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Religious Studies GCSE > Believing in God > Flashcards

Believing in God Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the key word: when your life is changed to commit to God

A

Conversion

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2
Q

What is the key word: an event that seems to break a law of science

A

Miracle

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3
Q

What is the key word: the feeling of the presence of something greater than you

A

Numinous

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4
Q

What is the key word: an attempt to contact God through words

A

Prayer

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5
Q

What is the key word: when things are connected and seem to have a purpose

A

Design

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6
Q

What is the key word: the idea that everything has been caused (started off) by something else

A

Causation

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7
Q

What is the key word: being unsure whether God exists

A

Agnosticism

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8
Q

What is the key word: believing that God does not exist

A

Atheism

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9
Q

What is the key word: actions done by humans that cause suffering

A

Moral evil

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10
Q

What is the key word: things that cause suffering that humans cannot control

A

Natural evil

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11
Q

What is the key word: the idea that human beings are free to make their own choices

A

Free will

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12
Q

What is the key word: belief that God is all loving

A

Benevolent

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13
Q

What is the key word: belief that God is all powerful

A

Omnipotent

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14
Q

What is the key word: belief that God is all knowing

A

Omniscient

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15
Q

EXPLAIN HOW A CHRISTIAN UPBRINGING CAN SUPPORT A BELIEF IN GOD

A
  1. Parents teach their children bed time prayers, so belief in God is natural to them
  2. Children are sent to Sunday school to learn about God and therefore what they learn at home will be strengthened
  3. Parents may send their children to a church school so most of their friends will believe the same thing they do, moreover they will be surrounded at school with the Christian ethos
  4. To prepare for the sacrament of confirmation, children will attend lessons from a priest / minister which will focus on beliefs about God
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16
Q

EXPLAIN HOW RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE LEADS TO BELIEF IN GOD

A
  1. Numinous – the presence of something greater than self. In a holy building or looking up at stars.
  2. Conversion – a profound experience that changes your life, e.g. St Paul on road to Damascus; they are left feeling that God is calling them
  3. Miracle – something that breaks a law of nature, and cannot be explained by science leaves many people believing in God as they have no other explanation
  4. Prayer – if a prayer is answered by God this becomes proof for many people
17
Q

THE DESIGN ARGUMENT

A
  1. Paley stated that the complexity of watch forces you to think it was designed
  2. The universe is complex, e.g. laws of gravity, function of eye, evolution, DNA blueprint, the beauty of the universe
  3. If a watch needs a watchmaker then a universe must need a universe maker / designer
  4. The Designer of the universe must be God (only a being with the qualities of God would be able to make a universe.)
18
Q

Explain why some people reject the Design Argument

A
  1. The argument ignores the evidence for lack of design – natural disasters
  2. All the evidence of design can be explained by reference to science – evolution
  3. The argument may show the universe needs a designer but this does not mean God
  4. The argument ignores the existence of dinosaurs
19
Q

THE ARGUMENT FROM CAUSATION

A
  1. Science says that everything must have a cause this is seen by the laws of cause and effect e.g. water to ice
  2. Anything that exists must have been caused to exist by something else – otherwise it would be like saying that you caused yourself to exist, which is impossible e.g. you need to have water before it turns to ice
  3. The universe exists therefore it must have a cause outside itself
  4. You cannot go back forever in a causal chain – you must have a First Cause
  5. God is the First Cause or Unmoved Mover; He is at the start if the chain of causes like an engine pulling the carriages
20
Q

Explain why some people reject the Causation argument

A
  1. If everything needs a cause, surely God needs a cause too?
  2. We could just say that matter is eternal and so the processes of causes go on forever, hence we don’t need a First Cause
  3. Even if there needs to be a First Cause, this does not mean God
21
Q

