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DEVELOPMENT IN CHRISTIAN THOUGHT > KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S EXISTENCE > Flashcards

KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S EXISTENCE Flashcards

1
Q

what is the question that summarises this topic

A

how can god be known?

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2
Q

why is knowledge a problem

A

we use the word ‘known’ in different ways so what does it mean to ‘know’ god?

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3
Q

what does theology lead to

A

revelation

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4
Q

when gods will is revealed to humanity, what should our response be

A

faith

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5
Q

what are the two types of theology

A

natural and revealed

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6
Q

what is propositional revelation

A

through statements/propositions/scripture

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7
Q

what is non-propositional revelation

A

through His intervention/presence in the world

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8
Q

what is faith

A

the human response to revelation - a voluntary acceptance

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9
Q

what is natural theology

A

finding evidence for god in the world - bottom up from humanity to god

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10
Q

what is revealed theology

A

truths about god which only he has chosen to reveal, top down approach from god to humanity

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11
Q

what is fideism

A

faith is more important than reason

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12
Q

what is grace

A

god’s unconditional and undeserved gifts to humanity

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13
Q

what are the TWO ways natural theology is revealed

A
  • order and beauty in the world
  • an inner sense: ‘sensus divinitatis’
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14
Q

describe natural theology as revealed through order and beauty in the world

A

Attempts to discover truths about God using human experience and reason/looking for evidence of god in the world. This is a non-propositional explanation. The natural world is a meeting point between God and humanity.

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15
Q

3 philosophers for natural theology as revealed through the order and beauty in the world

A

aquinas, paley and tennnat

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16
Q

what did aquinas believe about reason

A

stressed the need for human reason and our experience of the world as a way of understanding god’s purpose (through the 5 ways), human reason could never know or understand God’s infinite divine nature however human reason can gain lesser knowledge: gods existence (through teleological argument), gods moral law through natural law and gods nature by analogy through the analogies of attribution and proportion.

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17
Q

what is useless to aquinas if reason provides absolute proof of gods existence

A

faith and revelation

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18
Q

what did paley add to argument that we know god through order and beauty in the world

A

design argument and watch analogy

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19
Q

who criticises paley

A

hume

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20
Q

what does tennant add to the argument that we know god through order and beauty in the world

A

aesthetic principle - evidence of beauty in the world is enough to justify gods existence

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21
Q

who produces the argument of sensus divinitatis

A

calvin

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22
Q

what is sensus divinitatis

A

innate sense of the divine in every human being

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23
Q

what is the sensus divinitatis also referred to as

A

semen religionis - ‘the seed of religion’

