Argument/ ideas Flashcards
non existence of God and critics of religious belief concerns covers
A range of key terms looking at evidence and arguments justifying the non-existence and critics of religious belief
Define atheism
without God
what are the 2 types of atheism
weak and strong
define weak atheism
is the absence of belief in the existence of God
Strong atheism
a strongly held belief that God does not exist
how do they adopt their position of weak or strong atheist
Based on several reasons
What are the several reasons
- experiences of God can be explained in other ways
- evil and suffering
- believers are deluded
define theism
belief in a personal loving God
Theist will argue against what and how
Atheists
- If God cannot be proved not to exist, then X must exist - if arguments against the existence of God fail, then logically, God must exist
Define agnosticism
claim that it is not possible to know whether God exists or his nature
What is agnosticism essentially concerned with
the problem of what we can genuinely know
Belief of materialism
- only energy and matter exists
- all things composed of matter
- reality = reaction of different types of matter
- matter is primary
- mind and spirit = secondary
- no supernatural or immaterial things
- therefore there is no God
Belief of Naturalism
- laws of nature operate the universe
- nothing but the natural universe exists
- there is no purpose to nature
- there are no supernatural things
- therefore there is no God
What is scepticism
- belief in something does not mean knowledge of it
- no certain belief is possible
- therefore it is impossible to know God
what is unbelief
a rejection of religious belief
- lack of faith
