Context to critques of religious belief and points for discussion

Question 1

What is scepticism mean?

Answer 1

the theory that certain knowledge is impossible

Question 2

What is weak atheism?

Answer 2

Simple sceptism about the existence of God

Question 3

What is Strong Atheism?

Answer 3

Starting explicitly that God does not exist. Strong Atheism could also be expressed as anti theism.

Question 4

What is Agnosticism?

Answer 4

holds that it is not possible to know whether God exists, or to know his nature. It doesn’t deny the possibility of knowledge leading to belief, but does not state what form this knowledge would take.

Question 5

Who is the theologian in which Agnosticism began with?

Answer 5

With David Hume. David Hume brought around the idea of positive knowledge, that we can only know what is regular, observable sequences and connections.

Question 6

What are 3 reasons why Atheism adopt their beliefs?

Answer 6

1) Experiences of God can be accounted for in other ways. ( Religious experience)
2) Evil and suffering ( inconsistent triad)
3) Dislike or distrust of organised religion ( e.g. feminism and spac nation)

Question 7

What would be your points for the question ‘Assess the view that Atheism is the most logical conclusion when discussing God’s existence’?

Answer 7

1) Dawkins, he takes strong sceptism. Look at evil and suffering, virus of religion.However process theodicy gives an answer.
2) Karl marx, rather than religion reinforcing a belief in God and creating unity in believers, it is a way to shore up capitalism and keeps indiviudals satisified. Religion is a conservative force. However religion can be a force of social change rather than stagnation, e.g. MLK. ( Atheism fails to explain why religion influences so many ppl)
3) Agnotiscm, most logical allows for a fair debate, e,g, coppleston and Russel debate. Russel claims ‘ his position is agnostic. ( gives a change for believers to argue their viewpoint and strengthen faith). However, Durkheim, religion tricks us believing in a God but instead expressing shared culture.

Question 8

What is the Burdern of proof?

Answer 8

Atheists adopt the position that the burden of proof lies with the theist to prove that, despite lack of evidence. However, theists who are confident in their position say the burden lies on them e.g C V R debate

Question 9

How is the burden of proof laid out in 4 ways? ( X representing God)

Answer 9

If X cannot be proved to exist, then X does not exist
If X cannot be proved to exist, then X cannot be proved to exist.
If X cannot be proved to not exist, then X must exist.
If X cannot be proved to not exist then C may exist.

Question 10

What is a functional explanation?

Answer 10

Describes the function that religion has in society, which may have nothing to do with the existence of God.

Question 11

What is a Functional explanation of critque of religious belief

Answer 11

Durkheim, religion is used to preserve and unite the community. Religion is a force that creates moral obligation in the individual to adhere to family demands. Belief in God creates a unified social system which believes that it owesi ts being to God, discouraging change. It is a conservative force.
e.g. worshipping a totem pole ( arunda tribes)

Question 12

What are 2 critiques of Durkheim’s explanation of religion?

Answer 12

1) Religious people’s loyalty tends to be foremost to God, then society– not the other way round
2) Does not explain why some religious people ( MLK) are prepared to go against the norms of society

Question 13

What is another explanation of a critque of religious belief from a sociologist?

Answer 13

Marx argued God is a creation of the human mind in order to satisfy emotional needs. He saw religion as a vechile of control by the bourgeoise on the proletariat. He believed religion legitmatised inequality, convincing the masses that their oppression will be rewarded in the after like. it is the ‘opiate to the masses.

Question 14

What are 2 criticsms of Marx?

Answer 14

1) The liberation theology is an example of where Christianity and Marxism have been combined to create change within society. This movement involved priests supporting the poor to fight against oppression in Latin America
2) • In most societies, the separation between the church and state is far greater than Marx assumed.

Question 15

Who is an atheist that competely disagrees with religion?

Answer 15

Dawkins

Question 16

What did Dawkins say?

Answer 16

1) Religious belief is not necessary, science now provides many explanations
2) Dawkins argues that faith claims are a retreat form an evidence based quest for the truth.
3) The issue of purpose and significance lies in humanity itself.
4) Religion leads to evil, it is a virus which infects the human mind ( e.g. 9/11)

Question 17

What category does Dawkins theory come under?

Answer 17

Popularist critiques - those who aim to identify the negative and alarming feature of all religions and convince others that religion is ridiculous.

Question 18

What are 3 critques of Dawkins?

