Believing in God Flashcards
Who is someone who believes in God?
Theist
Who is someone who does not believe in God?
Atheist
Who is someone who doesn’t know what they believe?
Agnostic
Reasons to be theist (4)
- Brought up to believe in God
- Experienced god is some way (miracle,prayer)
- The Design argument
- The Causation argument
Reasons to be atheist (3)
- No evidence that God exists
- Science explains how the world began without God
- Evil and suffering
Reasons to be agnostic
-No reliable evidence either way
Christian beliefs in God (4)
- God created the world
- Relationship with God
- God answers prayers and can perform miracles
- God gives meaning to life and helps to answer difficult questions
How would Christians describe God?
- Omnipotent (all powerful)
- Omniscient (all knowing)
- Omni-benevolent (all loving)
How might baptising a child lead to a belief in God? (3)
- From the beginning of their life they will be brought up with Christian beliefs.
- Parents will act as role models and seem natural to believe in God
- Child is likely to respect their parents and accept what they believe
How might parents teaching their child to be Christian lead to a belief in God?
Believe their parents
Parents will teach their children to pray to God. How might parents teaching their child to pray lead to a belief in God?
Believe that God exists because their parents would not waste their time praying to nothing
How might parents taking their children to worship in a church lead to a belief in God?
Seeing so many people worshipping God will make them believe that God exists
How might parents sending their children to a Church school lead to a belief in God?
Be taught that God exists when they go to Sunday school, or Church school, and will believe it because their teachers tell them it is true
Arguments for children being brought up in a religious family (4)
- Give comfort and help them through difficulties and give them a secure basis for adulthood
- Could change their beliefs as they get older
- Parents should be allowed to raise their children how they choose
- Bringing up a child in a non religious family is still deciding their beliefs for them
Arguments against children being brought up in a religious family (4)
- Children should have a choice about whether they want to be a part of a religion
- Lead to conflict in the family
- Seen as brainwashing