existence of god and relevation

Question 1

two types of general revelation

Answer 1

nature or holy scriptures

Question 2

general revelation- holy scripture Buddhists

Answer 2

scripture significant because it points to the truth, and helps people find enlightenment. not regarded as ‘god’s word’ as buddhists don’t believe in god, but still sacred as have power to change people’s lives

Question 3

general revelation- holy scripture christians

Answer 3

believe that bible id god’s way of revealing himself to mankind, tells history of god’s relationship with us. fundamentalists take it literally whereas liberal christians use it as a guide

Question 4

2 types of special revelation

Answer 4

visions or miracles

Question 5

special revelation- visions Buddhists

Answer 5

Mahayana Buddhists believe in visions,eg Tibetan book of the dead was supposed to been written following special revelation. chant mantra and take part in special rituals believe it’ll bring them into contact with Buddha or Bodhisattva, but these not gods

Question 6

special revelation-visions christianity

Answer 6

• might see religious figure

- many examples of visions in bible

Question 7

special revelation-visions athiest

Answer 7

-argue that brain reacts differently in times of stress when different chemicals are released. can change brain’s chemistry by taking drugs or mental illness can have impact on brain

Question 8

special revelation- miracles buddhists

Answer 8

-according to buddhists, people who meditate are ale to develop special powers, not considered miraculous but simply demonstrate what is possible if reach higher consciousness. in stories about Buddha miraculous events regarded as symbolic

Question 9

special revelation- miracles christans

Answer 9

-one problem is it seems god is partisan (has favs) or arbitrary (selects people randomly or for no reason

Question 10

the design argument christians

Answer 10

god designed world because everything is so intricately made in its detail and those things couldn’t have happened by chance must have been designed eg human eye

Question 11

the design argument Buddhists

Answer 11

for Buddhist no god and no creator. universe is in continuous cycle and has no beginning, so its complexity and beauty are just fact. evolution recognises creatures evolve to fit their environment ones who don’t adapt die out, dependent arising

Question 12

first cause argument Buddhists

Answer 12

doesn’t work because they believe universe has always existed in an endless cycle, was no beginning of time so no first cause

Question 13

first cause argument Christianity

Answer 13

Aquinas argue that everything that happens has a cause. if trace back there must be something that started off this great chain of causes, that was in itself not caused by anything else - god

Question 14

Weaknesses of the design argument

Answer 14

If god designed world why so much suffering ?
-natural selection, reason why everything seems to fit so well together is because over millions years each part of universe adapted and evolved to fit its environment , all happened by chance no need for designer

Question 15

Weaknesses of first cause argument

Answer 15

Doesn’t really to god that believers want you to follow. The first cause god doesn’t have to be loving or even interested, he doesn’t need to be intelligent or wise or caring . He could have just cause by accident he could be as impersonal as the Big Bang just random event

Question 16

The argument from miracles Christians

Answer 16

• believers argue that when amazing things happen, for which no scientific explanation these events must be attributed to god and prove his existence
• one example when Moses parted Red Sea so children of Israel could cross to escape pharaohs army which sent to recapture them

Question 17

The argument for miracles atheists

Answer 17

Argue miracles don’t prove gods existence , usually just happy coincidences

Question 18

Evil and suffering argument against existence of god

Answer 18

Believers argue god cannot be all 3- omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent. If he knows about our pain and cares about it then this suggests he is powerless . If he has power and knows but does nothing suggests he doesn’t care. If has power and cares suggests he doesn’t know
- free will

Question 19

Science argument against existence of god

Answer 19

Have scientific explanations for creation of world and evolution

• some say science explains how god works
• believers creating a ‘god of gaps’, as science develops we have more and more explanations so god reduced being an explanation and gradually being squeezed out as fewer and fewer gaps

Question 20

God as personal

Answer 20

He gets involved in lives of individuals and has relationship with them . He ‘speaks’ to them through visions or scripture and loves them and wants the best for them. He became human so knows what like to experience human emotions

Question 21

God as impersonal

Answer 21

He is beyond our human comprehension. His influence is on creation as a whole, but doesn’t have personal relationship with us because we would never understand him

Question 22

God as transcendent

Answer 22

He is outside and above all that exists, god the creator

Question 23

God is immanent

Answer 23

Means he’s all around us

Question 24

How is it possible for god to be immanent and transcendent at the same time

Answer 24

Because believe in trinity. God the Father transcendent in heaven, but Holy Spirit immanent