotes/Beliefs Flashcards:

Question 1

Christian View On The Design Argument.

Answer 1

Christians Agree With This Argument; They Believe God Created The Universe Because Everything In The Universe Is So Intricate And Complex, God Must Have Designed It.
“In The Beginning God Created The Heavens And The Earth.”- Genesis 1:1.

Question 2

Atheist View On The Design Argument.

Answer 2

Atheists Don’t In This Argument, They Believe There’s No God And That The Universe, Was Not Created, But Evolved Naturally. Furthermore, Due To Earthquakes, Tsunamis, (E.T.C) They Question whether God Really Created A Perfect Universe.

Question 3

Buddhist View On The Design Argument.

Answer 3

Buddhists Do Not Agree With This Argument. This Is Because They Do Not Believe In A God, (A Creator) Just Like Theists And Following The Dependent Arising Teaching, Believe That Anything Including Life Can Come To Existence With Just The Right Conditions And That Everything Is In A Constant Process Of Change. This Process Does Not Rely On A Creator.
“All Events And Incidents In Life Are So Immanently Linked With The Fate Of Others That A Single Person On His Own Cannot Even Begin To Act.” - Tenzin Gyasto. (The Dalai Lama).

Question 4

Christian View On The First Cause Argument.

Answer 4

Christians Believe That The First Cause Argument Is True; They Believe God Was The Uncaused Cause That Made Everything Else Happen. This Is Also Mentioned In The Bible. “In The Beginning God Created The Heavens And The Earth.” - Genesis 1:1

Question 5

Islam View On General Revelation.

Answer 5

Muslims Believe That General Revelation revelations are God’s Word delivered by His chosen individuals – known as Messenger prophets – to mankind.

Question 6

Christian View On General Revelation.

Answer 6

Christians Believe General revelation is a form of revelation that gives knowledge through experience or records of history, creation, and innate conscience. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.”- Psalm 19:1-5.

Question 7

Islam View On The First Caused Argument.

Answer 7

Muslims Use The Kalam Argument To Support The First Cause Argument. This Argument Sates That Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence, The universe began to exist, and Therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence.

Question 8

Atheists View On The First Cause Argument.

Answer 8

Atheists Argue That The First Cause Argument Contradicts Itself And If There Was A First ‘Uncaused Cause,’ The Question On What Caused God Comes Around.

Question 9

Atheists View On General Revelation.

Answer 9

Non-believers argue that if we can’t even know they happened, we certainly can’t know they are revelations of God. Prophecies – like any predictions, prophecies may or may not come true.

Question 10

Christianity View On God’s Immanence.

Answer 10

Christians Believe God Is Immanent. This Is Because Jesus Christ is God incarnate (in the flesh) and therefore he was immanent in the first century among those who knew him, perceived of him or experienced him with one or more of their five senses. If God Was Able To Be Immanent Back Then Why Can’t He Now?
“Even The Hairs Of Your Head Are All Numbered.” - Matthew 10:30.

Question 11

Islam View On God’s Immanence.

Answer 11

Muslims believe that Allah is present in the universe and wants to have a relationship with humans. He has allowed Muslims to get to know him through the Quran which was given to Muhammad by Gabriel.

Question 12

Atheists View On God’s Immanence.

Answer 12

Atheists Argue That If God Is present And Involved With All Life On Earth Then How Come He Allows Such Catastrophic Events Occur That Kill/ Or Affect Our Lives. Surely If He Was Watching Over Us 24/7 He Wouldn’t Let Things Like Earthquakes Occur.

Question 13

Christianity View On The Impersonal Nature Of God.

Answer 13

Christians Believe Despite God Being Very Mysterious, God is a fair and righteous judge, he sets the rules and provided a perfect example of Godly living in Jesus. Isaiah 33:22 – “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.”

Question 14

Islam View On The Impersonal Nature Of God.

Answer 14

Islam rejects the doctrine of the Incarnation and the notion of a personal god as anthropomorphic, because it is seen as demeaning to the transcendence of God.
“There is nothing whatever like Him” [Quran 42:11].

Question 15

Atheists View On The Impersonal Nature Of God.

Answer 15

Atheists Don’t Believe In God In General With His Mysterious Personality And Behavior/Actions Often Being One Of the Factors In Them Doubting His Existence.

