DCT - Knowledge of God's Existence Flashcards
1
Q
Define sensus divinitatis
A
a sense of God, a phrase used by Calvin to talk about an innate sense in each of us of the existence of God
2
Q
How might christians say they know God exists?
A
.Creation .Bible scripture .Miracles .The person of Jesus the incarnation .Numinous .Sense of the divine .Conversion .The world cannot be an accident
3
Q
What is numinous?
A
a sense of a presence of something greater
4
Q
What does Romans 1:18-21 show/mean?
A
.Creation of the world proves God exists
.The knowledge we have about God is God given
5
Q
Romans 1:20
A
For since the creation of the world Gods invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nture - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse
6
Q
What do Christians believe is possible about the sense of the divine?
A
.Christians believe it is possible to know God through what is around us – this is what is known as natural theology
7
Q
What does natural theology tell us?
A
.Natural theology tells us about God throughout his creation, and in using our reason and experience we can understand God’s nature and God’s experience
8
Q
What does natural theology give us access to?
A
a point of contact between God and humanity in the natural world – although we may not fully know the nature of God we can have access
9
Q
What did Calvin teach about this topic?
A
.As well as the sensus divinitatis, he also taught there was the semen religionis (seed of religion) within all
10
Q
What does semen religionis mean for humanity?
A
.If people are unware of these things, it was because they are confused by sin and so cannot recognise God
11
Q
Calvin quote for semen religionis
A
‘God himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty’
12
Q
Explain calvins quote for semen religionis
A
God has given us knowledge of God, innate and from the beginning
13
Q
CCC 27
A
‘The desire for God is written on the human heart … only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for’
14
Q
Define conscience
A
the inner feeling of right and wrong
15
Q
What does the catholic church teach about conscience?
A
The Catholic Church teaches that this is made up of two parts:
- The ability to know right and wrong
- The ability to act on what is right and wrong
16
Q
How does beauty help us understand God more clearly?
A
.The appreciation of aesthetics and beauty helps people understand God’s existence more clearly
.When we see beautiful things or hear beautiful sounds we can use our reason to understand that this is God working in the world
.Our ability to do this is something that is God-given and innate
17
Q
Aquinas quote on natural law
A
.’It is evident that all things partake somewhat of the eternal law’
18
Q
What are Aquinas’s primary precepts of natural law
A
Natural Law: .Education .Reproduction .Preserving Life .Living in an Ordered Society .Worshipping God
19
Q
Strengths of using sense of the divine to show natural knowledge of God
A
Fibonacci Sequence/Golden Ratio present within the natural world – evidence of design? Aids the teleological argument, this beauty suggests intelligent design
Natural theology is accessible to all, supports Gods Omni benevolence
All humans have a conscience – it is what sets us apart from animals
Natural law suggests absolute rules that should be abided by, it is clear what is right and wrong
Focuses on human virtues and excellence
Protects the absolute nature of human rights
Natural law provides a set of rules mainly seen through the western society
20
Q
Weaknesses of using sense of the divine to show natural knowledge of God
A
Religious experiences often contradict each other
Not everyone upholds the natural law, atheists or people who don’t want kids
The idea of conscience is subjective, a lot comes down to cultural upbringing
Crime suggests not everyone wants to live in an orderly society
Too subjective – beauty is based on perspective and culture
Natural law enforces traditional values that are out of date in today’s society
There are no fixed ideals on what society should be like
Conscience can be wrong, often serial killers will claim they have been told to do it
Dawkins would argue that creation is a mere coincidence. The reason we see beauty in nature is a result of evolution
21
Q
Define teleological
A
The argument for the existence of God from the evidence of order and hence design in nature
22
Q
What psalm can be used to argue for the existence of God through the order of creation?
A
Psalm 139: 13-18
23
Q
What is john calvins ‘principle of accommodation’?
A
that despite God being unknowable, he has communicated in ways that humans can understand through use of their reason
24
Q
What is william paleys watchmaker analogy essentially?
