arguments FOR God's existence Flashcards
what is the cosmological argument also known as and who made it
the first cause argument, thomas aquinas
what is the teleological argument also known as and who made it
the design argument, william paley
strengths of the design argument
- explains the idea that there seems to be design and purpose in the world
- it makes sense to say that God is the great designer because the world is very complex and God is said to be omnipotent
- the world itself is enough evidence of God’s existence - its too amazing to have just happened by chance. a great being must have created it, and this argument provides an answer.
- there are many patterns in nature, like food chains, the seasons, etc. everything seems perfectly suited for their environment, and the design argument supports this.
- Law of conservation of mass and energy means that energy can’t be created or destroyed. However, God is transcendent and is beyond the bounds of the universe, meaning these laws of science don’t apply to Him.
weaknesses of the design argument
- it is not a perfect design because of natural disasters and suffering all around us. an omnibenevolent God would not create a world where people suffer.
- surely all of the suffering in the world must not have been intentionally created, so the world doesn’t have to be intentionally created either. ideas like the big bang theory are more suited to the creation of the world.
- the world does not have to have been designed, the apparent design could be explained by natural selection.
what is the design argument
William Paley put forward an argument to explain the existence of God using an analogy of a watch. Briefly, Paley says that the mechanisms of the watch were so complex that we can conclude there must have been a designer - in this case, a watchmaker. The mechanisms of the universe are even more complex than that of watch, therefore the complexity of the world implies there must have been a designer - a universe-maker. This intelligent designer was God.
quotes for arguments for God
“The big bang […] does not contradict the divine act of creation, rather it requires it.” - Pope Francis
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” - Genesis 1.1
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? […] You weren’t there Job, and you don’t know how I did it”. - Job 38.4-1
(God speaking to Job, explaining Job’s suffering)
“The world is so perfect, there must be a designer and maker.” - William Paley
“God does exist. God is the ‘uncaused cause’ “ - Thomas Aquinas
what is the first cause argument
With the First Cause Argument, Aquinas states 3 premises. These are:
1) Everything in the universe has a cause
2) The chain of cause and effect cannot go on forever
3) Therefore, there must be a first cause which is uncaused.
Aquinas concludes that this first, uncaused cause must be God.
strengths of the first cause argument
- provides a logical chain of reasoning that especially appeals to someone who is already a believer of God. the fact that its a logical step-by-step argument is much more convincing than merely stating that God exists, because it demonstrates reasoning rather than just faith or scripture. makes it more reliable and appeals to more than just believers.
- rationality of this argument goes hand-in-hand with the simplicity. Ockham’s razor God simplest explanation, because theists have perceived God to be the creator of everyone and everything for a long time now.
- scientific discoveries such as the big bang theory can support this, because they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive. God could have caused the big bang which caused the universe, which means He would still be the ‘first cause’.
- simply an attempt to translate beliefs into the language of science and reason. a noble effort, even if it is ultimately unsuccessful.
weaknesses of the first cause argument
- God does not have to be the first cause, something else could have caused God. Similarly, the Big Bang doesn’t have to have been caused by God either, and could have happened purely by chance.
- designed to make sense to believers so its not as convincing for an atheist.
- some could argue he was presumably biased, because he already believed in God before coming up with the premises. this means he most likely arranged the premises to fit the conclusion rather than the other way around.
- God is described as a miraculous, supernatural being that is beyond human understanding - can’t be the simplest explanation.
- first and third premises contradict
- you can agree with the 3 premises without agreeing with the conclusion - supports that aquinas was potentially biased.
what is a miracle
a seemingly impossible event, usually good, that cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws, and is thought to be the action of God.
what is the argument from miracles
David Hume put forward two premises that argue for the existence of miracles.
Premise 1: theists argue that if there is no scientific explanation for an event, then it must be supernatural, in other words, caused by something outside nature.
Premise 2: Since only God is outside nature (transcendent), then it must be the result of God’s intervention in the world.
Hume concludes from this that God must exist.
who made the argument from miracles
david hume
weaknesses of the argument from miracles
- the more improbable the thing the witness says, the more the reliability of the witness needs to increase. therefore, it will always be more likely that the witness is not telling the truth. it will always be more likely that a miracle is false - rationality.
- a miracle is by definition highly unlikely as they break the laws of nature. in contrast to a strength that theres more evidence, the more common miracles are, the less miraculous they are.
- it is more likely that our senses are deceiving us if we think a miracle has occured.
strengths of the argument from miracles
- no scientific evidence to disprove this theory, therefore God exists.
- agrees with God’s quality of transcendence, therefore this argument is consistent with His nature.
- there’s a large number of miracles reported, and the more evidence there is, the more compelling this evidence is.
- on its own, its not that strong, but combined with other arguments, its cumulative.
- ockham’s razor, the simplest explanation to a supernatural being that causes miracles is God.
Explain how Craig’s a priori argument supports the first cause argument.
Craig made an argument asking you to image a library with an infinite number of red books and an infinite number of black books. The number of red and black books together would then equal the number of red books. So, a subset of the total library would contain half of infinity, yet this would still equal infinity. Therefore, Craig rejects the possibility of an infinite regression, because this argument suggests that the concept of infinity is flawed - there must be a start to the chain, which is God.
