Existence of God Flashcards
William Paley
Cosmological argument - watchmaker analogy
Countered by Darawin
Behe
Intelligent Design - DNA is too complex
Countered by Richard Dawkins - it is just very slow and gradual evolution
Aquinas/Aristotle
First Cause Argument
Aquinas countered by David Hume - it is nonsensical to make the jump to God
Countered by Infinite Regress
Two things Christians call miracles
Surviving accidents
Medical healing
Counter to miracles
There’s always a grounded reason for them
Placebo effect
The impossible is impossible
Inconsistent Triad
One must be removed
God moves in mysterious ways
What is special revelation
God speaks directly to a person eg Moses Noah Joseph
All religions other than Buddhism - eg Mohammed - Night of Power
St Paul
Light sensitive epileptic (lose vision until in dark room)
What is general revelation
Feeling of awe in the world and subsequent belief in something bigger
William James
Revelation is neurological event
Nietzsche
Brain is very complex, people like to simplify neurological events in revelation
Why is ‘revelation’ normal
More neurons that stars in the universe, likely enough that one will do something unexpected