Answer 18

1) Dawkins only approaches extremists
2) Tinker suggests that Dawkins claim that religion is a mental virus does not bear close scrutiny. Dawkins argues memes (ideas or beliefs which are analogous to genes). He argues that memes spread from one person to another and infect people’s minds.
3) Tinker also criticises Dawkins for reducing everything to scientific terms which is a process known as ontological reductionism

Question 19

What are 1 additional critque of religious belief?

Answer 19

Hume

Question 20

What did Hume say as a critque of religious belief?

Answer 20

Represented a shift in modern philosophy which didn’t accept traditional Christianity. He thought that religion was inherently flawed. The motives behind being religious was flawed. Political power and eschatological motives mean people adhere to religion for selfish reasons. Believers are aware that they do it for selfish reasons. ( Mention hume’s fork)

Question 21

What is a strength and weakness to Hume’s critque of religious belief?

Answer 21

1) PM would support this

2) The idea of selfish reasons is flawed, e.g. story of Job would imply he would leave religion

Question 22

Who shares a psychological critique of religious belief?

Answer 22

Freud

Question 23

What would Freud argue?

Answer 23

Religion is an illusion of which man should ‘disregard in its relation to reality.’ God has no reality, its an illusion. It is an universal obsession neurosis based on unconscious human need for a father figure, which links to oedipus complex. He thought it was ‘invented’ by human mind for sexual desire. He believed eventually humanity will abandon religion.

Question 24

What are 2 critques of Freud’s critque of religion?

Answer 24

TBA

Question 25

Who was influenced by Freud?

Answer 25

Jung

Question 26

What does Jung say?

Answer 26

He was more positive to the role of religion and saw religion is a projection of the collective unconscious based on shared images ‘ archetypes’. These interpreted slightly differently in different cultures.

Question 27

What is a critque of Jung?

Answer 27

Jung, like Freud, critiqued for basing major conclusions on small amounts of evidence.

Question 28

What is Postmodern view of religious belief?

Answer 28

For postmodernists, every society is in constant change- no absolute values .No universal ethical or religious law There is no right or wrong religion or satisfactory theory. They argue for Religious pluralism, any assumption of truth is a meta-narrative.

Question 29

What are 4 strengths of religious belief?

Answer 29

1) Overcoming fear- you may be afraid of death or evil or suffering but God assures us that we will be resurrected that we will rule over evil that we are not alone and suffering has a purpose
2) Ward ( British philospher) argues it has helped in abolition of slavery ( giving opportunities to the poor)
3) Provides a moral code and guidance
4) Argument of probability : Swinburne The most answer there is to the universe is God.

Question 30

What are 4 weaknesses of religious belief?

Answer 30

1) Use religion to justify actions that reason will not e.g. slavery
2) It can limit your existence. If you simply accepted the social practices, it can be very limiting
3) Not suitable for modern age, society is becoming secular.
4) Logical positivists: statements about God are not analytically or synthetically true, thus meaningless.

Question 31

What is the issue of probability?

Answer 31

TBA

Question 32

What was the Enlightenment?

Answer 32

Was an intellectual and philosophical movement of late- seventeenth- century and eighteenth century Europe which emphasized reason, scientific method and individualism over tradition and religion.

Question 33

What is reason?

Answer 33

the power of the mind to think, understand and form judgments logically.

Question 34

What is Revelation?

Answer 34

is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a God. ( Moses)

Question 35

What is Epistemology?

Answer 35

the theory of knowledge.

Question 36

What is Deism?

Answer 36

Reason is competely distinct from revelation. ( belief in God on evidence of reason and nature.

Question 37

What is Scholasticism?

Answer 37

Reason is with harmony with revelation e.g. the design argument demonstrates this Paley’s watch analogy, where the conclusion is drawn from the complexity of the watch signifying a creator.

Question 38

Before the enlightenment scholastic philopshers such as Aquinas or Anselm argued what?

Answer 38

scholastic philosophers such as Aquinas argued that faith and reason could work together to achieve an understanding of God we see this in NML. Humans can achieve understanding of moral law through reason, but Moral law is also revealed in the bible.

Question 39

According to the Enlightenment What did the enlightenment make people turn to ?

Answer 39

The enlightenement gave rise to Deism. It affirms that God exists but reject divine revelation. We can’t know God through direct reason we can only know God through reason and logic. Revelation such as RE is irrational.

Question 40

What do Deist make a distinction between according to Westphal ?

Answer 40

They make a distinction between the ‘kernel’ of religious belief ( God ) and the husk, ( revelation).The husk is removable and kernel actually matters.

