N5 Unit 3 Flashcards
Why might some people disagree about the nature of god
Many believe he is the omi attributes but we do not see hi. Acting in the world of today
He lets evil and suffering to exist
He supposedly created all things but science disputes this with the Big Bang theory
This would make god cruel to some as he created all the bad in this world
Some feel he absent when they need him most
Holy scriptures have different descriptions of god based what they think
Questions about the existence of god are important for some people because
If God is real, people might want to connect with or know more about
Him.
If you decide God doesn’t exist it lets you get on with your life without
fear of judgement.
If God does exist you may need to take care to live in a way which
pleases Him in order to get a good afterlife.
Answering one ultimate question can help you with the others: if God is
real there may also be an afterlife, creator, purpose to existence, etc.
Knowing that God exists might help people to find meaning, value or purpose in life
What is the cosmological argument
Nothing can happen by itself.
Everything that happens has to be caused by something else.
The universe cannot just have happened by itself.
A very powerful force must have caused the universe.
This cause must have been God, who is an uncaused cause.
This means that God must exist…
What are the counter arguments for the cosmological argument
Sax The principle of sufficient reason. Meaning you will want an explanation for any fact.
If you don’t accept the principal of it the. The cosmological argument won’t make sense
The first causer in the cosmological explanation cannot be scientifically explained
We know almost nothing about the universe
Who made god?
People may criticise the cosmological argument because…
It contains self contradiction talking about how everything has a cause but god is not caused and just exists
Our experience is limited to what we know
If god can be without a cause so can the universe
The argument is based on assumptions at most it shows it might be reasonable
Some people might agree with the cosmological argument by saying….
Universe exists and everything exists needs a beginning/cause
God is the only thing powerful enough to be that cause
It makes sense for god to be the necessary being because god is a differnt category to things in this universe
Many mathematicians agree that infinite regress is impossible
Science supports the idea of the universe having a beginning
The simplest explanation is the right one and the first cause is arguably the simplest
What is the teleological explanation
There is evidence of design in the world suggesting that it was designed to do things and not just randomly created
If there is evidence of design something must have designed it like the position of the sun the only thing great enough to design the world is god therefore god exists.
What are the counter arguments for the teleological argument
the world may have been designed but it could’ve not been god
there is no evidence that the universe needs a designer it could be natural
The universe may have a predisposition to order
We have no evidence that says the world wasn’t just naturally created
What is the theory of evolution
A living thing depends upon it’s environment to survive and it can only survive if it fits the environment which it lives in
Why would people argue that the teleological argument does prove gods existence….
The world looks designed and it has been created perfectly to sustain life
There would have to be a lot of coincidences from the point of the Big Bang to be real
