Mid-Term Flashcards
What is the God of the Gaps?
A concept where we use God to fill in the gaps in human knowledge
Descartes concern with God of the Gaps?
God within the bounds of human reason
Kant concern with GOG
Moralism, placed God beyond history
Hegel concern with GOG
Dialectical idealism. God comes to self-consciousness through human consciousness in history
Pragmatism within the church? GOG
We engage in calculated risk. We often believe in God, not because he is true, but we want him to be true.
Hegel
2 things becomes one thing. A continual becoming thing
Consumerism has affected the church? GOG
We tend to be consumed by consumerism, content to eat, drink, and seek prosperity here and now
Why did Nietzsche despise Christianity?
He despised it’s ethics. He rejected the concept of the crucified God. Christianity esteems the weak and despised. He rejects the notion that we ascend by suffering and dying.
Nietzsche idea on consumer Christianity
We suffer as we ascend to power
Paul idea on consumer Christianity
We ascend by suffering and dying
Consumer Christianity
We ascend by indulging our passions and avoiding suffering
Jesus is the good shepherd, what are the four others contrasted against.
The hired hand- sell their time
Volunteer- donate their time
Wolf- come to devour
Difference between a God of the gaps and standing in the gaps
God does not want us to fight to make a place for him in culture/science/politics. God wants us to “stand in the gaps” for the weak, the despised, and the marginalized.
Three historical quests
Ancient and Medieval, Modern, and post-modern
Ancient and Medieval historical quest
The ontological quest
Modern historical quest
The epistemological quest
Post-modern quest
The linguistic quest
How is Descartes relevant to GOG
Descartes sought to prove God through pure reasons. He sought to argue for the existence of God in a society that began to care little about God
How did Kant define enlightenment
Humanity’s release from self-incurred tutelage
Three ages
Pre Modern: Priest, Revelation as authoritative
Modern: Physicist/professor, reason as authoritative
Post modern: Poet/painter, Artistic as authoritative
Three ages of old polarities
One v. many
Constancy v. change
Reason v. experience
Kant “dare to think for yourself”
Do not let another tell you what to believe. Have courage to think for yourself what is true
Kant set about to…
Find a place for certainty in knowledge claims
Kant’s copernican revolution
A shift in perspective to the human observer
Why do we believe
We believe to understand
Kant’s two story universe
Fact/Faith and moral freedom and God. Theres no connection between the two, we cannot ascend to the upper level through knowledge
Kant influence the university? Theology? and Religion in general?
Universities became focused on the hard sciences, theology became human centered, and he moralized religion
Which three school of philosophy was Kant critiquing?
Rationalism, Empiricism, and Skepticism
What is categorical imperative?
Live that universal that can be applied to all.
Hegel’s view of God
Hegel views God as the historical process
How did Hegel’s differ from Aristotle?
Aristotle saw God as the unmoved mover. Hegel saw God as the moved mover. Hegel affirmed change over constancy.
For Hegel, God comes to self…
Consciousness through human consciousness in history
Was Hegel’s view of God transcendent or immanent?
Totally immanentized. God requires history for perfection.
Is Hegel’s God a GOG or of the gallows?
God of the gaps. Hegel sought to make room for God in historical process