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24
Q

what does the ‘seed of religion’ especially emphasise

A

everyone has this awareness and may choose to respond to it or not

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25
how does the fall relate to sensus divinitatis
the epistemic distance here is created by humanity, not God (links to ideas from Hick and Irenaus). The fall has corrupted humanity and had prevented some from understanding duplex cognito domini
26
what is duplex cognito domini
god's two fold role as creator and as redeemer (through christ)
27
in what two ways do people understand god through natural theology
innate sense of god and the order of creation
28
3 subsections of innate sense of god
innate knowledge, human sense of beauty and moral goodness and human intellectual ability
29
3 subsections of innate knowledge
the unknown god, universal consent argument and humans are religious beings
30
what does the catechism say about the knowledge of god
'the desire for god is written in the human heart'
31
what is the unknown god
biblical support for the senus divinitatis - paul has to convince the athenians that they are actually worshipping the true god because although they don't know this explicitly, on altar is dedicated to the unknown god. Paul argues that the desire to know the unknown god has been the constant quest of Greek philosophers, even if they were not aware.
32
what is the universal consent argument
suggested by cicero, as so many people believe in the gods or God, then the gods or God must exist - even if doesn't PROVE existence it suggests that it is reasonable to believe in them
33
humans are religious beings argument
the catechism concludes that so widespread are the practices of prayer, sacrifice, ritual and meditation that 'despite the ambiguities' they are 'so universal that one may well call a man a religious being'
34
what are the two elements of human sense of beauty and moral goodness
natural law and conscience
35
what do catholicism and protestantism have in common
the human sense of beauty and moral goodness are the foundations of the knowledge of god
36
describe natural law in relation to the human sense of beauty and moral goodness
natural law is an indication of human innate knowledge of god, rests on assumption that all humans have innate knowledge of goodness, fairness and justice
37
describe conscience in relation to human sense of beauty and moral goodness
important in knowledge of god and moral goodness, conscience is our god-given faculty as creatures made in the image of god and so as such it is part of our moral choice-making processes which responds to gods will of what is right and wrong
38
describe human intellectual ability to reflect on and recognise god's existence
the arguments for the existence of god, some gathered by aquinas in his 5 ways: the finite material world could not continue to exist unless there was an uncaused causer who set up the initial conditions of the world, sustains all material causes and orders and orders these cause to be purposeful, uncaused causer = god
39
what are the 3 subsections of the order of creation
order and design, purpose and process
40
explain the order of creation argument
stems from calvins idea of duplex cognito domini - gods two-fold role as creator and redeemer. as god the creator, the most powerful indication of god's existence and presence in the world are in the ordering and design of nature
41
what principle is apart of order and design argument
calvin - principle of accommodation - because human minds are finite and god is infinite then humans will never be able to know god through their own powers of reason HOWEVER god manifests himself through creation in ways that finite human minds can understand, nature is a mirror of gods invisible nature, we can form some ideals of gods essence
42
explain argument from purpose
paley and watch -> watchmaker.
43
objections to design/teleological argument
hume - problem of analogy darwin - evolutionary theory dawkins - laryngeal nerve of a giraffe JSM - digger wasps and cruelty in nature
44
what is the latest version of 'design' natural theology called
process theology
45
who was process theology developed from the ideas of
a.n whitehead
46
what do process theologians argue
god and the world act in tandem; god is not independent from natural processes but works with them, every movement is an end in itself
47
what is revealed theology
does not rely on humans having to use reason, fits more readily with propositional understandings of revelation, truths that can only be known if god chooses to reveal them, more direct and prestigious
48
what is the final and complete revelation
god revealing himself in the second person of the trinity - jesus christ
49
how can humans have a full and complete relationship with god
distinctive christian knowledge as god the redeemer through christ
50
what are the two elements of duplex cognito domini
knowing god through sensus divinitatis and knowing god as a redeemer through christ
51
what does knowing god duplex cognito domini mean for believers
regeneration - true knowledge is salvation in christ
52
what distinction did aquinas make about faith
unformed and formed faith
53
how does calvin categorise faith
firm and certain knowledge and a willingness to believe
54
describe firm and certain knowledge
criticises aquinas because he did not make christ object of faith, firm knowledge only possible as revealed by christ
55
describe willingness to believe
faith is given to anyone who is willing to accept it
56
what is pascals wager theory
suggests that we should wager our lives that god exists and so if he doesn't, we lose nothing, if we don't believe we miss out on eternal happiness
57
objections to pascals wager theory
competing truth claims from other religions, can you make yourself believe? unattractive idea to god
58
what does tillich believe about faith
'faith is the state of being ultimately concerned' - god is the reason for our existence and so nothing else matters as much as faith. everything else is pre-liminary
59
who criticises tillich
hick - is the ultimate concern referring to the attitude of concern or to the object of attitude
60
who critiques faith
dawkins - approach built on intellectual dominance of scientific assumptions, faith is anti-intellectual, replicates itself through generations, blind faith is dangerous (EG terrorism)
61
dawkins quote on faith
'great excuse to evade the need to think'
62
who debated over natural and revealed theology
barth and brunner
63
what position do barth and brunner take
barth - rejects natural theology brunner - defence of natural theology/use of aquinas
64
explain brunner's position
revelation through natural world experienced through sensus divintatis enables humanity to develop awareness of God and own flawed nature - provides with limited signpost in the right direction. god communicates through natural world
65
explain barth's reply - NEIN!
human nature is completely corrupted by the Fall, the natural world is not a medium of communication of god to humanity, revelation can only come if god chooses to, no points of contact in nature
66
context behind barths reply
rise of nazism, liberal christianity failed to reject. exterminations meant barth suspicious of human reason and natural law
67
name behind plantinga's position
reformed epistemology
68
who does plantinga agree with
barth - revealed theology
69
explain plantinga's stance
refers to christian revealed truths as basic knowledge, agrees with sensus divintatis (if there was no god people would not claim to have this awareness), belief in god is no more/less rational than an athiests position
70
criticism of plantinga
just because many people believe in god does not make it true - same apply to the tooth fairy or santa? can be accused of fidesim
71
rcc on fidesim
believe it is wrong, midpoint between nt and rt.

DEVELOPMENT IN CHRISTIAN THOUGHT (5 decks)

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