5.1 Work of scholars: context to critiques of religious belief and points for discussion-NOT FINISHED

Question 1

What is negative atheism?

Answer 1

Lack/ absence of belief in God

Question 2

What is positive atheism?

Answer 2

In addition to refuting arguments for the existence of God, PA must provide further arguments against God

Question 3

What is agnosticism?

Answer 3

Neither believe/ disbelieve in the existence of God, insufficient evidence to prove either way

Question 4

What is a key difference between athiesm and agnosticism?

Answer 4

• Agnosticism is incompatible with positive athiesm
• Agnosticism has a closer relationship with negative atheism

Question 5

Why does science support atheism and agnosticism?

Answer 5

• Atheism: development of science provides natural explanations for things once unknown
• Agnosticism: scientific theories aren’t entirely incompatible with belief in God e.g design theory or cosmological argument

Question 6

Why does Empricism support atheism and agnosticism?

Answer 6

• Atheism: all that can be known is what can be known through the 5 senses- God is not empirical
• Empricism: physical existence of earth itself and RE are empirical evidence of a creator and designer

Question 7

Why does the problem of evil and suffering support atheism and agnosticism?

Answer 7

• Atheism: no theodicy can rescue the belief in an all loving AND all powerful God
• Agnosticism: Augustinian theodicy, Irenaean theodicy, ideas from Hick offer alternative explanations to problem of evil

only opposes the GOCT

Question 8

Why do rebellions against moral absolutes support atheism and agnosticism?

Answer 8

• Atheism: e.g do not steal
• Agnosticism: Joseph Fletcher- God’s only absolute command it to ‘love thy neighbour’ (SYNOPTIC link- situation ethics)

Question 9

Why does an awareness of other faiths support atheism and agnosticism?

Answer 9

• Atheism: Hume- ‘each religion makes conflicting claims about the objective nature of God in the world’
• Agnosticism: Rumi- ‘the lamps are different but the light is the same, it comes from beyond’

Question 10

What are the strengths of** religious belief**?

Answer 10

1. answers existential questions humans pose- Why are we here?
2. Played a role in setting the standards of moral behaviour .eg Quaker’s role in abolition
3. Benefits our spiritual/ moral development

Question 11

What are the weaknesses of religious belief?

Answer 11

1. Moral teachings are outdated and have no relevance today
2. Relgious arguments contain many inconsistencies and illogical statements
3. Religious arguments for God’s existence don’t prove enough evidence and the world is better explained by science

Question 12

Is religious experience convincing in proving the existence in God?

Answer 12

• Evil and suffering is incompatible with religious belief- most damaging weakness
• Prayers are not answered
• God invented by people
• People do terrible things in the name of God

Question 13

What did Emile Durkheim believe?

Answer 13

God does not exist, product of human society

French sociologist

Question 14

What were the key ideas of Karl Marx?

Answer 14

• Religion was used as a tool by the ruling classes to dominate and oppress the masses
• ‘opiate of the masses’

Question 15

How did Emile Durkheim perceive religion?

Answer 15

Religion’s purpose is to hold society together

Question 16

How did Karl Marx perceive religion?

Answer 16

Religion’s function is to oppress the masses

Question 17

What are the criticisms of Emile Durkheim?

Answer 17

• Difference between membership of religious community and individual faith in God
• believers sometimes go against moral laws of society and even reject it e.g MLK
• Society constantly changes but beliefs about the nature of God are timeless and unchanging

Question 18

What are the criticisms of Karl Marx?

Answer 18

• Separation of church and state
• Many christian teachings about caring for poor and loving one’s neighbour
• Religion no longer necessary in capitalist society yet still exists

Question 19

Does sociology provide a convincing alternative explanantion for religious belief?

Answer 19

• Support for Durkheim- Church has great influence over society still
• Support of Marx- Max Weber- ‘The Protestant ethic and spirit of capitalism’: happy, healthy, holy, wealthy blub- 80s +90s
• Against Marx- many oppressed by communist system and turned to religion for support

Question 20

Key ideas of Sigmund Freud

Answer 20

• religion is an illusion- we project the idea of God onto the capitalist world as a way of coping with feelings of helplessness and fears of death

Human Psyche:
1. Id- set of uncoordinated instinctual desires
2. ego- organised realistic agent that mediates between is and super ego
3. Super ego- critical and moralizing tone

Question 21

Key ideas of Carl Jung

Answer 21

• Freud’s student, but treats religion with a p**ositive light
• communication between our conscious and our subconscious mind; religion essential for a balanced psyche

German psychiatrist

Question 22

What are the criticisms of Freud?

Answer 22

• Nelson and Jones: Freud says relationship with father determines relationship with God, but many feel their relationship with mother has a greater effect
• Kate Lowenthal: intrinsic religion (reflective)
• Freud’s influence has declined, Peter Moore says Freud’s need to talk about sex says more about him than religion

Question 23

What are the criticisms of Jung?

Answer 23

• Brought up in a very religious home- could be rejecting it
• Non-western perspective
• Little empirical evidence

Question 24

Does psychology provide a convincing alternative explanation for religious belief?

Answer 24

• Support Jung: depsite strict upbringing, he is still positive about religion
• Support for Freud: does religion bring comfort when facing death?
• Against Freud: only applies to the Goct