Knowledge of Gods existence Flashcards
KEY TERM - Natural Knowledge through order and design
Aquinas:
Natural Knowledge: As seen in the order of creation (Inductive a posteriori arguments to prove the existence of God claim to do)
Clear signs and organization and purpose that it is reasonable to infer that it must have a designer. As this designer must be greater than the universe it would be referred to as God.
FOR - Order and design
1) Romans “The law is written on our hearts”
-We know intuitively right/wrong; a desire for justice and the ability to forgive
2) The perfect order of nature seems to suggest that everything is working towards a higher purpose as the world has part of the Divine reflected in it - Aquinas 5th way
3) Paley
Against - Natural knowledge
1) Natural order explainable through science and evolution via natural selection
2) Augustine/ Calvin: Even if elements of the Divine was mirrored in the Earth it is arrogant that a fallible creation would believe that they could ever be able to interpret it
-It is only through Gods grace alone that true knowledge of God can be revealed due to the fall
KEY TERM - Mediate / immediate revelation of God through grace
Humans are corrupted by the fall emphasized in Genesis and have the tendency desire to constantly turn away from God. So whilst we are made in the image of God it is only through mediate/immediate revelation (through prophet scripture or prayer) true knowledge can be obtained. God decides who and when he gives knowledge of his existence too
FOR - Mediate / immediate revelation of God through grace
Augustine’s own experience when stole a pear in his childhood for pleasure of sinning
- Explains why children sin and disrespect parents
But have we progressed? Modern culture thinks that they have a moral superiority to those in the past but when we look at the boiling of nuns in hot tar in Russia in the 1900s or in the modern day the lack of public action after the brutalities within Chetna – we could argue that we have not progressed
- Humans are still sinful and thus can only gain knowledge through Gods grace
Against - Mediate / immediate revelation of God through grace
Pelagius: Augustine’s views reflect his society and not human nature.The only reason people sin is that their upbringing has been corrupted with evil and thus is assimilated into their nature although they were born good. He refers to this as being “educated in evil”
We could add contemporary historical and sociological evidence to Pelagius’ point. Humans have progressed since Augustine’s time
KEY TERM - Calvin Sensus Divinitas
Sensus Divintas - Calvin believed that God can be known purely through an innate sense of the divine and reason alone as we all were made in the imagio dei of God.
Calvin: sensus divinitatis a ‘‘seed of religion’’ which was the natural human inclination to carry out religious practices such as rituals and prayer
FOR - Calvin Sensus Divinitas
The unknown God: Paul’s speech to the Athenians convinces the people that they are actually worshipping the true God even though they’re not sure he exists. Desire to know the “unknown God” has been a constant quest of Greek philosophers.
Universal consent argument: Cicero, if so many people believe in God he must exist/ it is reasonable to believe so - universal human belief
Intuitively know right from wrong at a young age. Cannot be reduced to a psychological as when young cannot differentiate between a meaningful/meaningless existence.
-Must have faith this is God and not accept the psychological explanation
Against- Calvin Sensus Divinitas
Feuerbach – universal belief in God only suggests a universal psychological need for God
-Innate sense theory gives purpose in a meaningless existence
Atheism within Western cultures suggests that this sense of the Divine does not exist, but it was the lack of science that in Calvin led to belief in a God
KEY TERM - Natural theology
The world provides a point of contact between us and God, which reveals things about his nature
Point of contact: God’s revelation in the world which provides humans with the first step to knowing him as a redeemer
FOR- Natural theology
Principle of accommodation: God is an infinite being that finite humans cannot fully comprehend or know, so he reveals his appearance to us more simply through nature. This doesn’t reveal his essence, but is a “sort of mirror” or reflection of his invisible nature. We can know some of these “sparks of his glory” as love, justice and mercy
Humans have an “openness to truth and beauty” - they read books, listen to music, paint etc.
Catholicism states that all humans have an innate sense of right and wrong, small children quickly develop a sense of justice! Show’s God exists - Calvin said this was a gift given by God which means “joint knowledge” between us and God about what is right and wrong, his way of guiding us.
Key term - FAITH
Unformed faith: can find intellectual reasons for a belief but cannot believe it’s true
Formed faith: this is faith which wills to accept or “assent” what it can believe through the intellect - this is given through Gods grace
FOR - Faith and Gods grace
Aquinas - Faith is volitional - it is a choice. It involves free will, I ought to choose to believe in God Faith is stronger than knowledge because of God’s grace - it’s a higher power than connects us with God, reason is a human function and doesn’t connect us to God
For Calvin, the gift of the Holy Spirit is to aid a person’s faith, which will have been damaged after the Fall
Why is reason still important with faith
Truths of faith = less certain than truths of reason - we can doubt our faith, but cannot doubt reason
Reason is proof e.g. cosmological argument, but faith is truth
Have to except “life everlasting”, “resurrection” etc. as there is no empirical evidence to prove it - you simply have to believe or have faith
FOR - Reason and faith
Locke: reason is faith
Begin life Tabula rasa- blank slate: we have experiences and learn throughout life
Our capacity to reason and arrive at the truth is a gift from God, judged by how well we use our reason, which is a gift from God (expects us to use it)
Faith is a matter of being properly guided by reason - reason would suggest that the existence of God is highly probable-