EXPLAIN WHY SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS OF THE UNIVERSE LEAD TO ATHEISM / AGNOSTICISM

A
  1. Science explains that matter has always existed; the Big Bang occurred when matter exploded; this resulting in the formation of the solar system.
  2. The first life form were amoeba, which mutated – vegetation – invertebrates – vertebrates – humans. This process is called evolution, based on the principle of survival of the fittest.
  3. There is some scientific support for this; the red shift effect seems to show that the universe is expanding which supports the Big Bang theory. Also there are claims that 50% of human DNA is the same as that of a cabbage thereby supporting the theory of evolution.
  4. This leads people to become atheists / agnostics as they question the need to offer God as an explanation for the universe when there is another credible theory which seems to have convincing evidence and does not refer to God at all.
22
Q

Explain how one religion responds to the scientific explanations of the universe

A

Some Christians believe that the scientific accounts are true, but this does not mean you cannot believe in God, in fact scientific explanations prove that there is a God who created the universe because:

  1. The Big Bang had to be at exactly the right moment in order for the universe to form
  2. Only God could have made the laws of nature that control the universe
    Others believe that science is wrong and the Bible is right because:
  3. They take the Bible literally
  4. All the evidence of evolution and the Big Bang can be explained by reference to the Apparent Age Theory and Noah’s flood
    Finally some would say that both science and the Bible are correct because they believe:
  5. The main points of the Bible fit with the scientific account, in Genesis where it states ‘and God said let there be light’ is a direct reference to the Big Bang.
  6. Generally the stages of scientific theories about the order of evolution fit with what the Bible says about the order of God’s creation
23
Q

EXPLAIN HOW UNANSWERED PRAYERS LEAD PEOPLE TO BECOME ATHEIST / AGNOSTIC

A
  1. If people do not feel the presence of God when they are praying they may question whether God is listening or even really there at all
  2. If people pray for something, they believe that a loving God will answer their prayers; when this does not happen some people are lead to believe that there is no God
  3. Some people feel that if there is a God he should answer everyone’s prayers not just some peoples. They observe all the suffering and poverty in the world and wonder why God does not help them; they question whether God really does exist.
24
Q

Explain how Christians respond to unanswered prayers

A
  1. If your prayer is selfish then God will not answer it – e.g. if you have not revised but you ask God to help you pass exams he is teaching you to work hard by not answering that prayer
  2. Human parents do not always give their children what they ask for as it is not necessarily what they need, in the same way God does not always answer prayers with what we want as this is not what we need
  3. God knows us better than we know ourselves and so we should trust God’s love and power to answer prayers in the best possible way, even if it does not appear like a direct answer
  4. Jesus taught we must have faith for prayers to be answered; God looks to the long term benefit of the person who has prayed and so he will not necessarily answer short term prayers
25
Q

Other reasons why people do not believe in God

A
  1. Science explains the universe better than religion.
  2. Why are there miracles for only a few people? Unanswered prayers.
  3. Why so much evil and suffering? How can God be benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient at the same time, and allow so much suffering?
  4. People are often brought up to be atheists, and may say if God existed we should be able to see / hear Him.
26
Q

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM OF EVIL AND SUFFERING AND HOW DOES IT CHALLENGE THEISTS

A
  1. If God is benevolent he loves us and should not want us to suffer
  2. If God is omnipotent he has power and so can stop suffering
  3. Furthermore is he is all knowing (omniscient) then he knows of all the bad things that are happening and how to stop our suffering
  4. Yet people do suffer, so some people say God cannot be all the things we believe about him or maybe he simply does not exist.
27
Q

Explain how Christians respond to the Problem of evil and suffering

A
  1. God knows the answer, but people cannot. Jesus showed that God wants us to fight against evil and suffering.
  2. Many Christians provide aid and perform intercessionary prayers for people in need and do jobs designed to help those that need it e.g. relief workers.
  3. Some argue that God could not give us free will without this meaning that there is a chance of us doing moral evil.
  4. Life is a test. Without evil we could not be so good as becoming good involves helping those who suffer and fighting against evil.
  5. There is suffering in the world because Adam and Eve sinned and as a consequence all humans are punished for their disobedience.

Religious Studies GCSE (8 decks)

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