Question 41

What do Deists argue the purpose of religious belief is ?

Answer 41

is the knowledge of God and that belief in God is rational.

Question 42

What are 3 important philosophers who help to understand westphal?

Answer 42

Kant
Schleiermacher
Hegel

Question 43

Who was Kant and whar did he believe?

Answer 43

Kant tried to rescue a belief in God based on reason. God does exist but reason is the answer. We must know God through practical reason, not theoretical knowledge.

Question 44

What did Kant think of the ontological argument?

Answer 44

·Ontological argument: Kant states existence is not a predicate, only adds reality to the concept (e.g. 10 Thalers).

Question 45

What did Kant think of the ontological argument?

Answer 45

·Ontological argument: Kant states existence is not a predicate, only adds reality to the concept (e.g. 10 Thalers).

Question 46

What does Kant think about religion?

Answer 46

Religion isn’t necessary for morality (comes from duty), morality leads to religion and religion is the recognition of all duties as divine commands. ( could also talk about catogerical imperative.

Question 47

What does Schleiremacher disagree with kant with?

Answer 47

He disagrees with kant and Deists on their view that the focus of a study of religion should be establishing the existence of God through reason.

Question 48

Instead What does Schleiermacher say?

Answer 48

The focus of religion is religious experience, feelings and emotions. God cannot be known through reason. Religion is personal and subjective practice and is concerned with inner consciousness of God. Belief in God is having a sense of encounter of the divine.

Question 49

What does Hegel argue?

Answer 49

Claims that people can know God, and was therefore more focused on God than religion. Hegel demands knowledge of God rather than a focus on religion.

Question 50

What are 5 points for the statement ‘Evaluate the extent that religious belief can be explained without requiring the existence of God?

Answer 50

For - Durkheim ( functional explanation) 
For - Marx 
Against - Hegel
Against - Dawkins
Against - Schleiermacher

Question 51

What would you say for Durkheim and evaluation for the point Evaluate the extent that religious belief can be explained without requiring the existence of God?

Answer 51

Religion controls society not God, function of religion is to create a moral obligation to meet demands of society e,g, totem representing Group identity. Links to becoming a Jew, bat mitzvah ( emphasising community) A02: He thinks everyone is muppets maniplated by society.

Question 52

What is the example to show that not everyone in society isn’t manipulated??

Answer 52

MLK went against norms of society, which Durkheim fails to highlight. This shows that the idea of a supernatural can help stem social change from society’s idea of religious belief. Thus relgious belief cannot be explained without requiring a belief in God because human actions are influenced by God’s princples.

Question 53

What would you say for Marx and evaluation for the point Evaluate the extent that religious belief can be explained without requiring the existence of God?

Answer 53

Religious belief is a smoke screen and reinforces to the working class their position. Preventing from false consciousness. Religious beliefs disorts people idea of reality through the so called belief in God. This links to Mendelssohn, how religious belief is hostile, we should focus on religious pluralism.A02: the separation of church and state is far greater than Marx assumed. ( shows class consciousness is growing)

Question 54

What would you say for Hegel and evaluation for the point Evaluate the extent that religious belief can be explained without requiring the existence of God?

Answer 54

He demands knowledge of God rather than a focus on religion. ( we have to understand A prori God to understand religion) ( e.g. disagree with PM, people must have consusensus of a almighty God. Links to the idea of ethical monotheism. A02: Freud - religion created in our mind.

Question 55

What would you say for Darwin and evaluation for the point Evaluate the extent that religious belief can be explained without requiring the existence of God?

Answer 55

Religion is completely flawed. The existence of God is not necessary, it leads to evil ( e.g. contradiction in bible with Golden rule, but westboro church www.Godhatesfags.com, suggesting God is immoral) . Link to reform critque of traditional Judaism, as parts of Torah are incompatible with modern society. A02: Bliks idea of God and religion is unfalsfiable. ( Fidesim)

Question 56

What would you say for Schiermacher and evaluation for the point Evaluate the extent that religious belief can be explained without requiring the existence of God?

Answer 56

He believed that the kernel of religion is to be found in its feeling. He though that God can be found through concrete objects. e,g, Star of David. Strengthening religious belief. This links with Interfaith dialogue, we have capacity to discover world through observation and adapt things. A02: Verification principle, God talk is meaningless, even Weak verification shows God to be non-empirical.

Question 57

What would you say for the conclusion Evaluate the extent that religious belief can be explained without requiring the existence of God?

Answer 57

Talk about Postmodernity and how religious belief is changing.