Knowledge of God's existence - natural theology

Question 1

Natural theology

Answer 1

Use of reason and observation of the natural world to gain knowledge of God

Question 2

Divine spark

Answer 2

Many argue there is a spark of the divine in all of us - comes from Stoicism
The catechism says “the desire for God is written on the human heart”

Question 3

Sensus divinitas

Answer 3

John Calvin
All people have a sense of the divine
All people also contain the semen religionis
The reason some people cannot recognise the sensus divinitas is because sin reduces our ability to know God

Question 4

Examples of how we experience sensus divinitas

Answer 4

Conscience - we have an understanding of goodness because of SD, so our guilt is us defying this
Aesthetics - our ability to appreciate beauty is God-given through SD
Reason - we can use it to understand nature and God ie Aquinas’ five ways

Question 5

Mirror analogy

Answer 5

John Calvin
Beauty in the world acts as a mirror of God - we can understand God as similarly beautiful

Question 6

Teleology as a source of knowledge

Answer 6

Teleological arguments such as Aquinas’ 5 ways
Modern arguments such as evolution may also include God

Question 7

Strengths of natural theology

Answer 7

Possible to say that the amount of people who claim to know God suggests there is a point of contact between God and humans
It is reasonable that God would have made a way for us to know him
Appreciation of beauty and wonder inspires deep feelings beyond the physical
Natural knowledge uses evidence

Question 8

Weaknesses of natural theology

Answer 8

The gap between God and humans may be too great for the SD to have significant impact
Knowing God is meant to lead to a relationship, but how can natural theology reveal anything to this end?
People reason differently - some reason that God does not exist, so reason alone may be unreliable

Question 9

Strengths of natural theology

Answer 9

Possible to say that the amount of people who claim to know God suggests there is a point of contact between God and humans
It is reasonable that God would have made a way for us to know him
Appreciation of beauty and wonder inspires deep feelings beyond the physical
Natural knowledge uses evidence
This works in a way we are used to - using our reason

Question 10

Weaknesses of natural theology

Answer 10

The gap between God and humans may be too great for the SD to have significant impact
Knowing God is meant to lead to a relationship, but how can natural theology reveal anything to this end?
People reason differently - some reason that God does not exist, so reason alone may be unreliable
Order and purpose may be explained by other factors ie evolution
Just because beauty leads us to feel awe, it does not follow that God must have made this awe