Philosophy of Religion: 🙏 Experiencing God 🙏 Flashcards

1
Q

What is revelation?

A

Making known what was previously hidden

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2
Q

What are the two types of revelation?

A

General and special

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3
Q

What does a revelation do?

A

Brings an individual closer to God as it reveals God’s nature and character

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4
Q

What is general/natural revelation?

A
  • knowledge of God available to everyone if they want it
  • God showing him self in what he’s made
  • God revealing himself through a holy book
  • religious leaders
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5
Q

What is Fitrah?

A

Islamic belief that all people are born with natural belief in God
- Therefore it is up to individuals to accept this revelation and live accordingly or ignore it

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6
Q

How can religious believers learn about God through his creation?

A

God is good - love, good weather etc.
God is generous - free-will, resources
God is imaginative - individualism
God likes ordering structure - eco-system, body, seasons etc.
God is mighty and powerful - Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls etc,

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7
Q

What biblical verse supports the view that religious believers can learn about go through his creation?

A

Psalm 19:1
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky is proclaim the worth of his hands”

Romans 1:20
“ Since the creation of the world gods invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen”

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8
Q

Prayer

A

Form of general revelation



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9
Q

Why do people pray?

A

To establish a relationship with God
- believe God speaks directly to them through the act of prayer and listens
- God guide them on what they should do
To thank God
To ask for help

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10
Q

Criticisms of prayer

A
  • Dawkins “great prayer experiment” reports show no difference between patients prayed for and patients not prayed for
  • many doubt prayer is so powerful
  • unanswered prayer = negative impact on faith
    -Does God have favourites? Questions omni benevolence
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11
Q

What is special/supernatural revelation?

A
  • God takes extraordinary steps to show himself to the world e.g. breaking laws of nature - miracles
  • communicates directly with an individual e.g. dream vision angel visitation
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12
Q

What is an example of special revelation?

A

Christianity
- Saul - Damascus road (Acts 9:1-18)
- transformed from someone who persecuted Christians to Christian missionary worker

Islam
- Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Jibril

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13
Q

What is a miracle?

A

an extraordinary event which cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws

  • usually recorded as an act of God
  • used as evidence of gods existence omnipotence and benevolence
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14
Q

What is an example of a miracle?

A

Jesus calms the storm Luke 8:22-25

key points

  • Jesus and his disciples were in a boat on the lake Galilee
  • a storm began to start suddenly, the disciples were frightened they would die
    they appealed Jesus to help - he was sleeping at the back of the boat
    Jesus rebuked them for the lack of faith and stood up and told the wind in the waves to stop
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15
Q

What are the arguments supporting miracles?

A

– Miracles have taken place through the history of Christianity e.g. places of pilgrimage – Lourdes
– medical miracles e.g. someone recovering from terminal condition
– records of Jesus performing miracles e.g. healing exorcism raising the dead plus challenging nature
- somethings can’t be explained by science
– miracles recorded in the Bible e.g. acts 5:12–16
- claims of communication with God e.g. prayers and dreams

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16
Q

What are the arguments against miracles?

A

– Illness or drugs
– no glasses in ancient times, people could’ve mistaken things
– Darwin “age of ignorance and superstition”
– go against findings of science, discovered physical laws that govern universe
– could be coincidences
– why do miracles not happen all the time
- lying/attention seeking
- too much evil and suffering
- Bible is outdated + new scientific evidence

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17
Q

What is a religious vision?

A

An individual believes that they have seen and heard a supernatural being or have seen something supernatural

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18
Q

What is an example of a vision?

A

Bible – Peters vision -Acts 10
– Isaiah’s vision in the temple - Isaiah 6
- Stephen’s visions before his death – Acts 7

Visions of Bernadette Soubirous

Visions of Floribeth Mora Diaz

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19
Q

What are the arguments against visions and religious experiences?

A
  • very subjective and difficult to prove
  • Sigmund Freud Believe science can explain how people experience visions, visions we’re nothing more than dreams and wish fulfilments
  • lack of empirical evidence difficult to verify
  • Neuroscience and psychology can partially explain visions
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20
Q

Arguments for visions and other religious experiences

A
  • Principle of testimony
  • Principle of credulity
  • Some may say personal experience is the only real proof that God exists
  • Too many religious experiences reported for them all to be made up
  • We are not fully know the laws of science, new understanding is being developed all the time, cannot absolutely disprove
  • cannot experience something that doesn’t exist
  • life changing event - conversion
  • proofs of God’s existence unit 1 arguments
  • Religious experiences + miracles in the Bible had major impact – could’ve been coincidental
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21
Q

What does “sacred” mean?

A

Refers to something connected to God or dedicated to a religious purpose

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22
Q

What is a sacred text?

A
  • form the basis of many major religions
  • described as the “word of God”
  • if they contain the words of God then it’s expected that they reveal something about what God is like, religious believers hoped experience go to reading these texts
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23
Q

What is the Christian holy book?

A

Bible

Believe Bible is the inspired word of God

24
Q

How do Christian’s believe the Bible was written?

A

People were guided or inspired by the Holy Spirit

25
Q

What does the Bible help Christians experience God?

A

Informs Christians of gods nature e.g. omnipotence, Trinity

26
Q

How do Christians use the Bible?

A

Guidelines on how to live e.g. 10 Commandments, Exodus 20

Forms the basis of most Christian worship

Apply messages to their own lives

Turn to the Bible in times of difficulty in order to find guidance and comfort

27
Q

What does the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) teach Christians about how they should use their money?

A
  • people today are too concerned with gathering wealth and possessions to live comfortable lives
  • it is easy to forget about God when you start well for yourself
  • Church attendance is declining In the rich developed world, whereas in the developing world Christianity is growing
  • It is always the temptation to put ourselves and material possessions before God and others
28
Q

Criticisms to the relevance of sacred text?

