The existence of God and revelation Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are some reasons to follow a religion?
to find out why life is the way it is
some people are drawn to purpose, structure and comfort of a religion
faith strengthened by worshipping as a community
brought up by religious family
What are some reasons to reject religion?
no proof that there is a God
causes too much strife between people
evil in the world shows that there is no God
What is the difference between atheists and agnostics?
atheists reject the idea of a divine being
agnostics believe it is impossible to know either way for certain
What is the design argument?
the idea that the intricate workings of the universe can’t have come about by chance and there must have been a designer: God
Who made the watchmaker argument?
William Paley
How many people in 2023 thought that evolution was the way humans developed?
82%
What differing views do religious people have on evolution?
evolution doesn’t contradict the design argument
vs.
if God made humans in his own image, it seems unlikely He would have done so by slowly evolving them from apes
What is the causal argument?
everything that happens must have been caused by something creating a chain going all the way back to the first cause or never reaching a beginning as the universe is eternal
Who developed 5 ways to prove that God exists using the cosmological arguement?
Thomas Aquinas
What do miracles prove?
The existence of God
What ‘scientific miracles’ does the Qur’an contain?
account on how the human embryo develops or a reference to the Big Bang which are centuries ahead of their discovery.
Some say the descriptions aren’t detailed enough to be certain
What do atheist and humanists believe about miracles?
they aren’t real and can be explained scientifically or are fakes or misunderstandings
What is revelation?
how God’s presence, characteristics and instructions are revealed
What are the 2 types of revelation?
special and general
What is special revelation?
revelations to specific people
include revelations through prophethood, visions and miracles
direct and personal
hard to prove
controversial if they still happen today
What is general revelation?
available to everyone
indirect and have to be interpreted
many believe the world is example of general revelation as God had to create the world proving he exists
many believe our conscience proves God exists as God must have created the similar conscience in every human being
What is an example of a christian vision?
the story of St Paul/Saul
What is the story of St Paul/Saul?
St Paul was originally names Saul. He persecuted Christians. One day he saw a light and heard Jesus asking why Saul was persecuting him. This transformed Saul’s life - he became a Christian and spent the rest of his life preaching the Gospel
What is an example of an Islamic vision?
Angel Jibril appearing to Maryam and telling her she’s going to have a son - Isa - even though she was a virgin
Who are sufi Muslims?
muslims who seek to be fulfilled by knowledge and love of Allah through direct experience with him
What are some reasons people don’t believe in God?
there are other theories with more proof to show how the world is as it is
not enough proof to support the existence of God
evil and suffering makes people doubt God because that means he is not benevolent and/or omnipotent or doesn’t exist
