Knowledge Of God’s Existence - Christianity Flashcards
Natural theology
The theory that knowledge of God can be gained by the power of the human mind.
Revealed theology
Knowledge of God can be gained from God’s revelation to us e.g in Jesus and the Bible.
Natural Law as Natural Theology
Primary precepts are the manifestation of God’s will on earth
Heavily reliant on reason - thinks God wants us to work things out
Aquinas’ Five Ways - a good example of Natural Theology as a proof for God through nature and observation
What arguments are all based on Natural Theology
Any design argument
What attributes of God can be seen through Natural Theology
Omnipotence
Omnibenevolence
What did Augustine claim the conscience was
A way of knowing God
What did Cicero note
That many people have had a sense that there is an infinite being who is control of the universe, across different cultures and times
What did Calvin claim
That we have a ‘sensus divinitas’ which could be translated as a ‘seed of divinity’ or an innate sense of God
He wrote: ‘There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity’
What did Aquinas believe God built into us
Reason
Kant thought that this separated is from animals and categorised us with God
- Genesis 1 ‘Imago Dei’ - made in the image of God i.e with reason
Why is human moralising a way of knowing God
Because He is a moral creature and we too are moral creatures
What can be known about God through Natural Theology
His will
His existence
His attributes
His reason
Criticism of Natural Theology arising from Christian sceptical view of humanity
They believe the idea that humans look upon themselves to learn about God is the pinnacle of anthropocentric and arrogant
When Jesus said he is ‘the way and the truth and the life’ it becomes contradictory for Christians to put their reason above him
There are consistent reminders of human fallibility - we cannot overemphasise our corrupted human nature
Criticism of Natural Theology from the issue of interpretation
Can see things differently in the world very easily: e.g a beautiful sunny day vs genocide changes our interpretation very quickly
The Problem of Evil makes it difficult to look outside and thing of a loving God - the Problem of Evil itself is an example of Natural Theology
‘The only possible way a God could exist is if it were a cruel God’ - Mill
Criticism of Natural Theology from Epistemic Distance
God wouldn’t want us to know him because then we would lose free will
God wants faith, not empirical certainty as that devalues faith
Jesus said that those that came after him had greater faith.
The beauty of the world
The existence, creativity and wisdom of God is obvious everywhere we look
Awe at nature is equivalent to awe at God
‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands’ - **Psalm 19:1
Events throughout history
There is a belief in Christianity and Judaism that people can gain insights to God by looking at the past
The events of history were dictated by God so what pleases or displeases Him can been - our prior relationship with God
‘You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and outstretched arm with great terror’ - Jeremiah 32:21-23
Traditional wisdom
God can be revealed by the insights of wise people; those who spend many years trying to live a moral life gain an understanding of God
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ - **Proverbs 3:5-6
This is ironic as it relies on humans to discover God - anthropocentric
The words of prophets
Messengers of God, commissioned to reveal his word
They don’t just spread their opinions but communicate God’s will through explicit access to God
‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying “Whom shall I send?”
And I said “Here I am. Send me!”’ - Isaiah 6:6-8
Religious experiences
God can reveal himself through religious experience, like God appearing in dreams to communicate or to talk through angels
The Book of Revelation is a dream that John had
‘He had a dram in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending’ - **Genesis 28:12-13
Natural Laws
The natural law of physics, which can easily be experienced, demonstrates the existence and nature of God
‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities… have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made’ - Romans 1:19-20
The person of Jesus
Jesus, as the incarnation of God, allows human minds to comprehend God
Jesus’ actions reveal the nature of God
‘The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ - John 1:14
The Bible
Christians believe it’s a source through which God can be known
It reveals knowledge outside the reach of natural theology such as the the purpose of Christ
‘All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’ - **2 Timothy 3:15-17
The life of the Church
The Church is seen as the ‘body of Christ’ which continues his work, so the Church can reveal God through the Holy Spirit
Their job is to safeguard the Bible and interpret it correctly
‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’ - Luke 22:19
How reliable are the revelation accounts in scripture?
Traditional teachings (i.e Proverbs) are examples of anthropogenesis - they come from a cultural understanding and not from God
Words from prophets are very reliable as they are straight from the mouth of God
