existence of god and revelation

Question 1

what is the design argument

Answer 1

because everything in the universe is so intricatley made, it must have been created by god, therefore god exists

Question 2

richard swinburn’s three principles for supporting the design argument

Answer 2

• it is the simplest answer to why we are here
• regularity: similar things behave in similar ways
• probability: it makes it more probable

Question 3

what did william paley say about the design argument?

Answer 3

the watch analogy - details of a watch is so intricate that it must have a creator, so it must hve been god

Question 4

thomas aquinas and the design argument

Answer 4

he argued that only an intelligent being could keep everything in the universe in regular order

Question 5

christian teaching supporting design argument

Answer 5

“the heavens proclaim the glory of god, the skies proclaim the works of his hands”

Question 6

critisisms of the design argument

Answer 6

• richard dawkins argues how science can explain how the world came into existence
• david hume argues on how the “world is liek a vegetable rather than a machine” meaning that the world has to have grown and created itself rather than having been made like a machine
• he also argued on how why the creator should only be god, a ship needs many creators, so why or how would there have been only one person creating the world
• john stuart mill argues that nature kills and theres suffering so the god who creates the world could not be the all loving god people worship

Question 7

what is the first cause argument and who said it

Answer 7

thomas aquinas said that everything must have a cause and the universe must have an uncaused cause who can only be god.

Question 8

strengths of first cause arguement

Answer 8

• it is consistent with scripture and religious beliefs
• the argument is based on empirical observation - we can observe for ourselves that everything must have a cause
• infinite regress cannot exist

Question 9

critisisms of the first cause argument

Answer 9

• the big band was the first cause
• why should the first cause have been god - david hume
• if everything has a cause then who created god
• commits fallacy if composition: assumes that what is true of parts is true of whole thing. even though everything has a cause, it doesnt mean that the universe should have a cause too.

Question 10

what is a miracle

Answer 10

an event that contradicts the natural laws of nature

Question 11

examples of miracles

Answer 11

• jesus performed 37 miracles
• the miracles at lourdes of healing
• the revealing of the quran

Question 12

importance of miracles

Answer 12

• it suggests a greater being
• it shows god’s closeness
• they feature in scripture so important

Question 13

impact of miracles

Answer 13

• leads to belief in god
• strengthens faith
• makes us feel closer to god
• gives comfort/hope
• it changes lives and history

Question 14

strength of miracles as evidence for the existence of god

Answer 14

• it confirms god’s existence
• it is consistent with scripture
• explains events that cannot be explained by science
• central to religious beliefs

Question 15

critisisms of miracles

Answer 15

• david hume said how there can never be enough evidence to deny the laws of nature, they are unreliable
• there is always alternate explainations
• they could be misinterpretations of natural events so they dont actually prove the existence of god
• there is no empirical evidence that jesus performed miracles, just relying on the gospels which could be unreliable sources

Question 16

what might be reasons for evil and suffering

Answer 16

• moral evil is a result of human free will
• evil and suffering may be a test from god
• suffering as a consequence of original sin
• experiencing it helps us grow as john hick said it is “a vale of soul making”
• hindus believe it might be a result of bad karma

Question 17

how would people respond to evil and suffering (religious people)

Answer 17

• praying to god for strength
• asking forgiveness
• trusting god’s plan and remaining faithful

Question 18

scientific arguments for the existence of god

Answer 18

• there is no conclusive evidence for god
• science is reliable and valuable
• richard dawkins said that science can replace religion as a source of knowledge of the world
• the explainations of science are based on empirical evidece which gives them greater credibility

Question 19

what is special revelation

Answer 19

when god makes himself known through direct personal experience

Question 20

what does special revelations do

Answer 20

• provides evidence of god’s existence
• demonstrates god’s characteristics
• shows god is close
• leads to significant life changes
• strengthens faith
• gives important information

Question 21

what are critisisms of visions as proof for god’s existence

Answer 21

• cannot be scientifically verified
• depends on personal testimony - hallucination and lying could be mistaken
• there could be alternate explainations
• visions should not be needed as proof because religion is a matter of faith

Question 22

supporting visions arguments

Answer 22

• the principle of testimony: reasonable to believe that these experiences are probably as they report them (richard swinburne)

Question 23

general revelation

Answer 23

god making himself known through ordinary experiences, normally through nature or scripture

Question 24

what do general revelations show

Answer 24

• gods power, love and knowledge
• reveals how god created the world and how he wants people to live