Knowledge of God Flashcards
What are the two sub categories of the specification?
natural theology and revealed theology
what are the two aspects of natural theology on the specification?
natural knowledge of God’s existence:
1. as an innate human sense of the divine
2. as seen in the order of creation
what are the two aspects of revealed theology on the specification?
revealed knowledge of God’s existence:
1. through faith and God’s grace
2. in Jesus Christ
define conscience
the inner sense of right and wrong in a person, sometimes described as an internal voice
define natural theology
use of reason and observation of the world to come to a knowledge of God
define sensus divinitatis
latin term: a sense of the divine, used by Calvin to talk about an innate sense of God in each of us
define sensus religionis
latin term: used by Calvin, meaning seed of religion
define revealed theology
the idea that God reveals what we need to know about him to us in different ways, eg through the Bible/Jesus
define revelation
God deliberately showing aspects of himself to the world
state of relationship with God pre-fall?
-knowledge of God was direct and intimate
-infusion of natural and revealed
state of relationship with God post-fall?
-epistemic distance between God and humanity
-knowledge of God is partial and indirect
what is the catholic interpretation of epistemic distance?
an acknowledgement that humans have a different nature to God, so He will always be unknowable to some extent
what is the protestant interpretation of epistemic distance?
punishment for original sin (also Calvinistic)
what is Hick’s interpretation of epistemic distance?
sign of God’s benevolence as it allows Christians to choose to love and worship God freely
what is a point of contact?
provided by our ability to reason, it allows us to know God’s will
why do humans have the ability to reason?
it is a part of being made in God’s image, imagio dei (Genesis)
examples of points of contact within the universe?
-goodness in the world (analogy of the baker)
-beauty in the world (aesthetics)
what core teachings of Christianity come from revealed theology?
-doctrine of incarnation
-doctrine of the Trinity
how do catholic Christians believe we know God?
both natural and revealed theology; since God gave us the ability to rationalise (natural), while revealed helps us bridge epistemic distance
how do MOST protestant Christians believe we know God?
ONLY revealed theology, since humans are fallen creatures and need God’s intervention to gain full knowledge of him
what did Aquinas think about the human ability to reason?
(inspo:Aristotle)
-it is a gift from God and leads us to a better understand of God
-wanted to show knowledge of God as being grounded in reason to avoid fideism
what did Calvin think about our ability to reason?
(inspo: St.Paul+St.Augustine)
-unreliable because of corruption caused by original sin
-we can have a sense of God that gives us a basis for belief (seed of religion)
-ultimately must find God through Jesus
examples of natural theology? (arguments for God’s existence)
-cosmological
-teleological
ontological (though Aquinas rejected this one)
what is Calvin’s view on the innate sense of the divine?
-sensus divinitatis gives us the knowledge that God exists
-only through revealed that a more developed, meaningful, personal knowledge of God is gained (specifically through Jesus as the Mediator and Redeemer)
what is Calvin’s response to why atheists do not appear to have any innate knowledge of God?
- they have chosen to reject the innate sense of God within them
- they are unable to connect with their sensus divinitatis because of original sin (self-inflicted)
how does Calvin ground his beliefs in the Bible?
through the teachings of St.Paul:
-letter to the Romans
-Book of Acts
how does St.Paul’s letter to the Romans support natural theology?
-people are “without excuse” in choosing not to know God
-God’s existence is self-evident if we simply take in the points of contact in the world around us
what does the Book of Acts (ch17) depict?
Paul’s evangelical work in Athens where he discovers the Athenians are worshipping false Gods
+ an altar inscribed to ‘to an unknown God’
how does the altar to an unknown God highlight the limitations of natural theology?
-Paul points out that the Athenians are “ignorant” of what they worship which suggests limited insight into the nature of God
-Paul has to REVEAL the ‘true God’ to the Athenians
how does the catechism of the catholic church support the notion that humans have an innate connection with God?
“the desire for God is written on the human heart” - suggests that God desires a relationship with his creation and that NT can provide personal connection with God
what is the principle of accommodation?
(key argument to support NT)
the idea that it is reasonable to suggest that a benevolent God would ‘accommodate’ humans by communicating in with us in ways that we are able to understand him
what is Cicero’s principle of universal consent?
(supporting NT)
the idea that there seems to be a universal agreement across all cultures and times in history that there is divine being(s)
-suggests that it is a part of the natural make-up of humans to connect with divinity
what are limitations to Cicero’s universal consent argument?
-perhaps it is a result of the universal need for things like hope, comfort, authority
-it is no longer a trend as we live in an increasingly secular society
what is Calvin’s opinion on apparent design and purpose of nature?
-universe acts as a “mirror” in that it gives us a glimpse into who God is because He created it
-eg. we can see the world as “skillfully ordered” which suggests God’s omnipotence
what is the main issue of Calvin’s theology?
ambiguity (it is vague and unclear)
Calvin seems to present two very different Gods due to the lack of clarity in his work. what are these versions?
- a transcendent God who is detached from the world, and yet accessible in the sense that the universe a “mirror” to him
- a personal, loving God who is closely involved immanently in the world (Holy Spirit+Jesus as Mediator)
what is a limitation of Calvin’s presentation of God’s grace as a point of contact?
Calvin claims the impact of the Fall has corrupted the human ability to know God, but to what extent if we are still able to recognise God’s grace
what is a limitation of Calvin’s notions of sensus divinitatis and semen religionis?
it is unclear if they are points of contact that we need reason to understand or if they are actually ways of God revealing himself
what did the tension of Calvin’s ambiguities cause?
the debate between Brunner and Barth (20th century Swiss, Calvinist theologians)
what conclusion did Emil Brunner draw from Calvin’s theology?
