Knowledge Of God’s Existence Flashcards
God can be known through reason alone. Discuss.
Points FOR
If God has created humans then it makes sense that he would provide ways of humans being able to discover and get to know him. We should be able to find the tools for this in all people.
Pre-Christian philosopher Cicero talked about the ‘universal consent argument’ - the idea that so many people believe in gods of different sorts that it must be part of the natural make-up of humans.
Reason is required to know God because all claims that rely on faith cannot be meaningful - they cannot be proven and they could simply be projections of human imagination.
God can be known through reason alone. Discuss.
Points AGAINST
Reason is an intellectual exercise and not all people are academic. Perhaps it is not reasonable to suggest that everyone can use reason correctly to understand God.
It does not make sense to say that humans can find God entirely on their own. God is by definition ineffable, beyond our human experience. It is arrogant to suggest that we can know God ourselves.
Humans are sinful and this comes from Original Sin. Humans cannot know God through reason because our reason is tarnished by the Fall.
God can be known through reason alone. Discuss.
Evaluation
Some might suggest that it’s possible to know God through reason alone but that the type of knowledge is not sufficient for faith because faith requires a personal knowledge.
Faith is sufficient reason for belief in God’s existence. Discuss.
Points FOR
Engaging with god should not be seen as merely an academic exercise but as a spiritual and emotional task: life is not just about academic or physical things.
It stands to reason that a God who is beyond this earth will not be able to be understood without faith and God’s grace to enable that faith.
Belief in God’s existence is a relationship with a personal God and all relationships require more than just theory.
Faith is sufficient reason for belief in God’s existence. Discuss.
Points AGAINST
Atheist thinkers dismiss faith as a projection of human desire for there to be more to this life than meets the eye. As such, all acts of faith should be rejected.
Faith without the support of reason could lead to beliefs in anything - such as a giant Flying Spaghetti Monster out in space.
Why would God create humans with the ability to be rational and then seem only to offer some and not all humans the gift of faith.
Faith is sufficient reason for belief in God’s existence. Discuss.
Evaluation
It could be observed that faith needs to build on reason in some way. Therefore, on its own, faith is not sufficient reason for belief in god’s existence but without faith, there cannot be such a belief.
The Fall has completely removed all natural knowledge of God. Discuss.
Points FOR
The effects of the Fall utterly decimated human relationships with God. The Bible is clear that humans must labour alone (in the punishment of Adam) unless God chooses otherwise.
The idea of Cicero’s universal consent argument can be rejected simply because even though many people have a sense of religion or deity, the fact that they interpret it so differently proves that human reason is inadequate.
Human nature is clearly flawed and it would be wrong to say that fallen humans should attempt a relationship with a perfect God - we are not deserving.
The Fall has completely removed all natural knowledge of God.
Points AGAINST
No Christian denomination believes natural theology on its own is sufficient. It is entirely reasonable to suggest that there are different ways of finding knowledge of God.
Too much emphasis is put on the idea of the Fall. Catholics downplay this and focus instead on the gap between us and God because of our very natures so it is possible to know something of God through reason.
Perhaps God’s nature is never knowable in any way! It is not a result of the Fall as much as the complete otherness of God.
Natural knowledge is the same as revealed knowledge. Discuss.
Points FOR
The two are simply different sides of the same coin because you cannot have natural knowledge without revealed knowledge first.
Proving that God exists is simply recognising an already revealed truth.
All complex questions require several different approaches at once. The distinction between the two types of theology is artificial and ways to come to know God could be split into different categories.
Natural knowledge is the same as revealed knowledge. Discuss.
Points AGAINST
The two operate in different spheres: in order to ‘do’ natural theology, you need to put revealed theology aside - because some say that you cannot fairly prove God exists using logic if you already believe him to exist.
Natural knowledge gives a different sort of knowledge to revelation. Nobody becomes a believer through natural theology alone.
Natural knowledge must be different because it is impossible due to the Fall as the points of contact between heaven and earth have been lost.
Belief in God is sufficient to put one’s trust in him. Discuss.
Points FOR
Belief in Go requires a leap of faith. If one is prepared to make that leap then one must put trust in God.
If the idea of points of contact is correct, then recognising these points of contact should lead to faith because something true about God has been recognised.
All people believe in different ways - some are intellectual and some are not. This surely does not matter to God who made humans to worship him. Belief in God in whatever form should lead to a commitment.
Belief in God is sufficient to put one’s trust in him. Discuss.
Points AGAINST
Belief in God needs proper context and understanding - through an understanding of Jesus as mediator as taught by the Church.
Belief in God gained solely through natural theology is not the same as a personal relationship with God.
Belief in God does not make living a Christian life easy - there are many challenges from evil, science or society to make someone doubt whether they should trust fully in God.
