God and the Physical World Flashcards
meaning of animism:
the attribution of a living soul to inanimate things
what is it possible to say about God and the physical world in terms of creation?
- it’s possible that religion started with the physical world
- one could say that the physical world created God and not the other way round
what were religious beliefs in the early part of ancient civilisations?
- they considered some aspects of nature to be divine
- things that were amazing or powerful were seen as ‘gods’
- such as rivers, trees
- ‘gods’ in the sense they have sentience and authority
- later these became anthropomorphised i.e. spirits and dyads that lived inside them
- it was thought you had to be nice to them in order to continue receiving from them e.g. vegetation and water
what else was thought to have divine causes to ancient minds? (apart nature)
- things that couldn’t be explained to them
- e.g. thunder and lightning
- as well as human emotions such as love and anger
- the god could be asked to be helpful by worship through sacrifice and prayer
example of anthropomorphising something and seeing it as a god:
- Zeus
- God of thunder
- way of explaining this natural phenomenon
- Cupid
- God of love
- people act strangely when in love and this was a way of explaining it
difference between God and attributes for Greeks and Christians today:
- the Greeks didn’t first believe in God and then add attributes to Him, ‘God is love’
- they first saw and were amazed by things in life and nature and then added divine qualities to them either out of joy or fear and so said ‘love is God’
Nicene creed:
I believe in God, the father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of things visible and invisible
what do Roman Catholics believe about God and the universe today (creator sustainer)
“God does not abandon creatures to themselves”
“and at every moment upholds and sustains them in being”
“recognising this utter dependence on the creator is a source of wisdom and freedom”
quotes from new testament supporting idea of God as sustainer:
“he holds all creation together”
“upholding all things by the Word of His power”
If God continuously sustains all of creation what does that imply?
that every moment we are completely depending on God for our existence as living creatures
laws of physics and God:
- not a replacement for God power, but a description of it
- God’s creation
- an expression of His will
meaning of deism:
the belief that after creation God left the universe alone, does not intervene and has no part in it
another word for deism:
non-interference
what is the argument for deism?
- God doesn’t interfere because He doesn’t need to
- God would not create a universe that he would then need to sustain
what are theodicy arguments?
deal with the inconsistency between the existence of evil and an omnibenevolent God
what problem does non-interference deal with?
-the theodical problem
what are the 3 views of creation?
- it came from nothing
- it came from pre-existent material
- came from God Himself
what does ex nihilo mean?
out of nothing
nothing can come from nothing
what is the logical consequence of the belief that God created all out of nothing?
all creation was made by Him
meaning of ex material:
belief that the universe was created from a source of unformed matter
who believed in ex material?
Plato and Aristotle
meaning of creation ex deo:
- from God himself
- is an example of monism
logic behind ex deo:
- if God created the universe then the only existence before that was the existence of God
- nothing can come from nothing
- so God must have created the universe out of His own being
what are the implications of ex deo? and what is the name of this view?
- if all of creation came out of God then they are the same in essence
- God is everything
- this view is called pantheism
- could also imply we don’t have a distinct existence
dominion quotes from Bible:
- “fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over…every little thing”
- humans alone are created in the image of God
what does it imply if we have dominion?
-man has complete power to exploit the natural world as he wishes
what does this teaching mean for human action?
- we are free to exercise “dominion” over all animals
- given justification for treating the environment in a brutal way
- our destruction has religious justification
what does it imply if we have stewardship?
- man is being asked to be guardians of God’s creation
- its product is available for our use
- but we must have respect and responsibility
another opinion of stewardship:
- humans have no direct right over the earth
- humans are entrusted with its protection
what is the attitude of American Indians?
- no one can own land or property its is mother nature who cares for all of us
- everything on the earth belongs to everyone
quote from Cicero: about nature and God
‘what could be more obvious when we look up to the sky that there some divinity of superior intelligence’
what can we infer about a detailed and organised world?
- that is has a creator
- that has certain abilities
what happens when we observe?
we infer certain qualities about the unobserved
argument from William Paley: (design)
- there is order in the universe
- if there is order it’s been designed
- design means intelligence
- the universe’s design is complex so it must have a complex designer
who argued for the analogy of attribution?
Aquinas
what is the primary purpose of the analogy of attribution?
to show how language can be used about God
what is the analogy of attribution?