A
.If something is complex, like a watch, it must have a designer
.There are much more complex natural things in the world than a watch
.If a watch must be designed so must the complex things in the world
.People call this designer God as only God could have the power to design and create the world
25
Dawkins quote for intelligent design
‘I have no explanation for complex biological design. All I know is that God isn’t a good explanation, so we must wait and hope that somebody comes up with a better one.’
26
Criticism of the teleological argument, Darwin
.Design is the result of a long process of natural selection
.The world is as it is due to pure chance, nothing else
.Some might argue that God started evolution, or micromanages it
.Darwin refuted this, as he argued that if God micromanaged then he would be responsible for all the bad parts of nature – like digger wasps
27
Criticism of the teleological argument, Hume
.Don’t know for a fact that all order comes about because of design
.Self-sustaining order could have come about by chance, this is close to Darwinism
.We have nothing to compare our world to – it might have very little order
.Any world might look designed, because if it were not then it would not be able to survive
.We cannot prove God is the cause of this design, so we do not know
28
Criticism of the teleological argument, Dawkins
.Backed up Darwin
.Has no time for religious faith at all
.As science gets better there’s less and less need to resort to God
.Dawkins argues that the discovery of DNA provides an explanation for the existence of humanity, there is no need to assume the existence of God to account for human life
29
Christian response to criticism of the teleological argument, J.H. Newman
.Evolution is ‘suggesting a larger idea of divine providence or skill’
.There is no fault in logic to say that an intelligent designer created evolution
30
Christian response to criticism of the teleological argument, Charles Kingsley
.Shared Newman’s ideas
.’Of old God was so wise that he could make all things; behold he is so much wiser … he can make all things make themselves’.
.When modern teleological arguments for design qua regularity are taken into account, it can be seen that the sheer complexity and detailed process of evolution hints strongly at something designed rather than accidental
31
Christian response to criticism of the teleological argument, Alister McGrath
.Paley’s view is not typical of the modern day Christian
.Dawkins is criticising a 200 year old approach, if we criticised 200 year old science we would be able to find fault too
32
Difference between natural and revealed theology
.Revealed theology looks at things the other way round to natural theology
.Natural theology starts with human responses to what can be seen around them (beauty in nature etc)
.Revealed theology looks at what God has deliberately shown people
33
What two ways can revealed theology be understood?
both directly (when God reveal himself directly to people such as a religious experience) or indirectly (when God reveals himself through a source such as the bible)
34
What are some obstacles to knowing God
```
.Upbringing (having parents who are too religious and put you off or having parents who are completely atheist and you follow suite)
.Education
.Geography
.Culture
.Science
.Life choices
.Problem of Evil
.Pride
.Ignorance
.Disability
.Mental illness
.Addiction
```
35
Catholic perspective on why natural theology is not sufficient
.As a result of the fall, humanity cannot rely on their reason/intellect completely because it has been corrupted
.Catholics see faith as being something that works alongside reason. True faith is something that comes through a process of formation, which allows a person to let go of reason alone
.Aquinas reflected on the idea of faith and concluded that it was the conscious choice to accept something that is not certain
.Faith and reason must work together in order for someone to discover knowledge of God
36
John Calvin's perspective on why natural theology is not sufficient
.For Calvin, Christian faith comes from accepting Christ as the redeemer of the world, which is something that is done on a spiritual level, not a rational one
.Christians believe that grace is something that is received from God and is the ‘undeserved favour’
.Christians believe that because of God’s grace they are given faith, and as a result of this they can develop a personal relationship with God
.Calvin said that the holy spirit helps humans in their lives by giving them faith
37
In the catholic church, what do they teach opens up a person to faith and Gods grace
the Holy Spirit gives ‘gifts’ such as wisdom and understanding in order to love out ones vocation, and open a person up to faith and God’s grace
38
Name the gifts of the holy spirit
Wisdom, knowledge, understanding, fear of the lord, counsel, piety and fotitude
39
What is wisdom?
To love spiritual things more than material
40
What is knowledge?
To be able to learn more and more about God
41
What is understanding?
