Knowledge of God's Existence Flashcards
Revealed knowledge
knowledge based on special revelations of God
Special revelation
- the way God is revealed in a special way at particular times and places
- it is a disclosure of God’s truth through means other than through reason
What is Calvin’s theatre?
the world is a theatre of God’s action
What is Calivin’s divine accomodation?
if we are to relate to God then we must accomodate himself to us
General revelation
the way in which God is revealed constantly through his creation. it is ‘general’ in the sense that it is avaliable to everyone at all times and in all places
What are the two parts of faith according to Aquinas?
- unformed faith = faith which comes from seeing the rationale behind religious beliefs, such as life after death, but is unable to accept them as true
- formed faith = faith which openly accepts the conclusions of the intellect
What does Calvin say faith is?
- firm and certain knowledge of Christ’s love for us
- the willingness to believe on an emotional and spiritual level the salvation that can be found in Christ
What does Dawkins say faith is?
‘faith is the great cop-out’
Grace
God’s unconditional love for all believers
What is the bible a record of?
the witnesses to God’s action in the world, both through Jesus’ life, death, resurretion, and ascension and throught the OT
What does Calvin believe about scripture?
has a high regard for scripture and believes that it contains everything about God which is worth knowing
Why do some Christians reject the authority of the bible?
on the basis of contradictions within the bible or modern advances of science
Who is the author of scripture according to the Catholic Church?
God
Innate
natural; something that is simply in us that we do not develop or aquire in some way
Conscience
the inner sense of right and wrong in a person, sometimes described as an internal voice
Sensus divinitas
‘sense of dignity’ - the idea that inbuilt into us are the absolute basics of religious belief and a human inclination to pray or engage in religious rituals
Barth and Brunner debate
What does Brunner say about the Fall and human nature?
on one level human nature has fallen but at a spiritual level, we still remain the pinnacle of God’s creation and are able to have a relationship with him
Barth and Brunner debate
What are the three points of contact between God and humanity according to Brunner and what do they give humanity?
- the beauty of nature
- conscience
- sensus divinitas
they give us a basic understanding of God and the nature of humanity
Barth and Brunner debate
According to Brunner, what do you have to do if you want to have full knowledge and therefore a relationship with God?
accept and have faith in Jesus Christ and treu knowledge of Christ, and the redemption he brought only comes with revelation
Barth and Brunner debate
Does Brunner accept natural theology?
yes
Barth and Brunner debate
What does Barth say happened to human nature after the Fall?
it became completely corrupted
Barth and Brunner debate
Does Barth accept natural theology?
no
Barth and Brunner debate
What does Barth believe abour points of contact between God and humans?
there aren’t any
