Knowledge of God's existance Flashcards
Who argues that we have an innate sense of God
Calvin
What is the sensus divinitatis
seed of religion, an innate sence of God and natural human incliantion to carry out religious practises `
What does calvin state about desire for God
“God is written in the Human Heart”
How can the claim that knowledge of God is natural
- The unknown God, Pual convinces the Greeks that they are worshipping the true God altar of unknown God
- Universal consent arguement - Cicero beleives that if man people believe, then it must exist (FLAWED ARGUEMENT)
- Humans are religious beings
How does Natural law link to knowledge of God
Natural law rests of supposition that all humans have an innate sense of goodness, fairness and justice however ill formed those views might be. Small children, for example, quickly develop a strong sense of fairness and justice
How does conscience law link to Knowledge of God
Conscience is joint knowledge between ourselves and Argued that conscience is our God given faculty as creatures made in the image of God. As such our moral choice making responds to Gods will.
What is Paley’s design argument (PURPOSE)
Analogy with the watch, watch is purposeful and functional, cogs etc. We know this watch has been created by a watch maker. Similar to how world is intrinsically designed there must be a God.
What are objections to the design argument
Nature is more brutal than beautiful
Means God is also cruel, goes aginast God of faith and qualities
Darwin’s notion of evolution by natural evolution by natural selection, no longer widly accepted that the world is purposeful, nature has no final cause but just wants to survive
Natrue without purpsoe makes God redundant
What are the suggested scholarly views of this topic
- Romans 1:18–21
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
How is God revealed through Faith
Through
Aquinas unformed faith: faith which may find intellectual reasons why, a person may find afterlife is possible but cannot accept it is true. Devils believed in God but did not trust to save them
Formed Faith: Faith which wills to accept what it can believe through. E.g faith is willing to believe that the evidence of those who witnessed Jesus resurrection
What is Calvin’s Protestant teaching about faith?
Firm and certain knowledge: only revealed by Christ
Willingness to believe: Faith is given to anyone who is willing to accept it
How can Jesus reveal God
- Christ is the image or likeness of the invisible God
- God became a human being because he accommodates himself to our actual physical and mental condition
- Calvin describes Christ as the mirror and mediator of the divine
What was the Barth Brunner debate
a debate focused on Calvin by Brunner and Barth
What did Brunner argue
that Calvin’s notion that God’s general revelation in nature as a point of contact is insufficient to achieve redemption which is revealed through Christ.
What were Brunners views
- Imago Dei, the image of God in humans after fall had been destroyed
- General revelation, God communicates through nature which reflects his nature, but as humans are blinded they do not receive this as grace just as a sign
What was Barths reply to Brunner
Human nature is completely corrupted by the fall and that there are no points of contact in nature of any kind which would allow humans to know.
What were Barths views (3)
Formal self cannot inform the material self of God’s existence. Barth different from animals but fall has blocked out ability to know God
No points of contact. Nature conscience and guilt do not provide anything with God
Order of creation. Barth argues that although we are able to perceive order in nature it is not the basis for morality or salvation.
What does Alvin Plantinga believe
Begins with notion that God can be held along with other basic beliefs.
Weaker sensus divinitatis where there is general sense to make reasonable basic religious claims
Rejects natural theology
What is natural theology
theology that provides arguments for the existence of God based on reason and ordinary experience of nature
Criticsm of Plantinga
- Knowledge of God is not basic, millions of people have had sense of God chance they could have just
not interpreitated fully - Plantinga assuemes that Christian beleifs such as holy spirit is true, no reason to expalin why bible is not enough
Brunner on natural world
Natural world provides general knowledge of God but not sufficeint for salvation
How does the bible support Calvin’s view
Bible: supports idea that people are born with a sense for God e.g. Genesis God breathes into Adam with his own breath. We are made in the image of God and so can appreciate beauty and goodness in the world which are manifestations of God’s goodness and creativity.
Dawkins on faith
Dawkins: faith encourages people to be lazy in their thinking. Where there is a gap in human knowledge it is described as a mystery and that evidence is not necessary.
