God Flashcards
Theism
Aquinas
God exists; both evidence in Nature & Revelation indicated God exists
Deism
Voltaire
God exists; only evidence in Nature indicated God exists; Reject Revelation
Atheism
Hume
God does not exist; evidence indicates God does not exist - suffering in the world
Agnosticism
no name
No belief in God exists or does not exist; evidence is tied
Fideism
Kierkgard, William James, Pascal
God exists; but religious beliefs can’t be justified with evidence
Define Fideism
fide = faith
faith - ism
religious beliefs are a matter of faith
Religious Pluralism
Joseph Campbell
God exists (A transcendent reality exists; all religions are true metaphorically); Evidence indicated God exists (Evidence comes from comparing mythology/religious stories)
Is it legitimate to have religious beliefs without evidence?
Yes: Fideists
No: other 5 theories
Argument in favor of Fideism
Pascal’s Wager
What is Pascal’s Wager?
Evidence in support of/against God’s existence doesn’t matter because the potential consequences make belief worth it.
–> Consequences
1. God exists, you believe in him (you go to heaven)
2. God exists, if you don’t believe in him (you go to hell)
3. God doesn’t exist, you believe in him (nothing)
4. God doesn’t exist, you don’t believe in him (nothing)
Objection to Pascal’s Wager
Many Religions: Since Fedeism believes there is no evidence of God, and there are many religions, how do you know the one you believe in is the correct one? If you are correct, then you just got lucky.
Are all major religions true, metaphorically?
Yes: Religious Pluralism
No: other 5 theories
Correct and Incorrect definition of Agnosticism
Correct: no belief
Incorrect: 1) Don’t care 2) Not absolutely certain
Define Religious Pluralism
the view that all religions are true metaphorically and not literally
How Religious Pluralists respond to “they can’t all be true”
Religious stories are metaphorical, like “Love is like a box of chocolates”
Argument for Religious Pluralism
- Although various religions tell stories with different details, the basic plot & meaning is exactly the same –> Hero’s Journey
- All religions tell the same stories because these stories symbolize the truth
3 phases of the Hero’s Journey
- Hero starts off the story at home, safe, riddled with problems
- Hero leaves home into the unknown - dangerous, something of great value
- Hero returns home, solves great problem
Objection to Religious Pluralism
Sigmund Freud (athiest): Religious stories are all the same not because they are true, but because these stories help ppl satisfy their psychological needs (God = substitute daddy)
Does the evidence observable in nature constitute a preponderance of the evidence showing that God exists?
Yes: Theism, Deism
No: Atheism, Agnostic, Fideists
Argument for Yes, the evidence observable in nature constitute a preponderance of the evidence showing that God exists
Design Argument aka Theological Argument
What is the Design Argument?
Universe is like a watch. Both have design. A watch has an intelligent designer, so the universe has an intelligent designer
Objection to Design Argument
Evolution: The design we observe in nature comes from an unintelligent process, not an intelligent designer
3 steps of unintelligent process
- variation: each organism is different
- selection: some live, some die
- reproduce: a new created species
Does revelation constitute evidence indicating that God probably exists?
Yes: Theists
No: other 5 theories