Question 16

State Some Reasons Why Christians Believe Miracles Are Proof Of God’s Existence.

Answer 16

. If There’s No Scientific Explanation For An Event, It Must Be Caused By Something Outside Of Nature.
. The Fact That Some People Convert To Christianity After Experiencing A Miracle Is Proof That God’s Existence.
. 69 Healing Miracles Have Officially Been Recorded By The Catholic Church Taking Place At Lourdes, (A Pilgrimage Site In France).
. Miraculous Events That Occur In The Bible. .g. Jesus Turning Water Into Wine).

Question 17

State Some Reasons Why Buddhists Believe That Miracles Are Proof That God Exists.

Answer 17

. Tradition Says Mediators May Develop Spiritual Powers.
. Buddhist Scriptures Are Usually Also Full Of Miraculous Events.

Question 18

State Some Reasons Why Atheists Believe Miracles Don’t Prove God’s Existence.

Answer 18

. Miracles Are No More Than Lucky Coincidences.
. There May Be Scientific Explanations Regarding The Event That We’re Not Aware Of Yet.
. Some Miracles Are Deliberately Made Up For Fame And Money.
. Miracle Healings May Be The Result Of Mind Over Matter Or Misdiagnosis.

Question 19

Islam View On God Being Omnibenevolent.

Answer 19

Muslims Believe God Deeply Loves Us All. This Is Because Altogether As Humanity We Have Sinned/Made Mistakes On Countless Occasions, Yet Allah Somehow Continues To Forgive Us For Them And Also Cherishes Us 24/7.

Question 20

Christianity View On God Being Omnibenevolent.

Answer 20

Christians Also Believe That God Is Deeply Loving As On Numerous Occasions He Has Made Sacrifices For Humanity And Despite Our Sins/ Mistakes Continues To Gift Us With Things Such As Food, Water, Clothes, Shelter. The Most Loving Act Of God Being, “For God So Loved The World That He Gave His One And Only Son, That Whoever Believes In Him Should Not Perish But Have Eternal Life.”- John 3:16.

Question 21

Atheists View On God Being Omnibenevolent.

Answer 21

Atheists Questions God’s Existence Due To The Fact That If God Loved Us So Much Then Why Does He Allow So Much Evil And Suffering To Occur Everyday, Why Doesn’t He Just Stop It?

Question 22

Islam View On God Being Omnipotent.

Answer 22

Although Muslims have been given free will close free willThe idea that humans are free to make their own moral choices., Allah’s omnipotence has allowed him to determine their future. This is known as predestination.

Question 23

Christianity View On God Being Omnipotent.

Answer 23

creation, miracles, resurrection. Nothing can defeat God’s power / because there is nothing greater than God. God’s omnipotence is benevolent / so his overwhelming power is used in a loving and caring way. (The Story Of Creation In The Book Of Genesis).

Question 24

Atheist View On God Being Omnipotent.

Answer 24

Atheists Argue That If God Hold The Powers To Create The Universe, Humans, (E.T.C) Then Why Are There So Many Faults In His Creations: . Humans Being Born With Original Sin.
. Things Like Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes.

Question 25

Islam View On God Being Omniscient.

Answer 25

According to the Qur’an, Allah eternally knows whatever comes into being, be it universal or particular in character. He has known all things from before the creation of the world And Exactly Everything That Will Occur In The Future. His knowledge of things before their coming into existence and afterwards is exactly the same.

Question 26

Christianity View On God Being Omniscient.

Answer 26

Christians Believe That God is all all-knowing in the sense that he is aware of the past, present, and future. Nothing takes him by surprise. His knowledge is total. “But Even The Hairs Of Your Head Are All Numbered.” - Matthew 10:30.

Question 27

Atheists View On God Being Omniscient.

Answer 27

If God Really Is Omniscient, Then Why Doesn’t He Intervene Before Or After Disasters Occur Whether It Be Murder, Or Bad Weather. Furthermore, If God Wishes Not To Intervene, (Be Transcendent) Then Why Doesn’t At Least Give Humanity A Warning Before Hand.

Question 28

Buddhism View On The Personal Nature Of God.

Answer 28

Buddhism Doesn’t Really Have A God Who Created The Universe, However Their Leader, The Buddha Is Someone They Don’t Worship But Follow Examples Of, Respect And Someone They Worship Daily Not Out Of Fear But Out Of Love And Compassion For Him.

