philosophy of religion

Question 1

“God did not, as the Bible says, make man in His image; on the contrary man, as I have shown…have made God in his image.”

Answer 1

Contemporary - Ludwig Feurbach

Question 2

criticized liberal theologians for merely describing their own reflection/values when describing Jesis

Answer 2

John Dominic Crossan

Question 3

“What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? Where is there any likeness between the Christian and the philosopher?”

Answer 3

Quintus Septimus Florens Tertulians

Question 4

Basil Mitchell’s Three Criteria of how to treat religious beliefs:

Answer 4

1.As provisional hypothesis to be discarded
2.As significant articles of faith
3.A Vacuous formula

Question 5

PSR

Answer 5

Everything has a cause, explanation, or reason for its existence whether in itself or in something else.

Question 6

ontological argument/cosmological argument greek words

Answer 6

ontological: a priori/knowledge independent of experience

cosmological/telelogical: a posteriori knowledge from empircism

Question 7

Anselm’s Ontological Argument

Answer 7

1. Conceive of the idea of God
2. Even the fool conceives the idea of God, “that than which nothing greater can be thought.”
3. A perfection in the mind/idea alone is less perfect than if it also exists in reality
4. If the fool understands “God” but denies His existence, the fool’s thinking yields a contradiction
5. God’s existence is obvious to/apprehended by intellect.

Question 8

criticisms to Anselm’s Ontological Argument

Answer 8

• if we think of a perfect island does that mean it exists?
• merely defining something as existing does not mean it exists in reality
• existence is not a predicate

Question 9

The Modal Ontological Argument

Answer 9

1. It’s possible that God exists
2. If 1 is true, then it’s possible that God exists in some possible world
3. If 2 is true, then he exists in all possible worlds
4. If 3 is true, then he exists in the actual world
5. If 4 is true, then God exists.

Question 10

criticisms of the modal ontological argument

Answer 10

• you can easily say “it is possible that God doesn’t exist”
• possibility does not equal existence

Question 11

negative ontological arguments

Answer 11

1. paradox of the stone
2. greatest prime number
3. perfection and prayer - how does our prayer make the world better?
4. considering love & justice. God can ignore justice and forgive?
5. coherence of the omni-attributes

Question 12

St. Aquainas’ 5 Ways

Answer 12

1) Proof from Motion
2) Proof from Causation
3) Proof from Necessity/Contingency
4) Proof from Perfection
5) Proof from Governance

Question 13

Kalaam’s Cosmological Argument

Answer 13

1.Whatever has a beginning has a cause
2.The universe began to exist
3.Therefore, the universe has a cause.

Question 14

Kalaam - Argument for why the cause is personal

Answer 14

There are two types of causation: mechanical and personal

if the mechanical cause has no beginning then the effect has no beginning. the universe began

only minds can decide to act while mechanical properties cannot.

the best explanation for the beginning of the universe is a personal cause

Question 15

Clifford’s Principle

Answer 15

It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence”

Question 16

James’ analytical approach to beliefs (being a genuine option):

Answer 16

1. Hypothesis: Live or dead?
2. Forced or Avoidable?
3. Momentous or Trivial?

We may call an option a genuine option when it is living, forced, and momentous! Religion is a genuine option!

Question 17

Hume’s Criticisms of the Design Argument

Answer 17

1. If cause is like effect, why do we suppose the cause of the universe is infinite?
2. how do we know the deity is perfect, and this was his first attempt at creating the world?
3. Why unity? Why not numerous ‘builders’?
4. human-made artifacts is not a good analogy to show how to universe operates

Question 18

Hume’s Main Assertion against the Design argument

Answer 18

you can solely say the universe arose from something LIKE design but you can’t say anything beyond that. Even if we assume a designer, this does not lead to knowledge about the nature or attributes of that designer.

Question 19

Properly Basic Beliefs

Answer 19

beliefs that we accept without needing further justification or evidence.

Question 20

What are the four properly basic beliefs? (fourth proposed by plantinga)

Answer 20

1. External world
2. Other minds
3. Memory beliefs
4. Belief in God

Question 21

‘Sensus Divinatus’ might just be HADD

Answer 21

Hypersensitive Agency Detection Device

False positives (mistaking the wind for a predator) are less costly than false negatives (failing to detect a predator). This can be an explanation for why cultures all over the world believe in divine agents

Question 22

What is truth for Kierkegaard?

Answer 22

“truth is precisely the daring venture of choosing the objective uncertainly with the passion of the infinite”

Question 23

Temporal Order (Time Sequence) vs Logical Order

Answer 23

Temporal Order:
1. K€ at T1
2. A at T2
3. E at T3

Logical Order:
1. E at T3
2. K€ at T1
3. A at T2

Question 24

4 Views about Divine Omniscience and Human Freedom

Answer 24

1. simple foreknowledge
2. middle knowledge
3. open theism
4. determinism