To comprehend how we need to live as followers of christ
42
What is fear of the lord?
Otherly known as fear of the lord, to be aware of the glory and majesty of God
43
WHat is counsel?
Otherly known as right judegment, to know the difference between right and wrong and to choose what is right
44
What is piety?
Otherly known as reverence, to have a deep sense of respect for God and the church
45
What is fortitude?
Otherly known as courage, to overcome fear and to be willing to take risks as a follower of Jesus
46
Calvin quote on grace?
'The grace of God has no charms for men till the Holy Spirit gives them a taste for it'
47
Pope St John Paul II quote on Faith and Reason
'Faith and reason are like two wings on which human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth - in a word, to know himself - so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves'
48
According to the catholic church, how are faith and reason linked?
faith and reason work together. They are complementary, not hostile or against each other. They can work hand in hand to work out religious truths.
49
St Anselm of Canterbury says that we can argue rationally for the existence of God and that a person of moderate intelligence, can be shown that it is rational to believe in God’s existence, what is the quote that goes with this?
‘If anyone does not know that there is a creator who is omnipotent and omniscient I think he could at least convince himself of these things by reason alone, if he is even moderately intelligent’
50
What does Anselm think of our religious journeys with quote in latin and english
.Anselm thinks of our religious journey as beginning with reason and then continuing to use reason combined with revelation to find further truth.
.He says ‘fides quaerens intellectum’ (‘faith seeking understanding’)
51
Why do Catholics believe we should not leave our rational faculties behind?
They are Gods gifts after all.
52
What is Fideism?
.The view that it is wholly faith that allows a person to be a true believer
53
Why do some Christians believe we can only rely on faith to be a true believer, linking to eden
.Some Christians believe that through the fall in the Garden of Eden, we have somehow become separated from its divine source, which means natural knowledge of God has become impossible, our minds are so ruined that we can no longer see that God exists by the light of natural reason, instead we have to rely wholly on faith to be a true believer
54
Who is Karl Barth
.A modern theologian who argues that God is so wholly different that it is impossible to know him naturally
55
What does Barth believe regarding fideism with quote
.He says we have to wholly rely on God to have any knowledge of him at all, stating:
‘the gospel proclaims a God utterly distinct from men’ (Church Dogmatics)
56
Why does Barth reject natural theology but accept revealed theology?
.One of the reasons Barth rejected natural theology was that he believed it would lead to human reasoning being the centre and not God
.Barth did not see the power of human reasoning, especially during the build up to the first world war in which many of Barth’s teachers signed a document backing up the German war plan
.If God is so utterly different from mankind, then it is impossible for us to know God through our own unaided powers of reason
.Gods revelation through Jesus Christ as mediated in the Bible must be our focus
57
What did Calvin suggest?
He suggested the doctrine of total depravity
58
Calvin says that everything which comes from the natural, fallen human mind is ...
‘foolish, frivolous, perverse, and insane’
59
Accoridng to Calvin how can we have a mind which is made whole again?
Through total renewal
60
What does Calvin believe about God's grace?
No part of us escapes the need for it
61
Reason is not stable, what is it
culturally relative
62
Because reason is not stable, what does fideism say?
that that we need to have more humility and accept that reason cannot help us get to God
63
Who is Søren Kierkegaard?
.A Danish philosopher who is one of the more prominent and thoughtful fideists
64
What did Kierkegaard believe to be the most valuable thing about life?
Passion
65
Why did Kierkegaard dislike the philosophy of the time?
.He disliked the philosophy of the time, he believed it was dull, full of technical terms and utterly dry, and so believed that this emotionless philosophy cannot motivate us to do anything
66
Why did Kierkegaard not like the Catholic Church?
Believed that approaches such as the Catholic Church place too much credit to the believer when they say faith and reason work together
67
Who was Kierkegaard's hero and why? with quotes
.His hero was Abraham, who was prepared to sacrifice his own son because he believed that God had told him to do so
.He calls Abraham a ‘knight of faith’ since he does not listen to reason, but instead a passionate call within himself to commit
.Abraham is to be celebrated since ‘he believed and did not doubt, he believed the preposterous’
68
Why did Kieregaard dislike the proofs for God?
