Theme C

Question 1

theist

Answer 1

A person who believes in God

Question 2

atheist

Answer 2

A person who believes that there is no God

Question 3

teleological argument

Answer 3

The argument that you can prove the existence of God by looking at the natural world around us

Question 4

Qua regularity design from regularity

Answer 4

regular patterns, movement and motions, Things such as the planets can not order themselves, so there must be a powerful being who does - God

Question 5

Qua purpose design argument from purpose

Answer 5

Things appear perfectly designed for purpose

Question 6

fibonacci sequence

Answer 6

A sequence of numbers in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, often found in nature, such as in the arrangement of leaves, flowers, and shells. Some argue that this pattern’s prevalence points to design.

Question 7

analogy of the watch

Answer 7

A thought experiment often used in the teleological argument, which compares the complexity of a watch to the natural world. Just as a watch implies a watchmaker, the order in the universe implies a creator (God).

Question 8

cosmological argument

Answer 8

The argument for the existence of God based on the existence of the cosmos. It asserts that the universe must have had a cause, and that cause is God.

Question 9

Cosmos / cosmology

Answer 9

The cosmos refers to the universe as an ordered whole, while cosmology is the scientific study of the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe.

Question 10

first cause

Answer 10

A key idea in the cosmological argument, proposing that everything in the universe has a cause, and therefore there must have been an initial, uncaused cause, often identified as God.

Question 11

miracle

Answer 11

An event or action that defies natural laws and is attributed to a supernatural cause, often seen as a sign of divine intervention.

Question 12

lourdes

Answer 12

A town in France known for its religious significance, where many believe miracles of healing have occurred, particularly at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Question 13

principle of testimony

Answer 13

The principle that we should generally trust people’s testimony, especially in regard to religious experiences or events, unless we have a good reason to doubt them.

Question 14

principle of testimony

Answer 14

The idea that we should generally believe what our senses tell us unless we have strong reasons to believe they are misleading us. In the context of religious experiences, this would suggest we should take people’s claims of divine encounters seriously.

Question 15

natural evil

Answer 15

Suffering caused by natural events like earthquakes, tsunamis, diseases, etc. that are not caused by human actions.

Question 16

moral evil

Answer 16

Evil caused by human actions, such as acts of violence, theft, or injustice.

Question 17

problem of evil

Answer 17

A philosophical argument that questions how a benevolent, omnipotent God can exist given the presence of evil and suffering in the world.

Question 18

inconsistent triad

Answer 18

A philosophical concept associated with the problem of evil, which states that it is logically inconsistent to claim that God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and that evil exists in the world at the same time.

Question 19

“Rock of atheism”

Answer 19

A term sometimes used to describe the problem of evil as a powerful argument against the existence of God. It suggests that the reality of evil in the world forms a solid foundation for atheism.