Philosophy of Religion Flashcards
MONOTHEISM
The claim that one God created the world and sustains it while transcending it
EVIDENTIALISM
The claim that belief in God must be supported by objective evidence
NATURAL THEOLOGY
The project of attempting to provide proofs for the existence of God based on reason and experience alone.
ATHEISM
The claim that God does not exist
AGNOSTICISM
The claim that there is not enough evidence for us to know whether God does or does not exist; sometimes called religious skepticism
NONEVIDENTIALISM
The claim that it is not rationally required to have objective, rational evidence for our basic beliefs and stance toward life
FIDEISM
The claim that religious belief must be based on faith alone and cannot be justified by appeal to either objective or subjective reasons
PRINCIPLE OF SUFFICIENT REASON
Principle that everything that exists must have a reason that explains why it exists and why it has the properties that it does
CONTINGENT BEING
A being whose existence depends on something outside itself, such that neither its existence nor its nonexistence is logically necessary
NECESSARY BEING
A being who contains the reason for its existence within its own nature
TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
Argument for God’s existence based on the evidence of design in the world
PROBLEM OF EVIL
The difficulty of reconciling the existence of suffering and other evils in the world with the existence of God
MORAL EVIL
Bad actions and their unfortunate results for which humans (or other moral agents) are morally responsible
NATURAL EVIL
The suffering to humans and animals resulting from natural causes such as genetic defects, diseases, earthquakes, and tornadoes
THEODICY
The attempt to justify God’s permitting evil to occur in the world