.Hated the proofs for the existence of God, as he believed they reduced the amount of passionate commitment needed for a real living life of faith
.We commit to god and take a leap of faith, if we need proofs we will come to have faith in them rather than God
.Belief and trust in God should be absolute, not related to the strength of your arguments
69
Why does Kiergelaard believe we need to commit even if the evidence is not conclusive?
.There are many arguments for and against God’s existence, and we could decide to wait until reason shows us a definite proof one way or the other, but we cannot live like that,
70
Very smart sounding statement summerisng Kieregaards ideas
.Passionate commitment without adequate proof is infinitely better than an absence of commitment – such a life is not worth living
71
Define salvation
Being saved or protected from harm or being saved or delivered from a dire situation. In Christianity, salvation is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences.
72
What is salvation history?
.Salvation history considers the personal redemptive activity of God within human history in order to effect his eternal saving intentions
73
Salvation theology in creation and the fall
.God created Adam and Eve and put them in the GoE, promising everlasting happiness if they followed God
.Satan makes them doubt God and disobey him
.This first sin brings death, pain and suffering into the world
.God says there’s still hope, Genesis 3:15 pre-empts Jesus
74
Salvation theology with Noah and Abraham
.Adam and Eve have children, good and bad lines form
.Noah’s family is the only good family left in the world, so God tells him to build an Ark as he sends a flood to get rid of wickedness
.Noah has children, good and bad lines form
.God tells Abraham he will help him, they make a covenant, Abraham brakes it but God forgives him, God tests his faith by telling him to sacrifice his son, but an angel appears at the end to tell him to stop
75
Salvation theology with Moses
.Jews move to Egypt due to famine
| .With Gods help, Moses leads the Jews out of Egypt and out of slavery to the Promised Land
76
Salvation theology with the 10 commandments
.God gives Moses the 10 Commandments on Mt Sinai
.People disobey these and worship a Golden Calf, God forgives them
.Moses leads them over 40 years to reach the promised Land
77
Salvation theology with history after Moses
.Moses dies and Joshua takes them through Jericho
.They cycle through sinning, repenting and being forgiven
.Kingdom of David grows
.All worship God
.Things start to fall apart
78
Salvation theology with exile
.The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem and take the Jews into exile
.God sent them prophets to give them hope and help them
79
Salvation theology with Jesus and the everlasting covenant
```
.Son of God
.Son of Man
.Messiah, the savour
.Suffering servant
.New and everlasting covenant
.Teacher, prophet and healer
.Establishes the covenant though the Eucharist at the last supper
```
80
What does salvation theology show about the nature of God?
```
.Forgiving, mercy
.Omnibenevolent – all loving
.Personal relationship with humanity
.God is omniscient – all knowing, he has a plan, divine intervention
.Omnipotent – God works miracles
```
81
Jesus as a form of revelation, catholic perspective, key points
.Gods revelation was completed through Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit, but the way it is relevant today is through the church
.God is revealed through the Bible and Church tradition
.Jesus’ gift to the world was the church in order for the work he had begun to continue
82
St Teresa of Avila quote about Jesus as a form of revelation
‘Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on Earth but yours … Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.’
83
Matthew 16:19
‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven’
84
What two parts of the church make it a revelation? Explain
Magisterium –
.The church explores God’s revelation in scripture in the modern day, making it accessible to people and enabling them to access God’s grace in their daily lives
Actions of the Church –
.The actions of the Church reveal aspects of God e.g. the use of sacraments. For example, the Eucharist within Catholicism makes present the sacrifice of Jesus to the worshipper who takes part in the service.
