Philosophy of Religion: ❓the Existence of God❓

Question 1

who is the key scholar
for cosmological
argument?

Answer 1

Aquinas

Question 2

Who is the key scholar
for the design
argument?

Answer 2

William Paley

Question 3

Who is the key scholar
for the moral
argument?

Answer 3

Kant

Question 4

Who is the key scholar
for Religious
Experience?

Answer 4

Richard Swinburne

Question 5

What examples of
design are there?

Answer 5

ducks webbed feet, eve
lashes

Question 6

Goldilocks principle

Answer 6

Universe has been
designed “just right” to
sustain life

Question 7

Thumb Theory

Answer 7

Isaac Newton
We are all unique

Question 8

Richard Swinburne’s
Principle of Credulity

Answer 8

what I experience in everyday life is
true-so why question a religious
experience

Question 9

Richard Swinburne’s
Principle of Testimony

Answer 9

if you believe what your friend says to
you, then you should believe them
when they say they have experienced
God

Question 10

Examples of religious
experience

Answer 10

miracle, conversion,
prayer dream, vision

Question 11

what is religious
experience?

Answer 11

something that goes against the laws
of nature and cannot be explained by
reason or science

Question 12

criticisms of religious
experience

Answer 12

-hallucinations
-overactive imagination
-how do we know it is God
-does god have faviourites (only
revealing himself to some people)
-diffiult to prove if it is a personal
experience

Question 13

what is the moral
argument?

Answer 13

-we all have a sense of right/wrong
-feeling guilty when we do wrong
-external lawgiver gives us the sense
of morality
-God is moral governor
-summon bonum-ultimate happiness
(heaven)

Question 14

criticisms of moral
argument

Answer 14

-morality can come from
parents/education/culture
-morals are product of evolutionary
process (Dawkins)
-Atheists know difference between
right/wrong
-why assume that only god can bring
about ultimate happiness?

Question 15

Criticisms of teleological
argument

Answer 15

-Nietzsche universe is ‘full of flaws’
earthquakes/volcanoes
-unnecessary suffering
if there is a designer can he be
described as good?
-random chance
survival of the fittest

Question 16

what is Paley’s analogy?

Answer 16

wind up watch
-shows purpose, design,
complicated & intricate

1. A watch is so complex it must
   have a designer.
2. The eye is even more
   complicated - so by using the
   same argument, it must have a
   designer.
3. The world/universe is more
   comlex than the eye - this also,
   therefore, must have a designer.
4. The designer is God.

Question 17

What is the other name
for the design
argument?

Answer 17

The teleological argument

Question 18

what is the other name
for the cosmological
argument?

Answer 18

The first cause argument

Question 19

What is the
cosmological argument?

Answer 19

-everything in universe has been caused by something else.
-somehing cannot come from nothing
-chain of cause and effect
-line of dominoes-something had to start it off
-universe had to have a first cause
-first cause - eternal something had to cause it to exist-uncaused causer
-uncaused causer is God.

Question 20

criticisms of first cause
Argument

Answer 20

-could also prove God doesnt exist
-universe could be eternal and doesnt need a causer
- ambiguous
- science can explain origin of universe
universe is an unfolding mystery.
- why one god not multiple

Question 21

theist

Answer 21

someone who believes in God

Question 22

atheist

Answer 22

someone who doesnt believe in God

Question 23

agnostic

Answer 23

unsure if God exists

Question 24

What is Infinite Regression?

Answer 24

The belief that time has no
beginning or end.

Question 25

Summum bonum

Answer 25

Ultimate happiness/goodness which we can only reach in the afterlife this motivates us to behave morally

Question 26

Categorical imperatives

Answer 26

Moral laws – Inner sense telling us to do the right thing, not motivated by reward

Question 27

Evolution

Answer 27

• one species must’ve developed out of another
• plants and animals generally produce more offspring than ever can survive, those who survive or fittest, strongest and best suited to their environment – natural selection
• species have changed and evolved into the variety of plants and animal life forms we have today
• suggests universe happened by chance, no need for designer

Question 28

Criticisms of the theory of evolution

Answer 28

• old earth view – Darwin‘s theory suggests world in and everything in it developed over time millions of years rather than six days
• not special creation – Darwin’s theory suggests no distinction between fish birds and animals, developed and created evolved from one another over time
• humans not special – theory of evolution suggests human beings have evolved over time, same as any other species and are a relatively recent part of evolutionary process, not the result of a special act of God but a result of a natural process

Question 29

Big Bang theory

Answer 29

• 13.7 billion years ago explosion in space
• early universe expanded caused by high density and high temperature
• inflated into existence

Question 30

Steady state theory

Answer 30

• Einstein
• No beginning to the universe at all

Question 31

Oscillating universe theory

Answer 31

• Hinduism
• universe is created, destroyed, create it again – Kalpa

Question 32

Anthropic principle

Answer 32

• Ward
• demands deeper explanation into conscious, intelligent life