A
  • scripture is destructive to human progress and well-being e.g. a literal reading of religious texts can come into conflict with the findings of science
  • the Bible doesn’t always show a kind and merciful God
  • Biblical texts can lead to human rights abuses e.g. the apostle Paul’s teachings on women and homosexuality
  • the Bible is an ancient text, it cannot be relevant to modern day issues
29
Q

What is the Islamic holy book?

A

The holy Qur’an

30
Q

What do Muslims believe about the Qur’an?

A
  • Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the direct complete and final word of God
  • Muslims believe that the words of the Qur’an were dictated to the Prophet Muhammad by the angel Jibril

-he learned the words of my heart and pass them on to his followers

31
Q

What is the “night of power”?

A

The revelation of the Qur’an began on the “night of power” and the entire Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad over a period of 23 years

32
Q

Why do Muslims have concerns about translating the Qur’an?

A

Incase inaccuracies creep into the text

33
Q

What is “Wudu” ?

A

Ritual of washing the hands, face and feet before reading the Qur’an

34
Q

How is the Qur’an important in everyday life to Muslims?

A
  • recited during formal prayers, Salah, five times a day
  • Muslim children are taught to read Arabic from an early age
  • Ramadan, month of fasting Muslims read the Qur’an everyday
35
Q

What is a Hafiz?

A

Any Muslim who is able to learn and recite the whole Qur’an

36
Q

why is reciting the Qur’an important to Muslims?

A
  • they can learn about the nature of Allah, “99 beautiful names of Allah”
  • they can learn about how God wants them to live
  • They can learn how they might achieve eternal life in heaven
37
Q

How can someone experience God through a religious leader?

A
  • Followers of all faiths open look to religious leaders and authorities as an example of how they should live
  • People can learn more about God through them
38
Q

What is an example of a Christian religious leader?

A

Martin Luther King

  • words
    eloquent speeches which highlighted the importance of the sanctity of all human beings
  • actions
    non-violent protests
  • legacy
    Civil Rights Act 1967, Noble Peace Prize 1964, pioneer for racial equality and civil rights, his influence extended to Northern Ireland
39
Q

What is an example of an Islamic religious leader?

A

The prophet Muhammad

  • He was visited by the angel Jibril in a cave on Mount Hira
  • The angel Jibril ordered him to recite the words of God
  • Mohammed continued to receive divine revelations from time to time over the next 23 years
  • he would recite the new verses of the Quran and his disciples were instructed to record them
40
Q

What does the term “worship” mean?

A

Giving God his worth
A religious act of adoration when the believer freely expresses and acknowledges the worth of God

41
Q

What are forms of worship?

A

Praise 👏 , prayers 🙏 , gifts 🎁 offered to God

Confession 🎤🕺- asking God for forgiveness of sin

Prayers of intercession asking God’s help for those in need 🤒

42
Q

Why do religious believers worship God?

A

Religious believers claim experience and learn more about God through worship

43
Q

What is liturgical worship?

A

Formal worship led by a priest/minister

-has set scripture readings and prayers at certain times during the service

  • remembering Jesus‘s death through the Eucharist/communion is also a feature of liturgical worship
44
Q

What is non-liturgical worship?

A

Less formal – can have structure but the service leader can decide the hymns, Bible readings and sermon for themselves

45
Q

What can Christians experience during worship?

A

The holy spirit is active in worship e.g. feel God’s presence in the church, feel God speaking to them in prayer, reading or the sermon

Christians may feel that they have been gifted to carry out particular work for God e.g. musical ability, teaching, hospitality, fundraising, caring for sick

46
Q

What is a sacrament?

A

An outward and visible sign of a deeper spiritual reality

47
Q

What can Christians experience from sacramental worship?

A

Communion/mass and baptism play central role in worship
Christians feel closeness with God and remember sacrifice Jesus made on the cross

48
Q

What is charismatic worship?

A

Mainly followed by Pentecostal churches

These Christians believe the Holy Spirit is with them as they pray and sometimes, they speak in tongues (glossolalia)

49
Q

How do Muslims worship God privately?

A
  • Worship can be done privately through prayer and reading the Qur’an
  • Muslims have a religious duty to pray to Allah five times a day
  • During prayer, Muslims believe that they are in direct contact with Allah who hears all of their prayers.
50
Q

How do Muslims pray to God publically?

A

Public worship is also a key feature of the Muslim faith
- usually takes place on a Friday and in a Mosque where the community worships together

• On arrival at the mosque, Muslims will remove their shoes. Before entering the prayer hall, Muslims must perform ritual washing called wudu;
• Men and women will sit separately and sit facing the prayer wall which places them in the direction of Mecca;
• Prayer is led by the Imam who will also deliver a sermon using words from the Qur’an. During prayer, Muslims perform a series of bodily movements including prostration, with forehead, hands, knees and feet touching the floor;
• At the end of the service, personal prayers can be said.

51
Q

What is the principle of credulity

A

Same people - if we accept everything we see in life why question it?

52
Q

Principle of testimony

A

If you normally believe someone- why would you question them when they claim to have had a religious experience

53
Q

What is transubstantiation?

A

Catholic mass/Eucharist - bread and wine transforms into the actual blood and body of Christ

Nourished or strengthened by God both physically and spiritually

54
Q

Worship in Hinduism

A

5 senses

Sight 👁️
- worship before an image

Sound👂
- passages from vedas may be read and prayers chanted

Smell 👃
- incense is burned as a sign of respect

Touch 🤚
- offerings / gifts

Taste 👅
- share food called Prashad

55
Q

Places of pilgrimage

A
  • Lourdes
  • Knock
  • Mecca