Theme C: The Existence Of God And Revelation Flashcards
(46 cards)
Teleological (design) argument
William Paley
Everything in the universe is so intricately designed, that it must have been designed by a powerful being- God, therefore God exists
e.g human bodies, DNA
name 3 theorists who argue for God’s existence
thomas aquinas
blaise pascal
william paley
watch analogy
teleological argument
if you find a watch, you know it has been designed by somebody
if you find a rock, who designed the rock?
argument against teleological argument
just because something looks designed, that doesn’t mean it has actually been designed by somebody
3 arguments against God’s existence
suffering- God would not allow humans to suffer as much as they do
evolution- we evolved from earlier species
no scientific proof/ photographic evidence
cosmological (first cause) argument
Thomas Aquinas
everything that exists has a cause
the universe exists because of the big bang
but what caused the big bang- God, God is the first cause
train analogy
a train needs an engine to work, God is like the engine- a different matter to the train but is a necessary being.
arguments against the cosmological argument
If God is an exception to the first cause, then the big bang should be an exception
we don’t know what caused God
arguments for the cosmological argument
God is eternal
God is omnipotent- nothing is more powerful
infinite regress is too confusing so people settle at the belief that God is the first cause
define miracle
an extraordinary event unable to be explained by science
religious arguments for miracles
- miracles cannot be scientifically explained so they must be caused by something outside of nature
- God is the only thing that exists outside of nature
- So, God causes miracles
atheist arguments for miracles
miracles are lucky coincidences
they may have scientific explanations we don’t yet know about
might be made up for fame
problems with miracles
-why would God only help one person through a miracle instead of helping many
-science can now explain many miracles
-miracles could just be tricks and lies
beliefs for miracles
-God is omni-potent and can do anything
-show the power and love of God
examples of religious miracles
the Qur’an
Jesus’ incarnation
evil and suffering as an argument against God
- if God controls everything, then why would he intentionally cause suffering
-If God is loving, then why would he let his people suffer
inconsistent triad
1- if God is benevolent, he would not want his people to suffer
2- if God is potent, he would stop the suffering in the world
3-therefore, as suffering exists, God is not loving nor potent
religious responses to evil and suffering
life is a test from God- testing you to see whether you remain loyal to him
you will have a better afterlife and be rewarded for your suffering
God tests the ones he loves- allows us to learn from our hardships to become better people
muslim quotes to evil and suffering
‘god tests the one he loves’
‘allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear’
‘at the end of hardship comes ease’
‘remember me and i will remember you’
christian teachings on evil and suffering
jesus’ crucifixion- Jesus’ suffering granted everyone with salvation
how does science challenge belief in God
science will eventually discover the creation of the universe- God is not needed
science is used to create life
evolution shows adaption of species
scientific explanations for things such as earthquakes
how do christians respond to science
they support scientific discoveries which reveal the existence of God
believe it is wrong to change religious truths into scientific laws
how do muslims respond to science
they believe that science is important to understand the intelligence God gave us
science does not affect their belief in God in a bad way
the ontological argument
for something to be the greatest, it must exist
a perfect being must exist
