2. What Differnce Does It Make If God Exists Flashcards
What do we need to do before sharing evidence of Gods existence
So before we share with people evidence for Gods Existence, we may need to help them see why it matters in the first place, otherwise they just won’t care.
What is the challenge of getting people to think about God
Part of the challenge of getting people to think about God is that they’ve become so used to God that they just take him for granted. they never think to ask what the implications would be if God did not exist, as a result they think that God is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter weather God exists or not.
What name is given to show the argument especially appropriate to Atheism
Professor Gibs “Proof by the Opposite” also known as reduction ad absurdism (reduction to absurdity)
What did many philosophers including Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus argued
Many Philosophers like Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus have argued that if God does not exist then life is absurd, their analysis of human existence shows us clearly the Grim implications of Athiesm
What does this argument show when asking about Gods Existence
It shows that the Question of Gods existence is the most important question a person can ask
What is the main claim of the argument
If God does not exist then life is absurd. that is to say, life has no ultimate meaning, value or purpose
What does absurd mean
Illogical, meaningless
What do we mean by meaning
Meaning has to do with significance, why something matters
What do we mean by Value
Value has to do with Good and Evil, right and wrong
What do we mean by Pupose
Purpose has to deal with a Goal, a reason from something
What is the claim if there is no God
If there is no God, then meaning, value and purpose are ultimately human illusions, they are just in our heads
What is life if Atheism is true
If Atheism is true then life is really objectively meaningless, valueless, and purposeless despite our beliefs to the contrary
Explain the absurdity of Man in the Universe without the existence of God
If God does not exist, then both man and the Universe are inevitably doomed to death, man like all biological organisms must die. With no hope of immortality, mans life leads only to the grave, his life is but a spark in the infinite blackness, a spark that appears, flickers, and dies forever
Explain what everyone must come face to face with if God dies not Exist
Everyone must come face to face with what the Theologian Paul Tillich has called “The threat of Non-being”, for though I know now that I exist, that I am alive, I also know that some day I will no longer exist, that I will no longer be, that I will die. This thought is staggering to think that the person I call myself will cease to exist, that I will be no more
Explain the consequences of the Universe death
The universe faces death, scientists tell us that the Universe is expanding, and the Galaxies are growing further and further apart, as it does so the it grows colder and colder as its energy is used up, eventually all the Stars will burn out, there will be no heat, no light and no life, all there will be are the corpses of dead stars and planets - a universe in ruins
Unless God intervenes what is our fate
Unless God intervenes, not only is the life of each individual doomed, the entire human race and accomplishments of human civilisation is doomed, there is no hope
What is the consequence of a doomed universe and a doomed mankind
It means that life itself becomes absurd, it means that the life we do have is without ultimate significance, value or purpose
Describe the situation if each individual passes out of existence at death
If each individual passes out of existence when he dies, then what ultimate meaning can be given to life? does it really matter in the end weather he ever existed at all?
What are the consequences if everything is doomed to destruction
If everything is doomed to destruction, then what does it matter that you influenced anything? Ultimately it makes no difference
If life has no meaning what is the significance of Mankind
Mankind is no more significant than a swarm of Mosquitos or barnyard of Pigs, for their end is all the same, the same blind cosmic process that coughed them up in the first place will eventually swallow them all again
Paint a picture of the nothingness of mankind
The contributions of the Scientists to the advance of human knowledge, the researches of the doctor to alleviate pain and suffering, the efforts of the diplomat to secure peace in the world, the sacrifices of good people everywhere to better the lot of the human race - all these come to nothing. This is the horror of modern man: because he ends in nothing, he is nothing
What is it important to see with regards to Immortality
It’s important to see that man needs more than just immortality for life to be meaningful. Mere duration of of existence doesn’t make that existence meaningful
What is the situation if man lived forever
If man and the universe could exist forever but if there were no God, their existence would still have no ultimate significance
Give the story of the Astronaut with regards to immortality and significance
An Astronaut was marooned on a Barron piece of Rock in outer space, he had with him two vials, one was poison the other was a potion to make him live forever, realising his predicament he gulped down the poison. But to his horror he had discovered he had swallowed the wrong vial, he had drunk the potion for Immortality, he was now cursed to live forever - a meaningless unending life.
