Believing In God

Question 1

Agnosticism

Answer 1

Not being sure whether God exists

Question 2

Atheism

Answer 2

Believing that God does not exist

Question 3

Conversion

Answer 3

When your life is changed by giving yourself to God

Question 4

Free will

Answer 4

The idea that human beings are free to make their own choices

Question 5

Miracles

Answer 5

An event which breaks the laws of science and makes you think only God could have done it

Question 6

Moral evil

Answer 6

Actions done by humans to cause suffering

Question 7

Natural evil

Answer 7

Things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans

Question 8

Numinous

Answer 8

The feeling of the presence of something much greater than yourself

Question 9

Omni-benevolent

Answer 9

The believe that god is all-good/loving

Question 10

Omnipotent

Answer 10

The belief that God is all-powerful

Question 11

Omniscient

Answer 11

The belief that God knows everything that has happened and that will happen

Question 12

Prayer

Answer 12

An attempt to contact God usually through words

Question 13

How catholic upbringing may lead to belief in god

Answer 13

1) Catholic parents would have told their children that God exists and they believe what their parents tell them as they are innocent
2) Catholic parents would teach their children prayers before meals and bed. And other prayers in general, this makes the child believe in god as they believe their parents wouldn’t waster their time praying for nothing.
3) when catholic parents take their children to mass they will see al the people their and believe that their must be a God if all these people believe in Him
4) Catholic parents will send their children to catholic schools where they will teach them that God is real and and will believe their teachers as they are payed professions and tell the truth

Question 14

How religious experiences may lead to belief in God

Answer 14

1) Numinous feeling. When people see something breathtaking or look at the stars they believe their is something much greater than themselves out there which they feel to be God.
2) Conversion - an experience with God. This experiment could be so great people give up their lives to follow God. Leads to belief in God as people believe they have been given a mission by him.
3) Miracle - an unexplained event. When people experience an event that breaks the laws of science, they will look for an explanation and some people will believe someone as only as powerful as God could have done this.
4) Prayer - an attempt to contact God. If a person feels like someone’s is listening they are likely to to believe that God exists. Especially answered prayers.

Question 15

Argument from design and belief in God

For:

Answer 15

1) anything that has been designed needs a designer
2) there’s is evidence that the world has been designed e.g. Gravity & DNA
3) if the world has been designed then it must have a designer
4) the only possible designer for something as wonderful and complex as the universe is God
5) the appearance of design in the world then proves god exists

Question 16

Argument from design and belief in God

Against:

Answer 16

1) No one would design earthquakes, volcanoes etc
2) the arguments does not explain how things like a dinosaurs could have been part of a design
3) even if the arguments are true, it can only prove there is a designer this does not mean the designer is God

Question 17

Arguments from causation and belief in God.

For:

Answer 17

1) the argument make sense of ourselves and the universe as it explains how and why we are here.
2) the argument fits in with science which tells us that everything must have a cause so the universe must have a cause.
3) if the universe has a cause then God must be the cause as he is omnipotent and is the cause of every living cell.

Question 18

Arguments from causation and belief in God

Against:

Answer 18

1) the universe doesn’t need a cause and it could have always just been there
2) the universe may have a cause but why does it have to be caused by a Christian God, it could have been by another.
3) science answers the question on the cause of the universe there we do not need a God.

Question 19

Scientific explantations that may cause agnosticism and atheism

Answer 19

1) The Big Bang theory. Explains how the universe and the earth was created without a God. People now know how it was created without a God.
2) Evolution. If it’s true it explains the intelligence of human life which could evolve naturally through random chance. Meaning God wasn’t needed to make us.
3) If God existed and made the world, he would be the only reason for it and there would be not scientific reason. But science has a reason and it doesn’t involved God.
4) it is simply impossible for God to create the universe out of nothing and it doesn’t make sense unlike the Big Bang which actually has evidence e.g. Red shift.

Question 20

Catholic responses to scientific explanations of the world

Answer 20

Response 1 :
• Only God could have made the Big Bang at exactly the right time to form the universe
• Only God could have made the bases on the Earth react in such a way to form life
• Only God could have made laws such as gravity which the matter of the Big Bang need to form solar systems
• the bible says that humans were made “in Gods image” on the sixth day of creation

Question 21

Why unanswered prayers may lead to agnosticism or atheism

Answer 21

1) if someone prays at home or at church and do not feel Gods presence listening to them, they may feel like there is no God.
2) if someone has been a good catholic and they pray to God to help cure a sick family member or friend and then they die this may cause a person to lose faith in God.
3) If people pray for the end of human suffering in wars, starvation etc and God does not answer them then they may believe God does not exist as God is meant to be Omni-benevolent he would not allowi suffering to exist.
4) Religious people believe that God answers people’s prayers and they often hear about people’s prayers being answered. If their prayers to God are not answered they may feel God doesn’t like them and that he doesn’t exist.

Question 22

Catholic responses to unanswered prayers

Answer 22

1) if you pray to God for selfish things, then God will allow you to fail so that you work harder next time.
2) Prayers may not be answered in the way people expect, God has other plans for people so if an very ill person dies his plan for them were heaven.
3) God is like a human parent, he may answer our prays but given us what we need and not what we want.
4) Gods plans for us are greater than ourselves, God is omniscient he knows what he is doing. CCC 2737 supports this.