85
The church is the ___ of ___
Body of Christ
86
Jesus as a form of Revelation: Protestant Perspective
For most Protestants:
- The Bible holds more authority than the Church – ‘sola scriptura’
- The Church’s role is seen as something used to point believers to the revelation found in the Bible
- Calvin emphasised the work of Jesus on the cross bridging the gap between God and humanity
87
Strengths of revealed theology
.Only God can have the omnipotence to reveal himself – through religious experiences
.Understanding the bible as a revealed text shows how God has left revelation for all to have access too - omnibenevolence
.Emphasises the divinity of Christ and his significance
.The concept of grace shows how humans need to appreciate God that God is greater than them and they require his revelation to truly know him
.The concept of faith reflects the difference between ‘knowing’ material things, and ‘knowing’ spiritual things
88
Weaknesses of revealed theology
.Revealed theology assumes that Christianity is the correct revelation – links to Hick quote about different countries and religions
.There are contradictions in accounts of religious experiences
.Revealed theology does not always make it clear how humans are to interpret what is revealed to them
.It is of no use to a non-believer as they cannot interpret/understand it (unless they’ve had a conversion experience)
.God chooses who to reveal himself to – does this go against his omnibenevolence?
89
What two main ways can we find more out about God and Christian life?
1. The Bible
| 2. Tradition (Grace through the Holy Spirit)
90
What is the Bible seen as?
The revealed word of God
91
What is the Bible?
, it is God revealing himself and the nature of himself to us through the writers and prophets.
92
Essentially what is the Bible?
Essentially God is telling us what he is like through the medium of the bible.
93
State the quote the CCC use to declare the Bible as a supernatural source of truth about God and the spiritual life:
- ‘Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit’
94
Explain the uote the CCC use to declare the Bible as a supernatural source of truth about God and the spiritual life
.The idea of the ‘breath of the Holy Spirit’ is of inspiration, which means ‘breathing in’. The writers of the Old and New Testaments were inspired by the Holy Spirit to communicate the ideas and words contained in the Scriptures. They ‘breathed in’ the ideas from God, and communicated them in their own languages.
95
What do some christians (mainly protestants) believe about the Bible and revealed theology?
God has left the Bible as the supreme and only source of authority for all Christians. We should not look towards any other source in order to find out about God. (Most reject the idea that we have any natural knowledge of God as well). The Bible is sufficient.
96
What is the latin name for the idea that the Bible is the sole source of truth about God? What does it mean in English?
sola scriptura (by the Bible alone).
97
So what do Catholics believe about revealed theology?
- There can be natural knowledge of God using Reason
| - There is revealed knowledge of God and this is given through two sources (The Bible and Tradition)
98
So what do Protestants believe about revealed theology?
- Only through the Bible can we find out about God (sola scriptura)
99
Why does the idea of sola scriptura cause some problems for Catholics?
since they have a Pope, and this Pope is essentially Gods representative on Earth, he is infallible and can answer (and has answered) questions regarding the Bible and religion (mainly the Virgin Mary). Therefore showing he is also another way to discover the nature of God, so Catholics can’t be sola scriptura.
100
Where does the word 'tradition' come from, what does it mean?
The word ‘tradition’ comes from the Latin word ‘tradere’ which means to ‘hand over, to give, to bequeath’.
101
The Catholic Church believes that God didn't just leave us the Bible, but the knowledge was ...
passed down through generations.
102
When did Bishops draft up the Nicene Creed?
325 BCE
| 20 May to 19 June
103
Where did the Bishops meet to draft the Nicene Creed?
Nicaea
104
How many council members helped draft up the Nicene creed?
300 Bishops
105
What does the Nicene Creed do?
sets out beliefs about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
106
Why does the Church believe the Nicene Creed is revealed truth from God?
Although human, fallible Bishops were the ones who were the messengers, the real source of inspiration is the continuing work of the Holy Spirit, and so the Creed has the same sort of authority as the Holy Bible.
107
Essentialy what does the Catholic Church believe about tradition in revealed theology?
So the Catholic Church believes that Revealed Knowledge comes from the Bible and continuing inspiration of the Holy Spirit who works within the Church to deliver fresh inspiration which can be passed on as a tradition or inheritance.
108
God is revealed primarily through what?
