Paper 2 - Theme C Exsistence Of God (Islam) Flashcards
What does a theist believe?
- god created the universe and life in earth for a purpose
- the universe couldn’t have come about by accident or chance
What is the argument of a theist?
That nature is so intricate and complex that god must have designed it
What does an atheist believe?
- there is no god and no evidence that the universe or life in earth was created by god
- the universe just happened and life evolved
What does an agnostic believe?
It’s impossible to know for certain wether or not god exists as no one can see or produce god as proof
What kind of belief in god do muslims have?
They have the theists belief because they believe god created humans to serve god and do his will.
What does the Quran teach that makes muslims theists?
-the world is so well ordered and balanced to sustain life and beauty
-the world has independent complex parts that make up a whole
This means a designer had to be present and the only one powerful enough would be god
Give a quote that shows muslims are theists
“Are the disbelievers not aware that the heaven and the earth used to be joined together and that we ripped them apart, that we made every living thing from water… it is He who created night day, the sun and moon, each floating in its orbit
Give Thomas Aquinas’ version of the design argument
Only an intelligent being could keep things in the universe in regular order. The planets, sun, moon and stars rotate in the solar system in a set pattern as God put them there
Give Isaac Newton’s version of the design argument
The human thumb’s design is so clever and unique to every individual that it alone convinced Newton God existed
Give William paley’s idea of the design argument
The intricate workings of a watch show it was deliberately designed for a purpose and its pieces couldn’t have come together alone. The universe is more complicated than a watch and so must have a designer being God
Give F.R.Tennants version of the design argument
If the strength of gravity, power and speed of expansion caused by the Big Bang had been a tiny bit different, then life wouldn’t exist so the world must have a designer, God
What do atheists argue
- natural selection happens by chance and so over time things designed themselves
- order if the universe is needed to support life so only give s the appearance of design
- if god designed the world then why is there so much suffering as cruelty in nature, war, disease all suggest the design is faulty
Why do muslims welcome scientific discoveries?
Because they believe discoveries of science are already within the Quran and it’s for humans to explore and find about about the discoveries for themselves
What does the first cause argument rely on
The belief that nature had a beginning and a cause
State the points in the first cause argument
- everything that exists or begins to exist must have a cause
- there had to be something eternal that wasn’t caused by anything
- the eternal first cause is god
- there for god exists
Give an Islamic quote that shows god created the universe
- “We built the skies with our power and made them vast”
- “travel throughout the earth and see how He brings life into being God has power over all things”
How is the first cause argument used in the Big Bang theory?
By questioning what was before the bing bang as that had to have a cause and so god is therefor the uncaused cause of the Big Bang
What did Thomas aquinas argue in his first cause argument?
Nothing can become something by itself so the universe had to be caused by something outside it and so it must have had a creator to begin with; almighty God
What is the Kalam cosmological argument based on?
The ideas of medieval Muslim philosophers like al ghazali
What does the Kalam cosmological argument say?
The difference between the universe and god is that the universe has a beginning in time but God is eternal and so if everything had a cause of existence the cause of the universe is god. God needs no cause as he has no beginning in time
Give 3 objections to the 1st cause argument. How would theists counter these?
-atheists say the argument contradicts itself as if everything that exists has a cause them why doesn’t god?
-why can’t the universe have always been eternal of god was
-religious creation stories are just myths
Only god is eternal beyond time and space and the cause of the Big Bang isn’t yet known so why can’t it be god?
In the Quran what is a miracle?
An event performed by god that seems to break the laws of nature and should be impossible to contradict
What is the supreme miracle in Islam?
The revelation of the Quran to Muhammad
What do muslims generally think about miracles
They aren’t very important (apart from the Quran being revealed) and so they aren’t a strong argument for the belief of god but do acknowledge some religious experiences like al mi’raj
How do theists explain miracles?
That if there’s no scientific argument to an event it must be supernatural and only God is outside nature so must have intervened for the event to occur and so god exists
What do theists believe about miracles?
- show god’s love and care for people
- there are too many accounts of miracles for them to not have happened
- miracles may happen to non-believers who then become believers because of it
Why may atheists argue miracles can’t prove god’s existence?
- they are no more than lucky coincidences
- they may have scientific explanations that haven’t yet been discovered
- miracle healings could be the result of mind over matter
- some miracles are faked by those who want fame or money
How did David Hume argue against miracles?
- By saying there can never be enough evidence to deny the laws of nature
- that witnesses to miracles are unreliable and usually primitive and uneducated
- religions depend on miracles to prove they are true but not all religions can be right
Why may some theists object to miracles?
As miracles may show god as unfair by choosing who is helped e.g. saving one person from cancer while other patients die so if god is all just and all loving, miracles don’t happen
Why do muslims see the revelation of the Quran as a miracle?
As they believe no human could write a book like it without divine intervention
Why do theists think god isn’t needed?
They believe a god doesn’t need to be invented to explain what we don’t know and that science eventually will
How is the existence of even and suffering used to challenge belief in god?
There shouldn’t be suffering as
- god is believed to be all knowing, powerful and loving
- god then should be aware of evil and be able to prevent it
- god doesn’t do this so doesn’t exist
Give Islamic quotes to show god doesn’t test people more than they can bear
“But when guidance comes from me, as it certainly will, there will be no fear for those who follow… nor will they grieve”
“The work of Satan… cannot harm (believers) in the least unless god permits it. Let the believers put their trust in god”
Give two contrasting arguments on Muslim faith on science
- They see science and faith as partners in understanding the meaning of life and can’t prove god doesn’t exist
- some may reject certain ideas like evolution as god created everyone separately
What is ultimate reality?
The supreme, final, fundamental power in all reality
Give an Islamic quote that shows tawhid:
“He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was he begotten. No one is comparable to him”
Why may some theists say god can’t be known?
Because he is pure mystery beyond human comprehension
What are the two main kinds of revelation?
Special revelation and general revelation
What are the 8 ways god can be revealed?
- nature
- scripture
- miracles
- visions
- conscience
- conversion
- religious leaders
- worship
What is special revelation and give some examples
When people experience god directly in a particular event and usually has a huge impact on people e.g, a dream, vision, prophecy or miracle