- if what is known possesses a quality, one may assume the creator posses the same qualities
- if God creates a world with order and beauty then God has order and beauty
- so by determining qualities of the natural world we can attribute these qualities to God too
God creating the world ‘good’:
- 5 times during creation in the Bible God considered his creation to be ‘good’
- if God considers his creation to be good then he must be generous
- when we say God is creator we are saying something about His character
- i.e. He must be a kind and generous creator as no outside force compelled Him to create the world
attributes of a transcendent God:
- spaceless and timeless
- outside of and separate from His creation
attributes of an immanent God:
- within the universe and part of our existence
- hears and responds to prayers
- performs miracles
- can be experienced by his believers
dualism and transcendence:
-transcends is an example of dualism
what is dualism?
-two separate and distinct entities exist
logic behind transcendence:
- the earth is in a state of constant change
- God is perfect, and perfection is immutable, so if God changed he would no longer be perfect
- therefore He cannot be part of a world that changes
problems with the concept of a transcendent God:
- not possible to have a personal and loving relationship with God-this is essential in Christian beliefs
- a God of this nature is completely beyond our levels of understanding
where is there evidence of an immanent God:
- in the Bible
- accounts of people’s personal experiences
evidence of immanence in the holy trinity:
God as the sun, Jesus Christ was immanent and still is seen as immanent for many - this is the sustaining God
evidence of an immanent God (God being involved in the physical world) in the Bible:
-Noah’s flood in Genesis
meaning of deism:
belief in a supreme being, creator, who does not intervene in the universe
what is a belief about the future and God as creator? and what can be inferred about God’s character from this?
- God will create a better world in the future
- “for the first heaven and earth were passed away”
- God is generous
what are arguments against God being immanent evidence?
- if it isn’t the inspired word of God then as a historical document it is very weak
- none of it’s events can be verified
- claims to religious experience can be seen as unreal, can be explained in non-spiritual terms
- God being within time and space is a difficult concept, for if he created the universe ex-nihilo then he must be timeless and spaceless
how can God being both transcendent and immanent be justified?
- transcendence is an attribute of God
- immanence is a choice of God-He is omnipotent and he chooses to be among us as a sustainer and saviour
process theory:
- the belief that God is immanent is central
- God is not described as being but becoming
- interactive relationship with his creation
- is affected by his creation, positive and negative
- strong emphasis on free will-which is a gift from God
the Big Bang:
- dominant theory about the origins of the universe
- sufficient reason for the existence of the universe
- God isn’t necessary
- God was used to fill in gaps in knowledge
argument for the Big Bang and God working together:
-God created the physical laws
Polkinghorne’s 3 possibilities about the universe and it’s creation:
- there is only one universe and the way it has turned out is random
- there is an infinite number of universes and we’re in one of them
- there is one universe, specifically designed to bring us into being
what is the Goldilocks condition?
all factors necessary for creating and sustaining this world are just right
what is the weak anthropic principle?
- if our universe weren’t hospitable to life then we wouldn’t be here to wonder about it
- all the factors were just right for us to exist-Goldilocks condition
what is the strong anthropic principle?
-so many factors were necessary that is must be the outcome of design, not chance, it’s too unlikely
an argument against the anthropic principle:
out of so many possibilities we think that this outcome is amazing, but however it would have come out it still would be amazing
what is the Buddhist belief?
- ‘beginningless time’
- all that exists didn’t have a beginning and therefore no creator
what is a reason why a designer isn’t necessary?
- process of evolution
- present life is a result of a process of lots of changes
- but it doesn’t rule out a creator God who put these in place
what is creationism?
- the creation account in Genesis is historically accurate
- the actual date of creation can be known
what goes against creationism?
fossil records and carbon dating
how can the Bible still be ‘true’?
- interpreted symbolically
- the universe, and humans are an expression of God’s will
the dillema of Philip Gosse:
- he was a geologist and also very Christian
- he believed the Bible to be literally true
- he said that God put fossils here to test our faith
what are two ways of seeing God and the physical world’s relationship?
- assume from what we know
- from what we’re told (scriptures)
what are the 2 types of statements we can make about God’s relationship with the created universe?
propositional and non-propositional
natural theology:
- beliefs about God based on observation
- design argument
- belief for deists
revealed theology:
-God reveals Himself to people
-belief of Jews and Christians
-can be based on miracles and visions
-
what is a propositional statement?
- a proposition is a statement of fact
- a propositional revelation is a statement revealed by God-and is taken as true
- propositional statements are infallible
- the popes claim the statements they make are propositional
what are non-propositional statements?
- a statements about God based on observation of nature
- not facts but interpretations
