Existence of God Flashcards
What did William Paley say about the design argument?
“A watch needs a watch-maker”
What convinced Sir Isaac Newton that the universe must have been designed?
The unique design of every human thumb
What is the design argument?
The belief that the world is so perfect that it must have had a designer.
What are the problems with the design argument?
- If the world/universe has been designed by a designer the why are there so many bad things in this world? So either the designer is a bad or cruel designer or there is no designer
- This argument points to natural evolution without God.
What is the first cause argument?
The universe must have been caused by something and that something is God who is the uncaused causer.
How did Thomas Aquinas say he could prove the first cause argument?
- Everything that exists must have a cause, this is known a causation.
- Therefore the universe must have a cause, something that caused everything but was not caused itself, an uncaused causer.
- God is the cause of the universe, therefore God exists.
- Today we might add that even if we believe in the Big Bang or evolution theories these must have had an original cause. That cause was God.
What are the problems with the first cause argument?
- Why if we think God is the uncaused causer that the universe can’t be uncaused? If so then God is not necessary.
- Infinite regression - there is not start or end to the universe
What is the moral argument?
Everyone has a sense of morality (right and wrong) which was given to us by God.
What did Immanuel Kant think about the moral argument?
He thought that everyone in the universe has a sense of morality, for example we all know murder is wrong. He believed that this moral sense was given to us by God before we were born. Therefore because we all know what is right and wrong God must exist.
What quote did Kant say about morality?
“Two things amaze me; the starry skies above and the moral law within”
What are the problems with the moral argument?
- Why is it that different people in different countries have different ideas about what is right and wrong?
- Social conditioning - morality is learnt, from parents, teachers and the government for instance, rather than being given this sense by God. Therefore God cannot exist as Kant claims.
What did Thomas Aquinas say about moral argument?
He thought that God had given everyone a conscience, a moral guide that helped us decide between right and wrong.
What is the God of the Gaps argument?
People have gaps in their knowledge of things they don’t know yet, Dawkins believe people fill these gaps with God by using him as an explanation.
What is an example of God of the Gaps?
People believed God caused earthquakes but we know today that it is just the movement of tectonic plates.
What quote did Einstein say which relates to God of the Gaps argument?
“Religion without science is blind and science without religion is lame”