NT (points of contact in nature) can provide a basic understanding of God, but true redemption comes through Jesus
what conclusion did Karl Barth draw from Calvin’s theology?
human nature is completely corrupted by the Fall and this means that there are no points of contact in nature
-only God can choose to reveal himself to a sinful man
overview of Brunner?
-influenced by Aquinas
-the idea that reason can be used to identify aspects of God
-supported NT and RT
what was Brunner’s starting point?
points of contact that give a basic understand of God
1. beauty of nature
2. conscience
3. sensus divinitatis
how did Brunner respond to the limits of NT?
NT existing as the beginnings of the conversation, not providing full knowledge
what was Brunner’s view of the Fall?
-accepted the impact on humanity but not to the drastic degree of Barth
-at a spiritual level, we remain the pinnacle of God’s creation
overview of Barth?
rejected NT entirely, perhaps because of his experiences with the rise of Nazism
what was Barth’s view of the Fall?
human nature had been completely corrupted and that the only way to know anything about God is through God’s choice to reveal something to us
what was Barth’s opinion on points of contact?
if a person sees the beauty of nature and then knows something about God, it is because they have ALREADY had something REVEALED to them
list A02 points to support natural knowledge of God
-reasonable to believe that a God who lovingly created humans would have made some way for them to have contact with Him
-works in a way that we are used to (it is normal for humans to use their brains to reason)
-God’s existence as self-evident
list A02 points to support points of contact
-reasonable to suggest that the sheer number of people who have had some sort of faith suggests that there is a point of contact
-appreciation of awe/wonder takes us beyond the physical and the feelings we experience seem to be on a level different to material things which might point to a God that can be known from earthly things
what did Butler, Newman, and C.S. Lewis claim in support of natural knowledge of God’s existence?
we all have feelings of guilt when we do something wrong; the fact that we seem to have an innate sense of morality may suggest that there is a God that is the source of this conscience
what biblical evidence is there to support natural knowledge of God’s existence?
Genesis: God makes people in his own image and BREATHES INTO ADAM with his own breath, suggesting that there might be a ‘spark of divinity’ in each human life
why is conscience (NT) limited?
can be explained through socialisation, rather than being a point of contact
what was Hume’s criticism of NT?
it uses inductive reasoning which is problematic as it can only ever be highly probably, and rather unreliable
what are issues with using reason to know God? (NT)
-using reason leads to different conclusions (highlighted by the Brunner v Barth debate)
-subjective
-reason is unreliable and Aquinas puts too much confidence in it
what are the limitations of points of contact we observe? (NT)
-order and purpose can be explained by other factors like evolution
-just because we feel awe, does not mean that God has made this feeling
define direct revelation
-immediate revelation
-direct terms; when God reveals himself directly to a person/people
define indirect revelation
-mediate revelation
-indirect terms; when God reveals himself via another source like a person or the Bible
what is the Trinity?
RT, a central belief that there is one God made up of three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
what is Jesus’ role in RT?
the Mediator: reconnected humans with God + allowed us to achieve salvation
what is the Holy Spirit’s role in RT?
the power of God which is active in the world and must be understood in order to understand God’s grace (working alongside)
what is the role of faith in RT?
knowledge of God that goes beyond what can be obtained through rationalism and empiricism
-the leap that someone makes to commit to something they cannot necessarily perceive
what did Aquinas believe about faith and reason?
his arguments CONFIRM, not prove, with faith working alongside reason
what is unformed faith?
(Aquinas)
the intellectual acceptance of Christian teaching, without necessarily believing they are true
what is formed faith?
(Aquinas)
the full understanding and acceptance of Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God
-takes time, effort, and discipline of prayer and reflection
what was Dawkins’ challenge to the catholic position that faith grounds reason?
faith is filling in the gaps where we simply do not know the answer yet, believing science will fill these gaps
who said “faith is the great cop-out” an “excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate science”
Richard Dawkins
what was Calvin’s view of faith?
it is firm and certain knowledge in Jesus, sealed or gifted by the Holy Spirit
what are the different ways the Bible is interpreted by Christians?
-either as the Word of God that is infallible
-or as an inspired text that holds authority but must be interpreted
what is the role of the church in RT for Catholics?
to reinterpret the message of the Bible in the present day; religion as a living entity, not just a book
what does the Catechism warn Christians of?
reducing Christianity to just the Bible because it is a religion of the “eternal Word of the LIVING God”
what is the role of the church in RT for Protestants?
simply to point the believers toward the revelation found in the Bible (prima scriptura)
list A02 points to support revealed knowledge of God’s existence
-only God can properly reveal something as indescribable as himself
-emphasises the special nature of Jesus and gives appropriate importance
what is a merit of the concept of faith in RT?
reflects the difference when talking about knowing things on earth and knowing God, so RT must be required to know about God
what is a merit of the concept of grace in RT?
shows how humans need to appreciate that God is so much greater than them and they require his revelation to know about Him
what is a merit of the Bible’s role in RT?
understanding the Bible as a revealed text shows how God has left that revelation for all to have access to
list A02 points that challenge revealed knowledge of God’s existence
-not useful to a non-believer because they cannot interpret/ understand it
-assumes that Christianity is the correct revelation
what are the issues of relying on humans to interpret revealed knowledge of God’s existence?
-people who claim that God has revealed himself in some way have contradicted others who claim the same
-it is not always clear how humans are to interpret what is revealed to them
what is an issue with the way the nature of God is presented in RT?
suggests a God who only reveals himself in certain circumstances and so could be accused of being biased