The person of Jesus
109
What do we discover about God through Christ?
God has sacrificial love, a gracious love like from father to children.
110
Through continuing witness of the Holy Spirit what may an individual Christian do? What must they not forget?
Through continuing witness of the Holy Spirit the individual Christian may encounter Jesus for themselves, but the individual must not forget that this central relationship must be grounded in Scripture and tradition.
111
Do Catholics believe the church is important? Why?
this is just as important, and an essential part of God’s help or grace to each Christian.
112
Christian belief about knowledge of God before the fall
Christians believe that before the fall there was no distinction between revealed and natural knowledge, as in the Garden of Eden God wasn’t hidden. Knowledge of God would have been direct and intimate like seeing or hearing. The natural and supernatural would have been mixed and indistinguishable.
113
What happened to knowledge of God after the fall?
But this intermingling did not last since there was the fall, and this separated human minds from its direct knowledge of God, and God became more hidden.
Natural knowledge of God was reduced to arguments rather than direct and unmediated knowledge. We now need revelation as God is hidden and must be slowly revealed through history.
.God became Deus absconditus
114
What caused the fall and subsequently God's separation from humans?
Human sin
115
What does deus absonditus mean?
The hidden God - no longer obvious to human minds.
116
Who is Emil Brunner?
.20th century Swiss theologian, who originated in a Calvinist reform tradition
117
What did Emil Brunner write extensvely on?
Systematic theology
118
Why does Brunner believe that natural theology is necessary?
in order to provide God with a means of assessing humanity’s liability
119
According to Brunner why does God reveal himself?
, God reveals himself to know whether people are actively avoiding him while knowing about him or not
120
What does Brunner believe about judgement?
.God can judge humanity guilty only if there is a standard to which it either responds or fails to respond. Brunner followed the teaching of St Paul, ‘where there is no law, there is also no violation’ Romans 4:15
.Basically you can ony be guitly if you know the rules and break them, and everyone knows the rules because of the sensus divinitatus
121
According to Brunner, ignoring natural theology is to commit what? Where does this quote come from?
‘the sin of idolatry, upon this possibility of knowing him, given by God himself. The denial of this revelation through the creation empties the Biblical idea of Creation of meaning’ Man in Revolt
122
What does Brunner say are the limitations of general revelation?
1. It could not lead human beings into a saving relationship with God
2. It imparted little if any information about a loving God
3. It provides no information for dealing with the problem of human sin
123
Why does Brunner believe that revelation in Jesus Christ is superior to natural theology?
Human responsibility to God was taught in scripture through the imago Dei. Human beings were called to make real and responsible decisions in their relationship with Christ
124
Brunner quote, Dogmatics, I, 314-315
- ‘For this cause alone faith is decision in which the stakes are salvation or ruin; it is not a sham decision, where everything has already been decided beforehand’
125
Who was Karl Barth?
.Karl Barth was a hugely influential 20th century theologian. He wrote extensively throughout the era of Nazi Germany
126
What was Barth responsibile for?
Barth was responsible for the Barmen Declaration
127
What happened to Barth at the age of 49?
Barth was forced to resign from his professorship due to his refusal to swear an oath to Hitler
128
How did Barth reply when Emil Brunner proposed that God revealed himself not just in the Bible but in nature as well (though not in a saving way),?
Barth replied in 1934 with an article titled, ‘No! An Answer to Emil Brunner’
129
Why was Barth against natural theology?
.Barth believed that such a ‘natural theology’ was the root of the merging diverse religious traditions (Reich Church) and anti-Semitism of the ‘German Christians’ – those who supported Hitler’s national socialism
130
Why do people have faith?
```
.Religious experience
.Life experience
.Beauty in nature, intelligent design
.Conscience
.Goodness in people
.Upbringing? Society, cultural influences?
```
131
What is faith?
.Faith is the ability to let go of rational thought to put complete trust in God
132
What is the evidence for faith?