Question 29

Christianity View On The Personal Nature Of God.

Answer 29

Christians believe that God is concerned with the lives of people, working miracles and answering their prayers. In this way, Christians believe that God is a ‘personal’ God, meaning a being they can develop a relationship with. “ Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! 4 That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you!” Isiah 43:3.

Question 30

Atheism View On The Personal Nature Of God.

Answer 30

Atheists Don’t Believe In God, Let Alone Have A Close Personal Bond With Him. All Of God’s Work, (Such As Creating The Universe) They Believed Happened Due To Evolution, Due To Chance And Therefore Feel No Need To Partake In Private Worships, Public Worships Do Good Deeds All Methods Of Building A Close Relationship With God And Getting To Know/Communicate With Him.

Question 31

Christianity View On Special Revelation.

Answer 31

. Christians Believe They Cannot Fully Understand God, But Know Something About His Nature And Purpose Through Revelations.
. Events Involving Special Revelation In The Bible Prove God Exists.
. Special Guidance Could Provide Divine Guidance Or Inspiration.
. Non-Christians Converting To Christianity After Experiencing A Form Of Special Revelation Proves That God Exists.

Question 32

Buddhism View On Special Revelation.

Answer 32

. Special Revelation Can Help People Understand The Nature Of Reality.
. Special Revelation Could Provide Divine Guidance On Religious Goals Buddhists Find Difficult. ( Achieving Enlightenment).

Question 33

Atheist View On Special Revelation.

Answer 33

Non-believers argue that if we can’t even know they happened, we certainly can’t know they are revelations of God. Prophecies – like any predictions, prophecies may or may not come true. (Same As General Revelation).

Question 34

Buddhism View On God Being Transcendent.

Answer 34

Despite The Buddha Having Some Unhuman Special Abilities During His Birth And After, Buddhists View Him As Equal/Equivalent To All Other Buddhists And Someone With A Very Personal Nature; Someone They Just Have Great Amounts Of Respect For.

Question 35

Christianity View On God Being Transcendent.

Answer 35

Christians Believe God is not part of the world that we know and cannot be fully grasped by human beings. This is because he is above and beyond the earthly things that we know of.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” - Isaiah 55:8.

Question 36

Atheist View On God Being Transcendent.

Answer 36

Atheists Question Why Religious Belivers Believe In A God That Fails To Stop Evil And Suffering In The World And On Top Of That Is Remote/Detached From Humanity And The Universe; Then What Is God Doing That’s Useful/Beneficial To Us? Why Do We Believe In Him, Worship To Him.

Question 37

Christianity View On Visions.

Answer 37

Visions Are Important For Christians. This Is Because They Suggest That God Knows And Understands What’s Happening In Their Lives. This Is Especially Beneficial To Those Christians In Need. - Acts 9:1-19, Saul A Jewish Man Converting To Christianity After Witnessing A Vision.

Question 38

Islam View On Visions.

Answer 38

Some Muslims believe that their dreams can come directly from Allah as a teaching or message. They look to the Quran or the Hadith. for interpretations of their dreams and visions.

Question 39

Atheists View On Visions.

Answer 39

Don’t believe in God, so visions cannot be communicating anything real. Visions can be explained by scientific inquiry of the people having the vision and the details of what they have seen.

Question 40

Christian View On Evil And Suffering.

Answer 40

This Is A Result Of Free Will.
. Adam And Eve Brought Evil And Suffering Into God’s Perfect World By Using their Free Will To Disobey God.
. Giving Humans The Ability To Choose What They Do, Gives Them The Power To Make Bad Choices.
. If There Was Nothing Bad In The World No One Would Be Able To Exercise From Compassion, Learn From Their Mistakes And Choose Good Over Bad.

Question 41

Buddhism View On Evil And Suffering.

Answer 41

Buddhism Teaches Ethical Responsibility; Because People Can Choose Their Actions; They Can Choose To Act In An Evil Way.
. Because Of Kamma, They Will Suffer As A Result Of Their Actions.
. Suffering Is An Inevitable Part Of Life And Can Be Overcome With Enlightenment.
. People Act In Evil Ways Due To The 3 Poisons; Which Are Considered The Root Of All Evil In Buddhism.

Question 42

Atheism View On Evil And Suffering.