.Often the evidence for having faith is a feeling that is in itself indescribable and at the same time logically private to the individual
133
1 Peter 1:8-9
‘Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of you faith, the salvation of your souls’
134
Dawkins belief about Faith being sufficient enough to trust God?
.Richard Dawkins would argue no
.Dawkins believes that an attempt to explain things that we do not understand with the use of God is simply wrong
.Eventually science will answer all of the questions we have about our existence in this universe
135
2 Dawkins quotes about faith
‘Faith is belief without reason; coincidentally that’s also the definition of delusion’
‘Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence’
136
Who is Alvin Plantinga
.20th century philosopher
137
Alvin Plantingas view on refuting athiests arguments
.Plantinga claimed that for an atheist there are many good reasons to suggest that theological claims are wrong e.g. problem of evil, religious indoctrination
.However, they are still just reasons and not truths. Plantinga does not believe that Christian theologian needs to prove anything, all they need to do is refute atheist argument
.He argues belief in God’s existence is no more or less rational than the atheists non-belief in God
138
What does St Paul do in Acts 17? What does this suggest?
St Paul explains to the people of Athens that they worship the Christian God without even realising it. This suggests all beings have the sensus divinitatis.
139
Why is it important that natural and revealed theology work together in order to access knowledge about God?
Because there are some Christian beliefs than cannot be understood through natural theology – e.g. the trinity
140
Why do some people argue that natural theology is the same as revealed theology? With reference to St Augustine and Conscience
.They both rely on God creating a point of contact between humanity and the divine. In both cases, it is God who decides what is revealed
.Some people may regard conscience as something that can be used as an argument for not just natural theology but revealed theology
.If St Augustine referred to conscience as the voice of God, surely that means it is a form of revealed theology?
141
What is Kierkegaard's view on natural theology?
.Soren Kierkegaard taught ‘faith over reason’ faith is superior and independent to reason, and therefore reason is not necessary for true religious belief
.Kierkegaard believed that faith is characterized by passionate commitment, and that evidence destroys this
142
Kierkegaard quotes about fiediesm
.’If I am able to apprehend God objectively, I do not have faith, but because I cannot do this, I must have faith’
‘Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced’ – Fear and Trembling – Soren Kierkegaard
143
HOw many books in the Bible?
73 books in the Catholic one, but only 66 in the protestant
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WHere does the word Bible come from?
Bible comes from the Greek word Library
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What did Von Balthasar believe?
Just because Jesus has human features, does not dilute his divinity
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Calvin quote nation so barbarous
| and explain
‘There is no nation so barbarous, no race so brutish as not to be imbued with a conviction that there is a God.’
Essentially, it doesn’t matter culture/education/background/etc. everyone knows there is a God – sensus divinitatus
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WHat does Calvin mean by pretending ignorance
Calvin says no one will be able to say on judgment day that they were entirely ignorant of the presence of God – this would be ‘pretending ignorance’
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Scripture Concerning Sensus Divinitatus:
Romans 1:20 – ‘For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.’
Acts 17:22-24 – ‘Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship-and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.’
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How does the world display God Calvin
Natural World:
The world is God’s work of art, it seems reasonable to assume that a work of art reflects something of its creator
The world is the theatre of God’s actions, through the things that he does, through examples of special revelation as God acts in the world
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How does the world display God general
```
Telos
- Beauty
o Intelligent design
o Numinous
- Purpose
o Intelligent design
- Goodness
o Natural law
```
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What did St Jerome think of Conscince
- We have a natural openness to goodness, and this shows our inbuilt knowledge of God’s existence
- St Jerome called this the spark of conscience – the scintilla conscientiae
- Seems to suggest that if theres a moral law, there must be a law giver
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Catholic belief around conscience, including Newman
- Two parts to conscience:
o The ability to know
o The ability to act
- Cardinal Newman calls conscience the ‘voice of God’
o He says that God has not left us alone without help and that we should consider conscience as our ultimate authority
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Kierkegaards quote on aphrehension of God
‘If I am able to apprehend God’s existence objectively, I do not have faith’
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What does Kierkegaard believe reason does?
Harm belief