Answer 42

Evil And Suffering Is The Main Reasons Atheists Don’t Believe In God Because If God Is Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnibenevolent, Omnipresent Then Evil And Suffering Shouldn’t Be Difficult For Him To Stop. Furthermore, If God Is All These Things, Then Why Couldn’t He Create A World, Where Nature And Humankind Are Flawless In Their Actions.

Question 43

Atheist Quote Supporting God’s Existence.

Answer 43

“The Chance That Higher Life Forms Have Emerged Through Evolutionary Processes Is Comparable With The Chance That A Tornado Sweeping Through The Junk Yard Might Assemble A Boeing 747 From The Material Then.” - A Famous Astronomer Who Spent His Whole Life Trying To Prove That The Universe And Humanity Were Formed Through Evolutionary Processes.

Question 44

Atheist View On Big Bang.

Answer 44

It is argued that the big bang, and hence all of spacetime, was caused. It was caused by a simple timeless point. This hypothesis is to be preferred to the theistic hypothesis because it can be shown to be more probable.

Question 45

Christian View On The Big Bang.

Answer 45

Many Christians have no problem in accepting the Big-Bang theory. They see the cosmologists helping them to understand how God brought the world into being - the Big Bang could have been the mechanism God used. And there is nothing in the theory itself which proves that there is no such being as God.
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” - John 1:3

Question 46

Islam View On The Big Bang.

Answer 46

Muslims Believe Big Bang is compatible with Islam. The Big Bang states how the universe was created but doesn’t address why or who created the universe

Question 47

Christian Quote Supporting Both Creation And Evolution.

Answer 47

“Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”- Pope Francis Who Was And Still Is The Head Of The Catholic Church.

Question 48

State An Example Of A Miracle In Christianity.

Answer 48

. In 1902, A French Women Named Marie Bailly Was Diagnosed With Tubercular Peritonitis, Which Made Her Abdomen Swell And She Couldn’t Eat.
. She Asked To Visit Lourdes But On Arrival Got Sick And Was Hospitalized Where Doctors Told Her, Sh Was Dying.
. She Returned To Lourdes Where Holy Water Was Poured On Her Abdomen And She Prayed To Mary.
. She Returned To Good Health.

Question 49

State An Example Of A Miracle In Buddhism.

Answer 49

. Once When The Buddha Was Meditating, A Heavy Rainstorm Occurred.
. Mucalinda, The King Of Serpents Encircled The Buddha And Spread His Hood Over Him To Protect Him From The Rain.
. After 7 Days, When The Buddha Finished Meditating Mucalinda Uncoiled Himself, Took On The Appearance Of A Youth And Bowed Upon The Buddha.

Question 50

State An Example Of A Vision In Christianity.

Answer 50

Acts 9:1-19 A Vision That Persuaded A Jewish Man Called Saul To Convert Into Christianity.
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Question 51

State An Example Of A Vision In Buddhism.

Answer 51

. Bahiya Was A Holy Man Who Lived In The Western Part Of India.
. After Doubting If He Was Really Enlightened, He Had A Vision Of Deva, (A Spiritual Being) Who Confirmed He Wasn’t As Wise As He Could Be.
. The Deva Advised Him To Seek Out The Buddha.
. Bhaiya Did So, Travelling Hundreds Of Miles On Foot To Reach Him And Become Enlightened Shortly Afterwards.

Question 52

Christianity View On Scripture As A Source Of Knowledge About God.

Answer 52

Christians Believe The Bible Contains God’s Actual Words And Should Not Be Questioned Or Changed.
. Liberal Christians Believe The Bible Was Inspired By God But The Words Must Be Seen In Their Original Context And Understood Differently In Today’s World.

Question 53

Atheists View On Scripture As A Source Of Knowledge About God.

Answer 53

. The Bible Consists Of The Author’s Opinions Rather Than The Word Of God.
. Scripture Does Not Always Prove God Is Real Or Reveal Anything About God.

Question 54

Buddhism View On Scripture As A Source Of Knowledge About God.

Answer 54

. Scriptures Are ‘Enlightened Words’ E.G. They Express The Enlightened Mind, (Usually The Mind Of The Buddha).
. Some Buddhist Believe Scriptures Contain A Sacred Power Than Can Positively Affect People Who Hear Their Words.